What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 210

#210

Role (1)

I flinched, glancing back at the entrance of the Lord’s castle.

The path we’d taken by carriage was deserted.

No one was arriving or departing.

A gentle breeze from the southern part of the empire tickled my hair as it passed.

It was the morning of December 19th, the scheduled opening ceremony of the orphanage in the Verang barony.

…What was that just now?

“Your Highness, what’s wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing. I guess I’m just a bit on edge from not sleeping well.”

I smiled, replying casually. Ganael’s face clouded over instantly.

Oops, I made another mistake.

“I saw something amazing last night. The thing I told you about in the bedroom earlier.”

As I whispered while walking, the boy’s golden eyes widened.

Ganael, understanding my meaning, lowered his voice.

“Yes, I didn’t expect that either… The Baron and his wife are truly remarkable people.”

“I know, right? They’re admirable.”

I meant it sincerely. I looked at the backs of the Baron’s family, who were guiding us.

Once, in the carriage heading to the Marquis of Dwiem to exterminate the magical beasts, Benjamin had explained something to me.

He said that a river flows through the southern part of the empire.

I recalled the blue Jang River, which I had only seen a few times on maps, crossing the continent and flowing into the West Sea.

‘The Unité River.’ The waterway named after the lost homeland [Venetian’s homeland] was nothing more than squiggly lines to me until the day before yesterday.

But to those three people, the river was a precious lifeline flowing from the Holy Nation. It represented a reality where someone’s life was on the line.

‘Did you help refugees like this since your grandmother’s time?’

Last night, I asked cautiously. Fabrice Verang, the Baron, nodded readily.

‘Yes. My grandmother provided them with a place to live, helped them rehabilitate, and created new families for them. As a result, the budget for the construction of the Lord’s castle was reduced to its current size. My father learned that from her.’

‘And the Baron learned from his father.’

I echoed his words. Baroness Anne Verang smiled softly and agreed.

It’s easy to say, but to be conducting relief efforts for three generations without external support in an already small territory…

It seemed like a miracle, truly amazing. They deserved a medal from the Imperial Family.

No, in my opinion, they deserved to be raised to a much higher rank than they are now.

“Are the people of Venetian in a very difficult situation?”

I asked Sir Johann, who was walking silently beside me.

It might seem pathetic for a prince to ask such a question, but I couldn’t help it.

All I knew about Venetian was shallow knowledge learned from books.

Sir Johann, being from the Holy Nation, would know the plight of the common people better than anyone.

He opened his mouth calmly.

“Since Empress Christa Ner began to suffer from madness, the local lords have been committing more crimes. The exploitation and oppression of the common people are more common the further away you get from the capital.”

“Even with Werner, the Prince Consort, acting as regent?”

“The regent is not the king. Besides, he is said to lack leadership. Instead, he is skilled in socializing and extravagance.”

…I see. I mulled over the Holy Knight’s cynical summary.

Since the king kept losing his mind, the country seemed to be swaying back and forth.

It might get better when Princess Elysee ascends the throne, but it would take time to completely take power away from her father.

There are bad people in Liester too, but across the continent, the leader has become weak, making it difficult to recover.

Thanks to that, only innocent commoners are struggling and fleeing all the way here.

Hmm. Werner really has a lot of sins.

-Thud, thud

-Tap, tap…

We walked in silence for a while. The orphanage was said to be not far from the castle.

It was explained that not only the orphans of the barony but also children coming from the Holy Nation, like last night, would be protected there.

Since it was said to be a walkable distance, I gladly chose to walk.

It would be hard to enjoy this kind of rural life when I returned to the Imperial Palace, so I wanted to experience as much as possible.

-Awoo?

“That’s a bird’s nest. It’s the home where friends like Tuk-ssim live.”

-Woong.

“Yes, they make it themselves. They’re diligent.”

Tite, held in my arms, cried as she looked at the tree.

Her black eyes blinked as if appealing to my curiosity, so I told her with all my heart.

Demi scurried along, following me, and Tuk-ssim was flying peacefully above our heads.

“It seems to be there.”

Benjamin pointed to one place. My eyes widened.

Ganael’s mouth dropped open, and Sir Johann also had a tone mixed with laughter, as if he hadn’t expected this.

“It looks like they came out to greet Your Highness.”

“…”

Everyone staying at the orphanage was gathered in front of the newly built building.

The age range was diverse, a mix of children who looked to be about five years old to teenagers who looked to be in their late teens.

Several teachers taking care of the infants wore gentle smiles.

The Baron’s party also had surprised expressions. I busily moved my feet.

Even though it was the south, it was a chilly autumn day to be standing for a long time.

“Your Highness, I’m sorry. I told them to wait inside…”

“No, it’s fine. They’re greeting me with good intentions.”

I smiled and shook my head. As I walked quickly, the building rapidly came closer. It seemed bigger and better than the Lord’s castle at first glance, making me chuckle to myself.

I slowed down as I made eye contact with the child at the head of the group.

The child was holding a small bouquet of purple flowers. It was a crude shape, but it didn’t matter at all.

I slowly lowered myself and sat down in front of the boy.

The teachers who were about to bow let out surprised sounds. Elodie, the young Baroness, urgently called out to me.

“Your Highness.”

“Their necks will hurt. I’m fine. Hello. Did you make this for me?”

“Y-Yes…”

The child answered, trembling.

He seemed to have forgotten the prepared greeting, fidgeting and moving his lips.

Everyone, including the child, was wearing neat clothes.

I smiled brightly as I received the bouquet.

“Thank you so much. I’ve never seen such pretty flowers. I’ll cherish them.”

“…”

Oh no, his face is crumpling. He’s crying. I messed up.

“Sorry. Did I surprise you by coming suddenly?”

“Hwaaa.”

“Shall we go back? Shall I go home?”

“Hng, no, prettier…”

“I’m deeply grateful, Your Highness.”

The Baron, unable to watch any longer, began to soothe the child.

The Baroness explained, ‘The Prince is more beautiful than the flowers.’

She added that it seemed he was crying not because he was scared but because he was nervous.

Indeed, the child did not take his eyes off me even while being held in strong arms.

I was glad I wasn’t marked as a bad uncle.

“Shall we go inside? I’m curious about what the inside is like.”

Sir Johann, who had been watching quietly, suggested. We gladly agreed.

“Teacher Roland and I baked a cake… I’ll give it to Your Highness.”

The crying boy whispered to me. I chuckled and wiped his wet cheeks.

*

“Tteuh, hteuk…”

Christel de Sarnese, or rather, Ham Gain, stretched with a writhing motion and woke up.

The bedroom was bright everywhere, as if it was already midday.

“I’m hungry.”

She mumbled, scratching the back of her head.

It was yesterday evening that she left the Verang barony after hearing the news that ‘Father’ was ill.

It was around three or four in the morning today that she reached Sarnese.

She had helped the Baron and his wife all day and came in a carriage shaking all night, so even an Archpriest-level Holy Knight would have a hard time shaking off the fatigue.

‘It’s jealous, but I haven’t reached the level to catch up with Teacher Johann yet,’ Christel thought. That was her last impression. She barely brushed her teeth and collapsed on the familiar bed, fainting.

‘See your father during the day, young lady. Sleep first. You can’t even walk with your eyes open.’

‘Yes. You too, nanny.’

I remembered having such a conversation. But…

“It’s too quiet.”

Somehow, the inside and outside of the castle seemed too quiet.

Even if it’s Saturday, it’s strange that I can’t even hear the shouts of the Knights from outside the window.

It was also strange that the nanny, who kept the meal times like clockwork, hadn’t come to wake her up yet.

-Rustle, rustle

Christel instinctively muffled her footsteps and got out of bed.

She made clean water, quenched her thirst, and simply washed her face. Only then did she come to her senses.

Wiping her face roughly with the pajamas that the nanny had changed her into, she carefully moved to check the next room.

“Nanny? Hello?”

But no one was there. Her gray-blue eyes narrowed.

Crack, crack. The fireplace was full of newly added firewood.

Looking at the clock, it was almost noon. Clearly someone had been here…

“What.”

Christel frowned as she scanned the room. A covered meal was placed on the table.

If others saw it, they would say, ‘What’s the problem with this?’ but to her, nothing could be more suspicious.

Ever since Gain possessed her, the nanny had never missed seeing her eat breakfast once.

No matter how busy she was, she would check on Christel chewing and drinking in a daze before leaving.

The same was true at the Duke’s residence in the Imperial Capital. It was because she was deeply concerned about the young lady who had been sick for a long time.

“…Oh my god!”

“Shh!”

At that moment, the voices of the servants were heard outside the bedroom door.

Christel quickly flew to the door.

Putting her ear to it and raising the ether in her body [magical energy], she could hear the whispering conversation clearly. It was as the teacher had taught her.

“So they locked her up?”

“That’s right. The whole Imperial Capital is turned upside down!”

Locked up? Who locked up whom? Christel frowned. What’s going on?

“I’m scared, it’s creepy… Then what about His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“Thankfully, he’s safe. Thanks to him, all the powerless commoners lived. I heard from my cousin that at the moment something went BANG! and exploded, the flames went whoosh! and flew away like leaves. So only the wind went PWOOSH! and the spectators all went URR! and collapsed. His Highness controlled the fire in an instant.”

“Goodness… The gods helped him. No, no! Then only our Duke was attacked in the terror attack?”

What?

-Clang!

Christel pushed the doorknob forcefully. The huge wooden door didn’t budge.

She tilted her head. The servants across the hall made sounds as if they were suffocating.

-Thump!

“Could you open this, please? It seems to be locked from the outside!”

Thump, thump. Her firm fists knocked on the door. But the hallway was as silent as a graveyard.

They were deliberately keeping their mouths shut. Christel’s mind went cold in an instant.

Could it be that being locked up…

“Miss Christel, did you sleep well? I’m sorry, but I locked the door.”

An elderly voice rang in her ears. It wasn’t the voice that had been chattering until now.

Christel gritted her teeth at the now-confirmed guess.

She was currently locked in the Lord’s castle without knowing why.

“Grandpa Head Butler, is that you? Why did you lock the door? Where’s Father? I came to see Father.”

“I know. Your father is safe, having only suffered minor burns.”

“No, I heard he was in critical condition…”

“His Excellency the Duke has ordered you to stay in your bedroom, however frustrating it may be, until the Imperial Family secures Prince Yeser Venetian and completes the investigation.”

“What? Investigation?”

Christel frowned.

The last time she saw her partner, he was as kind and beautiful as ever.

Nothing would happen to him, and it had to be that way.

But before she could hear the answer, an ominous feeling climbed up her spine.

The old man’s calm explanation continued.

*

“I’m terribly late. I’m sorry, you two.”

“Not at all. It’s what we expected.”

Benjamin acted nonchalantly at my apology. Ganael said it was okay no matter what.

I was grateful that they said that, but it was clearly my fault that the schedule to depart in the morning was pushed back to 6 p.m.

Playing hide-and-seek with the children, eating the slightly squashed but delicious cake, and even receiving confessions from the child soldiers, the sun was already setting.

I was already dreading how I would apologize to our Little Duchess.

I was planning to arrive at the Imperial Palace tonight, get a good night’s sleep, and meet Eva early tomorrow, but everything was ruined.

While I was preparing words of apology in my mouth, the Baron’s family’s servants loaded luggage onto the carriage.

“You created precious time for those who have nowhere to turn, Your Highness. Duchess Eva will understand too.”

Sir Johann, who saw through my thoughts, said. He’s like a ghost.

“…It’s just a short volunteer activity. I only did it for one day, though.”

I answered that and turned around.

The Baron’s family members who came out to see us off were looking this way.

“Those people do that every day without rest. I want to ask Your Majesty for help.”

“That’s a good idea.”

The Holy Knight responded gently. It was then.

-Beeep!

Tuk-ssim cried loudly and burrowed into my arms. Tite wrapped her flipper around him.

Demi at my feet raised his tail sharply. What’s wrong?

-…Thump, thump, thump!

“Giddy up! Giddy up!”

-Neigh!

All eyes turned to the entrance of the Lord’s castle.

Two or so knights on horseback were rushing this way, kicking up dust.

Sir Johann blocked me with a smooth movement like a breeze.

I stood on tiptoe and stretched my neck. Wait, that’s…

“Second Sword!”

A familiar voice rang out from the front.

Then the number of people, which seemed to be one or two, spread out to the side like a fan.

It was a shockingly orderly movement.

I recognized their leader and symbol at once. My eyes slowly widened.

“Why is Sir Ervé Dwiem here…”

“Twenty people.”

The Holy Knight protecting me muttered. So many came? Why?

-Neigh!

“Whoa! Whoa!”

The Imperial Guards did not dismount and quickly surrounded us in a circle.

I reflexively picked up Demi and held him in my arms.

Ganael and Benjamin stood close to my back, and the Baron’s family hugged each other, holding their breath.

The atmosphere was unusual. Everyone’s eyes were too fierce…

“Prince Yeser Venetian.”

I flinched. I swallowed hard and looked up at Sir Dwiem.

There wasn’t even a sliver of warmth in his familiar light pink eyes.

“You are accused of instigating a terror attack against the Imperial Family, attempted murder, and conspiracy to incite rebellion. Therefore, in the name of the Imperial Guard, I arrest you and deprive you of your freedom.”

…What?