What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 271

Langbuiet Caravan and the Intruders (1)

Two days had passed since the chaotic Festival of the God’s Descent.

‘So, I will be taking the Crown Prince to the neutral zone…’

-Rustle!

The letter, written in neat handwriting, was crumpled mercilessly.

Those summoned to the spacious Imperial Palace drawing room shrank back.

The ceiling, adorned with gold trim and sacred paintings, seemed to press down on them.

In the eyes of the empire’s most noble figure, fury flared and died repeatedly.

The Empress was dressed in a gown, as if she had just come from her bedroom.

She was the only one seated; the others stood awkwardly.

The assembly was too busy watching each other to dare speak first.

Cardinal Boutier, the Empress’s only restraint, was nowhere to be seen.

That made the situation even more frightening and difficult. There was no one to stop the higher-ups from venting their anger.

“Ahem, ahem.”

François, with Herrit tucked under his arm, cleared his throat softly and nudged his younger brother with his elbow.

Erbay looked down at his brother with a bewildered expression.

The Marquis moved his lips diligently.

The handsome man had enough audacity to push the back of his brother, who was three years younger.

‘Aren’t you the one the Empress trusts the most among us? Please apologize first.’

“…”

The Captain of the Imperial Guard quickly assessed the Empress’s mood and shook his head at his brother.

No matter how he looked at it, speaking up now would mean taking the full brunt of the Durandal’s aura [Durandal is likely a reference to the Empress’s power or a magical artifact associated with her].

The man had the Imperial Guard to be responsible for.

Suddenly dying before spring would be a terrible thing to do to his successor, Elizabeth.

He moved his lips earnestly.

‘You do it, brother. Aren’t you a Marquis of the Empire?’

‘I have a family to take care of. And this child, too.’

Hmm. That was also true.

Thinking of the territory residents who lived diligently, trusting in him, it was difficult to risk his life recklessly.

Besides, he was currently acting as the guardian of little Haines.

And that wasn’t all. Antoinette, Maria, and Therese, who he wouldn’t trade for the world, were anxiously waiting for their two brothers at the Stroda Palace.

Although their sins were great, the brothers had to return alive.

The two men subtly turned their heads to look at one place.

Elizabeth, receiving their shameless gaze, frowned.

‘…Don’t tell me you want me to be the scapegoat?’

‘Georges, you are our hope.’

François mouthed desperately. The Baronet was dumbfounded and exhaled a breath.

He did feel responsible for the current situation.

The precious Crown Prince had been spirited away by a prince from an enemy country in the middle of the night.

But Cedric himself had been quite active in this operation.

Otherwise, his friends wouldn’t have been able to take him out of the Imperial Palace so quietly.

In short, this was a rebellion of a young royal, a tremendous impulsive act. And everyone gathered here had helped him.

Elizabeth silently clenched and unclenched her fists. Yes, let’s face it head-on.

Wasn’t she already expecting to incur Her Majesty’s wrath?

“Your Majes…”

At that moment, Benjamin stopped her with a gentle gesture. The Deputy Commander of the Guard widened his eyes.

The butler was wearing a serene smile.

‘My sin is the greatest. I will take responsibility.’

Benjamin…! Everyone looked at him, touched.

As the head butler of the Juliette Palace, he had supervised this plan from beginning to end as Prince Yesser’s right-hand man.

He was in a position to stop it, but he didn’t, and instead, he stood by the Prince.

And now, he was trying to sacrifice himself to be Her Majesty’s punching bag, the Durandal’s target.

Just as they were truly moved by the noble spirit of the adult,

‘No.’

Another middle-aged man shook his head and stepped forward. It was David!

‘David, you mustn’t.’

Benjamin tried to stop him. But the head butler of the Romero Palace did not give in.

His eyes gleamed.

‘You wouldn’t say that if you knew what I did.’

The mysterious lips moved quickly. The audience listened intently to his silent confession.

‘I told the Prince the direction to the Crown Prince’s bedroom.’

‘I knew he would come at that time. I made sure there was a way.’

‘I even packed his luggage before His Highness went to bed. I even packed snacks for the Divine Beast as a token of my good will.’

‘Even though I knew he had left the bedroom early, I didn’t report it to the higher-ups until Her Majesty looked for her son.’

‘And…’

The butler’s explanation continued softly. The faces of the audience, who had been focused on him, gradually hardened.

Why is this person so enthusiastic? Shouldn’t he just accept his punishment…? [The characters are surprised by David’s eagerness to confess his involvement.]

“Enough.”

Ugh! Everyone bit their tongues, gasped, and stood at attention.

François quickly lowered his eyelashes as soon as he made eye contact with his master.

The glimpse of silver hair was damp. A languid voice echoed.

“The heir to the Imperial throne crossed the border without saying a word to me. He still has much to learn, ignoring his mother’s warning that it was dangerous and taking on the responsibility of the Emperor himself. I don’t know if he’s entranced by the Ether [Ether is likely a magical energy source or substance] or if his adolescence is late in coming.”

“…”

“But there are those who encouraged and abetted him instead of stopping him. Not just one or two, and not just those in lower positions.”

She paused for a beat.

Berenice, who was quietly standing next to Elizabeth, gasped.

She knew this would happen, but the scene she had only imagined was now a reality, and she was so scared she felt like crying.

Her father, who knew nothing, must be having tea in the next room.

She saw her aunt sighing in the distance. The Baronet gently stroked the trembling young lady’s back.

“Erbay.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Empress’s sharp gaze pierced him.

The Captain of the Imperial Guard closed his eyes like a roe deer sensing its end before a hunter.

“Can you swear that you searched the carriage with all your heart and soul?”

“…No, I cannot. Please, punish me accordingly.”

He answered calmly.

He didn’t regret his choice, but he still felt bad about confessing his sins to the lord he served.

‘Huh.’ The Empress chuckled briefly.

The more she thought about it, the more absurd it was, and she couldn’t even get properly angry.

At first, she was definitely so angry that her vision turned red.

Her fierce instincts took over, and she locked Orelly in her bedroom, not allowing her to come out even a step.

In the meantime, she took care of the state affairs all by herself.

It wasn’t difficult, but she couldn’t stop the empty air from filling her lungs.

“I’ll have to scold him until the tears run dry.”

It was a sincere statement, without a speck of pretense.

But on the other hand, she was amused that even the Cardinal had conspired to deceive the Empress and help the Crown Prince run away from home.

She was also secretly pleased that her successor had already built up such a force.

The thought of dragging her son in front of her right away and scolding him conflicted with the thought of rewarding the mischievous children who had pulled off such a daring feat.

She was anxious that she had entrusted Cedric with too great a task, but she also felt that he should be able to accomplish this much by the age of twenty-five.

So it was difficult to find a suitable punishment.

“Would a flogging be good?”

“Ugh…”

It wouldn’t be bad to see him tremble like a puppy in fear.

Such a reward was necessary. Frederick put on a stern face and picked up her coffee cup.

As she gripped Durandal with her other hand, the head butler offered a prayer to the heavens.

Laura also had a truly amazing nephew.

-Thud

At that moment, an unexpected person approached her. The Empress widened her eyes in surprise.

“Ah…”

A small, white-haired child, who had slipped out of François’s arms, was looking at her with a troubled expression.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t noticed the approach.

It was just that the opponent was a babe in arms who didn’t even have the fighting spirit to be wary of.

She couldn’t help but be surprised by the courageous action.

The flustered Marquis trotted over to the two of them.

“I am sorry, Your Majesty. The child has not yet fully learned the rules…”

-Plop

Then a small piece of ice fell into Frederick’s coffee cup.

François blinked. Herrit was holding tongs in his hand.

Several seconds of silence flowed. The Empress realized that the child had moved because he was worried about her drink being too hot.

The large mint-colored eyes were shining innocently.

“How do you know that I am sensitive to hot food?”

“Ugh…”

At the solemn question, Herrit looked around, not knowing what to do.

Then, with his small hand, he pointed to the center of the table.

A vase of magical tools held a bouquet of purple tulips.

“Did the Prince teach you?”

Nod, nod. The small head moved busily.

The Empress was not immune to such pure gestures. She finally laughed out loud.

Whenever they had tea together, the Prince would always put a piece of ice in her cup.

Adding ice to hot drinks was something she had never imagined.

She wondered if they drank coffee like this in the Holy Nation.

But she gradually got used to it. To the simple trick of the royal priest.

To the young one’s bold consideration, who asked for an ice bowl that he didn’t even need.

“You are bewitching. Come closer.”

“…”

When the Empress ordered, the child hesitated but approached her.

Frederick had finally found a punishment for the detestable ones. She felt cheerful.

“As the price for the aforementioned sins, Herrit Haines, the son of the Grand Duke, will be my tea server from today.”

“Your Majesty.”

The Empress’s call was mixed with laughter.

As the child was beaming, Frederick deliberately hardened her expression.

“One hour a day is hard labor for a ten-year-old. Do you think it’s easy to put ice in the Emperor’s drink?”

“…”

“You will also have to arrange the refreshments by color.”

It was something that the Imperial Palace butlers were already doing perfectly.

But the Empress and the head butler put on stern faces as if they had planned it in advance.

The frightened Herrit swallowed hard and nodded.

The Marquis clutched his forehead with a dramatic gesture and muttered to himself. ‘Ah! Behold, Elizabeth. Young Haines is atoning for our sins!’

The Baronet did his best to hold back his laughter.

Everyone was holding eggs in their cheeks [likely means they were trying not to laugh], while Berenice was the only one who was bewildered.

The Empress, who had been chuckling, languidly swept back her hair.

It was true that there was no parent who could win against their child.

“Laura.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Summon Emma Corleone. We must prepare for the worst.”

Then, her cherry-colored eyes flashed sharply. The lighthearted atmosphere froze in an instant.

The head butler calmly bowed.

“I will obey your command.”

“Also, send a message to all border areas, including the Blanquer Duchy, to ask for their understanding, and deploy an additional five thousand Imperial troops to the border to stand by.”

The Empress looked straight at the dear Marquis. The pink eyes that met her own trembled.

“If I hear any ominous news, I will strike the desert immediately.”

It was a resolute voice.

*

That’s how a week passed, and we crossed the border.

-Creak!

-Rattle, rattle…

No, really! We safely passed through the checkpoint and escaped into the unknown continent.

And that was just now! Just now!

“Hahaha! I thought we were going to get caught; my heart was pounding!”

“Me too, Sir Christel!”

Our protagonist and Sant were lying side by side on the floor of the cart, giggling.

It wasn’t really the floor, but there was soft, thick cotton padding, so it didn’t matter where you lay down.

Joan was screaming that her heart had stopped.

The excited lesser pandas were running around the tea room in large circles.

The Crown Prince, who hated noise, frowned.

I quietly warned them and then pulled back the curtain that was open at the back and looked outside.

The relief of not being caught and the thought that we almost got caught mixed together, and my heart was pounding.

“…”

-Thump, thump

The checkpoint was no longer visible, hidden by the carts and carriages that followed.

A silly smile came out for no reason.

As we approached the border, I was restless, wondering if I should disguise myself, but the Langbuiet couple said there was nothing to worry about.

Then they put us in the biggest cart.

It was a plausible space with a canopied bed and even a small table and sofa.

The couple also rode together. We had no idea what their plan was.

We found out the whole story when we encountered the checkpoint knights.

‘Madam Langbuiet, we will also inspect this cart.’

‘That’s my parents’ bedroom, knight. Are you new here?’

Isabelle asked with a troubled voice.

We sat huddled behind the curtain, our mouths agape. They’re going with that story?

‘Then inside…’

‘Yes, the Marquis and Marchioness are there. They are very affectionate.’

As she smiled softly, the knights hesitated.

The other party was not just anyone, but the Langbuiet Caravan, which was trusted by the Emperor.

A thorough search was essential, but in a land where honor was more precious than life, they would be reluctant to pry into the private lives of nobles.

‘Isabelle, who is looking for us?’

At that moment, the old woman burst open the curtain and stepped forward.

She lowered her dress, exposing one shoulder, messed up her hair, and half-closed her eyes!

‘Ugh.’

You weren’t like this until a few days ago!

I was horrified and covered the Crown Prince’s eyes with a blanket.

He groaned in dissatisfaction, but I didn’t care and blocked the gazes of Sir Johan and Sant, flying like a bee.

The sound of Christel and Joan giggling was also buried by the indiscriminate blanket attack.

I wasn’t the only one who was embarrassed. The knights outside the cart also sounded like they didn’t know what to do.

‘No. That’s okay, Madam. We will not check the bedroom.’

‘Ahem! Ahem.’

That was… the story of how we passed through the checkpoint safely.

The Marquis, who was unbuttoning his shirt in case of emergency, straightened his wife’s clothes and kissed her hand, saying he respected her deeply.

I respected the two of them in a different sense.

“The desert will begin soon.”

I was startled out of my thoughts. The Marchioness was looking at me and smiling softly.

The old woman got up and pulled on the luxurious tassel hanging in the corner of the cart.

Then an amazing thing happened.

-Swish, swish

“Wow.”

The cloth covering the left side of the tea room rose up, and the golden sand began to appear.

The Langbuiet Caravan, which had everything except what it didn’t have, also had blinds!

I immediately turned around.

“It’s so amazing!”

As expected, Christel was rolling over with shining eyes.

My gaze reached the Crown Prince over her shoulder. It was something my subconscious had ordered.

I smiled coolly and moved my lips.

‘Thank you.’

Thanks to you, I ran away from home on my birthday and came all the way here. It feels like I received a present, you know.