What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 287

#287

The Discovery of Fate (1)

It had been a full six days in the outside world since we escaped the collapsing ruins.

It felt like a half-day of madness for us!

-Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping!

‘Whoa! Fast! But I’m faster!’

‘Sant! You must come to your senses!’

‘Your Highness, I’ve never been more sane than I am now!’

-Awoo!

Flaming arrows flying, thorns rising from the floor. Iron thread traps that open up holes under your feet with the slightest touch!

It was a tomb that had gathered all the clichés of ruin exploration.

We were prepared to become hedgehogs, then instantly turned into flying squirrels, and the next moment, we were racing like thoroughbreds.

Occasionally, the Divine Beasts and the children would get excited and shout.

In the end, Hanan, the owner of the tomb, even said a word.

‘Even if you revere me, this is a bit much.’

‘Yes!?’

‘That’s what the King said!’

Isabelle shouted with a troubled face. You were just as surprised!

-Kwaaaang!

-Swaaaa!

‘We’re alive, haaa!’

‘Grandma! Grandpa! We’re here!’

The ending was like drowned rats.

I still don’t know how it was possible, but we survived.

‘Oh, my baby!’

‘We almost died!’

‘Welcome! You’ve worked hard, my daughter. Oh my!’

‘Someone, call Monica and Scotty! Quickly!’

We were greeted by the Langbaye viscount and his wife, and the desert’s dawn air.

Looking back, there was no way a group with two protagonists and a cardinal would be buried alive.

But at the time, such logical judgment was impossible.

I just had the thought that I was going to die if I wasn’t careful.

Seeing the kind faces of the old couple, I finally felt relieved.

We lined up to receive their warm hugs. Even the Crown Prince couldn’t escape this time.

And so, here we are. It was sunset.

“Thank you for saving my brother! I will never forget it.”

Marian gave us a mature greeting.

Monica, the innkeeper who brought the children out, also bowed.

Behind them, the staff of the Chaum Caravanserai and the villagers bowed in unison.

Christel and I shook hands with the sisters.

The group had cleaned up, eaten their fill, rested for a few hours, and packed their bags before leaving the inn.

Monica and the viscount’s couple tried to persuade us to stay for a few more days, but…

“I won’t forget you either, you’re really smart and brave.”

“Ehehe.”

“Hehehe.”

Our caravan schedule was already delayed a lot because of us.

Besides, we couldn’t keep Princess Elissa and Chief Delegate Ronald Lüpert waiting any longer.

Although we had an incredible experience that mixed ghosts, musicals, and escape rooms, our duty remained unchanged.

It was a journey with people to meet and clear political objectives.

We were going to stay at another inn anyway, so we could catch some sleep on the way.

“Take care, Marian. India. See you again.”

“Again?”

India’s eyes sparkled, looking excited.

Her sister Marian glared sharply, but she didn’t seem to care.

I smiled. If Eunseo had been born as twins, it would have been just like this.

The lesser pandas circled around the sisters, blooming cute little plants.

They must have liked them quite a bit.

“Okay. I’ll stop by on the way back. Until then, don’t give Grandpa Scotty a hard time, and listen to Monica.”

“Kids, take this. It’s a drawing signed by your sister.”

“Wow!”

“Wow!”

While I was linking pinkies with the two children, Joan suddenly handed out a few sheets of drawing paper.

It was a charcoal sketch of the Marian sisters.

There were also drawings of Monica and Grandpa Scotty. We turned to look at her in surprise.

I knew Joan was meticulous, but it was amazing how she drew these while taking a nap.

“I don’t have anything to give. Use it as an emergency fund.”

“How can we sell that, Baron! I would treasure it as a family heirloom for the rest of my life.”

Sant exclaimed, and people burst into laughter.

The sisters were flustered and thanked Joan.

As expected, the genius painter’s gifts were extraordinary. She’s giving the kids assets that can be exchanged for real estate.

“Then we’ll be on our way. We’ll talk to the Holy See ourselves, so don’t worry too much.”

Clement Langbaye said to Monica.

Mrs. Mariz grabbed her hand, saying, ‘Don’t worry about the soldiers and live comfortably.’

Monica seemed to be choked up.

“Thank you sincerely. To everyone… Our Chaum village and Caravanserai have received a great favor.”

“It’s nothing.”

I shook my head. We just happened to be here.

Around that time, Prince Cedrick silently headed to the carriage.

He seemed to think the farewells were over.

He used to be uninterested in these send-offs, but he’s grown a lot in a year.

I smiled and waved my hand.

“Goodbye. Oh! Even if there are no ghosts, you should never go near the ruins. The ground will have weakened due to the collapse.”

“I will keep that in mind, Your Highness. I pray that only the grace of the Lord will be with you on your way.”

“I’ll pray, Your Highness!”

“Goodbye! Thank you!”

“Thank you…”

The pawnshop old man, holding the two children’s hands tightly, bowed his head at the end.

Christel and I bowed repeatedly and left the place.

The children waved their arms until the very end.

Turning around, the familiar desert landscape greeted us.

Golden sand holding mystery and treasures. Camels crying for a long time. Endless caravan processions and cheerful friends.

The farewell was sad, but I smiled again.

*

The golden carriage stopped.

“Your Highness, we have arrived at the inn.”

A young servant’s voice was heard from outside.

The man carefully held his sleeping daughter and prepared to get off.

The old servant busily moved to attend to him.

Click, the door opened and the pearl-studded curtain was lifted. Charrr…

“This is the Gigolt Caravanserai in Gigolt Village.”

The guide was concise. Werner nodded and stepped out.

One of the servants hurriedly brought a gilded stepping stool.

The king stepped down and stood on the sand.

Behind the golden carriage carrying the royal father and daughter, fifty members of the Royal Guard, who had followed from the royal castle, stood like still life.

Several more carriages carried servants and cooks, and there were also carriages carrying clothes and food.

The stuffy taste and smell of the desert vibrated everywhere.

The man frowned slightly and looked at the building in front of him.

He didn’t like it at all.

The terribly hot environment, the uninteresting scenery, and the shabby accommodation.

But he could endure it all. To meet his eldest daughter.

“Ugh, Father…”

“Our Dandelion. Are you awake?”

Around that time, Cornelise woke up. The man smiled beautifully and coaxed the child.

The princess looked around and soon brightened her face.

‘Wow! The third inn is the biggest and prettiest!’ She even made an excited voice.

Even that seemed to resemble the nature of a commoner, which was unsatisfactory, but Werner didn’t show it.

He decided to think that his daughter was excited about her first trip.

In fact, he was weak to the second child’s whining. Unlike the eldest daughter, who was obtained through the couple’s trust and affection…

This child was born solely out of his greed.

‘Hello, Christa. Long time no see.’

8 years ago that day.

Werner waited for Christa all night, dressed in the same attire as ‘Michael.’

He wore an ill-fitting wig and cheaply dyed his eye color.

When the king, who was heavily drunk at the restaurant, returned, he sat on the bed and imitated the priest’s tone and behavior.

It was the first time he had such a miserable experience in his life. When she stroked his left cheek, tears streamed from his right eye.

He was terrified that the king would immediately recognize his identity and draw his sword.

But he had the intuition that he would not be able to maintain his position as king unless he did so.

The price of removing Michael was harsh, and his sister was watching the situation from a step back.

She helped him, but did not actively defend him.

So, he needed someone to solidify his position. Elissa alone was not enough.

He risked his life to live. He threw away his honor and pride.

‘Michael, I’ve been waiting… so long.’

His wife was crying in the dark.

When she laid him down, their two faces were soaked with pain.

An unknown emotion sharply pierced Werner’s heart. He…

‘I missed you too.’

He wanted a son who resembled Christa if possible.

So that the popularity of ‘that’ could subside.

“Yes? Are you promising me?”

Flinch. Werner barely escaped from the swamp of his stinking past.

What filled the man’s vision was a clear and clean light green eyes.

Ivory hair, cut from a ray of sunlight, sparkled beautifully.

Even if she wasn’t a son, she had once saved him, his treasure.

Cornelise.

“…Could you say that again? Your father was lost in thought and didn’t hear you properly.”

“Oh, geez.”

The child made a whining sound, then folded her fingers and said.

“I definitely want to buy gifts for my sister and brother here. And for Mother too. I asked the servants earlier, and they said there’s a very big market. And, um. I want to go on a ‘disguise walk’ with Father too.”

“You must be referring to an undercover trip.”

“Yes, an undercover trip!”

The princess giggled and shook her legs. The king returned a calm smile.

Then he checked the Gigolt Caravanserai again.

He saw the owner and servants standing in a crowd at the entrance to greet him.

This was the father and daughter’s last rest stop. The next destination was the Temple of the Boundary, where Elissa had gone.

He wanted to run through the desert day and night, but…

The horses and camels had to rest. Above all, Cornelise’s happiness was important.

“I will. I promise everything.”

Because this child will protect him until the end.

“Wow, I’m happy!”

The princess kissed her father on the cheek and rejoiced. He hugged his beloved daughter tightly.

*

That night. The procession, which had been moving for a long time, settled in the middle of the desert.

“Wow…”

“Pretty.”

We covered ourselves with thick blankets and lay in one carriage. It was our first time camping out in a while.

Fake stars were shining like real ones on the wide ceiling.

It was the result of Joan buying ‘glow-in-the-dark paint’ from the Langbaye viscount.

She was so excited to see such a thing for the first time that she took a brush and covered the ceiling.

The completed painting was, of course, wonderful.

It couldn’t be compared to that work, but it reminded me of the glow-in-the-dark stickers that were on our room when we were young, so it was fun.

-Kkuk kuk kuk kuk…

A sound crying all night was heard from afar.

I wasn’t sure if it was an owl or an owl, but Sir John told me it was an owl.

How does he know that?

“Thank you all for your hard work today. Good night.”

“Good night, Your Highness.”

“See you tomorrow. Precious people.”

“Yes, good night, Baron.”

-Kkiing

-Aeuk

We closed our eyes quietly for a while and waited for sleep to come.

“Sigh. Sss. Sip.”

But the cicada girl was crying next to me. I flinched and turned to look at Christel.

“Does your tooth hurt?”

“It doesn’t hurt, but I keep tasting medicine.”

Hahaha.

“I’ll reduce the amount of medicine a little tomorrow. It’s my first time doing oral treatment, so I’m not very good at it.”

“No. You could open a hospital, Your Highness, and be very successful. Especially a children’s dentist.”

She whispered praise. I was embarrassed and just laughed it off.

I thought of the protagonist who had called her grandparents and mother to sit down, hugged Perry and Tete at the same time, and lay down looking terrified.

It was only a few hours ago.

‘Ah, say ah.’

‘Ah.’

‘Bigger.’

‘Aaa.’

The two Divine Beasts followed suit and opened their mouths. I held back my laughter and seriously examined her.

‘I don’t think you need to have it extracted. It’s not as rotten as you think.’

‘Heoheoheong. Thank you!’

‘Thank you so much, Your Highness. For saving our granddaughter…’

I even said lines that I didn’t expect to say.

‘Raise your hand if it hurts.’

‘You won’t stop even if I raise it.’

‘….’

That’s right. I treated the female lead of a romance fantasy novel’s cavity.

Fortunately, the healing circle I had recently memorized was in the oral area.

I had heard that it was a very difficult field, so I performed it with great tension.

Fortunately, Christel had excellent natural healing power thanks to the ‘Blessing of the Blue Sea’ within her.

I had to check her condition again in the morning, but even with my clumsy treatment, she seemed to be healing well.

Just in case, I also got the best medicine from the caravan and applied it.

It was the Langbaye caravan, which had everything except what wasn’t there, as I had heard.

“Then good night, Christel.”

“Your Highness.”

As I smiled and greeted her, Christel called me.

It was a very small and serious voice. I had an ominous feeling for no reason.

“Yes?”

“I heard His Majesty Hanan’s words in the ruins.”

“……”

The corners of my mouth slowly went down. I tried to maintain my composure.

I did my best to hide my expression. Straight and blue eyes were caught in the dim view.

It was an unavoidable gaze.

Perhaps from the day we first met.

“He said that you and I are similar, Your Highness.”

‘Is your case common these days? I’m seeing it for the first time today.’

“That the outside and the inside are different.”

“……”

For a moment, I was breathless. I couldn’t even remember how to blink.