What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 294

#294

Sanctuary of the Boundary (2)

Eva stood there, filled with tension.

“Show them, Eva.”

Elisabeth smiled kindly, patting her shoulder.

The child glanced at her, then at His Imperial Majesty and His Eminence the Cardinal before her.

She also glanced at Sir Ervé D’Hiem, who was guarding their backs.

The Captain of the Guard nodded with a splendid smile.

The young Duchess Blanquer finally decided to move.

Having come all the way to the heart of the Liester Imperial Palace, she couldn’t waste the precious time of these esteemed individuals.

Her dark brown eyes trembled.

Eva desperately thought of the person she considered ‘like an older brother’.

‘Then we must have a grand opening ceremony. Because it will be Eva’s first step towards true power.’

‘Yes. A very, very large-scale one. I’m going to invite everyone I know! Status doesn’t matter at all. Agnes, Frank, and even the household servants who helped me are all coming.’

‘Oh? Then His Majesty and His Eminence Orelly will also be coming.’

‘······.’

‘Hahaha. I’m just kidding. Don’t feel pressured.’

She thought of his neatly folded purple eyes and gentle voice.

The child wanted to live up to the Prince’s expectations. Of course, she knew he was just joking.

Even if His Majesty and His Eminence didn’t come, she knew that the Prince would sincerely congratulate her on her opening and be proud of her.

Because she trusted his affection.

“Your Majesty, Your Eminence. I have something to say.”

But she was the type to do things once she set her mind to it.

Sometimes, she wanted to surprise the foolish Prince.

She wanted to give him a gift when he returned with lots of souvenirs.

“Yes, Eva. I’m listening.”

“Soon, my salon will······.”

But saying that made her feel suddenly pathetic.

To people who were busy achieving great and magnificent feats, the opening of her ‘Salon de Victoire’ seemed like such a small and insignificant event.

The total area of the salon was smaller than the Imperial Palace’s pantry. How could she invite them to such a place······.

-Rustle

At that moment, a small warmth enveloped Eva’s hand. The young Duchess was surprised and turned to the side.

A fair-haired child was smiling at her like spring snow.

“Heung.”

“······That doesn’t exactly give me strength, you know.”

Eva muttered, frowning.

I’m a respectable sixteen-year-old adult, and Herrit is only eleven this year, so it hurt my pride to be cheered on by a little kid.

The boy, unaware of her feelings, tilted his head and blinked.

It was a relief that his impression didn’t resemble his father’s at all.

Eva believed that she didn’t particularly like Sir Haynes.

He was a white fox who only pretended to be pure in front of the Prince!

“Heung.”

“Heung?”

The boy mimicked the girl’s nasal sound.

“I have requested an audience to present invitations to the two of you, braving a great discourtesy. I sincerely thank you for allowing this.”

The Duchess, empowered by Herrit, finally spoke.

“Oh my. I’m looking forward to it.”

Orelly put down her coffee cup and spoke quickly.

Frederik was lenient towards the weak, but apart from that, he had a somewhat impatient personality.

If she made him wait any longer, he might push the child.

Chamberlain Laura received the invitations from Eva and presented them to the two.

The Emperor scoffed and opened the card.

“The grand opening is on March 31st······. ‘A salon where anyone can freely come and go, regardless of status or age’.”

“That’s right. There are hardly any such spaces in the Imperial social circles. If they are as young as Herrit, they are quickly sent back or not seen as equal conversational partners, and if they are commoners like Mountain Keeper Agnes, they are not even allowed to enter.”

“······.”

The child continued to speak clearly.

“But my mother said this. True power comes from gaining people’s recognition. It is a feeling that cannot be forcibly taken.”

“Indeed.”

“Yes, so······. I wanted to create a place where as many people as possible could come. I also wanted to hear the voices of those who are secretly going through difficult times, like Madame Victoire. It hasn’t opened yet, so I don’t know what will happen. But Sir Mute and everyone else are helping me, so······.”

The Duchess trailed off.

She couldn’t possibly lie in the Imperial presence, so that was the limit for the child. She was at an age where she didn’t know enough to promise the future. Soon, her gaze fell.

Eva felt pathetic.

She should have spoken more 멋있게 [with more flair] and maturely about her future plans, but she had shrunk back and couldn’t even finish a sentence properly.

At this rate, it would be difficult to brag to the Prince.

“If······. If you have time······.”

By the time she said those words, her voice was trembling. Her cheeks grew hot with embarrassment and fear.

“Will that be enough?”

A cynical voice immediately returned. Eva squeezed her eyes shut.

‘Frederik.’ The Cardinal called out, but the Emperor didn’t stop talking.

“You can’t possibly believe that I should sincerely attend a mere salon opening.”

“······.”

The Duchess lowered her head and held Herrit’s hand tightly.

The child looked back and forth between Eva Nuna [older sister] and His Majesty.

“Ah.”

Then her eyes widened. That face was definitely the one she knew.

That was the expression he made right before playing a kind prank.

Her Eminence Orelly said he was ‘mean,’ but he always seemed 멋있게 [cool] and kind in her eyes.

“Increase the scale.”

“Yes, yes?”

“Elisabeth’s birthday was the day before yesterday. Also, according to the page, the water droplet kid’s birthday is in a few days.”

Frederik playfully gestured towards Herrit. Eva blankly stared at the boy.

The child shook the hands he was holding with a bright face.

Herrit had been busy lately, not only serving tea but also being a conversational partner for the two adults.

Every day, they shared written conversations until their fingertips were stained black with ink.

“Then, then······.”

“Shouldn’t it be an event befitting the Emperor and Cardinal of the Empire?”

The middle-aged man said. Slowly, Eva’s lips widened into a circle.

Then, as if by a lie, her complexion brightened and her small shoulders straightened.

The child smiled brightly like a sprout welcoming spring.

“Yes. I will prepare accordingly. I will hold the grand opening celebration party, Sir Mute and Sir Christel’s birthday celebration party, and the Crown Prince and Prince’s homecoming celebration party all at once!”

“Alright. You’ll be busy.”

“Yes!”

Eva answered loudly. ‘Hahahahaha.’ Ervé was the first to burst into laughter.

The Emperor glared at him, but he only covered his mouth with an awkward cough, ultimately failing to manage his expression.

Frederik clicked his tongue and sent the Duchess out.

The child now had a lot to do and was bouncing around as if she would soar into the sky at any moment.

Herrit bowed and scurried after her.

Elisabeth, who had come as Eva’s guardian, also paid her respects to the adults and stepped back.

He had given her a birthday vacation, and she brought the little one in casual clothes. He was dumbfounded.

“I’ll have coffee, please.”

“Yes, Captain of the Guard.”

While Ervé sat on a small chair and received a small cup (because his body was too big), Orelly turned to her partner.

“What were you trying to do?”

And asked with a worried voice.

Her lips were still curved in a smile, but there were realistic problems for the two of them.

First of all, state affairs were always piled up like mountains.

To plan an outing, they had to organize their schedule at least three months in advance.

Moreover, if the entire Imperial family went out into the city, half of the downtown area would have to be blocked off.

“Why, were you trying to be more confined in the bedroom?”

“It’s not that, but.”

“It would be enough to show our faces for an hour while the young ones are playing. I can’t arbitrarily interfere with social circles, so.”

The rest of the words were not continued. But that was enough for Orelly.

“······I see. Good idea.”

Her Emperor did not like the aristocratic, luxury-ridden, and complacent Imperial social circles.

He said he ‘couldn’t arbitrarily interfere,’ but in reality, it was more accurate to say that he ‘left it alone because it would be a hassle to interfere.’

So, Frederik’s visit to Eva’s unconventional salon was significant.

It was a rare opportunity to show what kind of social circles the Emperor desired.

She was not one to take a single step carelessly.

“How about talking to the Prince about it at that event?”

“······.”

“It will be a comfortable atmosphere. That child also cherishes Cedric. Maybe you can set a specific time.”

The Cardinal whispered gently. The Emperor’s sharp eyes calmly sank.

He had been thinking about it anyway.

His only son needed a religious partner, and Prince Yeser perfectly fit all the conditions.

Above all, Cedric wanted to keep him by his side.

He had never said it himself, but he could tell just by looking at him.

Yeser was the first person after Elisabeth that the Crown Prince had opened his heart to so quickly.

“······If he resolves this matter well and returns.”

“Yes. If it is proven that you can handle state affairs together, it would be good to formally propose it.”

“You’re very excited.”

Orelly folded her eyes at the blunt reply.

Then, the Captain of the Guard, who was drinking coffee, carefully opened his mouth.

“Your Majesty, I suggest autumn. The Prince prefers cool weather, so it will be easier to proceed with the event. Also, if you are going to bestow a palace, the building in the east would be······.”

-Thwack!

“Keuk!”

“Enough. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”

The Emperor kicked the Captain of the Guard in the shin. The added insult was that he shouldn’t pretend to be in pain.

Orelly ended up laughing out loud.

Still, the wait was enjoyable.

*

I stood there, filled with tension. Suddenly, the atmosphere was ‘ceremonial’.

“Am I really okay?”

“Prince, do you know you’ve asked that question three times already?”

Joan clicked his tongue, standing by the door.

But Christel only repeated the words ‘so pretty,’ so it was hard to trust her.

If Sant hadn’t been there, it would have been a real disaster.

With his help, I put on new clothes, new shoes, and styled my hair.

Of course, these were all provided by Count Ramboillet.

Even in the midst of being busy, I changed Tete’s bib and hugged the lesser pandas one by one.

After packing Dduk-sim, who hadn’t woken up yet, into the Gaga bag with his bed, the preparations were roughly finished.

I brazenly opened my mouth.

“Then, Your Highness, shall we depart?”

“······.”

The guy gave me a look of pity, but I ignored it.

It’s his first time with this kind of thing, so please understand.

-Knock knock

Then, someone knocked on the door from the outside.

Click, as soon as the cool night breeze entered, Crown Prince Cedric strode down the stairs.

I hurriedly followed behind him.

According to protocol, the Crown Prince should have been wearing the Liester Imperial ceremonial attire, and I should have been wearing the Archbishop’s vestments.

But that was impossible. After all, he was kidnapped and brought here.

He did have luggage, but it only contained practical travel items.

Me? I’m his kidnapper, so how could it be any different?

Still, I got to wear the best clothes from the Ramboillet caravan, so—

-Clack, clack, clack!

Surprise! I flinched and looked around.

The Papal soldiers, lined up on both sides of the carriage, stretched all the way to the entrance of the Sanctuary of the Boundary.

It was roughly a distance of 300m.

Now that I saw it, a luxurious golden carpet was spread out under my feet.

I thought they wouldn’t have this kind of formality because it was late at night, but as expected, the Papal State was unforgiving.

It’s not strange if you think of this place as another country······.

-Clank, clank, clank!

Soldiers bowed their heads like robots at every path we took.

The armor was very different in shape from what I had seen in the Empire.

It was similar here in that people had diverse skin colors and appearances—

“Eyes.”

“Sorry.”

The Crown Prince pointed out, and I quickly turned my head to face forward.

According to etiquette, he and I were walking at the front.

A few steps behind us, the Ramboillet family was walking, followed by Joan, and finally Sant, Johan, and the divine beasts were leisurely strolling.

As I looked only ahead, a magnificent and enormous presence once again captured my gaze.

I kept admiring it from afar, but it was breathtaking as I got closer.

“Wow······.”

It wasn’t quite the level of a 21st-century skyscraper, but the Sanctuary of the Boundary seemed to be at least 100m high.

The width was also unbelievably wide.

I guarantee that it would definitely be included if I were to pick the 퇴계공’s [Toegye’s – a famous Korean scholar] Seven Wonders.

It just didn’t seem like it was built by humans.

Even the majestic and imposing Liester Imperial Palace didn’t have this feeling.

The sanctuary, made entirely of marble from the foundation to the roof, was emitting a pure white radiance under the light of the crescent moon.

“Your Highness, is that perhaps······.”

That alone was surreal enough, but there was one more element that made the sanctuary strange.

“That’s right.”

‘The World Tree’.

Jet-black tree roots, as thick as the sanctuary’s pillars, were wrapped around the pure white building from all directions.

At first glance, it looked like a pitiful building being attacked by a large deep-sea creature.

But upon closer inspection, the World Tree and the sanctuary were clearly coexisting harmoniously.

The branches that stretched long into the ceiling served as beams, and the small branches that grew downwards became stairs leading up to the sanctuary.

As expected, large statues of past Popes, carved out of marble, were prominently placed on the thick roots.

Some were sitting to match the shape of the roots, while others were lying sideways as if taking a nap.

Some held torches, while others were engrossed in reading.

And they were all too vivid, as if they were people who had been alive until just a moment ago······.

Unconsciously, my body trembled. It was somehow a scary place.

“Welcome. Greetings to Crown Prince Cedric and Prince Yeser Fenetian.”

Flinch. I hurriedly came to my senses. Before my eyes stood an old man I had never seen before.

Deep and distinct features, luxurious Cardinal vestments.

Whitish and neat hair, and a sharply trimmed beard. Taller than I thought.

An inscrutable expression.

“I am Ronald Lüpert. In my humble capacity, I serve as the General Manager here.”

He bowed politely to us. I suppressed a strange fear and bowed back.