What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 321

#321

The Black Prince (5)

I thought it was understandable up to the stableman, Audre.

Charlemagne was an extremely picky thoroughbred, so it would have been difficult to entrust him to just anyone.

But David is different, isn’t he? Wasn’t this the front line? A young noble from a precious marquis family, with no martial prowess, all the way out here…!

“What’s going on?”

I flinched. David asked in a solemn voice.

I checked his posture and face with a quick glance.

He seemed to have lost a little weight, but thankfully, he didn’t seem to be hurt.

His attire was no different from when he was in the Imperial Palace.

He was a respectable and amazing person in many ways.

Right. He must have come all the way here to assist the Crown Prince.

Even if he doesn’t show it, the guy relies on him a lot.

“That is, Charlemagne is causing a ruckus…”

“He even attacked a knight. The situation was serious…”

The soldiers who brought the servant spoke in a flustered tone.

The middle-aged man frowned deeply at the explanation, which involved a lot of gestures.

The group of knights controlling the situation, as well as the residents of Honing Village who had come out in droves, gathered, and the alley was packed.

Charle stood silently, as if it were someone else’s business.

I saw the people who had grabbed me earlier telling David something.

Then he calmly turned to me. At the same time, hundreds of gazes were fixed on me.

Ugh!

“Hello.”

I quickly bowed deeply.

I knew they couldn’t hear me because of the noise, but I still greeted them diligently.

Charle tilted his head as if he was puzzled.

-Thud, thud, thud…

At the top of my dirt-covered vision, David’s neat shoes came into view.

I didn’t raise my eyes and maintained my hunched posture.

Meeting an adult I was close to made my lips dry with tension.

The black horse snorted unhappily.

-Pffft

Then he started pressing my back with his nose.

I stumbled and turned to him. Why are you doing this suddenly?

“Are you hungry? I’ll give you a carrot later.”

I whispered quickly. I don’t know if you like carrots, though.

Or organic raspberries?

-Pffft!

Then Charle blew a big gust of air and pushed me with his head.

Staggering, it was difficult to maintain my balance, and my posture straightened up.

Only then did explosive realizations burst like fireworks. Wow, seriously!

“You’re telling me not to bow?”

-Puh

Charle breathed out haughtily. I was so shocked that I lost my words.

He had already finished calculating that I was a human inside Prince Yeseo’s body, and therefore, I was superior to David, so there was no need to be submissive.

Who did he take after to be so smart? Are you a divine beast too?

“I heard you calmed Charlemagne down.”

In the meantime, David didn’t give me a chance!

I was swept away by Charle like a dancing wind-up doll and gave an answer.

I didn’t forget to keep my eyes down.

“Yes, it wasn’t a big deal. Oh, my.”

“…It was a big deal. He has the most fiery bloodline in the Empire.”

I knew it! Charle!

“When he gets angry, even high-ranking knights are helplessly knocked down. That’s why I came myself… Amazing.”

“No. I was just lucky.”

I calmly replied. There really was no other choice.

No matter how grateful and happy I was that Charle recognized me, it would be a bit much to say, ‘See? I’m the one who died back then.’

Isn’t that too much of a leap?

-Tap, tap

“Huh?”

Then, the black horse gently touched my calf with his front hoof.

Wondering what he wanted this time, I turned around.

After successfully attracting my attention, he tapped the horse brush lying on the ground with his hoof.

I hurriedly picked up the brush and shook off the dirt. It wasn’t even my thing, but I felt sorry for Audre for handling it carelessly.

I must have dropped it when I saw David and freaked out.

“Thank you.”

-Puh

Then Charle tilted his chin as if he was smelling something.

His black eyes were pointing exactly at the horse brush.

I tried to pull myself together from the momentary daze. So, now…

“You want me to brush you?”

Again, tilt. It was such a clear expression of intent. The onlookers laughed and enjoyed it.

‘I was scared earlier, but now he’s cute!’ Innocent exclamations burst out from here and there.

Audre also looked happy.

I was glad she wasn’t crying anymore, but I was genuinely embarrassed and turned to David.

He had an expression as complicated as mine.

Confusion, embarrassment, relief, and joy were mixed together, and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

For now, I fumbled and picked up the horse brush and stroked Charle’s neck.

I had to do as His Highness’s horse commanded.

-Stroke, stroke…

Clatter, clatter. Charle wagged his tail happily.

Even though he pointed out that I was higher than David, he must believe that he is higher in rank than me.

Like master, like pet.

“Is this your routine? Taking a walk and getting brushed every day?”

-Puh

“I see. I understand.”

By the time I answered, I was chuckling softly.

Suddenly, I thought of Areum, and my nostrils tingled.

David was quietly watching us.

I busily brushed until Charle was satisfied. It’s very shiny.

“You.”

“Yes, yes. Sir.”

I turned my head in surprise. The middle-aged man was observing me with a very serious look.

From head to toe, slowly.

“…I heard you’re a resident here. What’s your name?”

*

The next morning.

I was at the temporary stable where the Riester military horses were staying. It was like a dream.

“Charlemagne must be ready by 8 a.m. Like today.”

“Yes, Sir David.”

How did I suddenly advance to this point? Because I got a special job at the Imperial Palace!

I bit my lip to hide my smile.

And I glanced at Charlemagne, who was sitting and resting in his space.

Because of his commotion yesterday, David thought well of me.

Thanks to that, I was able to escape from being unemployed overnight.

Whino and the townspeople were so happy that they even shed tears.

It’s true that you never know what will happen in life.

When I found out I had fallen into the backwoods of Shin-guk, I was honestly desperate, but not long after, the Imperial Army pushed in.

To top it off, their commander was Crown Prince Cedric.

Of course, he doesn’t recognize me…

That’s only natural. I just need to work harder to bloom the Aether [magical energy/essence].

“Audre will take care of cleaning the stables and preparing the horse feed as usual. Learn a lot from her, as she is an excellent stable keeper.”

“Yes.”

“Of course, other than Charlemagne, the other horses are also under Audre’s care. You only need to take care of that guy.”

I nodded solemnly.

I was pretending to be calm on the outside, but inside, I felt like I was going crazy.

I was happy to be close to my friends, but on the other hand, I was scared of what might happen.

I was scared, but I also liked it. My heart was pounding as much as my first day at work.

Can I do well? No, there’s no need for such a question. I just have to do well, no matter what.

I have to stay here. This is an opportunity given by the Chief God.

Entrusting the horse of the Imperial Crown Prince to a commoner from Shin-guk is something that would not be possible with ordinary common sense.

“As you saw yesterday, Charlemagne is picky. He doesn’t allow anyone to put a saddle on him unless it’s His Highness the Crown Prince. It’s also the first time he’s seen blood on the battlefield, so he’s become sensitive.”

“…Yes.”

“But he seems to like you.”

David said, tilting his head.

Audre, who was standing next to him, said, ‘It’s really fortunate. I’m glad Mr. Heineken is here,’ and smiled.

I had nothing to say, so I just smiled.

This place was quite close to the center of the military camp.

I had been volunteering on the outskirts, and I had been taking care of meals and rest there.

I had never been this deep inside except around the day I had tea with Bakari.

It was a complete coincidence that I had encountered the Crown Prince twice so far.

Now that I’ve returned to the real ‘me,’ the road to my friends is so far away.

“In addition to the morning riding, His Highness often runs around with Charlemagne. So, when you’re not volunteering, please stand by nearby.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Actually, I wish you wouldn’t do other things… I heard you have a lot of supporters at the relief center.”

“Hahaha.”

When I smiled awkwardly, David looked at me with kind eyes.

It reminded me of when I was living in the Imperial Palace, and my heart ached for no reason.

He must be very busy, but he was with Audre from early in the morning to educate me.

He even handed me the clothes I would wear while working.

The light purple Imperial-style jacket had a subtle scent of summer sunshine.

It had a belt and pockets, so it was good for working. The size was perfect too.

I knew that David was as meticulous and thorough as Benjamin, but I never thought he would personally take care of even the lowest-ranking servants.

“Do you eat a lot?”

He asked casually. I hesitated and answered.

“Well, I eat well as they give me.”

In fact, I hadn’t eaten my fill since I came here.

But I was fine because I hadn’t had a hard time either.

Honing Village was poor anyway, and now it was receiving food support from the Imperial Army.

The residents were generally in poor nutritional condition, and the children were at an age when they were growing.

I was grateful to receive even one serving.

“…I see. Let’s go now. It’s time for His Highness to go for his morning ride.”

“Yes.”

I nodded and took Charle out.

I was worried that he might have changed his mind, but fortunately, he moved in the direction I was walking.

David led the way, and Audre saw us off and went inside to take care of the other horses.

Several guards followed behind.

Clatter, clatter. The sound of the black horse’s hooves was cheerful, and I felt good.

As we left the stable, large white tents filled the view.

Unlike the outer areas, there were many high-ranking swordsmen and wizards wearing cloaks.

Everyone seemed busy, mostly quiet, and I knew very few faces.

We passed about three blocks of orderly camp districts.

I kept memorizing the way so I wouldn’t get lost tomorrow morning.

Turn right where there is a tree with two big branches. Two big branches, turn right.

Two big branches, turn right…

“Slow.”

I flinched. At the sharp, low-pitched voice, my eyes widened involuntarily.

I grabbed Charle’s reins tightly and raised my head.

*

I clearly remember the words I heard in front of the trading post that day.

‘The noble one will lose another relationship. How pitiful…’

Even the face of the damn old woman was clear. Her voice, her tone, her intonation.

Even the wrinkles on her cheeks and forehead could not be erased from my mind.

Everyone who stood by the man’s side at the time was worried about him.

David Capuson whispered that he would throw that person into the Imperial Capital prison right away if he wanted to.

His priest grabbed the door of the carriage that was about to depart and spoke.

It was rude, but he left it alone.

The prince was originally a person who could not hide his worries.

‘Are you okay? There’s no need to take it to heart too much,’

‘Does it look like I’m taking it to heart?’

However, Cedric Riester was strong.

‘That old woman’s nonsense is nothing.’

The young man at that time had nothing to fear.

He was out of the Fleur-de-Lis prophecy [a prophecy foretelling his death] that had spoken of his death, and he was also overcoming the grief of losing his father.

The cracks in the vessel were still there, but there was hope.

The wounds of separation, which had to be healed over a lifetime, were bearable.

He had his mother and godmother, and his surroundings had become noisy at some point.

The time he spent hurting while thinking of his father was gradually decreasing.

It wasn’t because he didn’t love him.

Elizabeth once told him such a story.

‘Seidi, I didn’t want to be your only friend.’

‘……’

‘I wanted to be one of your many friends. Do you know what I mean? That would be better, I thought, the picture.’

‘……’

‘How is it now? Don’t you think so too?’

She smiled and punched him on the shoulder with her fist. A familiar warmth lingered on his skin.

The prince answered with a snort. It wasn’t bad. Everything.

‘I told you when we climbed the mountain, he’s quite a strong priest. I’m not running away.’

‘From now on, let’s just move together.’

‘I won’t avoid it anymore. Promise. I’m sorry.’

‘I’ll see you on the other side.’

The person who brought about such a change, until he disappeared from his life covered in blood.

-Clang!

‘Your Highness! Your Highness, what’s wrong!’

‘Good God!’

Cedric suffered from terrible nightmares and pain for a while.

Naturally, insomnia came, and the number of words decreased even more.

The man was originally famous for his sculpture-like appearance, but now it was truly difficult to find vitality in his profile.

The empty sacred stone necklace was no comfort.

But he couldn’t let it go in the end.

It was Yeseo Fenetian’s last Aether [magical energy/essence] that subdued the man in a frenzy.

‘Get a hold of yourself! You crazy bastard!’

‘You’re going to die like this! Who are you dying here for!’

‘Live! Just! Live and take revenge or do whatever you want!’

Cedric vaguely remembered the night the Temple of Vigilance collapsed.

But there was also a scene that remained as a deep scar.

It was the moment when a wave of tears or holy water drenched him. Christel Rambouillet-

‘Haaaaaa!’

-Swoosh!

It was the moment when she gave up all defense and rushed to break her sacred stone.

He was virtually committing suicide.

She threw herself to save him, knowing that her life was in danger.

-Kwaaaang-!

-Puk!

‘Keuheuk! Heut, keuk……’

And until the moment she was stabbed by the Hyegeom [a type of sword], she did not let go of his body.

When the man woke up from the rampage, the paladin dyed red was lying in his arms.

With a breath as thin as a thread.

-Saaaaaa……

“……”

A heavy morning breeze ruffled his black hair.

Cedric still couldn’t move a step from that day.

Even though he had come to a distant land and was facing Shin-guk on the front lines, nothing changed.

Crimson eyes quietly stared at the Winite River.

The clear stream was crossing the continent, leaving him alone.

-Step, step, step

-Clatter, clatter……

Someone was approaching, cutting through the uneven lawn.

Judging from the sound, it was David and Charlemagne. The Crown Prince frowned slightly.

It was 3 minutes later than usual.

“Slow.”

He turned around, snapping like that. His eyes met brown eyes that were surprised like a deer.

It was a familiar face. Cedric immediately gripped the sword tightly.

He didn’t like it.