What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 409

#409

The Lion Summit (3)

Around noon that day, a subtle commotion stirred within the Liester Imperial Palace.

“Lady Natalie, shall we prepare the usual five carriages?”

“No. We don’t know what the conditions will be like in the desert, and too many hands might only complicate matters. The Captain of the Guard will be accompanying us, so three carriages should suffice for our side.”

“As you command.”

Imperial Palace attendants bustled about, a flurry of activity.

Strict protocols prevented anyone from running in the corridors, yet everyone moved briskly, keeping to the right.

Several large, square bags went back and forth.

Herrit, holding Eva’s hand, sat on the sofa in the Cardinal’s drawing room, his mouth agape.

This place was always full of busy adults, but he had never seen it so hectic.

Usually, everyone worked quietly in their places, but now they were all out and about.

Even amidst the chaos, familiar faces would pat the young master’s head or press candies and cookies into his hands before hurrying away.

Blanquer, the young duchess, dressed in a splendid autumn gown, tilted her head.

“That’s strange. His Highness would never leave the palace empty.”

“Huh?”

“That’s the rule. With His Imperial Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince absent, at least His Eminence the Cardinal must guard the ‘House of the Monarch.’ But judging by the atmosphere, it seems he’s going far away?”

“Ah······.”

Herrit blinked, having learned something new.

Eva pouted and looked back at the boy.

Stubborn Newt also poked its head out of the boy’s pocket.

Herrit had grown taller in the meantime.

Not by much (absolutely!), so he was still far from surpassing her (really!), but he had definitely grown noticeably.

But since he still had so much to learn, it seemed she would have to keep him by her side and teach him thoroughly.

If he was to become the next Duke’s secretary, he needed to start his early education now, didn’t he?

The young duchess mentally reviewed her schedule for the day.

Originally, she was to have lunch with His Eminence the Cardinal, visit the Salon de Victoire [a fashionable gathering place] to meet Joan, Maria, and Therese, check the quality of the leaflet printing, and then attend the priestly tea party in the Imperial Capital with Sant.

She was to have dinner with Princess Berenice.

As always, the Mendi family, famous for their extensive network, was the best for grasping the atmosphere of high society.

Berenice was her peer and had a gentle nature, making her easy to get along with. But······.

“Hey, you’re not busy after watching the Harvest Festival with Pascal today, right?”

“Nope.”

The boy replied. His response was so quick, as if he had been waiting for it, but Eva didn’t notice.

“Then come straight to the Salon and follow my entire schedule. You’ll learn a lot.”

-Tweet?

The wren tilted its head. Herrit usually accompanied Eva for more than half of her schedule.

He helped when she occasionally couldn’t manage the train of her dress or when she almost lost her lovely hat.

But the fair child simply smiled innocently.

“Okay.”

“Good. That’s a good boy.”

-······

Eva replied primly and put a raspberry in Herrit’s mouth.

Stubborn Newt felt a strange déjà vu (it seemed he had seen something like this in Evelyn about 30 years ago) and twitched its beak.

Just then.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Are you hungry?”

A most affectionate voice rang out. The young children turned their heads in surprise.

Their small faces quickly lit up with joy.

Cardinal Aureli Boutier and Chief Chamberlain Laura were entering the spacious drawing room.

The two dolls bowed gracefully.

“We greet His Eminence the esteemed Cardinal.”

“I’m glad to see you too. I was a little busy because an urgent message came from Frederick.”

The middle-aged man smiled kindly, stroked the girl’s cheek, and embraced the boy’s shoulders.

He didn’t forget to rub Stubborn Newt’s forehead with his index finger.

He was usually busy enough managing state affairs and listening to the voices of the aristocratic council.

With the Harvest Festival on top of that, he must have been incredibly busy these days.

But in the midst of all that, His Majesty······?

“Is there bad news from the battlefield?”

“No, it’s nothing like that. Everyone is doing well.”

Aureli sat the two children down again and spoke gently.

Laura exchanged a glance with her for a moment, then bowed and hurried away.

It seemed she was bringing in the meal here.

That meant the adult had no time to spare.

“······However, it seems I must go to the desert.”

“Goodness, really? Are you perhaps heading to the Temple of the Boundary?”

“Yes. There’s something I need to examine there.”

“Then what will happen to the Imperial Palace?”

Eva asked in surprise, and a troubled look crossed Aureli’s face.

“······The closest imperial relative is my father, but he’s not usually easy to reach, so I’m worried. Still, we’ve started making inquiries centered around the Grand Rouge [elite guard unit] and the Imperial Guard, so I’m hoping for good news.”

However, his closing remarks were very gentle.

He was as elegant as ever, not losing his composure even in a pressing situation.

Soon, attendants entered with neat steps and placed hors d’oeuvres and drinks.

Herrit tilted his head. Father? Who could that be?

“Your Eminence, a distinguished guest has arrived!”

“Laura?”

The boy’s question didn’t last long.

The Chief Chamberlain, who had disappeared a moment ago with a composed expression, now appeared with a very flustered look.

Behind her was Agnes, the Imperial Palace’s mountain keeper.

The woman held a very, very large gray-black bear pelt in her arms.

It was definitely a familiar object.

“Ah······?”

As Herrit’s eyes widened, the Chief Chamberlain and the mountain keeper bowed.

“Mountain Keeper Agnes Ricciotti······. Agnes has brought him. His Majesty Stanislas, the former Prince Consort, is at the gate.”

“What?”

Aureli exclaimed, a rare occurrence.

She covered her mouth with her sleeve, glanced at the children, and hurriedly rose from her seat.

The atmosphere was unusual. Eva and Herrit looked around in confusion.

All the adults were moving quickly, like a startled school of fish.

Lord Ervé was visible in the distance with a humorless expression. As soon as the Cardinal headed towards the entrance······.

“Good heavens. Father!”

“It’s been a while, Aureli.”

A mountainously large old man appeared! Herrit was startled and gripped Eva’s fingers tightly.

She, too, was stiff with tension and excitement.

She was dizzy at the fact that she was meeting His Majesty the former Prince Consort, whom she had only heard rumors about, in the Imperial Palace without any warning or preparation.

The young duchess hurriedly looked down at the child amidst the confusion.

She was much older than him. So she had to act like an adult. ‘Give the most respectful bow, Herrit.’

“H-His Majesty the former Prince Consort has arrived. So, he is the father of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Frederick. His given name is Stanislas Liester, and he is famous as a late-blooming Swordmaster [a master swordsman who achieved the rank later in life]······. He is like a living legend in the Empire······. The Imperial Family has many prominent members due to its prosperity. Among them······.”

The girl whispered incoherently as things came to her mind.

The old duke loved his partner, the late Empress Celine Liester, so dearly that after she passed away, he held her funeral and then suddenly left the Imperial Palace.

Leaving a letter saying that he could no longer stay in a place filled with memories of his wife.

“Let me see your face, child. It’s become half of what it was during the war.”

He cherished and loved his only daughter Frederick very much, but he didn’t worry about the child because she already had family and power.

Rather, he feared that his grief-stricken self would hinder his child’s future.

Afterward, the man was called the ‘Wolf Imperial’ and wandered the country.

As he had done before his marriage, he put aside his status as a great noble and roamed the harsh lands of the Empire, working as a monster hunter.

Occasionally, sightings of him were reported near Cheboim or the North Sea.

And on other days, stories were told of seeing him at the border or in the Silent Sea.

Still, he made sure to visit the Imperial Palace once or twice a year to check on the children.

He felt sorry for causing unnecessary worry, and he also wanted to see his precious grandchildren.

“I have been well. You, Father, look thinner than when I saw you last year.”

Aureli replied, stroking his stony hand. Then a thunderous laugh returned.

Herrit took a deep breath at the old man’s voice.

Eva seemed to be seeing him for the first time, but it wasn’t my first time.

I swore the grandfather I met just a few days ago in the coat Pascal gave me was him.

The gentleman with superhuman strength who saved the flower-selling Mademoiselle from the carriage coming down the road!

“Ah, there were guests. How rude of me.”

The old man smiled faintly as he met Herrit’s eyes. A broad smile bloomed on the boy’s face.

Moreover, the ‘Serenity Bouquet’ that the child had given him was pinned to his chest.

They were all withered and no longer beautiful, but Herrit was very happy that he had kept the bouquet anyway.

Eva and Ervé looked back and forth between the two in great surprise.

Do you know each other? How······?!

“Ha.”

The young duchess suddenly came to her senses. This was not the time for this!

“We greet His Majesty the Prince Consort, the partner of the great twilight. I am Eva Blanquer, the heir to the Blanquer family. This is Herrit Haines, the son of Grand Master Johan Haines.”

“Indeed, is that so. I have heard rumors that you have become close to Blanquer. I am glad to meet you too.”

The old man raised his thick eyebrows and accepted the greeting.

Then, noticing the two children holding hands, he asked as an aside,

“Are you betrothed?”

Eva raised her head, wondering what this was all about······.

“Pardon?!”

She was utterly aghast.

Good heavens! Herrit was just a toddler born yesterday. What a terrible thing to say.

Besides, she already had a white-haired prince she had her eye on!

“Father, really. They’re just children who don’t know anything.”

Aureli quickly salvaged the situation.

Then the old man covered his mouth with a pot-sized hand and clicked his tongue.

His two different-colored eyes were shaking greatly.

“I misspoke. I’m sorry. I heard that children these days are fast at everything······.”

“Herrit is still a baby.”

“Then what about our Cedrick? I heard he brought in a new bride.”

“There is neither betrothal nor sacrament yet. However, Juliette has come to the palace and is being a support. She is a kind and virtuous young woman.”

“······There is a palace lady, but neither betrothal nor sacrament yet? Tsk tsk.”

‘My grandson is fire, but not like fire.’ The old man sighed as if the ground was sinking.

The Cardinal tried to soothe him, then asked him to warm up with warm water and have a meal first.

He also said that he had something urgent to tell him regarding the war situation.

The old man nodded with a serious face and replied that he would.

‘It has been a long time since I killed for faith, but if my daughter asks, I am ready to step forward again.’ Aureli shook her head and smiled bitterly at the added words.

There would never be a time when she would ask this person to participate in the war.

“Ervé, it seems we can leave earlier than expected. Would you prepare the guard? And tell the Grand Rouge.”

“As you wish, Your Eminence.”

‘Clank, clank!’ The sound of splendid armor rang out.

Herrit thought, holding Eva’s hand in both of his.

He didn’t know exactly what the adults were talking about, but he was very happy to see the wonderful grandfather again.

-Whew······

‘Clang, clang, clang.’ Elissa left the barracks, escorted by soldiers.

No escort was needed. Her strides were very urgent.

The negotiations she proposed had been going on since yesterday, but the time for real conversation was essentially all today.

Yesterday, a temporary camp was set up in the middle of the plains, and stale documents were exchanged between the two countries.

At the request of the Empire, the identity of the other party to sit at the negotiating table was even guaranteed.

It was an absurd stalling tactic.

The Crown Princess could not understand all this red tape.

It was infuriating that there were so many complicated procedures in wartime when all they had to do was sit down and talk honestly.

‘That······. Before Your Highness returned, there was an explosion of unknown cause near the military camp. The resulting casualties among our allies exceeded sixty.’

The young man learned of the situation only yesterday evening.

‘There were also large explosions in the northern and southern parts of the Statia Plains. There are rumors that the Imperial Army suffered a considerable number of casualties, especially in the north······.’

Of course, Wilhelmina hadn’t told her any of this.

‘······.’

In that case, the Imperial Army had no reason to cooperate with her willingly.

There must have been an imperial order, but the fact that they were so insincere was also possible because of the Emperor’s tacit approval.

Liester wanted to push Elissa to the limit.

They wanted to give her only the minimum amount of time and extract only the essentials.

But as it stood, she couldn’t even express her dissatisfaction with such treatment.

Wasn’t this ultimately the karma of the Holy Kingdom?

“······.”

Gritting her teeth, the Crown Princess moved forward. At that moment―

-Thud!

“Kuh!”