What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 43

Twice Lived (1)

#043 Twice Lived (1)

“It feels empty in the Imperial Palace without the children,” Orelly Boutier said softly.

She held a coffee cup in one hand, quietly savoring the aroma.

Emperor Frederick, who was casually slouched on the opposite sofa, attending to state affairs, scoffed at the Cardinal’s words.

“Empty just because those two are gone for a bit.”

“We won’t see them for more than ten days.”

“It would be the same even if we went on the ‘Great Demon Subjugation’ [a large-scale military campaign against demons].”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

The Cardinal smiled gently and brought the cup to her lips.

A comfortable silence returned to the Emperor’s office.

She examined documents, occasionally clicking her tongue or muttering curses, and the Cardinal occasionally responded to the Emperor’s words, turning the pages of a book with a rustle.

Outside the large window, a sunset resembling the eyes of their beloved child unfolded.

It was a peaceful May.

Every year around this time, they were busy traveling through the portal to the Marquis of Dheim, but it was quite delightful to be able to spend a quiet spring for once.

“They must have arrived in that small village by now,” the Cardinal said again.

The Emperor, without taking her eyes off the paper, replied a beat later.

“What village?”

“The one where the innkeeper likes to gamble, and the villagers are kind.”

Frederick frowned slightly.

At times like this, she resembled Prince Cedric.

More precisely, it was Cedric who resembled his mother’s temperament.

“Aren’t there many villages like that?”

“Remember that time when a portal cracked, and we had to travel by carriage for several days? The place we stayed on that stormy day,” the Cardinal elaborated with a smile.

Only then did the Emperor lift her cherry-colored eyes to look at her contractor.

Her narrowed eyes seemed to be tracing back to a certain point in the past.

“If you’re talking about the place I’m thinking of, the innkeeper is probably dragged to the lord’s castle prison.”

“Ah, that’s right. It was so long ago, I forgot.”

‘Was it already ten years ago?’ Orelly Boutier sipped her coffee again.

Since it was a trivial topic, Frederick lowered her gaze back to the document in her hand.

Another silence descended in the room.

Only the sound of clothes and paper rustling filled the space between them.

“I was planning to open a new wine tonight.”

“Then who runs that inn now?”

Then the two spoke at the same time.

Frederick, who was about to call the chamberlain to bring the wine list and tasting notes, looked at Orelly with a displeased expression.

The Cardinal opened her beige eyes and spoke soothingly.

“It’s where the children are staying. I’m concerned.”

“The family of the one who was taken away must be running it. Judging by the fact that there haven’t been any complaints, there must have been no problems since then.”

“That’s true.”

“Seidi and Elizabeth are about to become Sword Masters [highly skilled warriors]. The Prince is a Bishop-level priest, and the Sarnez kid is a novice paladin. You’re worrying unnecessarily.”

“Alright. I feel like fish tonight.”

Only then did the Emperor nod and summon the chamberlain.

News followed that a decent white wine had been presented from the west.

The Cardinal knew very well that the Emperor wasn’t reacting that way because she didn’t think about the children, but rather because she trusted them.

She tried to think similarly to the Emperor.

The two children, or rather the four including Elizabeth and Christel, would surely be fine and return.

Even if something happened in the middle, they would be able to resolve it cleanly.

The eldest, Prince Yeseo, was not very young either.

Feeling the guilt of a noble parent who had left a bunch of rowdy kids to a tutor, the Cardinal took the last sip of her coffee.

*

“Wow, that was really delicious.”

“Yes, it was delicious!”

“I didn’t mind it either.”

– Creak!

I, Ganael, Benjamin, and Demi each expressed our satisfaction after a fulfilling dinner.

In fact, Demi had only eaten the petals from the bouquet that the Prince had passed on to me, but it was still a relief that he said it was delicious.

Requesting room service was one of the best things I did today.

Sitting around with comfortable people made my heart calm, even though I was far away from the Imperial Palace.

– Knock knock

“Come in.”

Benjamin responded to the knock instead of me.

I watched as a burly inn employee came in to clear the dishes.

The man looked to be in his mid-twenties and had a gentle demeanor.

He was the one who carried my luggage up to the 3rd floor and brought the meals.

Behind him, two stern-faced guards came in to protect us.

“Thank you for the meal.”

“Y-You’re welcome, Your Highness.”

Feeling a bit awkward just sitting there silently, I said thank you, and the employee was startled and bowed his head.

Even while not being able to hide his flustered expression, his quick and accurate clearing of the table made him seem quite skilled.

Then, dessert was brought to the table.

It was a Crêpe Suzette [a French dessert of crêpes with a sauce of caramelized sugar and citrus liqueur] with a sweet and sour orange flavor.

“It already looks delicious just by looking at it.”

Ganael burst out laughing at my words.

“I ate Crêpe Suzette here when I came ten years ago. Your Highness will also like it.”

Benjamin replied kindly.

He said that he had once passed through this place while assisting the Emperor and the Cardinal in the past.

I picked up a new knife and listened to his words.

“I remember that there was a bit of an unpleasant incident back then,”

– Clang!

Everyone was startled and turned their gaze.

The employee who broke the large plate stood there, not knowing what to do.

As the guards took a few steps closer, he trembled like someone who had been electrocuted and quickly sat down on the floor.

He seemed to be thinking of cleaning up the broken pieces with his bare hands.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m alright, I’m alright. I’m really sorry, Your Highness.”

“You might get hurt, so let’s get a broom first,”

“Ah!”

Red blood dripped onto the floor. I stopped talking and approached him.

Benjamin and Ganael also got up from their seats and followed me.

The guards pushed the glass shards away with their feet.

It seemed they were preparing for any unpleasant situation that might arise.

The man’s right palm was cut deeply.

“The wound looks deep. Shall I call another employee?”

“No, I’m alright. I can stop the bleeding.”

“Then let’s have them bring medicine to the room.”

“Ah, no, Your Highness. Medicine is expensive…”

I tilted my head.

“I will pay for the medicine.”

“That’s…”

The man hesitated. He seemed to be wondering if he could even say this.

I calmly waited for his explanation.

“The cost of the medicine I use, I have to pay back to the inn myself. That’s the rule of ‘Le Chiffre’ [likely a local custom or policy of the inn].”

“…You have to pay for medicine if you get hurt while working?”

“Y-Yes.”

I was so dumbfounded that I turned to look at Benjamin and Ganael.

The two immediately shook their heads at my gaze, which was asking if this was the social norm in Liester.

It meant that the innkeeper was a strange person.

“Then I guess you’ll have to get better without medicine.”

“Yes, yes?”

“Hold out your palm. I will use my healing power.”

At my suggestion, the man jumped up from his seat.

“H-How could someone like me dare…”

“I’ve only learned it, but this is my first time using it. Just think of it as being an experimental subject and relax.”

I calmly reassured him. What I said was also true.

When a priest uses healing power, they have to open a special healing circle, which can only be opened by memorizing the shape of the circle.

It was completely different from the ‘Sanctuary,’ which draws arbitrary patterns reflecting the priest’s character and divine power.

There was a reason why healing priests were separate on the continent.

As expected, becoming a doctor was too difficult in this world or the other.

So, I had been drawing circles on paper and memorizing them with the advice of Cardinal Boutier since a while ago.

There were quite a few types of these, and the one I had memorized was one of the basic circles that heals light cuts and lacerations.

“Don’t feel too pressured. You’re actually helping me,” I added.

The man looked up at Ganael, Benjamin, and the guards once, then slowly nodded.

Then, he carefully held out his bloody palm.

“Then let’s begin.”

I closed my eyes right away.

Kneeling down, I took a deep breath, circulated the ether from the top of my head to the tips of my toes, and drew an accurate healing circle in my mind without a single error.

I didn’t forget to recite the activation phrase.

“[With the tears of the Main God, I will heal your blood.]”

As I said that and lifted my eyelids,

– Wooong…

A sky-blue circle gently floated above the floor, enveloping the employee and me.

It was a clear color, just like I had read in the book.

The healing circle slowly rotated clockwise in place, as if searching for something,

– Saaa…

And created a small miracle on the man’s injured palm.

The sight of blue ether particles seeping into the rather long-looking wound was like a scene from a TV commercial.

The blood that was flowing stopped in an instant, and the torn flesh slowly closed.

It was a sight that even I, who had used the healing power, couldn’t help but gape at.

“Ah…”

The employee blinked his eyes.

He clenched and unclenched his fist as if he couldn’t believe what had happened to his hand, and then quickly prostrated himself in front of me and bowed.

“T-Thank you so much, Your Highness! To bestow a blessing on a commoner like me… Thank you so much.”

“I’m the one who’s grateful for your cooperation,” I gave a wry smile.

He had a bright face for the first time since entering my room, and said that he would bring a new Crêpe Suzette again.

*

At 9 PM, it was just me and Demi in the room.

Ganael and Benjamin were using the two-person room right next door.

– Creeeak…

“The day was a bit long, wasn’t it? That’s what traveling is like.”

Demi lay sprawled out on my stomach and sighed. At least, that’s how it looked to me.

I lay leaning against the bed, comforting him and drawing circles on the paper.

What I realized while taking care of the inn employee ‘Maurice’s’ wound at dinner was that it would definitely be good to memorize a lot of healing circles.

“How nice would it be if I had this ability even when I go back.”

At my muttering, the lesser panda raised its tail slightly.

Seeing that reaction, a chuckle escaped me. I know it’s a ridiculous thing to say.

Even if I could use healing power in reality, there was a high probability that I would fail to activate it because I couldn’t memorize the complex circles.

The more severe the illness, the more difficult the circle was to memorize and draw.

Step by step, mastering the easiest things by hand was the royal road.

“Shall we wash up and go to bed early?”

– Knock knock

Then someone knocked on the door.

The Imperial Guards were stationed on all the corridors of the Le Chiffre Inn, including the 3rd floor where I was staying.

There was no need to be wary of guests even at this late hour.

I put down the wet towel that I was going to use to wipe Demi’s body, got up, and opened the door.

“Hello, Your Highness.”

“…Sarnez’s Princess.”

And I felt the need for a defibrillator. My heart sank.

Meeting Christel alone was the first time since our first meeting at the Imperial Palace confessional.

At that time, there was at least a wooden window in between, but now I was wearing a shirt with about two buttons undone.

I know it’s an overreaction, but still, being ‘alone with the main character in comfortable clothes at this hour’ was definitely a scary thing.

“Have you had dinner?”

“Of course. Have you had dinner too, Princess?”

I brought my right hand forward as naturally as possible and covered the left side of my neck.

I thought this would make it look less revealing.

“Yes, I was thinking of going out for a walk because I’m full. They say there’s a night market in the village of Ryuka today.”

Christel smiled brightly. My heart darkened at the smile that seemed to brighten the world.

She’s going out again, what’s up with the paladin’s stamina….

“How about going with Sir Elizabeth? I’m a bit tired.”

I refused indirectly, not taking a single step back from the doorway.

I felt like my lips were twitching.

“I asked Sir Elizabeth first, but she said that she can’t leave the inn because of her duties. It seems difficult unless either His Highness the Crown Prince or Your Highness goes out.”

Sir Elizabeth!

“Then we can just bring His Highness with us.”

I smiled brightly. Then Christel’s eyes narrowed.

“You know that the Crown Prince and I aren’t on comfortable terms. Are you perhaps being difficult?”

“No, not at all. If the Crown Prince goes, I will go too.”

“Hmm.”

Did I make a mistake? Christel’s blue-gray eyes sparkled dangerously.

She held her chin and thought about something for a moment, then gave me a very polite greeting and smiled.

Then she turned and walked away towards the stairs.

I closed the door and hugged Demi in a flurry.

“Ah, I’m so scared…”

She wouldn’t actually bring the Crown Prince, would she?

Surely he won’t come.

Surely.

Right?

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

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

SMPU TWSB What Happens When the Sub Male Lead Goes on Strike When the Third Wheel Strikes Back ขอทีผมคนนี้อยากหนีจากบทพระรอง 男配角罷工的話會發生的事 서브 남주가 파업하면 생기는 일 섭남파업
Status: Completed Author: Native Language: Korean
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[English Translation] Imagine waking up not as the hero, but as the second fiddle in your sister's favorite romance novel! That's exactly what happened. Except, this isn't just any supporting role—it's a fast track to a tragic war and an untimely demise. Forget destiny! This second lead is rewriting his fate. He's dodging the main characters, embracing a life of leisure, and counting down the seconds until he can finally go home. Can he escape the predetermined plot, or will he be forever trapped in a romantic fantasy gone wrong?

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