What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 45

#045 Twice Lived (3)

Life is unpredictable.

Just yesterday, I was happy to have dinner with Ganael, Benjamin, Demi, and myself, but this morning, I voluntarily came down for breakfast.

Of course, it wasn’t a buffet like you’d commonly see in modern times.

I was sitting around a round table with Christel, Lady Elisabeth, and Prince Cedrick.

The meal was generally quiet.

It would have been quite a noisy combination at any other time, but the four of us had a kind of agreement before returning to the inn last night.

Before long, the plates on the table were empty, and the Prince put down his silverware.

As a palate cleanser, I took a big bite of a warm croissant topped with whipped cream and blackcurrant jam.

“This is really good.”

I definitely said it quietly, but Christel looked at me and smiled.

Just then, someone knocked on the dining room door.

-Knock, knock, knock

“Come in.”

A woman appeared in response to Lady Elisabeth’s answer.

Five guards followed behind her. The Prince had summoned the innkeeper.

“Greetings to His Most Noble Highness the Prince, the Prince of Venetian, Count Mute, and Lady Sarnese.”

The innkeeper, Claudine Green, who had entered the dining room, bowed deeply.

I carefully examined her face.

She seemed to be in her mid-thirties, and she had a gentle impression, resembling the inn’s employee, Maurice, who had guided the Prince to his room the day before.

It was hard to imagine her doing such a thing at first glance.

“I would like to express my gratitude for the hospitality of the village of Ryuka and the Le Ciffre Inn.”

“You honor us. It was a meager effort compared to the grace we receive, Your Highness.”

Claudine lowered her head further and answered humbly to the Prince’s praise.

I heard she was a commoner, but perhaps because she had experience dealing with nobles and royalty, her attitude and tone were elegant.

The Prince narrowed his orange eyes slightly and uttered the prepared words.

“So, I was wondering if we should stay another day.”

“……Yes?”

Claudine raised her head with a slightly flustered voice, but soon realized who she was talking to and quickly lowered her eyes.

“Lady Sarnese has not been well since waking up from her sickbed, so it would be good to rest a little longer.”

The Prince’s low voice, reciting the memorized lines, was so cold it was chilling, but Claudine nodded repeatedly, as if she thought the Prince’s words made perfect sense.

Everyone in the Empire knew that Christel had been asleep for three years.

Our outing last night was a secret known only to Benjamin and David.

“We will do our best to repay Your Highness’s faith!”

Claudine said in a higher and brighter voice. The Prince silently looked away from her.

As if that was the signal, the inn’s employees entered in a line. It was to clear the dishes and serve dessert.

While Christel was putting on a sickly act, saying, ‘Ah, this iron deficiency anemia,’ I scanned the faces of the employees.

Found him.

“Hello, Maurice.”

“Yes, Prince Yeseo, did you sleep well?”

At my call, Maurice flinched and hunched his shoulders.

I smiled and watched him put down a tulip cookie with sherbet on it.

As the employees bowed and left the dining room,

“Maurice, I have something to say about what happened yesterday.”

I called out to him. I didn’t forget to raise my right hand and wave it.

He nodded his head greatly and approached me.

The departing employees must have thought I was scolding Maurice, so they quickly lowered their eyes and closed the dining room door.

-Click

Ganael, who had been standing quietly, quickly locked the doorknob.

Maurice blinked his calf-like eyes, looking frightened.

“Is your hand okay?”

“Yes? Yes, yes. It’s all thanks to you, Your Highness. Thank you for your grace.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Then I’ll ask you something else.”

“Yes, please ask me anything.”

He politely put his hands together. I looked straight at him and opened my mouth.

“About the incident last night at the night market, where a man named Felix threatened the tavern owner. I would like to hear an explanation.”

The young man quickly inhaled.

He carefully raised his eyes, and when he realized that we were all looking at him, he turned pale in an instant.

*

“So, the innkeeper, Claudine Green, is Maurice’s aunt.”

“That’s right. There’s not much age difference, but… My grandfather and aunt took me in when I became an orphan.”

Maurice explained.

He was sitting on a small chair, crouching his large body, and being interrogated by us.

The ‘grandfather’ he was talking about was the person who ran this place before Claudine inherited the inn.

According to Benjamin’s explanation, he was extorting money from the villagers in a bad way, and Cardinal Boutier, who was staying here at the time, caught him in the act.

Emperor Frederick, who was with him, immediately sent him to the lord’s castle prison, which was about ten years ago.

After that, it was Claudine, the daughter of a sinner, who took responsibility for the inn.

“The ‘fee’ is… the money that Le Ciffre Inn receives from the villagers. Whenever royals or great nobles come, my aunt sends people to the night market and shops to collect it.”

Horror crossed Lady Elisabeth’s face.

“Don’t tell me, she took a portion of the gifts that Your Highness gave to the residents?”

“That’s right, Count.”

Maurice answered with a sad face. His voice, filled with guilt, grew heavier.

“Distinguished people always give valuable things in return for the villagers’ welcome. My aunt thinks that this is a fortune that is possible because of Le Ciffre Inn. She says that if there was no inn, they would not come here, and the residents would not receive gifts.”

The four of us frowned at the same time after hearing his explanation.

Claudine’s words were not entirely wrong.

It was a place where royals and great nobles had stayed from time to time for a long time, so it was not unreasonable to think that the gifts given each time were thanks to the inn.

But that should never be a justification for taking people’s money.

Besides, the residents weren’t just playing around.

From the time our schedule was announced, I heard that they came out every morning to clean the streets and decorate the village beautifully.

No one paid them to maintain the roads and bake bread for the guards.

Even the bouquet that the Prince received yesterday was made by selecting and offering flowers grown directly by the residents.

“I have committed a crime worthy of death, Your Highness. I tried to stop my aunt several times… but it was no use. Punish me first, punish me first.”

Maurice bowed deeply and trembled all over.

He was 13 years old when his grandfather went to prison.

Since his aunt was his only blood relative and he was a minor, it would not have been easy to change the situation.

If he had to pay to use the inn’s medicine, I could roughly guess how Claudine was treating him as a nephew.

“I can’t be sure just by listening to your story.”

The Prince, who had been listening silently, opened his mouth. Maurice’s back flinched.

I noticed that the sunset-colored irises were burning with quiet anger.

“I will hold a luncheon. Summon the village representatives.”

He declared. The second phase of the operation was beginning.

*

Prince Cedrick called Claudine Green to praise her hard work and announced an additional night’s stay, and then invited two village representatives to a luncheon.

It was the attitude of a royal family who was very satisfied with the service of the village and the inn.

Thanks to this, the Romero Palace chef, who accompanied the Prince, was busy working all day.

So far, so good.

“……”

“……”

The problem was that the two village representatives who had taken their seats in the inn’s dining room were terrified and could not say a word.

I smiled bitterly and looked at them.

Christel, across from me, was pondering something.

The situation would have been different if the two middle-aged men were only looking at the Prince.

I would have told the Prince to reduce the pressure.

But what they are aware of now is clearly,

“This is the last main dish, Coq au vin [chicken braised in wine]. Enjoy your meal.”

That person. Claudine Green was smiling warmly and serving us.

As it was a special occasion, I initially thought that the innkeeper was simply taking the lead in serving us.

However, less than 5 minutes after the appetizer came out, I realized that her purpose was elsewhere.

The middle-aged men buried their noses in their plates whenever they happened to make eye contact with her, and Claudine stared at them for a long time whenever she looked at them.

With a face more full of affection than anyone else, she was silently threatening the village representatives.

It was a threat not to even think about saying anything nonsense.

The Prince quietly observed the table.

First of all, we had to send Claudine out to hear the stories of the village representatives.

While I was racking my brain, I saw Christel mouthing something to Lady Elisabeth next to her.

‘Pretend to be sick.’

It was an easy and clear lip shape.

Lady Elisabeth widened her gray eyes at the unmistakable words.

She pointed to herself with her finger and moved her lips.

‘Me?’

‘Yes, pretend to be sick.’

Christel winked her left and right eyes alternately. Amazing. I can’t do both.

“Hmm.”

Lady Elisabeth coughed softly.

Biting her lip slightly, it seemed like she was embarrassed and amused to suddenly act.

I became nervous and looked at her.

“Oh. Sud.den.ly. A. Stom.ach. Ache…”

Kuh. I quickly pretended to wipe my mouth with a napkin to avoid laughing.

I saw the Prince adjusting his knife at the sudden bad acting.

Are you okay? You must have been very surprised too?

“Oh dear, Count. Are you alright?”

Claudine, who had been listing the food explanations, stopped talking and asked Lady Elisabeth.

At the right time, our protagonist transformed into MC Christel.

She stroked the Count’s hair and cheeks, and then began to beat the beat with a mournful face.

“Count Mute has suffered a lot, not only assisting His Highness the Prince as the Deputy Commander of the Guard, but also helping the weak me in every way. Come to think of it, she hasn’t looked good since breakfast. I was so careless. Even now, I have to send the Count to her room and have someone take care of her so that she can rest comfortably, Your Highness.”

Wow… That came out as ad-lib? While I was blankly opening my jaw, the Prince, who had grasped the situation roughly, nodded to Claudine.

“The Count is my friend, so take care of her yourself.”

“Yes? Yes, Your Highness. I will do my best.”

She seemed a little embarrassed for a moment, but she couldn’t dare to object to the Prince’s order.

To those who didn’t know, Lady Elisabeth’s red face with her lips pursed would have felt unusual.

Claudine immediately supported her and left the dining room.

Soon, only me, Christel, the Prince, Benjamin, Ganael, David, and two village representatives were left in the room.

Ganael, who was standing behind me, whispered to me in a urgent voice.

“Your Highness, George is really sick…”

The boy’s face, when I turned around, was whiter than ever before.

George? Are you talking about Lady Elisabeth?

“Lady Elisabeth is fine. Don’t worry, Ganael, it’s a feigned illness.”

I hurriedly comforted Ganael.

Then the golden eyes slowly blinked and calmed down.

Then a smile as clear as the sky appeared. There’s another person who believes in that acting.

I smiled back and turned my gaze to Christel.

“…Thank you for the arrangement, Lady Sarnese.”

“You’re welcome. Give Lady Elisabeth a big treat later. It will be hard to stall for time.”

The blue-gray eyes shone dazzlingly.

I looked at today’s guests without erasing my smile.

The two middle-aged men were looking at us with almost blank faces. Well, they must have been surprised.

“I have heard the situation roughly from Maurice.”

I opened my mouth without hesitation. From now on, it was a race against time.