What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 589

Sub-Male Lead’s Strike – Episode 589 (589/920)

#589

The One-Man Army Prince (2)

So, what happened?

All hell broke loose!

“Khehehehe······.”

“Sir Mute, you must control your expression.”

“Ah, but this is a first for me. That stuffy Viscount Hugo Bacari, of all people, putting on a clown show in front of over two hundred nobles—”

“The engagement announcement.”

“It wouldn’t have been much different for him.”

Lady Elizabeth, dabbing tears with her sleeve, chuckled.

Prince Yeser, also suppressing laughter, covered his mouth with a handkerchief.

I looked around the now bustling suite and swallowed hard.

The fact that only the Prince and I were here just a moment ago felt like a lie.

Numerous Imperial Guards filled the hallway, and aside from the head of the family, Viscount Bacari, almost all the prominent family elders were gathered.

He had to remain in the ballroom to greet the numerous guests, so all authority was delegated to his daughter, Sub-Marchioness Desiree.

Members of the Bacari family, looking grave, stood with their hands behind their backs, whispering among themselves.

Here and there, colorful feather fans trembled in their stead.

The living room was, in many ways, a powder keg about to explode.

“Fake? The sacred relic of Saint Pompili?”

“That’s what he says. Surely, the Prince of the Holy Kingdom wouldn’t lie, would he?”

“No, how could such a thing······!”

“A noble person spoke on his honor. We can’t unconditionally insist it’s genuine.”

“Nevertheless, it’s hard to believe. Of course, it’s not a magical artifact but a sacred relic, so we’ve never been able to properly verify it until now······.”

“We know its power best.”

“That’s right. What did the Prince see to make such a judgment?”

“I heard that when a royal priest bestows a blessing on a sacred relic, a very special and divine reaction should occur. But that bracelet was as silent as ‘jewelry abandoned in a border pawnshop.'”

“Oh! What a terrible analogy.”

“Reaction? What kind of reaction?”

“Well, we wouldn’t know. We’re neither royalty nor priests!”

“Could it have been switched during the war? Or perhaps it was stolen in the meantime?”

“Hush! Good heavens!”

The atmosphere seemed to grow more heated, and I became as stiff as starched clothing.

-Creak?

“Uh······. I’m a little nervous.”

Having not lied much in my life, I was slightly intimidated by the scale of this.

I was newly respectful of how brazen the protagonists in heist movies could be.

To be more honest, seeing the stern faces of the adults made my heart flutter and my fingertips tingle.

I tried to maintain an emotionless face while serving coffee to the Prince, glancing at Marchioness Judith Andre.

She was muttering something, her hand on her forehead.

I perked up my ears, pretending to clear the upper table settings.

“······Goodness, we were saved thanks to His Highness the Crown Prince. May the Lord bless him.”

“Thanks to His Highness?”

Duke Debi, her son, asked back. The middle-aged woman replied as if it were obvious.

“Think about it, Debi. If he hadn’t come at the right time, that fake sacred relic would have been exposed to the public. Then you would have received it and been all giddy.”

“Mother, not quite ‘giddy’······.”

“Everyone already knows who you’ve been looking at since you arrived here today.”

“Umm······.”

Duke Debi scratched the back of his head, his cheeks flushed.

The servants attending him sighed secretly, ‘Young master, did you do it again?’

Oh, I don’t know who the Duke was looking at······.

In context, it seemed to be about Sub-Marchioness Desiree.

It seems he liked her even before the engagement story came out.

“We should be grateful that the Prince prevented the commotion beforehand. Otherwise, our family would have been a laughingstock for generations.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t think Viscount Bacari knew about this······. But just in case, I should talk to him. It would be troublesome if he intended to deceive us.”

Marchioness Andre dusted off her coat and straightened her collar.

Her servant hurriedly readjusted the shape of her cravat and brooch.

The more I heard their conversation, the more my conscience pricked.

But the Prince sipped his Café Crème [coffee with cream] with an indifferent attitude.

Being a real royal isn’t something anyone can do. If you saw me doing it, you’d fall over backwards······.

-Creak.

Around that time, Demi tugged at my pants leg.

I hurriedly looked up and scanned outside the door. Come to think of it, it was about time for them to arrive.

We decided to bring them in as soon as there was a stir in the hall or signs of the two families leaving······.

“Oh, even Commander Bacari has arrived. It seems like something big has happened.”

Lady Elizabeth, who had been watching the fire from across the river [observing from a safe distance], suddenly spoke.

I tried hard not to crane my neck too obviously. Actually, there was no need to.

Before long, the most intense pink color entered my view.

It’s Ms. Gain!

“······Even the leader of the fortune tellers has arrived, my goodness.”

“I honestly don’t want to make eye contact with that Duke.”

“Shh, lower your voice.”

The Andre side people grumbled unpleasantly.

But I didn’t care about such nonsense at all.

The important thing is that Ms. Gain brought Camille and Miss Berenice.

I don’t know what she said to encourage them, but she brought them all the way here!

“······Sister. What’s going on?”

The prophet, who had been standing blankly outside the door, finally stepped in, arm in arm with Berenice.

Both had very dry and businesslike expressions.

Ms. Gain, from beyond the doorway, sent me her trademark double wink.

I hurriedly swallowed, almost letting my lips widen into a smile.

Sub-Marchioness Desiree nodded at the two men and women.

She leaned her back towards them again, diligently picking up the conversation.

“Didn’t the adults tell you?”

“No.”

“The sacred relic we were going to provide as an engagement gift is a fake.”

“······Yes?”

Camille’s gaze wavered greatly. He looked completely unprepared.

Of course, it’s genuine!

“Prince Yeser, who bestows blessings on sacred relics, personally confirmed it. My father has delegated all authority to me for now, and I am listening to the adults’ opinions.”

“How······. But didn’t you personally check the treasure, Sister?”

“I did. And I’ve been keeping it ever since.”

“······.”

“You saw it too. In the library.”

“······.”

Then Camille shut his mouth. Desiree shrugged.

She had a nonchalant look on her face even in this chaos, and it seemed she was originally a person with few emotional fluctuations.

There was not much change in the pitch of her voice either.

I gulped down the glass of water that the Prince silently pushed towards me.

Only then did my heart calm down as if it had been hit by cold water. Whew······.

Finally, it’s my turn.

“······Your Highness. Are there any gem appraisers among the guests who came today?”

Fortunately, a calm voice flowed out. The man turned to me with an innocent face.

“Gem appraiser?”

A whisper that could only be heard by me—no, loud enough for Lady Elizabeth to hear.

Excellent.

“Yes. I heard that imperial gems are so precious and diverse that nobles often work as appraisers.”

“Hmm.”

“Since the two Marchionesses have invited many esteemed guests, I was wondering if there might be someone among them who knows how to appraise gems or treasures.”

“Ah······.”

The Prince paused for a moment as if thinking about something—great acting—and looked up at Lady Elizabeth, who was standing next to him.

She immediately tilted her head.

“Are you thinking of finding a gem appraiser, Your Highness?”

Yes, yes!

“Yes. Since this matter has grown because of me, I would like to help the two families if possible. Do you know anyone?”

“Your Highness is in luck today.”

The head of the near guard answered cheerfully and gestured over there.

Olive-colored hair fluttered softly along with my ribbon.

We shifted our gaze, putting on ‘I don’t know anything’ faces. And finally—

“Over there, do you see the lady who attended as Commander Bacari’s partner today? It’s Duchess Berenice, the second daughter of the Mendy family.”

“Yes.”

I felt a thrilling shiver and twitched my cheek.

We’re almost there now!

“And that young lady’s grandfather, Sir Zemur, is a gem appraiser who is widely known not only in the Imperial social circles but also in the feudal states. He is about to retire, but he still receives a flood of requests from home and abroad. So much so that those people······.”

“Commander Bacari, I apologize, but please escort the lady who came with you. Isn’t the current situation a matter between our two families?”

Lady Elizabeth’s words were buried in someone’s quarrel.

But she smiled and neatly continued the sentence.

“Those children often bet their grandfather’s honor. That means they do one job for sure, flawlessly, and accurately.”

“Ah ha.”

The Prince, reacting appropriately, smiled at Berenice.

The young lady’s cheeks, turning away, were burning red like roasted sweet potatoes.

Meanwhile, I recalled a certain day in the past and admired it inwardly.

‘Don’t worry too much, Duchess. We will do our best to help you succeed. Thank you for accompanying us this far.’

‘It is the glory of the Mendy family. I will do my best······. I bet my grandfather’s honor······. I will, I will do my best!’

That extraordinary determination at that time, that’s what it meant.

I barely suppressed the laughter that was about to come out for the umpteenth time.

*

The night was deep.

-Whoosh······

A cool lake breeze pleasantly swept through my hair.

The familiar scent of water and lilies seemed to spread to the tip of my nose.

I gripped the railing of the special room’s balcony tightly with both hands. So far, everything had been going smoothly.

Prince Yeser, on Lady Elizabeth’s recommendation, appointed Sir Joachim Zemur as the gem appraiser, and both families agreed without complaint as soon as they heard the name ‘Zemur.’

The old gentleman, who happened to be attending the ball, gladly accepted the two Marchionesses’ secret request.

It would have been difficult to refuse since his granddaughter Berenice had personally asked him.

However, as it was late at night and he did not have the necessary tools for appraisal, the old man said he would send someone home to bring his handbag.

He also added that he was a little too drunk to work right now.

Thus, his son-in-law, Duke Florian Mendy, and Berenice all stayed overnight in this cabin.

The appraisal was scheduled to take place as soon as the first rooster crowed tomorrow morning.

In the meantime, the green sacred relic bracelet was placed in a box in the middle of the Prince’s suite living room.

It was now in a kind of ‘neutral zone’ under the ironclad protection of the Imperial Guards.

“······The operation starts now.”

-Creak.

Demi answered the solemnly muttered words, pawing like Charlemagne [referencing a historical figure known for their power and influence].

She didn’t know, but it was a great source of support for me.

I chuckled and looked down over the railing.

Half of the ball guests had left the Lake of White Magic after enjoying food and drinks.

Most were groups who had moved to other areas in search of the next soiree [evening party].

I heard from Pierre that the nobles of the Imperial capital especially like health foods, so maybe they eat so much because they want to attend multiple parties in one night.

-♬♩♪······

“Hahahaha!”

“That’s wonderful! I’m also planning to buy a travel bag at ‘La Debutante’······.”

The remaining guests were dancing to a slow beat on three large ships.

With so many people heavily drunk, all sorts of chatter flowed here and there without order.

The first mothership we were on was flying the highest in the sky, and the second mothership was located diagonally below it to the right.

And if you go straight down diagonally to the left from the second mothership, the third mothership was floating.

Sailors in red and blue clothes were riding in cute rowboats, and they occasionally rowed in the air, pulling out wonderful songs.

Without knowing for sure, it was clear that they were actors whom Marchioness Andre had brought from the opera house.

“Come to the window, my love. Oh, come here and my sorrow······♬”

It was a beautiful song. It felt like I was on vacation at an overseas resort.

I enjoyed a brief rest while the Prince was taking a bath.

It was then.

“······Your Highness, three more priests are waiting. Shall I tell them to come here?”

Flinch. David’s soft voice was heard right below the balcony.

Knowing I shouldn’t, I reflexively lowered my head.

“······.”

“······.”

And I met eyes with the problematic man.

“Gasp!”

I quickly lowered my body below the railing, realizing a second later that this looked even more suspicious.

Damn it!