What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 631

#631

Color Matching (5)

The appearance of unwelcome guests in Gain’s territory…

And just two of them, at this late hour.

“…It seems the Crown Princess isn’t here.”

“She wasn’t in a condition to produce an heir anyway.”

– Swishhhhhh!

From the opposite side of the thick, enormous rainbow bridge, the voices of two men echoed.

Cristel didn’t seem to notice at all—in fact, she was more interested in thanking her for the hair tie—but Gain was a Holy Knight.

She quickly withdrew the water droplets from her fingertips and perked up her ears.

As she had learned from her master, she heightened all her senses while trying to suppress her ether [magical energy] as much as possible.

Originally, this was an impossible technique. Expanding the five senses would naturally cause the ether connected to them to run wild.

But Johan Sam had done it effortlessly.

So Gain would be able to do it perfectly someday. Just not today.

“This way.”

“Huh?”

“The dukes are coming. Hide behind here.”

Gain hurriedly grabbed Cristel’s wrist and hid behind the rainbow bridge.

Not long ago, she had torn off the bottom of her skirt, and her other self was now gleefully running around like a fish in water.

Of course, it would be easy to get caught if the two men passed by, but she had a strange tingling feeling.

She had a hunch that those guys would just hang around nearby and finish their conversation.

…Wait a minute. Why is Ham Gain’s sixth sense acting like this these days?

“Hmm. Feeling awful, huh?”

“Why? Want some soju [Korean distilled spirit]?”

“No. That’s true, but not right now.”

“What are you talking about?”

…It must be different from that annoying Crown Prince telepathy I heard last time.

Probably. Really. I swear! Gain frowned and strained her ears.

Cristel sat close beside her, folding her skirt.

Then, she also tilted her head and listened to the other side.

Two pairs of blue eyes of different colors twinkled beyond the pillar.

– Rumble…

“So, that man is a commoner.”

“His origin doesn’t matter.”

“…”

As Gain had predicted, the two men began to converse right in front of the rainbow bridge.

They must have felt that the constant stream of divine energy from the bridge created enough noise and ground vibration to mask their voices.

However, their atmosphere was calmer than she had imagined.

They didn’t seem likely to suddenly draw their swords or grab each other by the collar.

Gain didn’t know exactly what they had been talking about before the topic drifted there, but she quickly realized it with her years of experience and intuition.

Those guys are talking about the Palace Lord.

“Even if His Majesty bestowed a palace upon a marquis of common origin…”

“Are you daring to question the Emperor’s decision?”

“The Father’s Bell.”

“…”

– Swish, swish…

The sound of the midnight waves brushed past their faint flames.

Occasionally, the cries of seabirds could be heard in the distance.

Gain quietly looked down at Cristel’s shoes.

They were feet that knew nothing of hard training or war, yet the leather soles were already falling apart after only a few days.

They must be expensive handmade shoes, so she could imagine how roughly she had worn them. She scratched her nose with an embarrassed expression and laughed, saying, ‘I can’t control my temper.’

Gain was glad that her other self couldn’t understand their conversation.

“…He gave the marquis that treasure.”

“…”

“It’s none of your business.”

“…I suppose not.”

‘Whooshhhhh!’ The rainbow bridge was truly noisy.

The Water Knight quietly looked up at the night sky.

Originally, this place was known for its clear view of the stars and beautiful night scenery, but tonight was an exception.

Due to the overwhelming presence and light of the rainbow bridge, there were hardly any stars visible.

Part of the sky was tinged with a bright, light purple color, like daytime. Naturally, Bi-ryeom’s Ark came to mind.

‘…You possess the soul of my father.’

Gain remembered the man’s face she had seen inside.

‘A fragment of Father’s vessel…’

“Ham Gain, what are you thinking so seriously about?”

“…”

They had been through so much together, and whether she liked it or not, he was always there for her major events.

So she believed she had seen all of his true colors.

The aloof and pretentious face he showed to his subordinates.

The sly and innocent face he put on in front of his elders.

The obnoxious way he pretended to be handsome and suddenly seemed 3cm taller when the Palace Lord was around…

‘-Slap!’

‘Hey! Stop crying and look at me!’

‘…’

But she had truly never seen that face before.

He was definitely crying. Actually, she wasn’t sure if he was shedding tears.

His body temperature was so high that his tears might have vaporized, or he might have been crying profusely but she didn’t remember.

The situation was so urgent and terrifying, after all.

Nevertheless, Gain was certain that he had cried like a child.

Grief, sadness, joy, resentment… and then grief again. She clearly felt some of the emotions that his crimson eyes held.

‘You’re not just going to cry here! You can go out and cry again. You can cry whenever you want! So move now!’

…As if they were her own emotions.

“…”

“You’re totally spacing out. Well, spacing out is good for the brain sometimes.”

Gain had never missed her mom or dad. It had been natural since she was very young.

They had always been worse than absent in her life, and the only person precious to Gain was her sister.

She also had relatives like her grandparents, but they were never affectionate.

So her sister was her mother, her father, her only support and rock.

Gain always said as a habit.

‘Sister. When I get a job, I’ll make sure you live comfortably. Even when you’re an old lady.’

…What did her sister say in response?

She thought she remembered every word until a few years ago, but now her mind was hazy as if it were a lie.

Gain just wanted to be good to her sister.

The expression ‘repaying a debt’ might not be appropriate, but she really wanted to spend her whole life repaying the debt she owed her.

Her whole life.

‘Sister… has someone she’s seeing. But he’s a foreigner. His whole family lives in Germany.’

‘They have a big yard and raise a dog this big, and it’s so cute in the pictures. We always wanted to adopt a dog like that.’

…But her sister left Korea.

She didn’t dare to hold her back or have the courage to do so.

She couldn’t even say, ‘Make sure to come back,’ or ‘I’ll visit during the holidays.’

Gain was already an adult at that point.

In the meantime, her sister had worked so hard to pay for her only sibling’s tuition, to keep her from getting beaten too much, and to keep her from crying in secret.

She had suffered indignities she didn’t have to endure, and even though she was young, she had become an adult several times faster than her sister. Naturally, her health had also deteriorated.

And she introduced a new relationship to the grown-up Gain.

She also left a message that she wanted to leave here with him and never come back.

Only then did Gain realize that her existence had given her sister both happiness and pain.

Stupid and wicked thing. She couldn’t forgive herself for her ignorance and suffering.

Gain often missed her.

But she knew how selfish that was.

Her sister had found her own happy ending, and she was the only audience member who shouldn’t break it.

So…

She had been alone ever since. So to speak.

– Rustle, rustle

“…What’s this?”

The sound of fabric rustling was heard, and the Crown Prince spoke in a very wary voice.

Gain slyly peeked out and watched the situation on the other side of the bridge.

Cristel, who was sitting next to her, moved along.

“…You can’t be asking because you don’t know.”

Cedric Riester was taking out a holy stone necklace that sparkled with gold and handing it over.

Cristel gasped in surprise.

Gain wasn’t much different, but on the other hand, she quickly understood his decision.

She could truly do that today.

You too… wouldn’t want the you here to be alone.

“Keep it. There will be a moment when you need it.”

“…”

Endure well and overcome it well, so that one day you can be as free as you are now.

She had come to hope that he would gradually be released from his father’s memories.

Just like how today I can’t remember my sister’s answer.

Just like how I hardly cry anymore when I think of my sister.

– Swish…

Then the Crown Prince frowned openly.

He stared at the necklace, where ether was dancing, for a long time—

– Thwack!

He snatched the ornament from the other’s grasp. Gain clenched her fist.

I knew it, you little jerk! Who do you think you are, picking and choosing our Palace Lord’s energy? Who do you think you are?

You’ll be crying your eyes out later, trying to save every last bit of it!

“…I’m not a Holy Knight.”

Even as he said that, the man stuffed the necklace into his inner pocket.

Cedric chuckled softly. Gain turned to the side at the sudden feeling of a presence.

Cristel was looking at her with her big eyes sparkling.

…This is the face she makes when Hamdemi has caused an accident.

“What did you do?”

“Huh? I didn’t do anything?”

“Didn’t you touch my clothes just now?”

“No? Just brushed against them?”

“…”

It was suspicious. Very suspicious, but there really wasn’t any change in her attire.

Gain squinted at her other self and decided to continue the experiment she had been doing earlier.

It’s not like she’s going to harm me. Besides, the Crown Princes seem to be getting along surprisingly well, so there’s no need to suppress my ether and hide.

The experiment wasn’t anything special.

She was just curious about how this white bridge could be ‘dyed’…

“But there’s still an unanswered question.”

“…”

“Why did you kidnap the prince?”

The Crown Prince asked crookedly, and Gain shook her head, creating water droplets on her fingertips.

Her and Cedric’s sighs came out almost simultaneously.

He’s still got a long way to go. He’s still got a long way to go!

“…You know that the prince came willingly.”

“Then you also know that that’s the problem.”

“…”

“Did that marquis seduce him with lies?”

“No… He’s asking something stupid.”

Cristel, who had been listening for a while, suddenly muttered.

Gain’s eyes widened at Cidre’s refreshing remark.

The duchess shrugged and said.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m not super close to the prince, but I’m still his friend, so I could see things. The prince is usually a bit… suppressed? He doesn’t do what he wants to do, and he doesn’t say what he wants to say. He definitely looks like he could eat more, but he leaves a lot of food behind.”

“…”

“I didn’t want to dig too deep, so I was waiting, but anyway, that’s the kind of person he is. And no matter how nicely you put it, he’s being held hostage in the Imperial Palace. How comfortable could that be?”

“…”

“So I can actually understand the explanation that he was kidnapped of his own volition. How much like a prison and stifling must the Imperial Palace be for him to do that.”

‘Hey, only he’s a fool, not me and Lady Elizabeth.’ Cristel added, patting Gain on the shoulder.

The knight stared blankly at her for a moment, then burst into a hearty laugh.

Of course, there were mountains of things to come, but somehow she felt like she didn’t have to worry about this world line.

If anything, she and her friends would be even more chaotic, so there was no need to worry about it being less so.

If there was anything to worry about…

– Neighhhhh!

“Huh?”

At that moment, a strange horse’s neigh was heard in the distance.

Gain flinched, and Cristel was so shocked that she stumbled twice before jumping up.

What, what’s wrong?

“Hey, that’s Jukchang. My companion pony!”

“Huh?”