What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 657

#657

War-Time Restricted Person? (5)

Get a grip, Ham Gaein.

From now on, you have to compete fairly with agitation and fabrication.

Otherwise, you’ll be hearing about this for the rest of your life.

I’m certainly not Johan, and I can’t get involved with that bastard in that way!

“…Your Highness, that’s a misunderstanding. We don’t have anything like that going on.”

“What? But you just heard each other’s voices…”

White wings fluttered through the long-slit shirt.

The innocent eyes looked particularly earnest today.

Gaein squeezed her eyes shut, opened them, and smoothed the outline of her lips with her thumb and forefinger.

Johan was looking this way with an interesting (in other words, annoying) expression, but she tried to ignore him.

The frustration of wanting to turn back time, combined with the rage of knowing it was useless, was playing a crazy symphony in her head.

I really don’t want to keep secrets from Her Highness, and it makes me even more nauseous if it’s a secret only shared with that Crown Prince bastard—but if this goes on, all the citizens of the Empire will believe the nonsense that ‘War Hero Langbue is in that kind of relationship with His Highness the Crown Prince.’

It doesn’t seem like it, but that kind of rumor will definitely spread.

This country is just collectively obsessed with other people’s relationships!

“So, that was a temporary… auditory hallucination.”

“It was a curse.”

“Pardon?”

-Huh?

The two men spoke at the same time, and Gaein gritted her teeth.

Damn it! I’m calmly trying to fix things, why are you butting in again? We need to coordinate in times like this!

She, who had no younger siblings, could now fully understand the conversations she had with her classmates in high school.

‘Hamga, you said you have an older sister. I’m jealous.’

‘Well, it’s nice to have an older sister. What about you?’

‘I have a mom’s son [a younger brother].’

‘…Is there ever a time when it’s good to have a younger brother?’

‘Um… when that bastard disappears for a few days?’

You just shut your mouth and pretend you don’t exist! Please!

“I’ll explain, Your Highness. Listen, Your Highness. At that time, we were both under a lot of mental and physical stress. The aether [a magical energy or substance] wasn’t normal, and the vessel [a person’s body or magical container] wasn’t normal either. And then, when physical contact was added…”

“Ugh.”

“You like it too much. Isn’t it the time for that, now?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Anyway, that’s how it happened… We briefly shared each other’s inner thoughts. Usually, we can’t hear each other at all.”

It was half true.

Looking back at the times when she had heard the other person’s thoughts, one of them was in a major mental or physical crisis.

Apparently, as the aether waves spread out extremely—honestly, I don’t even want to know the principle—such a terrible tragedy occurred.

Seriously, damn it.

“Ah…”

-Augh…

‘Is that so?’ Her Highness looked back at the Crown Prince and confirmed again.

During the conversation, the Crown Prince had returned to his perfect self and was crossing his arms, and the amount of muscle he had gained in the meantime was very annoying.

Gaein was briefly nervous, unsure of how he would react.

That bastard hated being involved with her just as much, but he tended to go a few degrees crazy in front of his partner.

“…Similar.”

“Um, I see.”

-Meowww

“Ha…”

Somehow, she got through it!

Gaein sighed, rubbing her side where she still felt a hot sensation.

Johan kept chuckling, so she vigorously poked him in the side once.

The man feigned pain and leaned slightly to the side.

Of course, this wound and the events of ‘that day’ were all secrets between the three of them. They didn’t properly inform Her Highness of the whole story of this incident.

But why would they tell such a story?

The story that they didn’t hold Her Highness’s funeral, and that it rained constantly afterward.

The story that people she didn’t even know rushed out into the streets, hitting the ground and crying.

How her surgery went, and how shocked the nobles were…

“Still, I’m so glad you’re all safe. I was worried that there might be a problem because I wasn’t there.”

“It was so, so hard without Your Highness. We really can’t do it with just the three of us.”

Her Highness didn’t need to know about such scars.

If she asked, they would naturally answer, but none of the paladins planned to bring it up first.

Gaein quickly stuck next to her partner and happily ate the strawberries he was poking with a wooden stick.

‘How will Gaein live without our Highness?’ The sight of the red glow rising on her white cheeks was very pleasing to see.

The crown [a magical aura or symbol], which had subsided a lot, now looked vaguely dark purple.

It seemed like it would return to its unique warm brown color in a day or two.

Of course, the tingling afterglow of the crown that I feel now is really the best!

“Your Highness, let’s go for a walk. The weather outside is quite nice! There are only a few days left until the battle.”

Whether Cedrick was barely suppressing his nausea or not, Gaein spoke kindly.

Then, Her Highness looked tempted but also embarrassed.

The divine beasts were already stomping their feet and clinging to the Crown Prince. ‘Kiyaaa!’

“A walk? But I…”

“Your exposure is a bit dizzying, though. And your wings are very hot.”

“No, no! It’s not that kind of problem, I think I still have to be confined. Duke Dioph is guarding me day and night.”

“Dioph has no say.”

The low voice pointed out sharply. It was a hundred times right.

The only reason Her Highness had to be here was ‘for the stability of the paladins,’ and they were quite stable now!

“Even the person with the authority here is encouraging us. We’re fine now, so let’s just go together. For just thirty minutes!”

“I’ll call David.”

“I’ll get your coat.”

Johan, who had been watching the situation, spoke softly and got up from his seat.

Indeed, he was qualified to be called Ham Gaein’s teacher just by his ability to act.

Gugu hung on his sleeve, and the excited Perry stuck to the man’s arm.

Her Highness quietly looked around at the three friends and lovely little ones waiting for her…

“…Yes, that’s good. I want to go out too.”

She answered that way and smiled brightly.

Water, fire, and wind were finally at peace.

*

And the atmosphere was so nice…

It took another day for us to get out!

“Your Highness. I will assist you with your clothes. The clothing is somewhat special, so an explanation is needed. Please come this way for a moment.”

“Ah, yes. David.”

I moved to the corner of the cabin where the middle-aged man was waiting.

Sitting on the opposite wall, Jibril Dioph occasionally twitched his nose and watched his friends.

He seemed quite busy today, and for the first time, he was making various marks on his documents, doing ‘important work.’

I thought he would have terrible handwriting, but his writing was surprisingly neat, which surprised me.

Over the sound of the man’s quill scratching, the sharp nagging of the healing priests poured out sharply.

“We are sorry to say that the three of you have made a somewhat hasty decision.”

“Sir Langbue, how could you think of seducing the pure Highness? Even while infiltrating the heart of the main camp?”

“Ollie, apologize to the priests.”

“I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

“Especially you, Sir, and His Highness the Crown Prince, your vessels have not completely subsided yet. I remember repeatedly telling you to just lie quietly in bed until this morning. What on earth were you thinking, Grand Historian Haines?”

“I have no excuse. I should write a letter of apology.”

“Yes. Health always comes first. Besides, if Her Highness goes out like this, perhaps the order of the military camp…”

The doctors (including Isabel today), who couldn’t bring themselves to scold the imperial heir, sat the man in the middle and focused their fire on his friends.

In fact, I was excited and said I would follow, but for some reason, they didn’t scold me.

I bit my lip, which was about to break into a smile, and approached David alone.

I happened to have something to ask him, so it worked out well.

“Hey, David.”

“Yes. Your Highness.”

“This is a secret. By any chance, when His Highness was young… Specifically, when he had to go into the Romero Palace basement.”

I lowered my voice as much as possible and whispered, and the servant bowed his head as if he thought it was a serious matter.

Well, it is a serious matter.

“Did you keep the things he took with him at the time separately until now…? Ah, of course, there was no need to do that, but I’m just curious. I was wondering if there were any gifts or treasures that His Highness relied on emotionally around that time…”

As I went behind the screen and took off my clothes, muttering to myself, David, who met my eyes, made an expression I had never seen before.

I quickly shook my head, worried that he might think I was strange.

“I definitely don’t have any other intentions. Among them, there’s something I gave, no, something I know about…”

“There is a room for that purpose. Your Highness.”

“Yes?”

…There is? Really?

“His Highness Cedrick has not entered since he lost his father… There is a room in Romero where I have kept the things that His Highness cherished as a child, without anyone else knowing.”

“…”

“Among them are several items that you brought out of the Dark Room. Most of them were taken care of by the two Highnesses and His Majesty…”

“Jackpot.”

Do you have chocolate wrappers among them?

I was about to ask that far, but I quickly closed my mouth.

There is no concept of ‘vinyl’ on the continent yet—

“I see the moon of the Empire. May you live a thousand years.”

Oh my.

“It is an honor to meet the angel of the Lord God. A thousand thousand years.”

“H-hello?”

Suddenly, new guests approached David!

It was fortunate that the screen-like partition was quite wide and tall, but even so, my bare body shrank involuntarily.

Who are you?

“We are the sisters of the Nuit County family, Your Highness. In peacetime, we work in the Imperial Palace as part of the Imperial Army.”

“We heard about Your Highness’s wings early on, and we started preparing clothes that Your Highness could wear at the order of His Highness Orelly.”

“You two came just in time. Your Highness. This is the eldest daughter, Duchess Rosine de Nuit, and this is the second daughter, Duchess Karla. The Nuit family is also a branch of the Imperial family.”

David calmly introduced the sisters.

I exchanged greetings with the two non-combat mages who looked very smart.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Yeser.”

They nodded their heads, and then opened a large bag and showed me the clothes.

Of course, they didn’t have any time to waste, so their hands were very busy.

“Several priests and non-combat mages are analyzing the components and structure of Your Highness’s wings. In the meantime, my sister and I have prepared clothes that will not be uncomfortable for you to spread or fold your wings.”

“Originally, Marquis Francois Duhem was in charge of this, but he still needs to recover…”

“Yes? Was Francois hurt somewhere?”

I received an apparently ordinary Imperial shirt and widened my eyes.

The Nuit sisters were startled and looked back at David.

Then David glanced at Johan with a troubled look.

The cardinal, who was sitting at the table, gave a bitter smile.

Only then did I remember that today’s Johan had arrived later than the other two.

Could it be…

-Knock knock knock

“Come in.”

Just then, a knight opened the door and entered with David’s permission.

His breath was at the end of his chin, and he looked very urgent at a glance.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, Princess Juliette. Sir Langbue and Grand Historian… And Duke Dioph. His Majesty is urgently looking for the five of you now.”

*

And until no one looked for her, the girl waited, holding her breath.

“…Tomorrow. Tomorrow is the chance.”

-Splash

The voice speaking to the small fish tank was very young, but it was firm with a solid determination.

The greenish eyes shone with a solemn light that was not appropriate for her age.

Cornelisse turned around and opened the bedroom door and went out.