What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 66

#066 The Northern Grand Duke’s Territory (3)

The riddle surrounding the ‘Northern Grand Duke’ remained unsolved as dinner time approached.

Though it was information I didn’t really need to know.

As twilight painted Evelyn, Emperor Frederica returned from hunting and announced with a charming smile, “Tonight, it’s on me.”

I wondered why she was making such a fuss when she always treated, but there was a reason.

“Wow, this is the ultimate full villa.”

I murmured.

The Grand Duke’s vast summer palace grounds were equipped with various leisure facilities, including a wide lawn where we could have a campfire and barbecue.

Guided by a servant of the summer palace, we went down there and discovered an elk the size of an SUV that the Emperor had caught.

To be precise, it was a magical beast resembling an elk.

“To think I would get to eat magical beast meat hunted by Her Majesty herself… This is an honor that will go down in the history of the Count family.”

Ganael’s golden eyes sparkled like LED lights. I was also amazed and gaped.

The summer palace’s chef was busily butchering the beast with an assistant.

Servants stood by, watching in awe.

“So, people eat magical beasts. I didn’t know that.”

“Since ancient times, the North, including Mutte County, has often faced difficulties in securing food due to the long winters. So, commoners began to hunt and eat magical beasts together, and the cooking methods spread to the nobility.”

Benjamin explained, pulling out a chair at the outdoor table. It was an interesting story.

“Thank you. How do you handle the poison or fluids of the magical beasts?”

“If you look over there, they are working with gloves on. However, the magical beasts of the North are not as poisonous as those in the central and southern regions. Usually, all the poison disappears when grilled over a fire.”

I nodded.

When I heard such vivid stories, I completely forgot that this was a novel.

The huge bonfire in the center of the garden blazed orange, flickering across people’s faces.

I was glad to be able to have dinner with Benjamin and Ganael, as well as the imperial palace servants.

Usually, unless I asked or ate in my room, there weren’t many opportunities like this.

The summer palace definitely had a more relaxed hierarchy than the imperial palace, and that was all thanks to the Emperor’s intentions.

I had sensed it since the ‘Victory Celebration,’ but she was a very down-to-earth person.

“This is really delicious. It melts in my mouth. There’s no gamey smell at all.”

“Right, Your Highness? The juices are sweet.”

“I never knew ‘Ironclad Deer’ meat could taste so luxurious.”

The chef used some spices, but even considering that, there was almost no unpleasant smell.

I couldn’t help but be amazed as I savored the soft texture of the magical beast.

The servants at the other tables also chatted and ate and drank.

Under the table, two lesser pandas were curled up and sleeping, and Demi was wrestling alone with a plum in her hand.

It was a peaceful and warm atmosphere that made me feel languid.

I suddenly wondered what Cristel and Prince Cedric were doing right now.

I’m just a supporting character, and the ‘Toegyeong’ world will run fine without me, but it wouldn’t be the same for those two.

They might be growing rapidly somewhere or playing a significant role.

I suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of anticipation.

“······.”

As I suppressed the strange excitement and took a sip of carbonated water mixed with apple jam, I met the Emperor’s eyes across the table.

Her cherry-colored eyes, mixed with embers, occasionally flashed orange.

Seeing that, Sadie and the ‘suspicious letter’ came to mind again.

I gave a light bow and avoided her gaze.

Did that rascal hand over the letter to the Emperor?

“Your Highness, try it with remoulade. It’s spicier than what you eat at the imperial palace, but it goes well with the magical beast meat.”

“Oh, thank you.”

I looked at the sauce boat that Ganael had pushed over.

No, if that were the case, the Emperor would have called me and interrogated me in some way.

I didn’t know her well, but I was sure she wouldn’t have let the situation go as it was now.

So, the letter is still in Sadie’s hands? Why, what are you thinking?

…Can I trust the prince?

“Hello, Your Highness. Do you like the magical beast?”

A familiar voice echoed in my ear. I suddenly woke up from my thoughts.

I turned my head and saw Cardinal Boutier standing in front of the table with a plate and a champagne glass, smiling.

She hadn’t even brought her attendant, Natalie.

Benjamin and Ganael quickly rose from their seats.

“No, it’s okay. I just wanted to join you for a moment.”

She gently shook her head. The two servants awkwardly sat back down.

I greeted the teacher with a smiling face.

“It’s delicious. Did Your Majesty have a lot to eat as well?”

“Yes, Frederica fed me so much that I’m full.”

The Cardinal sat down next to me with a troubled expression.

Her plate only had simple desserts and fruits.

I dipped a bite-sized piece of magical beast meat into the remoulade.

“So, did you find out who the Evelyn Grand Duke is?”

She asked in a playful tone. My brow furrowed involuntarily.

The heavy feeling that had settled in because of Sadie and the note seemed to evaporate in an instant.

No, I’m not stupid.

“I can’t be sure, but there is someone I suspect as the top candidate.”

“Oh.”

Her beige eyes widened exaggeratedly.

Just until lunchtime, she was embarrassed by the Emperor’s immaturity, but she seemed to have been influenced by her at the hunting grounds, and she was clearly teasing me.

I chewed the magical beast meat thoroughly and swallowed it before calmly opening my mouth.

“Well, I thought it might be His Majesty, the King Consort, Alexandre.”

“Gasp.”

“Good heavens.”

“Oh my, Your Highness.”

Ganael, Benjamin, and the Cardinal gasped in turn.

Even the servant who was passing by with a champagne glass stopped abruptly and looked at me. Everyone looked like their eyes were about to pop out. Damn it, judging by the atmosphere, I guess I was wrong.

“…I guess I was wrong.”

The Cardinal’s eyebrows drooped in a 八 shape. Benjamin and Ganael also had faces that said, ‘Well, of course.’ I carefully broached the subject.

“If it’s not too much to ask… Could you tell me what kind of person His Majesty, the King Consort, was when he was alive?”

“Hmm.”

She gave a wry smile.

It didn’t seem like she was trying to avoid the question, but rather her eyes were vaguely searching for a point in the past.

I was about to say that she didn’t have to answer if it was difficult, but the Cardinal formed a sentence first.

“He was a gentle person to everyone.”

“…I see.”

“Righteous, wise, and he accepted whatever Frederica did with a smile. Oh, and the same went for when I caused trouble.”

“Your Majesty caused trouble?”

“Because I was always with Frederica. Even if we only caused a little accident, things snowballed. It seems like Alexandre was cleaning up after us since he was a nobleman.”

She laughed out loud.

Indeed, the Emperor’s husband seemed to be far from the ‘romance fantasy Northern Grand Duke’ concept that Eunseo Jeong passionately preached.

It seemed he was a warm and kind man, not a stoic ice prince style.

I thought the Emperor’s husband would be the most likely candidate for the Grand Duke, but at this point, I figured he was just a cousin or a great-uncle.

“He was a great magician, too.”

“I’ve heard that story.”

I nodded.

The King Consort, who was called the ‘Great Magician of Tremors,’ was the strongest magician in the empire when he was alive.

He had also won the ‘Magical Beast Subjugation,’ and there were rumors that even the Sword Master Emperor couldn’t always beat him in a fight.

Unlike ordinary magicians, he was known to have two specialties.

“He loved Cedric very much.”

The Cardinal said as if singing. I recalled the prince who had gone berserk at the last Magical Beast Subjugation.

Having seen a hallucination of his father, he couldn’t contain his anger and burned down the entire mountain range.

I didn’t know for sure, but it seemed like the father and son had a very close relationship.

The conversation was cut off for a while.

The Cardinal hummed a nursery rhyme-like melody and drank champagne, and Benjamin, Ganael, and I focused on the meat again.

Wondering if I had asked a pointless question, I glanced at her face, but the Cardinal smiled kindly and advised, ‘Slicing it vertically will make the texture softer.’

“Come to think of it, we’ll be able to find out the Grand Duke’s name tomorrow.”

“Is that so?”

“We’re going to the bell tower where the sacred object is, aren’t we?”

That was right.

Today was the first day of our summer retreat, so we were going to rest well, and tomorrow we were going to see the sacred object with the lesser pandas.

The North’s sacred object, ‘Bireom’s Ark,’ was enshrined in Evelyn’s bell tower, unlike the ‘Hyegom’ that was stuck in the wilderness or the ‘Blessing’ that was kept in the Lord’s Castle of Sarnez.

The location selection was unusual.

The Cardinal continued.

“The Grand Duke is sleeping in that bell tower.”

*

“Your Highness, it seems we will be able to return tomorrow morning.”

The knight commander reported.

The man, Duke Evelyn, who had been looking at the map, nodded once without a word.

The campsite resembled the knight order’s master, with a consistently quiet and solemn atmosphere.

Crimson bonfires crackled here and there in the forest, and the knights sitting around them were drinking coffee or cocoa and resting.

The Duke’s eyes moved slowly, organizing the areas patrolled today.

A gloved finger lightly pointed to Mutte County, directly to the right of Evelyn.

Baroness Caroline Mutte was one of the few 9th-level swordsmen in the empire, a Sword Master [a master of swordsmanship].

She was once a rival who competed with Emperor Frederica, but the two became rapidly closer as they got older.

The Mutte family had been loyal to the imperial family for a long time, so there was no reason for their relationship to deteriorate.

Her territory bordered the empire’s border to the east and the North Sea, where pirates crossed over, to the north.

Most of the pirates were blocked by the baroness’s knights.

In particular, pirate ships had only crossed over to Evelyn twice in the past 25 years.

However, there were small fry who hid in the pine forests of the county and crossed the border into Evelyn every year.

Their goal was simple.

Evelyn was a secretive territory, so they hid with the illusion that there would be valuable treasures everywhere.

Those who had been pirates for a long time never recklessly set foot in Evelyn, but there were always fools with short experience and thoughts everywhere.

Some were even seen secretly building huts in Evelyn, where there were no taxes or military service, and settling down with looted goods.

The young Duke Evelyn stayed in the territory for a short time, but once he came up, he would immediately ride out and sweep away such remnants at once.

Someday, the time will come when this land will be opened to commoners.

If that day comes, the Duke wanted Evelyn to be more peaceful than any other territory in the empire.

“This cleanup seems to have ended earlier than usual.”

“The baroness’s hard work must have been great.”

The Duke replied in a low voice to the commander’s words.

It was rare for the cleanup to be completed in one day, but this year there were unusually few pirates.

It was a positive sign.

The activities of Countess Elizabeth, who had left for her summer inspection, would also add to it.

The Duke rose from his seat with a graceful movement.

“Shall we head to the bell tower when the sun rises?”

“We will see Her Majesty and Your Highness first.”

As he moved, the cloak trimmed with magical beast fur also rippled like the night sky.

The commander bowed respectfully.

“Prince Yeser of the Venetian Theocracy will be going to the bell tower tomorrow. Therefore, there was a message that Her Majesty and Cardinal Boutier will also be accompanying him.”

“······.”

The Duke closed his beautiful eyes once and opened them.

On that cliff were the temple and bell tower, the sacred object of the ‘air’ attribute, and his father’s tomb.

So, he couldn’t send the prince alone.

He thought about something for a moment and then let out a beautiful voice again.

“In that case,”

“Pirate ship! It’s a pirate ship!”

The knight on guard shouted loudly. The campsite became noisy in an instant.

The knights moved quickly to put out the bonfires and reorganize their ranks.

The Duke stepped forward to lead them without the slightest hesitation or wavering.

-Sreung!

The noble and mysterious sword was held in the man’s hand with a clear resonance.

He began to walk, looking only straight ahead.

The boundary of the forest was peeled away like a veil in an instant, and soon a cliff covered in darkness revealed its appearance.

The Duke’s boots stood on the salty soil.

-Swish, swish, swish!

Above the heads of the knights, who were aligned like knives, dozens of spears aimed at the sea rose swiftly.

But no one was surprised by this phenomenon.

The Duke narrowed his eyes and gazed towards the horizon.

Above the dark sea, the light of the pirate ship was rising like a sunrise.

It was far away, but it was certain.

That was neither an ordinary merchant ship nor a nobleman’s pleasure boat.

“Her Majesty does not need to know about this.”

The Duke declared.

“We will end it here.”

His gloves were gone.

At that moment, the vice-captain wildly swung a magic stone telescope.

“Your Highness, it’s a white flag! The guys are flying a white flag!”