What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 8

The person I absolutely had to avoid.

My heart pounded in a very negative way.

“Do you happen to know the story of Lady Sarnese, Your Highness?”

“No, not at all.”

Did my voice sound okay just now?

“It wouldn’t hurt to know. In the Riester Empire, especially in social circles, everyone knows. I heard that Your Highness is also very interested in that field.”

I quietly picked up a gouzère [a savory cheese puff] in front of me and started eating it.

I felt like I needed to put something in my mouth to feel better.

“The Lady fell into a long sleep after contracting an unknown illness, right after her coming-of-age ceremony three years ago. For the first year, she occasionally regained consciousness, but from the second year, she slept like a doll, without even a twitch.”

“……That’s a pity.”

“Indeed. At the time, His Majesty the Emperor was so concerned that he dispatched even the royal physician to the Sarnese Duchy for an extended period. Duke Sarnese was one of His Majesty’s few confidants. Of course, he still is.”

A flood of ‘Retired Duke’s’ original settings that Eunseo had never told me poured out.

It was a story I couldn’t find even in the back issues of [a fictional magazine] that I had piled up for a year and read sporadically.

“That Lady Sarnese opened her eyes three days ago. On the night you collapsed, Your Highness.”

A shiver ran down my spine at the frightening coincidence. Did I cause some kind of accident?

Did she wake up because of me?

No, it must be unrelated to me. It’s just that the protagonist’s story has finally begun.

I shook my head slightly and recited the sentence that Eunseo often hummed to myself.

Prevent excessive self-awareness and regain a healthy life.

“According to rumors, the Lady is said to be so healthy that you wouldn’t believe she had been asleep for three years. And she craves spicy food. I guess tastes change after being sick for so long.”

Ah… At the ‘spicy food’ part, I was convinced.

A Korean office worker has possessed her body after three years.

“Anyway. It’s only been three days since she got out of bed, but it’s widely predicted that the Lady will make her social debut at this Spring Ball. His Majesty seems to be trying to make the event as big as possible as a sign of celebration.”

Lady Elisabeth was the heir of the influential Mutte family, so she wasn’t in a position to pick up or spread rumors.

Most of what she just said must be true.

“That’s great news.”

“Isn’t it? But the young ladies and gentlemen who were planning to debut at this time might think differently. They’re calling in all the tailors in the capital to remake their dresses.”

I tilted my head, not knowing what that meant.

Then Lady Elisabeth made a deflating sound.

“They’re saying that they won’t get enough attention because they’ll be overshadowed by Lady Sarnese, so they’re preparing more extravagant clothes.”

No matter what they do, they won’t be able to attract more attention than the protagonist.

I was surprised to hear about Christel’s recent situation without warning, but I quickly regained my composure while eating delicious food.

She’s someone who has nothing to do with me anyway. Because I’ve decided to make it that way.

“Of course, the real target to watch out for is someone else.”

Lady Elisabeth tucked her olive-colored hair behind her ear and smiled secretly.

“Prince Yeser, I mean.”

“Yes?”

I was startled and dropped the fifth gouzère. Why is my name coming up?

“You were involved in an assassination attempt only a week after arriving at the Imperial Palace, and you even managed to survive on your own. Nobles and commoners alike are talking about nothing but you, Your Highness.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“I’m not kidding. Who Your Highness will bring as a partner to the ball, what clothes you will wear, and what dance you will dance. I heard that everything is of great interest.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them. The cheese-flavored bread went down my throat.

What am I supposed to do with the attention?

“Well, I won’t be going to the ball. I’m barely allowed to take a walk in the garden with His Majesty’s permission.”

“I heard that His Majesty will formally invite you, Your Highness.”

No… Why is that happening?

“My guess is that the Imperial Family has suffered a blow from this assassination attempt. Perhaps they want to restore their prestige by publicly announcing Your Highness’s well-being.”

I felt dizzy. A palace ball where the protagonist makes her social debut.

I’ve never read a romance fantasy novel, but I could tell intuitively.

This is an event that I have to avoid at all costs.

Perhaps this is more dangerous to me than my twin brother’s assassination attempt.

I can now open a circle to block a one-time attack, but if I get caught up in the protagonist’s story, I won’t be able to escape no matter what I do.

“I’ll be busy that day, so I can’t go.”

“Yes? I haven’t even told you the date yet.”

“I came here to perform the role of a confessor. I have to listen to the confessions of those in the palace.”

I threw out whatever came to mind, and a plausible excuse popped out, even to my ears.

Although I’m a hostage, I nominally entered the palace as a ‘confessor,’ so I just need to be faithful to that duty.

The duty of a ‘sub-male lead’ is none of my business.

“Everyone will be at the ball that day…”

“Even if you don’t know, there will be more people in the Imperial Palace who can’t attend the ball than those who do.”

I thought of Ganael, who asked me for confession on my first day of possession.

The faces of the gardeners, servants, and kitchen staff who always treat me with a smile flashed before my eyes.

“I will remain a priest for them.”

I smiled brightly. It seemed like a great excuse, even after thinking about it twice.

*

“Your Majesty, Cardinal Oreli Boutier has arrived.”

“Let her in.”

The Emperor of the Empire, Frederick Riester, straightened up from her slouch on the sofa.

If the Cardinal saw her sitting like this, she would nag her about her bad posture and tell her to think about her age.

As she straightened her crumpled cravat, the Cardinal appeared.

Unlike when she went to ‘visit’ Prince Yeser, she was wearing her full uniform with a mitre [a tall headdress worn by bishops and other high-ranking clergy] on her head.

“Cardinal Oreli Boutier greets the sun that has descended upon the earth.”

“Laura, leave us for a moment.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

At her master’s request, the chief attendant quietly retreated.

Soon, only the Emperor and the Cardinal remained in the spacious office.

Oreli familiarly took a seat on the sofa opposite the Emperor and briefly savored her prepared coffee.

“Why are you so late?”

“I came as soon as you called. The Juliette Palace is far from the Imperial Palace.”

When Frederick asked with dissatisfaction, the Cardinal replied with a soft smile.

When the voice of the contractor calling her echoed in her head, Oreli Boutier immediately left Prince Yeser’s room.

The young man’s purple eyes, looking bewildered, were still vivid.

“So, what’s his condition?”

“If you mean Prince Yeser, he’s very healthy. He’s not injured, and he seems to be recovering from the mental shock quickly.”

“That’s not what I’m asking.”

A hint of annoyance flashed in the Emperor’s cherry-colored eyes.

The Cardinal sighed softly at her childhood friend’s hot temper.

“Even though he went on a rampage to that extent, it only took three days for the ether flow to stabilize. Even I can’t estimate the total amount of ether.”

“What does that…”

The Emperor trailed off, rarely at a loss for words at the answer that exceeded her imagination.

The Cardinal continued in a soft voice.

“It’s natural that the surrounding attendants are having good dreams. It would be strange if they didn’t feel good with that much ether surrounding them. Seidi’s improved condition recently must be thanks to him.”

“…It’s hard to follow what you’re saying.”

“Haven’t you been swinging your sword too much lately? You should read some books too.”

It was a light joke, but the Emperor didn’t scoff as usual.

This was because the topic at hand was too heavy and serious to simply brush off.

“An amount of ether that you can’t estimate. Does that mean he’s worthy of being Pope?”

“I don’t know.”

Oreli replied as if singing.

“That only means that the total amount of ether contained in the vessel is that high. His current divine power is at the bishop level.”

“Anyway, the information that he was just a nominal bishop was false.”

“That’s right. He easily defeated a priest-level priest and a paladin on his own.”

There was a brief silence.

The Emperor swept back her silver hair, which she had recently cut short because it bothered her.

“Then did the Prince really steal the ‘Plate of Wishes’?”

She cast her gaze at the documents on the table in front of the sofa.

It was a report compiled by the Imperial Army on news that had come in from the border a few days ago.

‘The Temple of the Boundary’ was the largest temple on the continent, located on the border between the Riester Empire and the Venetian Holy Nation.

It was the residence of the Pope, and it also housed one of the few sacred objects on the continent, which, according to legend, would grant the wishes of anyone who prayed to it with blood.

That was why the sacred object was named the ‘Plate of Wishes’.

And Prince Yeser was suspected of having touched the Plate after stopping at the temple on his way to the Empire.

Of course, it was a plan that seemed impossible in terms of time, and nothing was found in the Prince’s luggage.

Even if the Prince’s party was the only one to have passed through the heavily guarded border area on the day of the incident, he had no reason to commit such a reckless theft.

If the sacred object, which had disappeared forever, did not appear, the Prince would be completely free from the already vague suspicion.

“I still don’t know. Whether to see it as stolen.”

“Adam, answer the question.”

When the Cardinal avoided answering, the Emperor called her by her middle name and pressed her.

However, the Emperor did not sincerely fail to understand the Cardinal’s attitude.

The Plate of Wishes was intact.

It was still in its place in the temple, showing off its beauty with sacred light.

That was because the Plate could only be handled by the Pope.

No one but the person elected as Pope could move the Plate, not even a fingernail’s worth, and the current Pope was vacant.

However, the problem was…
The contents of the Plate were not intact.

“Even if the Plate is intact, the disappearance of the holy water is a problem that cannot be overlooked.”

“I know, Eve.”

The Cardinal quietly took the words.

The holy water contained in the Plate had disappeared without a trace.

According to legend, the holy water was not artificially filled by humans, but a divine substance that had been contained in the Plate since ancient times.

The Plate and the holy water had long been regarded as one.

The depletion of the holy water meant the loss of the Plate.

“Let me ask again. Did the Prince absorb the holy water and gain such power?”

“He’s innocent. I’ve confirmed it myself.”

Oreli’s calm gaze met the Emperor’s.

Frederick knew what it meant for the Cardinal to have ‘confirmed it herself’.

“The last record of a human touching the holy water was 600 years ago. There was a nobleman who drank the holy water to gain the power of the Pope, but his whole body burned to death.”

“The Lord is merciful.”

The Emperor sneered. She was a believer, but it had been a long time since she had loved the Lord.

Frederick Riester felt a premonition that this incident might never be resolved.