What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 87

#087 The Phantom of Padde-Trois (2)

“This is my first time at the opera! I’m so excited!”

Cristel de Sarnese, sitting across from me in the carriage, said brightly.

Johann Haynes nodded once, smiling like a painting.

If she hadn’t fallen ill, she could have seen operas at the lord’s castle, but it seemed this was her first time since losing her memory.

She had gladly gifted one of the two tickets that had arrived at the Duke’s residence in the Imperial City to her teacher.

Johann opened his mouth.

“I’m surprised you invited me.”

“Prince Yeseo is unlikely to come outside the Imperial Palace, and Lady Elisabeth will be busy with her escort.”

Cristel said directly, smiling brightly.

In short, Johann was third in line, but even this was quite surprising to him.

He and Cristel had only known each other for a little over a month.

Yet, she hadn’t even recommended the viewing to her parents, who were in the Sarnese territory.

He hadn’t heard any rumors of her having a bad relationship with her family.

Johann recalled the information he had gathered from the Vatican.

Was she distant because her memories weren’t intact? That could be the case.

-Clatter, clatter······

For a moment, the sound of hooves cut through the silence.

Johann turned his mint-colored eyes, which had been facing the window, to examine Cristel.

His eyes, which had seemed tired, sharpened.

The woman’s clear gaze was busy moving around, looking at the outside scenery.

He thought she was somewhat wary of him, but now he saw that it wasn’t because she was suspicious of a foreigner from the Vatican.

It seemed she was uncomfortable with another Holy Knight appearing before Prince Yeseo.

The man’s drooping eyes curved slightly.

Before the full-fledged education, he recalled what Cardinal Aurelius Boutier had told him about Cristel’s condition.

A person who had absorbed the divine object, ‘Blessing of the Azure Sea.’

In other words, Cristel possessed a much purer water power than the water-attribute Holy Knights who were born and raised in the Holy Nation.

It was only natural that she clashed with the fire-attribute Prince Cedrick at every turn.

It seemed she had been concerned about him while she was busy keeping the prince in check.

Because she wanted to be the prince’s partner.

The mercenary created a small breeze at his fingertips.

It was understandable that both men and women were drawn to Prince Yeseo.

However, Johann had never held anything in his hands since he was very young, and after becoming a Holy Knight of the Vatican, he lived a life of self-restraint, half by choice and half by necessity.

That was why he could restrain himself even knowing that the prince’s aether [a subtle substance or essence thought to fill the region of the universe above the terrestrial sphere] was pure and precious.

Prince Yeseo, huh.

-Whoosh······

A few strands of Johann’s white hair flowed down and swayed gently.

To complete the ‘request’ he had received, it was important to get close not only to the prince but also to the prince and the princess.

He had to gain their trust not just as a teacher but as a human being.

“We’re almost there! The theater is so big. It’s so pretty.”

Cristel leaned towards the carriage door in a flurry.

Having grown up seeing only precious things, he wondered what was so amazing, as she continued to exclaim while looking out the window.

Johann chuckled and casually turned his gaze to the other side of the glass.

Even though it was almost 8 o’clock, the days were long and the streets were bright.

At that moment, he witnessed a very strange scene.

A young man dressed as a stagehand at the opera house was sneaking into a narrow alley with a woman.

The two looked at each other and smiled brightly before kissing.

Soon, the stagehand’s expression hardened.

He opened his eyes wide with a pale face, but soon lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

Then, the woman who had kissed the stagehand changed her appearance. It was the same face as the stagehand.

It was a demon.

“······.”

Johann felt goosebumps and straightened his back.

He reflexively turned his head to follow the demon’s movements, but the carriage was constantly moving and there were too many people.

The creature disappeared into the crowd in an instant.

Since he didn’t hear any screams or shouts, it didn’t seem like he had caused an accident right away.

His eyes narrowed.

“It looks like it will be fun. Don’t you think?”

Cristel asked Johann for his opinion. He flinched and turned his face.

The carriage was already in front of the huge opera house.

“The title is , but I don’t know what Padde-Trois [a dance for three people] means. Is it just a proper noun?”

She muttered, taking out her small handbag.

She seemed to have missed what he had seen, busy scanning the dazzling building on the main street.

Johann thought about something for a moment before raising the corners of his lips. Indeed, it seemed like it would be fun.

He replied.

“A dance where three people become one. That’s Padde-Trois.”

*

“We welcome Prince Yeseo Fenetian, the moon of the Holy Nation. We will escort you to box seat number 5 on the second floor.”

The theater owner himself guided us.

It was less extravagant compared to the Imperial Palace, but the Imperial Opera House had its own unique beauty.

I walked along the circular corridor with Benjamin and Ganael.

The Imperial Guards stood like statues at regular intervals.

Whether there was a separate entrance for the imperial family, we didn’t pass through the lobby, nor did we encounter any other nobles on the way.

The staff who saw my attire or eye color were so surprised that they bowed.

This was the reaction whenever I came outside the Imperial Palace. I really couldn’t get used to it.

“Please call a page [a young attendant] at any time if you need anything.”

“Yes, thank you.”

As I answered, the theater owner knocked on the door in front of the number 5 sign.

Then, he grabbed the handle and carefully turned it.

I thought I would see the seats right away, but a red curtain blocked my view.

She lifted the cloth and whispered to the person inside, ‘Prince Yeseo Fenetian has arrived.’

Then, a familiar middle-aged man walked out of the box seat.

“Welcome, Prince Yeseo.”

······So it turned out like this.

“Hello, David. Is the Prince inside?”

“Yes, he is. Please come in.”

The attendant smiled and gestured. I barely managed to make a smile. Well, it wasn’t surprising.

It was an invitation sent to the Emperor in the first place, so there was no way they would give us a separate box seat.

She would have certainly accompanied her partner or son.

We followed him into the box seat.

“Wow······.”

My mouth opened on its own. I immediately grabbed the railing of the balcony and was mesmerized by the view of the theater.

The high ceiling and the compartments dividing the tiers of seats were all shining gold.

Everything from the tassels on the curtains to the decorations carved with the portraits of past emperors gleamed with gold.

The chandelier hanging at the top was, to put it a bit exaggeratedly, the size of a house.

Crimson velvet covered all the seats and the stage, and the first floor was already packed with seated nobles.

The box seats on the second and third floors were also completely full.

When I raised my head slightly, I could see the equally full fourth floor.

Amid the constant murmuring voices, the sounds of the orchestra tuning their instruments could be heard from time to time.

“The whole neighborhood is here.”

“That’s a disrespectful expression to the imperial family.”

A low voice echoed in my ear. Only then did I belatedly turn around.

The first guest in box seat number 5 was sitting in a chair, looking up at me.

The two eyes shining beneath the black hair were like Aldebaran [the brightest star in the constellation Taurus] in the night sky.

If it hadn’t been for the Tarte Tatin [an upside-down apple tart], I wouldn’t have had to watch the opera with this guy.

But even if I could turn back time, I wouldn’t be able to give up that day’s tart, so I decided to accept reality.

Besides, this was payment.

In exchange for finding out through the Emperor that Eva was a legitimate Duchess, I had agreed to fill her seat.

“When did you arrive? There was only my carriage when we departed from the Imperial Palace.”

“Discuss my schedule with David.”

No, it’s not that I’m trying to interfere with your schedule······.

I swallowed a small sigh and sat down, leaving a space between him and me.

There were a total of six chairs in the box seat.

It felt quite crowded with the three attendants also taking their places.

“Have you had dinner?”

I asked the Prince. He chewed his words well, as if he was hungry.

-Thud!

Suddenly, cold water touched my cheek. I was startled and raised my head. Was there a leak in the roof here?

“······Cristel.”

I muttered. In the distance, I could see someone waving their arm from the opposite box seat.

The pink hair piled high, the blue jacket, and the water droplets dancing right in front of my eyes were clear evidence of the main character.

I waved back in a daze.

The person standing next to her was Lord Haynes, even if you saw them on the SRT [a high-speed rail system in South Korea].

She had said we should go to the opera together, so I wondered if she was talking about the opening performance of .

I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of meeting the two of them in a place like this.

“Is it okay to come over here?”

I said. Or rather, it seemed like Cristel was saying that.

She pointed at herself with her finger, then poked at me again.

I was all for it.

The female lead and the male lead sitting side by side in a dark box seat watching the opera?

It was truly the ultimate development.

“Aether.”

At that moment, the Prince muttered in a voice that seemed to penetrate the floor. I looked at him.

“What did you say?”

“Insufficient.”

Looking at his darkly sunken pupils and the irritated expression on his face, it seemed like his condition had plummeted in an instant.

I had no idea why he was suddenly like this. Was he usually turning into ‘Saydi’ at times like this?

He was such an unpredictable person and didn’t talk about himself, so it was difficult to grasp the situation.

I could see the sword he had placed against the wall.

“Isn’t the Hyegeom [a type of sword] helpful?”

I said, deploying a small sanctuary.

Fortunately, the performance hadn’t started yet. A yellow light surrounded the box seat in a circle.

The Prince simply absorbed the aether without answering.

He only says what he needs to say and doesn’t respond to what others say, so that’s why Eunseo Jeong curses him so much.

-Knock knock

“I’ll go see who it is.”

Ganael got up from his seat at someone’s knock.

I nodded and glanced at the front. Cristel on the opposite side was not visible.

Wait, really? Already?

“Lady Sarnese. Hello.”

“Hello, Yerang. I brought something delicious. I wanted to eat it with the Prince and everyone.”

Ganael and Cristel’s voices could be heard from the doorway.

I let out a chuckle and craned my neck to assess the situation.

It would be a problem if the Prince didn’t allow it.

David and Benjamin looked this way as if asking for the Prince’s answer.

The moment my eyes met the Prince’s, I sent him an urgent signal. Zzirit zzirit [onomatopoeia for an electric shock sound in Korean].

Get a grip, you idiot. Let her in. Let’s do well from now on. She’s your future girlfriend. Your wife.

“······.”

“······.”

He looked away first and stared straight ahead.

His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, but I could now interpret even this much. It was okay!

“Please come in, Lady.”

David greeted her.

Cristel entered the box seat, smiling brighter than the chandelier.

I had been wondering where the tremendous smell was coming from, and she was holding a box of french fries in her hand.

The power of the main character was crazy······.

“Greetings to His Highness the Prince.”

“Hello, Lady. Is it okay to eat something like this at the opera house?”

“Hello, Prince. I guess so. The kids were selling them on the first floor.”

Fiction was the best. I gladly received the paper box from Cristel.

There was a pile of still-warm french fries.

When I came to my senses, I was sitting between the two of them again without realizing it.

Should I pretend to go to the bathroom later and come back in, and ask them to move over one space?

I was thinking about that when the Prince opened his mouth.

“Why is there sauce on it?”

“Isn’t it more convenient than dipping each one individually? It’ll be dark soon, so you won’t be able to see well.”

“I didn’t know you liked soggy fries.”

The Prince sneered as Cristel answered sharply. Don’t fight over food.

-Squeak······. Click!

At that moment, the entrance to the theater closed and the lights dimmed.

The pages could be seen scattering between the walls and pillars.

It seemed the performance was finally about to begin.

I gently released the sanctuary and handed a fork each to the Prince and Cristel.

“The Lady can eat the sauced top part first, and the Prince can eat the bottom part later······.”

-Tingling

Somewhere, something like the sound of a wind chime rang. I tilted my ear slightly, wondering if I had misheard.

The inside of the theater was now completely dark. The murmuring audience was now as quiet as mice.

Was it some kind of notification that the performance was about to start?

-Tingling, tingling······

A clear resonance softly filled box seat number 5. It wasn’t my imagination.

Moreover, the source of the noise was very close to me. Cristel and the Prince also turned their gazes to me.

I looked around, feeling the guilt of someone who had rung a bell in a movie theater.

-Tingling, tingling

“What is it?”

Then, I hurriedly rummaged through my pockets. It wasn’t like I had a phone, so why was the sound coming from my body?

“······This.”

I hurriedly took out what I had grabbed.

A small, beautiful crystal bell was emitting a sound while scattering pure white light.

Soon, the Prince’s low voice pierced my and Cristel’s ears.

“There’s a demon.”