What Happens When the Second Male Lead Powers Up

uckled and started walking toward the carriage.

My body was stiff because I had been tense all day, wearing these clothes I was not used to wearing.

The confessions of the nobles were not that different from the confessions of the laborers at the Imperial Palace.

The only differences were that the penitents were wearing fancier clothes and used more stylish words.

Other than having people staring right into my eyes and the fact that they seemed to be confessing about the same things……

The flow itself was pretty similar.

“There was someone near the end who asked me to help them come up with a name.”

The two of their eyes opened wide.

“He wanted me to give a middle name for his daughter.
He didn’t have anything to confess but said that he came today just so he could have me give his daughter a middle name.”

Ganael shook his head side to side.
Benjamin just sighed.

Apparently the four years old girl, ‘Sophie’ really liked kicking balls around, so I gifted her the middle name of ‘Zinedine’ so that she can grow up to be great at it.

I thought it was a great choice since the people of the Empire use French names.

“I will escort you to Juliette Palace, your highness.”

The Imperial coachman approached and opened the carriage door for me.
I nodded my head and stepped onto the step…

No, I was about to do so.

“Benjamin, that……”

I pointed at something.
I wondered if I was seeing things because I was so tired.

It was because something was happening across the street that seemed unbelievable.

Benjamin’s eyes opened wide after his gaze followed my finger.

Ganael seemed shocked as well.

“……The esteemed Divine beast?”

The young boy blankly mumbled those words.

There were thick vines growing up from the ground toward the left-most balcony of Strauder Palace.

They looked as thick as the waist of adult men.

I could hear the noise of the vines growing through the grass and shrubs from across the street.

“……”

‘Okay, this isn’t a hallucination.
It is real.’

I got onto the carriage without any hesitation.

There were red torches and magic lights around Strauder Palace since the Ball was taking place, but I could pretend that I didn’t see anything since the area around the temple was dark.

It was not my business whether that red panda couldn’t leave the Imperial Palace or if this was a new divine beast that appeared.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes, yes, your highness.”

Everybody quickly started moving after hearing my cold voice.

Ganael and Benjamin sat down and the coachman quickly moved over to close the carriage door.

It was at that moment.

– Pruuuuuuuuu……

“……”

We all heard the pained cry of the red panda.
I clenched my eyes shut.

I spent all day suffering while listening to the confessions of the nobles.
I worked my butt off all day and barely got out so that I could avoid going to that palace.

If the author had even the smallest amount of conscience, they can’t do this to me right now.

– Screeeeeeeech……

It wasn’t my business whether the little punk had been starving or was in pain.

The Imperial family and the nobles inside will take care of it.

They won’t kill it since it is a divine beast and would probably put it in a cage and treat it as a spectacle for a bit before sending it off to a nice place.

“Let’s go.”

– Screech, screech, screeeech……

I jumped up from my seat.

If this was a webnovel with me as the main character, I would probably comment right away that, ‘the pace is extremely slow.
I’m outta here.’

Unfortunately, the real me was getting off the carriage.
‘Damn it.’

*

– Screeeeech

“Yes, it is your big bro.
It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

The vines had reached out and were wrapped around the ledge of the balcony now.

I used the thick vines as steps and easily got to the incident site.

I only came here because this was the left-most balcony of Strauder Palace.
I would have clenched my teeth and left if it was the right-most balcony that Lady Sarnez mentioned.

“Will his highness be okay?”

“Divine beasts are not regular animals.
They cannot be tamed by anyone without ether.
You all just quietly go inform her Eminence about this.
Hurry.”

Benjamin was having a serious conversation with the guards of Strauder Palace down below.

The soldiers seemed anxious as there was no manual for ‘when a divine beast shows up in the garden.’

They would never have let me climb up if I didn’t tell them that a priest’s formal attire can absorb the impact of a moving carriage.

“Big bro has no food right now.
Will you still come with me?”

I reached my land through the railing.

Thankfully, this red panda was the one I had looked after before.

I remembered it because one of the stripes on his chubby tail was white.

The red panda looked at me and tilted its head in confusion.

I could hear beautiful music and the muffled noise of people talking through the half-open balcony door.

– Screech!

“Good.
Come this way.
Let’s just spend the night together with this big bro.”

I planned on going to look for Cardinal Boutier with this guy first thing in the morning when I wake up.

Then she would take care of everything.

I reached my arm out and released my Holy Domain.

The red panda felt the flow of golden ether and twitched its whiskers before rubbing the tip of its round nose on my palm.

I finally laughed in relief.
It should be good now.

– Click.

I suddenly saw the tip of black dress shoes through my peripheral vision while my focus was still on the red panda.

I slowly raised my head.

I made eye contact with an unfamiliar man.

But I had no choice but to recognize him.

“What are you doing over here?”

His low voice that sounded familiar oddly made me recall a conversation I once had with Eunse.

It sounded extremely fresh, as if I was hearing it through headphones.

‘Jung Eunse, why do you always talk about the male lead when you hate him so much? Are you sure you don’t actually like him?’

‘I don’t…… It’s because of his damn face! Face, face, face!’

My sister’s face at that time resembled Ms.
Na Moon-hee shouting ‘pumpkin sweet potato!’ (Reference to a Korean drama.
Here’s the youtube video of the scene and the ‘look’ is around the 1 minute mark https://youtu.be/vgyvy-Jhxjw)

Eunse always talked highly of QNW’s male lead but always maintained a cynical attitude toward him.

He had the face of a god who belongs in the Louvre, but his personality is shit.

I could experience what she was talking about face to face right now.

“……”

The man slightly frowned after looking back and forth at the red panda and me.

“……I guess the divine beast woke up.”

The way his face seemed to blend classical and modern beauty so flawlessly made it seem as if he belonged in the Orsay rather than the Louvre.

His hair that was as black as the abyss and his eyes that looked as if garnets had been placed in there were overpowering the area.

This was the second person I had to avoid at all costs.

The male lead of < I quit my job and ended up as a noble young lady in another world >.
This was Cédric Riester.

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