14 - I Healed the Male Lead's Trauma
Episode 14
3. The Second Male Lead Said He Needed an Extra (3)
Perhaps now is the time to shake off this prince.
I brazenly retorted, just as he had.
“Prince Isidor, there are quite a few people accompanying me. Is that alright with you?”
The prince, seemingly caught off guard, quickly scanned the two.
“…Hmm, this is a bit unexpected.”
He asked his aide, perhaps thinking we would all ride in the carriage together.
The royal palace must have carriages overflowing, so he probably wouldn’t want to go in cramped conditions.
However, the prince’s aide shattered my expectations miserably.
“Judging by the size, it should comfortably fit up to four people.”
“I will ride in the driver’s seat. Prince Isidor, please ride inside.”
“Ah, that would be good. Thank you for your trouble.”
…Excessive loyalty was also a problem.
Whether I sent him resentful glances or not, the prince’s aide easily ignored me.
“Just buy me a new carriage later.”
“I’ll tell them to send a good one.”
No. It wasn’t loyalty, but snobbery, that was driving this man.
I stared at the prince with a dumbfounded expression, seeing the anticipation of following me written all over his face.
Meanwhile, the thick-skinned aide opened the carriage door and promptly went to the driver’s seat.
With all problems seemingly resolved, Prince Isidor smiled brightly.
“It’s later than I thought. How about we have a meal first?”
…Is this the best course of action?
Really?
I thought of the gold coins about to leave my pocket and gloomily took the prince’s hand, climbing into the carriage.
The eyebrows of the two twitched for a moment.
* * *
The restaurant run by the chef whom the prince cherished so much in the southern part of District 1 was excellent.
Luxurious course meals, friendly staff,
Beautiful and clean interior, and even a space separated from other guests.
But even coming to such a lavish place, there were two reasons why I couldn’t simply be happy.
First, and most importantly.
‘…It’s definite. There are too many details that match the description.’
Large windows with bright sunlight streaming in.
Flowers lavishly decorating all around were abundant and precious varieties suitable for the season.
Furthermore, the interior was decorated warmly and splendidly with high-end building materials.
‘This is the place where Milia worked before entering the academy.’
Since the purpose of today’s outing was to find Milia, I should be happy, but.
‘…It’s strange. I don’t see anyone who matches Milia’s appearance.’
My heart, which had been briefly excited by this coincidence, was rapidly cooling down.
Milia Ernst.
She, who would become an S-class Guide in the future, was the only daughter of a fallen noble family and worked busily at a restaurant catering to nobles until she entered the academy.
Everything almost perfectly matched the content mentioned in the original work, so she should be here.
‘Why isn’t she here?’
Could there be another restaurant similar to this one?
‘No….’
Perhaps this is also a variable that has changed without my knowledge.
It was still too early to be sure, but I didn’t stop scanning my surroundings without the others noticing.
I was so flustered by the fact that Milia wasn’t here that I couldn’t even properly taste the food, as I scrutinized the faces of the passing staff one by one.
Of course, there was also a second reason why I couldn’t focus on the meal.
“When I said your new patron family was Brondearne, you didn’t seem too pleased. If you’re already this close, I guess you have more in common than I thought?”
“…Ah, yes.”
“I’m glad if it seemed that way.”
Unlike Hiakin, who answered the prince’s jest with a bitter tone, Akteon was nonchalant.
The two seemed to have realized that he was a prince, but they decided to match my and the aide’s attitude appropriately.
Even so, the atmosphere among the three of them didn’t mix easily, and they maintained a subtle distance from each other.
‘Ugh, uncomfortable.’
I couldn’t tell whether the food was going into my mouth or my nose, and finally, the meal ended.
The person presumed to be Milia never appeared.
Eventually, I decided to look for other ways and stood up, but Prince Isidor stopped me.
“Liphy.”
“Yes.”
As I finished preparing myself and trembled to hand over the gold coins, the prince’s aide stopped me.
Then, he approached a staff member and exchanged whispers.
The staff member’s face showed bewilderment, then turned pale, and suddenly brightened.
Seeing that, the prince led me away with a nonchalant smile.
“Let’s go now.”
This man.
He was going to pay all along, but he teased me like that.
It’s good that I didn’t have to spend unnecessary money.
“Prince Isidor, do you want something from me?”
Akteon and Hiakin, unaware of the situation, stiffened and stopped at the direct question.
On the other hand, this prince was very calm.
“From you? Hmm….”
He smiled, pretending to think about it insincerely.
“I want a lot of things. Did you only realize that now?”
“Ah, yes….”
He’s making it so obvious; there’s no way I wouldn’t realize he has a purpose.
‘From the first time we met, he showed great interest in something about me.’
I don’t know what it is, but this person wants to bring me into his fold.
As expected.
The prince lowered his head so others couldn’t hear and whispered in my ear.
“Even if your brother’s expected grade is high, do you think I would rashly release an Evolved Being who acted without permission?”
As soon as I heard those words, goosebumps spread all over my body.
As I couldn’t hide my shaken heart, he took a step back and asked gently as if nothing had happened.
“Was the next stop the cathedral?”
“…Yes.”
“Thanks to you, I’ll be taking a look around for the first time in a while.”
He took the lead, and his aide followed behind. Taking advantage of the gap, Hiakin hurriedly grabbed my shoulder.
“Liphy. What was that just now?”
“Hiakin….”
I think I’ve gotten involved in something strange.
The fact that I don’t know what it is makes me even more anxious and unpleasant.
Even if Hiakin, who had turned pale, pressed me about what was going on, there was nothing I could tell him right now.
This is a headache.
As I couldn’t comfort Hiakin, who was stiff with confusion, Akteon intervened, calming Hiakin instead.
“People say he’s a screwball, a good-for-nothing, or an immature person. Compared to the crown prince, who is actively involved in politics, he doesn’t care about state affairs and only half-heartedly pursues his own interests.”
However, Akteon, who was saying those words, seemed to be looking at Prince Isidor from a perspective completely opposite to the public’s evaluation.
“There’s no way he’s such a frivolous person.”
“Yes. Please be careful. I’ll also try to find out what he wants.”
Since the person offering to help me is Akteon, I want to decline, but Brondearne would have access to much more information.
I had no choice but to accept his kindness.
“Thank you.”
Akteon smiled with his eyes, as if he was happy that I readily accepted.
I felt awkward for no reason as I quietly watched Akteon.
Even if these two are worried, I have no intention of being swayed by someone else’s intentions.
“I understand, so let’s go out for now.”
I pushed the two of them on the back, feeling tired.
* * *
Prince Isidor, who came out of the restaurant first, was leisurely looking around the surrounding cafes.
“Until last year, they weren’t trying to build new buildings, but now it’s quite stable.”
“It’s thanks to the southern district support project initiated by Prince Isidor. Quite a few people from other districts have also moved in.”
“I didn’t expect it to become this active back then. It’s better than I expected. It’s good to see it with my own eyes.”
He seemed to have decided to stop pretending to be uninterested in politics and was having a comfortable conversation.
He seemed to be sincere about caring for this country.
The way he looked after his people didn’t seem so bad.
‘However, it’s uncertain whether those people include Evolved Beings.’
I’ll have to wait and see which aspects are pretense and which are genuine.
It was when I left the prince and his aide to enjoy their time together for a while.
Akteon, who had been pondering something, expressed a faint concern.
“Senior, are you going to the cathedral now?”
“If we go somewhere else first, the route will get tangled, so it’s better to go to the cathedral first.”
Akteon moved his lips, about to say something he was worried about, but stopped.
“…It’s nothing. It should be fine.”
“What is?”
“Because of my brother.”
If it’s his brother, then it’s Kashiel.
‘I wondered where he went, but he went to the cathedral too.’
He can’t be just praying all day.
It should be fine, as Akteon said.
As I was casually dismissing it, Prince Isidor, who had finished his satisfactory inspection, returned.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“It’s nothing. Thanks to you, I had a delicious meal.”
Hiding the agitation I had shown earlier, I glared at him and said nonchalantly, and the prince burst into laughter.
“Ah, right. I paid. It was quite a sight to see you hiding your resentment while looking at me.”
“I’m glad if you enjoyed it. This humble body has become Prince Isidor’s laughter, so I will live with it as a greater honor than any medal I might receive someday.”
Unlike my heart, a sarcastic tone naturally came out.
However, Prince Isidor, perhaps because this happened quite often, brushed it off indifferently, saying it was fortunate.
Even his aide, who should have reprimanded him, was the same.
Fortunately, the uncomfortable feeling subsided a bit after arriving at the cathedral.
“It’s been a while.”
There were still many people coming and going here.
People holding flowers, people holding candles, people wearing black mourning clothes, etc.
The fact that there were so many people offering prayers and asking after the families who had been sacrificed in the Mana Stone War came as a great shock every time, like the ringing of bells in my head.
Was that why?
I missed something that I would have noticed right away under normal circumstances.
I shouldn’t have been immersed only in the emotions that were washing over me, but I should have looked around better.
I should have noticed earlier that there was another Brondearne carriage parked here.
