Leave the Villainous Second Male Lead Alone - Chapter 2.15

However, I had absolutely no intention of using an omega manifestation stimulant. I planned to live long and healthily as I was, taking care of the beautiful children Callisto would have and enjoying a rich, luxurious retirement. The last thing I wanted was to be the omega consort of a depraved prince by taking harmful stimulants…

“…Let’s leave for the palace now. It will be dark soon.”

“Yes, then Etienne, I’ll come to see you again.”

“……Yes.”

I wondered who would be happy about that.

After Roengrin left, my father, with an expression that seemed to be choking, tried to comfort me.

“Even though the Empress may have some influence, she cannot force such a drug on the Winnyates heir. I’ll go to the palace tomorrow and speak to His Majesty.”

“But… will His Majesty stop Loengrin? If the Empress and Duke Harrington push hard enough…”

“We’ll at least delay it. You’ll soon manifest, so we just need to delay it until then.”

My father spoke firmly, as if making a resolution.

After finishing the conversation with my father, I hurried to Callisto’s room, worried about him. How scared must he have been, with the son of the man who killed his mother visiting the Count’s mansion? No wonder Callisto hadn’t rushed out to meet me — it was because of Loengrin.

When I reached the door to the bedroom and opened it, Callisto, who had been curled up on the bed, jumped up and ran toward me, clinging to my waist. His cheeks were puffed up and soaked with tears.

“Bro… are you going to get married?”

Callisto sniffled as he asked.

“No, baby. Who told you that? I’m never marrying the First Prince.”

“Wah… don’t marry, bro. I’ll do better…”

“I’m not going to marry him. I really won’t. Don’t worry, I’ll figure everything out, okay?”

I didn’t know exactly how I would figure it out, but for now, I had to speak confidently. After all, the idea of becoming Loengrin’s consort would have been devastating for Callisto.

I sat on the edge of the bed, gently lifting Callisto, who was still crying heavily, and placed him on my lap, trying to comfort him.

“Why are you crying so much, my little one? Stop, okay?”

“Don’t go, bro… hic… you said you’d be with me forever… wah…”

He was the one who planned to marry Lawrence off first, yet he was crying and begging me not to marry Loengrin. It was so cute, but at the same time, it made me feel complicated.

At this point, I didn’t have a clear solution. I might announce that I manifested as an alpha, but whether the Empress and Loengrin would believe that at this stage was uncertain. It was obvious they would send a doctor to check my traits.

With everything unfolding this way, it became even more crucial to raise the Winnyates’ private army. If we had military strength, the Empress wouldn’t have been able to act so recklessly. I promised myself I would focus more on building up our military forces, all while continuing to comfort Callisto, who was crying nonstop.

“Don’t worry, baby. I’ll think of something. So stop crying, okay?”

“Wah… you’re an alpha… how could you marry? Don’t marry… live with me, okay? I’ll… I’ll be omega…”

“Me, an alpha?”

Suddenly, I felt a sense of déjà vu from Callisto’s words. Now that I thought about it, Callisto had been dreaming of a future based on the original story, and he had said similar things before.

Back then, I brushed it off, but now, given the situation, it felt different. I gently wiped Callisto’s tears with my finger and asked carefully.

“Baby, was this from a dream? Did I manifest as an alpha?”

“Yeah. You were in so much pain… and then you became an alpha.”

“When? When did that happen?”

“After your birthday… The Count said you became an alpha.”

“Hmm… I see.”

It seemed that my manifestation would happen soon.

But whether Etienne actually manifested as an alpha, or if the Count and Etienne had tricked Callisto, I couldn’t say for sure. For now, I could only hope it was the former.

Anyway, for now, calming Callisto down was the priority. Callisto finally stopped crying after I swore I wouldn’t marry Loengrin about a hundred times, kissed his puffed-up cheeks that looked like dumplings, and gave him a million hugs. It was hard to understand why a future yandere like him had so many tears. It would be a relief if he completely veered away from the yandere route, though…

Before long, an unwelcome visitor arrived at the Winnyates estate: Duke Harrington and Byron Camois.

My father seemed to find it hard to greet Duke Harrington with a smile. He told me to stay in my room rather than in the reception room, his face stiff with tension.

“It’s better if you don’t get seen by Harrington, Etienne.”

But my thoughts were a little different. While Duke Harrington did seem to take an interest in me as one of the Empress’s confidants, the fact that he had come with Byron Camois suggested it was likely about business, especially a financial matter. I couldn’t afford to miss such an opportunity. Especially in a situation like this, where Harrington was coming across as a threat, I couldn’t risk not being involved. There was no telling when an opportunity would arise to hold something over Harrington.

I quietly shook my head.

“If the Empress truly wants to arrange a marriage, it won’t matter whether I meet Duke Harrington or not. It won’t change anything.”

“Even so, Etienne.”

“Don’t worry too much, Father. I’m sure they’re here about business. I’d like to know what it’s about too.”

“…If you insist, I won’t stop you. But if things escalate, you must leave immediately. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

Following my father, who still seemed worried, I headed toward the reception room. Duke Harrington and Byron Camois were already waiting there. Harrington looked at me with bright eyes, but unlike my father’s concerns, he didn’t bring up marriage directly.

As I had expected, their matter was about the funds for the New Port project.

“…It’s come to this. We need funds to develop the New Port, establish a new shipyard, and build several ships. If the Count could lend us some, it would make things much easier, hahaha…”

Byron Camois rubbed his hands together with a look of flattery.

My father remained silent, his face still hard. It seemed he was angry at the audacity of asking for a loan after everything that had happened with Loengrin and the turmoil at the Winnyates estate.

However, I had been expecting this since I introduced Camois to Harrington.

As Camois had explained, the development of the New Port was no small investment. In the original story, my father had poured all of Winnyates’ assets into the project, but it wasn’t enough. It was only after borrowing money from another family that they were able to finish the development. And when the Eastern Continent trade collapsed, the loan they couldn’t repay came back to haunt them, seizing the Winnyates estate as collateral.

So even though the counterpart was now Harrington, it was still the same story — a loan was required.

“Baron, I understand your situation, but as for the loan…”

“It seems that since Winnyates has arranged this for you, it’s only right that we help ensure the development is completed smoothly, Father.”

“Haha, Etienne, not only are you beautiful, but your character is admirable as well. You’d be a perfect candidate to become the First Princess!”

“…Duke.”

My father’s expression changed dramatically. However, I gently squeezed his hand under the table and smiled at Harrington.

“If you can provide collateral, there’s no reason we can’t offer the loan. Do you have a region in mind, Duke?”

“Hmm, given the scale of the funds, we’ve been considering a few options. How about the Exeter region, which has a gold mine?”

Harrington’s family had long been involved in mining, so their industry was well-developed. The gold mine in Exeter, where the veins hadn’t dried up yet, seemed a good option for collateral, considering the potential value of the gold still buried there.

‘Still, it’s a bit too much to offer that much.’

I flashed a wide smile, showing my dimples, and made my suggestion to Harrington.

“Since you’ve already entered the New Port development, wouldn’t it be better to stretch the funds a bit further and build a few more ships?”

Harrington’s eyes lit up at my proposal.

“Well, that would be better for us as well. How about it? Would you be willing to help us with that much, Etienne?”

Of course, I would. I slowly opened my mouth.

“Of course. The additional amount isn’t too large, so if you provide collateral with a small plot of land, that should be enough. How about the Bjorn region?”

“The Bjorn region? That’s no problem at all. Etienne, you’re very easy to talk to, haha!”

There was a gold mine in Bjorn, but the veins had already been exhausted.

However, a few years later, copper veins would be discovered in Bjorn, a place previously thought to be barren. By that time, the Eastern Continent trade would have collapsed, and a new trade route in the North Sea would open. All of Harrington’s businesses would become worthless trash.

And the collateral that was seized would eventually fall into our hands. Not only the gold mine, but also the huge amount of copper ore.

Father didn’t seem pleased about the additional loan to Harrington. But since I had pushed for the crystal glass business and he had decided to support my ideas, he didn’t oppose the meeting. After Harrington and Byron Camois left, Father spoke.

“You seem to have it all planned out. Proceed with Harrington’s matters in your own way.”

“Thank you for trusting me, Father. Everything will work out.”

There would be many more businesses under the Winnyates name moving forward. I was fortunate that Father was actively supporting me despite my youth.

Since the crystal business was establishing itself smoothly, it was time to start considering other directions. I was about to head to the Count’s library to research related materials, but for some reason, I felt heavy and sluggish, so I decided to head to my bedroom early. I hadn’t been feeling well lately due to the busyness.

After a quick wash, I entered my bedroom, where I found Callisto rolling on the soft blankets, claiming my bed. He looked up at me with a sparkle in his eyes. I weakly smiled and asked.

“Baby, why aren’t you covering yourself with the blanket? Why did you throw it all off?”

“Bro… your face doesn’t look good. Are you sick?”

How sharp was this little one? He immediately noticed that I wasn’t feeling well. The look on his face, as he touched my forehead with his tiny hand, was so serious that I couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’m fine. I just suddenly feel a little tired.”

“You’re not fine at all! If you’re sick, you need to rest. Why are you still going around outside?”

“Haha… I was fine just a moment ago. I’ll feel better after a good rest. Let’s sleep early today.”

“Yeah. Let’s sleep.”

With a concerned look on his face, Callisto patted the spot next to him. I pulled him into a tight embrace, as if he were my comfort doll, and lay down on the bed. I could feel the chills creeping over me, and my body ached. It seemed like I was coming down with the flu, and if it didn’t get better by tomorrow, I would have to call Doctor Woodson.

I hadn’t yet resolved the matter with Loengrin, and I was still busy with the business. It would be troublesome if I got sick now… I drifted off into unconsciousness with muddled thoughts.

I woke up to the sharp sound of Callisto’s screaming in my ear.

“Elsie, Elsie! Bro is acting strange. His body is burning up, and he keeps crying! Something’s wrong with him! Help, Elsie!”

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