Leave the Villainous Second Male Lead Alone - Chapter 4.13

I already felt guilty for taking over the main character’s role in the original story. Now, Lawrence’s reaction made me flinch. I feared he might resent me for becoming the villainous supporting character. Unknowingly, I started to feel wary of him.

As expected, Lawrence’s eyes were red and watery.

“If I hadn’t been sick, I would have attended the ceremony. Then I wouldn’t have let you get engaged or anything like that.”

“Uh, um.” Lawrence, calm down. Anyway, since the decree to marry the prince has come down, if you hadn’t been betrothed to Callisto, you would have had to marry Roen. It’s actually a blessing in disguise…”

It seemed that Lawrence couldn’t hear my soothing words. He kept sniffling and rambling on about nonsensical things.

“If I had manifested early when I was young, this wouldn’t have happened… I thought it would finally manifest this time since I’ve been sick for quite a long time, but it didn’t.”

However, I couldn’t help but feel tense at the words that followed.

Around this time, Lawrence being sick is also mentioned in the original work. At that time, Lawrence also hoped for the manifestation but failed, and deeply disappointed, he recklessly took the Omega manifestation stimulant.

Thanks to the forced manifestation, Lawrence was able to have Callisto’s child. However, since I had experienced it myself, I knew very well how severe the side effects of the stimulant were. I opened my mouth with a worried heart.

“Lawrence, it doesn’t matter if you don’t become an Omega. There must be a way. So, don’t even think about anything strange…”

“What?” Why do I have to be the Omega?”

Lawrence asked back, as if incredulous. I was the one who was taken aback.

“Weren’t you always saying you wanted to be an Omega?”

“What? That’s an old story. Étienne, are you not even listening to me? Oh, really!”

Lawrence suddenly lost his temper. I was at a loss for words, as I had intended to firmly advise him against touching anything like an accelerator. I didn’t know what I did wrong to deserve this kind of anger again.

At times like this, Lawrence’s personality was anything but ordinary. The keyword was ‘kindness,’ but… it was clear that he didn’t know how to properly categorize the keywords.

Callisto, who had been quietly listening, pulled up the corners of his mouth and chuckled. Lawrence suddenly turned his head toward him.

Callisto asked in a relaxed voice.

“You still haven’t given up, have you?”

“Why should I give up?”

“At your age, what kind of manifestation is that? Wake up from your dream already.”

“There are cases where it manifests later. Étienne also relapsed not long ago!”

“That’s a different story. And…”

Callisto tilted his head toward Lawrence. Lawrence flinched but did not back down, glaring at Callisto.

“I don’t care if you give up or not. Isn’t winning hearts the priority?”

“Oh, really? So, the Second Prince has already won Étienne’s heart, huh?”

But their conversation seemed suspicious. No matter how you looked at the situation, Callisto was not the one caught in the middle. A thought suddenly popped into my mind.

No way, the person stuck in the middle right now… can’t be me, right?

Callisto slowly opened his mouth.

“I am…”

Amber eyes turned towards me. A picture-perfect smile adorned his neat face.

“You’re confident, huh?”

It seemed like I was right after all. I was so shocked that I couldn’t close my mouth.

At that moment, Brina, who was elegantly enjoying tea time alone, spoke to Lawrence as if to comfort him.

“You have to give up, Lawrence. Étienne has been targeted by that crazy guy for a long time now.”

“Yeah!” Lawrence, just stay out of it! Lawrence is acting like that because he couldn’t see the admiral fighting. If it were me, I’d run a thousand miles away rather than fight that crazy bastard…”

“Oh, right!” Étienne’s fate is his own doing, so there’s nothing we can do about it, but…”

In my half-dazed state, I heard Kevin and Anessa’s voices as they patted Lawrence on the shoulder to support him. Only then did I come to my senses and shout angrily.

“Why do you keep calling Callisto a madman since earlier? Everyone, shut up!”

On the day of Callisto’s prince enthronement ceremony, the streets of the imperial city were crowded with people from early morning.

The second prince, who had gone missing 20 years ago, returned as an admiral who had conquered the Northern Sea. Moreover, the heir of the Count of Winneitz was welcomed as the Crown Princess.

There was no one who didn’t know that it meant the Second Prince had seized both military power and wealth in one fell swoop. Countless citizens of the empire, weary of Loen’s regency, watched with eager eyes as Callisto and I made our way to the palace.

Callisto was wearing the red naval admiral’s uniform, just like at the last promotion ceremony. The only difference was that the shoulder area of the long cape draped behind him was adorned with elegant jewels. It was a subtle yet striking design to highlight Callisto’s achievements as an admiral.

In fact, Callisto didn’t need extravagant clothing. Just by wearing a neat uniform, he stood out more than anyone else.

After a long march, we stood before the Emperor and Empress. The emperor, who had been watching Callisto with a flickering gaze, stood up.

“Callisto de Vich, receive your orders.”

Callisto knelt before the emperor. The emperor’s stern voice followed.

“Today, the second son of the de Vich family, Admiral Callisto of the North Sea, is appointed as the Second Prince of the Empire!”

Callisto responded in a solemn tone, “The son of the Sun of the Peron Empire and Empress Marie Louise, Callisto, receives the order.”

The prince’s crown was then placed upon Callisto’s black hair.

The crown, crafted specifically for Callisto, was several times more dazzling and splendid than Roen’s golden crown, not to mention the queen’s crown. It was a diamond crown that had been specially designed with great care. While it lacked overly ornate decorations, the diamonds shone elegantly under the sunlight, highlighting Callisto’s jet-black hair and golden eyes in a way that was almost mesmerizing.

This time, the emperor’s gaze turned toward me.

“Listen, Étienne of Winyates.”

I knelt beside Callisto, bowed my head, and lowered myself. As this was not an official wedding, I wasn’t given the crown of a princess. Instead, the emperor placed his hand on my head and spoke in a low, commanding voice.

“Count Youngsik Winyates declares the betrothal of Étienne and the Empire’s second prince, Callisto de Vich. In the name of the Peron Empire, I bless your future!”

With the emperor’s proclamation, the streets outside the palace erupted in deafening cheers.

“Wowww!”

“Your Highness, the Second Prince!”

“Admiral!”

“Your Highness, the Second Prince!”

“Your Highness the Crown Princess!”

“Waaaaaaah!”

As instructed beforehand, people mingled within the crowd began throwing gold and silver coins into the sky. Thousands, even tens of thousands of gold coins sparkled in the air under the bright sunlight, creating a dazzling spectacle. The cheers grew louder, and the atmosphere reached a fever pitch.

I glanced at the empress’s stern expression as she glared at me. Empress Jeanne, dressed impeccably in her formal attire, was as beautiful as ever, but her expression was icier than usual. Feeling triumphant, the corners of my lips curled upward.

However, when my gaze shifted to Roen, who stood behind her, a chill ran down my spine.

Roen’s bright blue eyes, fixed directly on me, were glinting with an ominous intensity. His usual calm demeanor was nowhere to be found. Unconsciously, my fingertips began to tremble.

“Eti.”

A soft voice broke through my thoughts, gently echoing in my ear. I slowly raised my eyes. Callisto was looking straight at me.

“You don’t need to look at that,” he said softly.

“Callisto…”

“Just look at me,” he murmured. “From now on, let me protect you.”

I gazed back at him, deeply moved.

Thirteen years ago, I entered this world and first met Callisto when he was only seven years old. At the time, he had been so small and fragile that he could fit right into my arms, evoking nothing but a sense of protectiveness.

Now, that baby had grown into a man who was asking to protect me instead.

I had never once refused Callisto’s requests. Whether it was something trivial or significant, I had always granted him what he wanted. This time was no different. Slowly, I nodded my head.

A radiant smile lit up Callisto’s face. His beautiful amber eyes glimmered with warmth and determination.

In the spring of the 291st year of the Empire, Callisto became the Second Prince of the Empire, and I became his betrothed.

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