Leave the Villainous Second Male Lead Alone - Chapter 6.1

The journey to the Wynyates estate was fraught with challenges. As the carriage pushed through the storm, the wheels often sank into puddles, the weary horses needed frequent changes, and the relentless rain grew heavier, with torrents seeping through the cracks in the carriage doors.

By the time I finally arrived at the count’s estate, I was soaked to the skin and utterly exhausted. In contrast, Callisto appeared unfazed, and the sailors seemed accustomed to such conditions, leaving me feeling like the only one visibly affected.

Despite the late hour, my father and the staff, having been informed of our arrival by a soldier sent ahead, stayed awake to greet us. After nearly six months, Callisto and I had finally returned home.

Instead of returning to the imperial palace, Callisto chose to remain at the Wynyates estate. The following day, my father, Callisto, and I gathered in the drawing room and spent the afternoon catching up.

Several times during our conversation, I considered telling my father that Callisto and I were truly engaged and not just pretending, but the words wouldn’t come out. I worried that Callisto might be upset if I didn’t clarify the truth soon, but he seemed entirely unbothered, engrossed in recounting stories from the Northern Continent.

Just as I began to feel relieved, my father shared some unexpected news.

“Prince Lohengrin has finally gone through with his wedding. The Duke of Armagnac insisted that the Second Prince, Callisto, should attend, but the Empress and Duke Harrington were in such a rush.”

“Lohengrin got married?”

The news caught me so off guard that I almost dropped my teacup. While I had no personal reason to feel surprised, Callisto immediately turned to me with narrowed eyes, cutting in before my father could elaborate further.

“Why are you so shocked? Are you still thinking about that bastard?”

“……”

The thought of Lohengrin—the same man who had used his pheromones as a weapon, attempted assault, committed arson, and incited murder—getting married was impossible to ignore. My reaction wasn’t out of concern for him but pity for whoever had been forced into marriage with him.

Sighing, I reached under the table to squeeze Callisto’s thigh firmly and then patted it in reassurance. He fell silent immediately but turned slightly red, seemingly lost in thought.

Oblivious to the charged atmosphere, my father continued his lamentation over Lohengrin’s marriage.

“I don’t understand what the rush was. To not even invite the Empire’s Second Prince to the First Prince’s wedding—how dismissive can they be of Callisto?”

While it was true that Callisto likely had no desire to attend Lohengrin’s wedding, being excluded was undeniably an insult. However, the insulted prince seemed unconcerned, fiddling with the back of my hand on his thigh while suppressing a grin, his lips twitching with the effort.

“Who was the bride, Father?”

I redirected the conversation, curious about Lohengrin’s choice of spouse. Before my departure for the Northern Continent, he had made a spectacle of proposing marriage to me, only to wed someone else within six months. It seemed suspicious unless his bride held significant political influence.

“The bride was the daughter of Baron Camois.”

“Camois?”

The name felt familiar but slightly out of place. Even Callisto, who had been toying with my hand idly, perked up at the mention of it.

Baron Camois was the younger brother of Viscount Camois, Ivry’s father. Memories of Ivry resurfaced—her refusal to take lessons with Callisto, her brawls, and the way she’d provoked the Gilloth siblings until crossing swords with Callisto.

The Camois family had once been business partners with the Wynyates but severed ties after Ivry injured me in a brawl. Since then, they had aligned themselves with Harrington.

Even so, the baron’s family wasn’t known for their wealth. Their one notable asset was a modest North Sea trading port, Gunter Harbor. While it couldn’t compare to the Wynyates’ Blast Harbor, it was still a valuable location.

“Did Lohengrin take control of Gunter Harbor?”

My father grimly nodded.

“Yes. Officially, it was part of her dowry. But it was clearly a coerced marriage. Baron Camois had no choice but to comply with the Empress’s demands.”

“Couldn’t they have simply formed an alliance without seizing the harbor? Why take it outright and transfer it to Harrington’s control?”

Harrington and Camois had been allies for years, so this blatant land grab seemed unnecessarily antagonistic.

“The Empress must be desperate. The Empire owes the Wynyates a significant debt, and she’s been borrowing heavily from other families as well. The floods have worsened the situation in her lands, and the trade revenue from leased harbors isn’t enough to cover her mounting debts. Controlling Gunter Harbor allows her to monopolize the North Sea trade profits.”

“Even so, seizing an ally’s land is reckless. The Empress is becoming increasingly ruthless.”

Callisto muttered, “Harrington must have made an enemy of Baron Camois now.”

The situation highlighted the Empire’s instability, and I couldn’t help but pity the baron’s daughter, now a pawn in these dangerous power plays.

Out of habit, I almost ended my sentence with “child,” but quickly changed my words when I remembered Callisto’s stern demand never to call anyone else by that term of endearment. He’d even made me promise. The memory of his insistence made me quickly adjust my words. Yet, the little girl in front of me puffed out her cheeks and looked at me indignantly.

“I’m not a child! Lilibet is already seven years old!”

It was a line I had heard before. Remembering Callisto at that same age, I couldn’t help but smile a little.

“…Lilibet, you say? Is that all?”

With arms crossed, Callisto looked down at Lilibet and asked. The girl had only given her first name and refused to provide her family name.

Startled by his firm tone, Lilibet clung to my shirt hem and looked up at me nervously. Hoping to soothe her, I stepped in to add some gentle words.

“He’s not angry, don’t worry. Callisto just has a naturally deep voice. Which family do you belong to, Lilibet? Your parents must be worried, so we should send someone to your estate.”

“Umm…”

The Emperor didn’t have children in this age group, and judging by her attire, she wasn’t a servant or maid from the palace. It seemed likely she was the daughter of a noble family visiting the palace with her parents and had somehow gotten lost. Despite my coaxing, Lilibet refused to reveal her surname. She merely darted her large eyes between Callisto and me, hesitating to speak.

Thankfully, I had experience handling children her age, and this situation brought back memories of young Callisto, which made me feel unexpectedly fond. Gently patting Lilibet’s round head, I crouched down to her level and spoke softly to put her at ease.

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