Leave the Villainous Second Male Lead Alone - Chapter 6.2

“You don’t have to be scared. I’m Etienne of the Wynyates family. And this here is…”

I was about to introduce Callisto when Lilibet interrupted me.

“I already know! He’s the Second Prince!”

“Huh? You knew that?”

Apparently, her claim about knowing where she was hadn’t just been childish bravado. She had deliberately sought out the Second Prince. A child as young as Lilibet wouldn’t have been allowed in if she had asked to see him directly, so sneaking through the garden was probably her best option.

The fact that such a young child had gone out of her way to meet Callisto was surprising. I glanced at her in astonishment, but Callisto remained impassive, waiting silently for her to speak.

Taking a deep breath, Lilibet stepped forward, clasped her hands together, and looked up at Callisto with a determined expression. Her small face was filled with resolve, making her both endearing and slightly amusing. I covered my mouth with one hand to stifle a laugh.

Then, with her eyes tightly shut, she shouted, “Your Highness, the Second Prince! Please marry Lilibet!”

“….”

Her sudden proposal left me utterly speechless. Watching my fiancé get a marriage proposal from a child right in front of me was so absurd that I couldn’t even react. I thought she had been intimidated by Callisto, but was she just shy about making her intentions known?

Still crossing his arms, Callisto calmly replied, “No.”

“Why not? Lilibet will be good to you!”

“It’s still a no.”

“Why not?”

“Marriage is something you do with someone you love.”

“But Lilibet loves you, Your Highness! I fell in love with you at first sight during the ceremony!”

My jaw dropped further. Lilibet seemed to have conveniently forgotten—or perhaps deliberately ignored—that Callisto was already engaged. At that same ceremony, he had not only been inaugurated but had also announced our engagement. It was astonishing how much she resembled Callisto as a child—remembering only what suited her and using it to her advantage.

Though I found her behavior adorable, it didn’t make me laugh. What was even more surprising was that Callisto, who I had expected to scoff or laugh, was looking down at Lilibet with a surprisingly serious expression.

“Callisto? Aren’t you going to respond to her?”

My voice came out colder than I intended, startling even me. Callisto seemed taken aback as well, blinking at me as he finally let his stern expression soften. However, the moment his attention shifted, Lilibet tugged at his sleeve, her face full of impatience.

“Your Highness! Please answer my proposal first!”

Callisto turned back to her, his brows slightly furrowed now. Oddly enough, I found his reaction satisfying and regained my composure.

“I already answered. I said no. I’m engaged.”

After a brief hesitation, he glanced at me and added, “To someone I love.”

While his words softened my expression, Lilibet remained defiant.

“No! You have to marry Lilibet!”

At that point, irritation began to creep in. Callisto, too, looked visibly flustered, but neither of us could get angry at a child.

Before the awkward silence stretched further, the sound of knocking broke the tension. A servant called urgently from outside the door.

“Your Highness! A visitor has arrived!”

“Who? I told you not to let anyone in today.”

Before he could get an answer, hurried footsteps approached, and the door swung open.

“Beth!”

The sudden entrance of a tall, well-built man startled everyone. His sharp, slanted eyes were familiar, and even Callisto furrowed his brows in recognition.

“Ivry?”

It had been seven years since I’d last seen Ivry. Back then, he had dueled with a thirteen-year-old Callisto after a quarrel. With no fond memories of him, neither Callisto nor I were pleased to see him barging into the Second Prince’s quarters.

Callisto stood abruptly, no longer stopping Ivry, who was carrying Lilibet on his back. Even when Ivry hesitated at the doorway, mumbling as if to refute Callisto’s words, Callisto barely listened, only gesturing impatiently for him to leave. Feeling a sense of unease, I decided to accompany Ivry downstairs to see him off.

“So… how did you know the First Prince’s wife was here, Ivry?”

It was a half-hearted attempt to lift the heavy atmosphere, but to my surprise, Ivry’s rigid expression finally softened as he let out a long, weary sigh.

“Beth left a note in my room saying she was running away to marry the Second Prince. Luckily, I found it before the First Prince did.”

Ivry didn’t seem to care about the drool dripping from the sleeping Lilibet’s open mouth and soaking his shoulder. However, his face showed clear exasperation with her antics. The sight reminded me of Callisto when he was young, and I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

“Not that the First Prince would have even noticed where Beth was staying.”

But my smile faded at Ivry’s next bitter words.

A child, once doted on and carefree, had been abruptly brought to the vast, desolate imperial palace, left to fend for herself. With no one in the First Prince’s household paying her any attention, Ivry, who had free access to the palace, was likely her only source of care. Yet for a child her age, his visits were far from enough.

“Anyway, thanks for today… Thank you, Lord Etienne of Wynyates.”

Perhaps recalling Callisto’s insistence on proper honorifics, Ivry awkwardly corrected himself, though his tone was still begrudging. I nodded with a smile and watched him leave, but as I turned back, my expression hardened.

It was clear Ivry’s attitude toward Lohengrin had changed. The way he referred to him as simply “the First Prince” and the cold look on his face whenever he mentioned him were far from how he used to behave. But there was an even greater concern.

Harrington appeared to have ventured into illegal trade.

Though I had assumed that day would be the first and last time I encountered Lilibet and Ivry, my expectations were soon proven wrong. Lilibet, seemingly desperate to escape life in the First Prince’s household, began sneaking into the Second Prince’s garden whenever she could. Sometimes, I happened to be there, but more often than not, she caught Callisto alone—usually to propose marriage. Her antics became so frequent that I began to wonder if I should be genuinely worried or jealous.

Meanwhile, the batatas plants continued to thrive, and their first harvest had been completed not long ago. Despite the prolonged harsh weather, the results were surprisingly bountiful. I began distributing the batatas to nearby territories and planned to visit more distant regions next. On the surface, it was a tour to fulfill my duties as the Wynyates heir during this difficult time, but my true purpose lay elsewhere.

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