Treat the Second Male Lead Like a Stone

Chapter 118

After a bout of commotion had passed, the mansion that had been filled with confusion gradually regained its stability.

Atticus wiped his forehead, drenched in cold sweat, with a handkerchief.

“I’ve lived long enough to see everything.”

He repeatedly let out deep sighs with an exhausted face.

“Who would’ve dared imagine the Imperial Knights barging into the Roygin family during one’s lifetime.”

Cedric, with his eyes sunk deep, instructed the servants to tidy up the chaotic mansion.

While Atticus and Cedric were talking, Allen quietly approached me and whispered.

“Lady Bianca, how about returning to your room and getting some rest for now? Since the Marquis has returned, I think you can leave the rest to him.”

When I shook my head with a forced smile, Allen scratched the back of his head awkwardly and mumbled.

“Sigh, I should’ve stepped up like a proper escort knight and blocked His Highness. At times like this, I truly resent my own status.”

“……Hey, if you’re my escort knight, then it’s only right for you to follow my command to stand down.”

“Oh come on, it’s just a figure of speech. Don’t you know how to take a joke, Lady Bianca?”

At my words, Allen gave me a cold glance.

“Still, I’m glad nothing happened to you. Lord Blua will probably feel proud of you too.”

“…….”

“Well, whose granddaughter are you, after all.”

Perhaps to ease the frozen mood, he puffed out his chest with a playful face.

“……From Cardiff, you mean?”

Just then, Atticus’ voice, who had been speaking with Cedric, clearly etched itself in my mind.

“There was a time you asked me to investigate Drimokan. This seems to be a continuation of that matter.”

“But transferring a relic, which is practically a treasure of the temple, to Drimokan…… Is this Your Excellency’s unilateral decision?”

“Nothing related to Drimokan can happen unless the Imperial authority is involved.”

……A relic?

“What do you mean by that?”

As I quietly listened and stepped into their conversation, Cedric turned his head toward me in an instant.

“Wasn’t Drimokan a place that was cast outside the bounds of doctrine by the Empire? Are you saying they’re storing a sacred object in such a place?”

“Yes.”

Cedric continued with a troubled expression.

“Faith is built on people’s beliefs, so even if part of it is hidden, it won’t collapse.”

“……So, it really is a relic?”

When I asked with full of doubt, Cedric tilted his head.

“What do you mean by that?”

Drimokan, the space where Eileens was sealed. And Erkishian intended to transfer her power to Idette.

‘Rather than storing a relic in Drimokan in this situation……’

It would be more natural to appoint someone who could supply magic power before Eileens’ seal was broken.

But it didn’t seem like something to discuss with Cedric, so I replied nonchalantly.

“I wasn’t asking with any specific intention. Like Atticus said, there are some parts I don’t understand, so I was just curious whether it really is a relic.”

“It’s not clear exactly what kind of relic it is. I was informed one-sidedly as well.”

Cedric let out a bitter smile.

“……Then when will Drimokan be opened?”

“In three days.”

“Good grief, what could possibly be so urgent. Now we have one more thing to worry about.”

Atticus clicked his tongue and covered his face with both hands.

“There’s nothing to worry about. From the look of things, it seems they want us not to get involved in this matter.”

At his words, silence quickly filled the room.

They probably recalled the moment the Crown Prince himself led the knights and visited the estate.

But my mind was filled with entirely different thoughts.

* * *

“I had no doubt that Lady Roygin would contact me someday.”

Facing Onyx, who wore a bright smile, I let out an awkward laugh.

“There’s no reason to turn down an opportunity to broaden my horizons.”

“I knew I wasn’t wrong about you.”

With this much hospitality, it was beyond pricking my conscience—it was almost painful.

I thought I’d be fine since my conscience was already worn thin.

Onyx gently led me forward.

“Now, now, let’s not just stand here. Let’s head inside. Once we finish the busywork, we’ll prepare a welcome party for our new member of the gathering, Lady Roygin.”

Th-That really wasn’t necessary though.

“Thank you…….”

“Don’t mention it.”

Even while moving, Onyx continued to talk without rest.

Things like the history of Cardiff, or stories he hadn’t had the chance to finish last time, for example.

‘At this rate, my ears are going to burst!’

No matter how I looked at it, it was clear that he offered me membership because he needed someone to listen to his stories.

As proof, Yurian was filled with joy at finally being freed from Onyx.

“Yurian seems to really welcome you, Lady Roygin.”

……That’s definitely not what she meant, right?

“I’m glad we’ll be seeing each other more often!”

“Me too. I look forward to it.”

Yurian let out a short exclamation and shook the hands we held up and down enthusiastically. Then, sneaking a glance at Onyx, she whispered to me.

“As someone who became a member before you, if I could give a bit of advice…… stay away from Lord Onyx as much as possible.”

“Excuse me?”

She touched her ear with a face full of dismay.

“Eventually, you’ll reach a point where just hearing his voice makes your stomach churn.”

“Ah…….”

“And then you’ll even start hearing hallucinations, I’m telling you.”

“Yurian.”

“I’m losing it. I can hear him even now.”

I rolled my eyes and gestured toward Onyx standing behind her. Only then did Yurian snap out of it and quickly changed her words.

“That just goes to show how nice Lord Onyx’s voice is! A wonderful voice you never get tired of hearing every day. It must be so great for me to say such things, right?”

“…….”

“……You know how I really feel, right? Even if I don’t say more?”

Breaking into a cold sweat, she turned around with a spin and gave Onyx a beaming smile.

“Yurian, I’ll see you later.”

“Whaaat, I was complimenting you!”

Though he furrowed his brow deeply for a moment, he soon cleared his throat, aware of my presence.

“Lady Roygin, the rest of the members will be here soon, so please wait just a little.”

“Oh, come to think of it, is Lady Roygin coming along too?”

At that, Onyx—who had been so busy welcoming me just moments ago—briefly froze.

Seeing that, Yurian hastily changed the subject.

“Ahh, I meant thaaat…… the library in the a-afternoon! Yes, for the thesis-related work!”

“Ah! The thesis. Of course! Naturally, Lady Roygin should be involved too!”

“Haha…….”

“Haha…….”

Then the two of them awkwardly laughed aloud while looking at each other.

‘They really can’t act.’

Anyone could tell it was clearly related to the relic.

Well, asking a new member like me to join might’ve been too much.

Still, even if just superficially, perhaps I had expected something—since I was basically the mistress of Drimokan as a member of the Roygin family.

“Ah, are you referring to the research you said you’d tell me about if I ever became a member of Cardiff?”

I continued speaking nonchalantly, and Onyx blinked as if he had tried to smile but couldn’t quite manage it.

……So the research they were working on was connected to this matter.

An unexpected gain.

Onyx quickly composed his slightly flustered expression.

“Y-Yes, exactly.”

“I’m glad. That was the topic I was most passionate about academically!”

I had no choice but to dig into this. This was surely the side of me Onyx most expected.

“If you’d teach me, I’d be eager to learn.”

As I sparkled my eyes as much as I could, Onyx began to show signs of wavering.