How the Sidekick Prince Lives Again Chapter 6

'The sidekick Prince of the imperial family.'

Renato knew what people were calling him. 'Sidekick Prince' meant that Renato was just a secondary being who could never be the main character. That was also something people said while comparing an Alpha like Trudy and a Beta like Renato.

People said that if Trudy was the protagonist who would ascend to the throne, Renato was just an outsider. They also said so to disregard the Medus family.

Empress Blanche was a dominant Omega, but his father, Marquis Medus, was a Beta. People ridiculed that Renato was born a Beta because he had the Medus family's blood.

Naturally, the Empress and Marquis Medus hated hearing those words. In particular, this was especially the case for the Marquis.

Because to him, it sounded as if he could never become a leader in the society of the imperial family and the great nobles where Alphas and Omegas played the main roles, no matter how powerful he was.

“……Highness, Your Imperial Highness?”

“Uhm? Ah.”

“What were you thinking about?”

“No, it was nothing.”

Renato escaped from his heavy thoughts, answered and slightly shook his head. Having been thinking a lot since yesterday, he now had a headache. He got out of the carriage, massaging his throbbing temples with his hand.

“Welcome, Your Imperial Highness. His Majesty the Empress and Marquis Medus are waiting for you. I will guide you to the back garden.”

The chamberlain of the Empress' Palace greeted Renato in a very businesslike manner. Guided by the chamberlain, Renato walked in.

“From here on, please go in alone.”

Having guided Renato to the entrance to the back garden, the chamberlain stepped aside. Renato gave strength to his trembling lips and repeatedly clenched and opened his fist. His hands started to sweat when the thought that both the Empress and Marquis Medus were in there came to his mind.

“Huu.”

Taking a deep breath, Renato moved his feet again. Soon, he could see people sitting in the pavilion of the back garden. It was Empress Blanche and his father, Marquis Emilo Medus.

“You……!”

While having a conversation with Marquis Medus, Blanche noticed Renato entering the back garden and frowned. He got up and shouted before Renato could even say his greetings.

“What were you even thinking?! Why did you go there yesterday?”

“……Greetings to Your Majesty the Empress, the companion of the noblest blood in the Empire. May the blessings of nature be with you.”

Renato was momentarily stiff, bowed his head and said his greetings half a beat late. It had been years since he last saw Blanche alive.

“Do you think this is the time for greetings? I asked what you were even thinking when you went there yesterday? Answer me!”

“Are you talking about when I attended the ritual yesterday?”

Renato raised his upper body and looked at Blanche. In the past, he would not have been able to respond properly or even breathe as soon as Blanche yelled at him, but now he could answer better than he had thought.

Of course, he was not completely fine. Renato could feel his body tremble, and he gave strength to his toes. The fear constantly engraved on his body for a long time did not go away easily even if he died and came back to life, and even if he met someone that was supposed to die a long time ago.

“Yes! I heard you showed a very desperate brotherhood with that damn little kid as well? Why did you do so?”

“Since it was the last day, I decided it would be good to show my face once.”

In response to Blanche's interrogation, Renato said aloud the excuses he had prepared in advance. Perhaps not liking his answer, Blanche's momentum became fiercer.

“Why are you judging that on your own?! Who told you to think like that?”

“Won't I have to go meet His Majesty the Emperor the day after tomorrow? I was afraid that His Majesty might ask why I didn't attend the funeral or get angry…… My apologies. I was thoughtless.”

Renato reflexively shrank his shoulders as soon as he heard the sharp rebuke and explained in a low voice. He felt a cold sweat running down his back.

“Why do you have to care about the Emperor……”

“Stop.”

Just as Blanche was about to continue, Marquis Medus raised his hand and intervened. Blanche stopped at the Marquis' gesture and quietly closed his mouth. Marquis Medus, who had silenced Blanche with just a single word, moved his gaze to look at Renato.

The moment he met the man's deep purple eyes, Renato lowered his gaze to avoid him. To him, Marquis Medus was more difficult to deal with than Blanche.

“……It is understandable why His Imperial Highness did such a thing. In all those years, you have taken care of Her Highness the Imperial Consort and His Imperial Highness the 2nd Prince because of His Majesty the Emperor's order. His Majesty definitely heard about that during those years, whether intentionally or not. So you must have been afraid that if you didn't attend the funeral, you would fall out of His Majesty's favor.”

Marquis Medus looked up and down at Renato as if scrutinizing him and slowly opened his mouth.

“However, it would have been better if you had consulted with me or His Majesty the Empress before attending the ritual.”

“I was in a hurry yesterday, so I didn't think about it. I only thought about what to do and moved impulsively. I'm really sorry.”

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“Hoho, there's no need to apologize to me.”

Marquis Medus smiled benevolently when Renato apologized with a submissive attitude. His smile was so warm that people who didn't know would mistake it for affection, but Renato knew it was not the truth. He gulped and waited for the Marquis to speak.

“Your judgment was not wrong, Your Imperial Highness. As His Majesty the Emperor is keeping us in check, it is better not to do anything that will cause a backlash to us.”

Fortunately, Marquis Medus did not have much of an issue with Renato's attendance at the funeral. When Blanche heard the news, he ran wild and called Renato over, but the Marquis didn't seem to take this very seriously.

“Anyway, the past is already the past, so let's end this story here. You are also aware of His Imperial Highness' situation, so please understand him graciously, Your Majesty.”

“If father says so……”

When Marquis Medus intervened, Blanche's momentum quieted down. However, he continued to stare at Renato.

“I am sorry to have troubled you, Your Majesty. And thank you very much, Marquis.”

Renato apologized to Blanche and thanked the Marquis. Seeing Renato bowing his head like someone who received a great favor, Marquis Medus put on a satisfied expression. He liked to be confirmed that he had the upper hand compared to Blanche and Renato.

“It has been a week since we saw each other at the funeral, so I would like to have a relaxed conversation with you, but it's not possible because we already have a prior appointment. It's a pity.”

“A prior appointment?”

“Yes, lord Maximo is supposed to come. But if you are okay with it, we can have tea time together, Your Imperial Highness.”

“No. If I stay here, I will only get in the way, so I will leave.”

When he heard that Maximo was coming, Renato's eyes slightly trembled. He tried to stay calm and turned down the Marquis' offer. Marquis Medus didn't even bother to persuade him.

“Then please do so. Thinking about it, the regular checkup day will come soon, so I'll see you then.”

Regular checkup. Hearing those words, blood drained from his body in an instant. When he recalled, around this time, Marquis Medus would regularly take his blood on the pretext of a checkup.

However, the checkup was only a facade, and the Marquis' real purpose was his research. He wanted to use Renato's blood to make 'Fairy's Tears', an imperial elixir known as a panacea.

So I have to go through that terrible thing again.

Renato pressed his lips so that his expression would not shake. He didn't want to cooperate with Marquis Medus, but there was no way he could refuse right now.

“I will tell my chief attendant to prepare to meet you when that time comes, Marquis.”

Renato smiled so that the Marquis wouldn't think he was acting strangely, and respectfully bade farewell to Blanche.

“I will be leaving now, Your Majesty.”

“Yes.”

Hearing Renato's farewell, Blanche just bluntly nodded his head. As always, he never showed affection towards his child.

I can't leave it like this.

Leaving the two of them behind, Renato walked away from the back garden with a restless face. The meeting between the Empress and Marquis Medus made it clear. Although he went back in time, he was still helpless.

At this rate, he would lose Trudy and, of course, Louis and Luna again.

When Renato couldn't overcome his anxiety and bit his lower lip as he faced the cold reality, a voice reached his ears, making him pause his steps.

“Well, look who we have here?”

This voice. Renato widened his eyes and stood still. He managed to turn his head, trying not to stumble.

Then, at the end of his vision, he saw blonde hair shining in the sunlight. A face younger than in his last memory, but also a face that he could never forget.

Renato's eyes trembled like earthquakes when he saw who had called him. Compared to a while ago when he greeted the Empress and Marquis Medus, his trembling was much more severe.

“Greetings, Your Imperial Highness.”

Maximo, standing in front of Renato, greeted him sarcastically. Renato didn't answer. To be more exact, he couldn't come to his senses to greet the man back.

“What, are you ignoring my greeting now?”

Maximo narrowed his eyebrow, displeased when Renato didn't respond to his greeting. The man's sloppy honorifics also disappeared. Maximo, who was the same age as Renato, always talked informally to him on private occasions, but not in public situations.

As the man was a collateral imperial family member that had ties to the Medus family, and because he had known Renato from a young age, even if he behaved like this, the adults around never stopped him. This was also possible because Maximo was an Alpha with imperial blood.

Due to those circumstances, Maximo always disregarded Renato who was a Beta even in their childhood days. His behavior only got worse when he joined hands with the Medus family.

Chapter end