Treat the Second Male Lead Like a Stone

“Goodness, Bianca!”

Rayler, who saw me sprawled on the bed, let out a sigh and rushed over in a heartbeat.

“Milady, what on earth is this…!”

“...I'm not a lady, Rayler.”

“What are you talking about now! Are you saying you're a man?”

Rayler smacked my back with a loud slap and helped me up from the bed.

“The sun is high already, and you’re still doing this! Aren’t you going to get up?”

Isn’t it a bit early for that?

I wanted to argue, but if I did, Rayler’s nagging would definitely go on forever. In the end, I got up, dragged out of bed by Rayler.

Rayler let out a deep sigh, as if she found me pathetic.

“Sigh, is this really the time for you to be lying around?”

“It is time to be lying around…”

“What?”

“Just kidding, Rayler.”

I had meant it from the heart, but since Rayler’s face looked so serious, I quickly took it back.

“More importantly, Bianca! You don’t have time for this right now!”

“Why?”

“There’s a rumor going around the social circle!”

Was there a rumor that I’m a sloth or something?

In that case, the news was rather slow.

“They say something’s going on between Lady Idette and the Duke of Hessen!”

Ah, that.

Seems like the social circle really is slow with gossip. Getting worked up only now.

Maybe I was the only one staying calm. Rayler grabbed my shoulders and shook me, asking what I was going to do about it.

Shaken this way and that by her, I blinked my eyes.

It’s true, so what am I supposed to do…

“Haah, Bianca. You’re driving me crazy!”

Rayler picked up the brush on the nightstand and started combing through my tangled hair with loud scratching sounds.

“What do you even lack compared to Lady Idette!”

She pounded on her own chest with audible thumps, as if frustrated.

“Compared to Lady Idette, you just have slightly worse hair, you’re lazy, you’re always lying in bed, you’re short, you bite your lips, you lose your mind whenever you see food, you have a weird way of speaking, and you have thin eyebrows—aside from that, there’s nothing wrong with you!”

Rayler stopped talking, panting heavily.

“...Just say there’s a lot.”

“No, there isn’t!”

Rayler shouted loudly.

I let out a small sigh and calmly soothed the fuming Rayler.

“It’s okay. Human emotions don’t always follow our will, right?”

“Right, that’s why you must’ve tormented the Duke like that!”

“...”

“This won’t do, Bianca. Let’s go buy a present for the Duke together!”

Do we really have to?

But Rayler took my hand and pulled me along. She was so strong that I had no choice but to follow her obediently.

Well, I have plenty of money, so shopping isn’t bad.

Yes, that’s definitely what I thought just a while ago.

But now I had no idea why Ricardo and Idette were standing in front of me.

“D-D-D-Duke!”

Rayler couldn’t close her mouth and clung to me.

I reached out and gently closed her gaping jaw, then stared at Ricardo. At that, Ricardo sneered at me.

“Looks like you came shopping with someone you like.”

...Says you.

Upon spotting me, Idette’s eyes widened as if they’d pop out.

She had the face of someone caught cheating.

Hey, I really don’t care what you two do, you know?

Go and be happy together!

Still, no matter what I said, it would be hard for Idette to accept.

Just then, Idette hurriedly held out a necktie to me.

“T-This, I was on my way to see His Highness! I came to buy a gift for him!”

“...”

“It was a coincidence, really, that I ran into the Duke!”

“...I haven’t said a word yet.”

Even so, Idette was visibly flustered.

I quietly gazed at her.

She was beautiful no matter when I saw her. She was someone who radiated a protagonist’s aura to anyone who looked. Her personality was bright, and she was kind on top of that.

And above all, she was beautiful.

Her looks alone could definitely make three male leads lose their minds.

By the way, if she said “His Highness”...

Erkision. The Crown Prince of the Empire.

In other words, the real male lead.

I looked at Ricardo’s face.

As expected, he couldn’t hide his expression at the mention of Erkision.

He should’ve realized what was going on by now.

That bastard Ricardo was stuck in the classic second male lead position, delivering the woman he loved to the true male lead—what a bitter situation.

At that moment, Ricardo met my eyes and let out a deep sigh.

Did he not know that sighing at someone’s face was rude?

“Did you come to buy a dress? I heard you already have plenty.”

“I’m more extravagant than I look.”

“I already knew that.”

“Then why ask? What a cheeky question.”

“Not something you should be saying.”

Seriously, he always has to get the last word in.

Rayler, who had been listening to our conversation, rolled her eyes and muttered.

“...What kind of conversation is this?”

At her words, Ricardo and I immediately fell silent. The surroundings quickly grew quiet again.

In the midst of the awkwardness, Idette opened her mouth as if trying clumsily to lighten the mood.

“What brings you two here?”

There was no way I could say we came to buy a gift for Ricardo!

Startled, I squeezed Rayler’s hand tightly. At a loss for words, she answered awkwardly.

“W-We were just…”

“Yes…?”

Ricardo narrowed his eyes as if he couldn’t understand why we were in the shop. Because of that, Rayler blurted out in a flustered voice.

“We were tailing!”

What the hell was that?

“…Rayler?”

“To tail the Duke! We were curious what he was doing with Lady Idette…”

Rayler, rambling on, looked like she didn’t even know what she was saying.

…Is she out of her mind?

I wondered if I had heard wrong, but judging from the expressions on Idette and Ricardo’s faces, that wasn’t the case.

Ricardo let out a hollow laugh.

“Bianca, I suppose everything you told me before was a lie.”

Tailing you, my foot. As if I have nothing better to do than follow you around.

Especially you, Ricardo!

But no matter what I said now, he clearly wasn’t going to listen.

I sighed inwardly and turned my gaze away.

Still, if she was on her way to see Erkision, he must be feeling quite bitter inside.

“Where is His Highness the Crown Prince now?”

“I didn’t make an appointment. But I heard he’s in the plaza…”

Idette murmured in a small voice.

Okay, plaza noted.

“Miss Idette, if you don’t mind, would it be alright if I meet His Highness first?”

She tilted her head with a puzzled look, but soon nodded.

“Thank you. Oh, and I saw that a new skewer shop you like opened across the street. I heard it’s open until four in the afternoon. If you get a chance today, try dropping by.”

I gave a slight nod to Ricardo. But he just stared at me silently with a hardened face.

What’s with him now?

I’m even making room for you two.

I’m seriously rooting for your love!

Taking Rayler’s hand, I started walking toward the plaza.

Rayler kept glancing sideways at Ricardo and Idette, clearly still concerned, but I ignored them as best as I could.

Ugh, whatever. This is the last bit of conscience I have.

To make amends for the wrongs past Bianca committed, and because Ricardo, the second male lead, is just so pitiful.

Two birds with one stone.

* * *

It would’ve been nice to catch Erkision in the plaza, but he had already left, and there was no sign of him.

After sending Rayler back home, I sipped a cold drink in a café. But I couldn’t quite relax.

I should’ve met Erkision and held on to him somehow!

There’s no way he saw Idette and Ricardo, right?

I was too anxious to go home.

Some time passed. The hour hand on the wall clock in the café pointed to four.

Hmm, I guess I can go back now.

Their date should be about over by now.

With that thought, I got up from my seat.

And that’s when it happened.

“…What are you doing right now?”

A familiar voice rang out. I stared at Ricardo in front of me with a blank expression.

He looked, for some reason, quite angry.