How the Sidekick Prince Lives Again - Chapter 42

“Whatever, just tell them that you’re going to quit being the protocol officer right now. Don’t do anything useless and just resign quietly.”

“……What right do you have?”

“What?”

Maximo, who was threatening Renato with a menacingly distorted face, stopped. He just blinked stupidly, unable to believe what he had heard. When the man looked at him with a blank expression, Renato spat out his words.

“I asked who you are to give me orders.”

What is this punk talking about?

In an instant, Maximo fell into extreme confusion. He felt unfamiliar and weird with Renato, who told him not to give orders. Renato whom Maximo knew was never the kind of person who could say such a thing.

He was just an idiot who was always scared, a half-wit who couldn’t even make eye contact, a blockhead who couldn’t even have a simple conversation, let alone talk back like this.

That was the image of Renato that Maximo had. He looked at Renato with a puzzled expression. He had known Renato for a long time, but this was the first time he had seen Renato like this. In particular, Renato’s eyes were different.

There was still fear in the lavender-colored eyes staring straight at Maximo, but there was also a mixture of emotions different from before. It was clear hostility.

Seeing the eyes full of hostility toward him, Maximo felt his heart sink. The sense of incongruity he had been feeling recently also grew stronger.

“I’m worried about you……!”

“You? Worried about me?”

Renato smirked as if he had heard a funny joke. This was also the first time Maximo saw Renato laugh at his words. Taken aback, Maximo was at a loss for words.

“I will take care of my own business. So you don’t have to care about this.”

A voice as cold as the winter wind pierced into Maximo’s ears. The man’s magenta eyes violently shook because of the words that clearly drew a line.

Not caring about that, Renato passed by Maximo because he had nothing more to say. However, a roughly stretched hand caught him.

“……!”

Renato’s body momentarily stiffened. Goosebumps ran up from the wrist held by Maximo to his entire body.

“I don’t have to care? What the hell are you talking about?”

Maximo firmly pulled Renato and expressed his anger in a clearly sunken tone. His forehead fiercely wrinkled, and his purple eyes filled with rage fiercely gleamed. The moment he faced the man’s angry expression, Renato’s memories of his previous life surged up again.

‘Smile! Stop crying and smile! Damn it! Goddamn Beta! Fucking Fleurette!’

A strong headache struck him when that voice resounded in his head. Clenching his teeth, Renato held back a groan. The area around his scar burned as if it were on fire.

I can’t show weakness here.

Renato gave strength to his toes and endured Maximo’s gaze. Then, he forced his throat to make a sound.

“I don’t understand why you keep disturbing me, the last time as well…… But don’t interfere anymore.”

“Interfere?”

“You are interfering with my work now, no? It has nothing to do with you whether I’m the protocol officer or not.”

The voice flowing from his quivering lips was awfully cracked, but Renato continued to speak.

“Why does it have nothing to do with me?! You and I are on the same boat!”

“To be exact, you, His Majesty the Empress, and Marquis Medus are on the same boat.”

“What kind of wordplay is that……”

“It’s not a wordplay, it’s the truth. Have you ever recognized me as an equal? Never. Because I was only a sidekick.”

Renato looked at Maximo with a smile while deprecating himself. Then, Maximo’s face became so unsightly that it couldn’t contort more.

“Have you really gone crazy?”

“Ugh.”

Reaching the limit of his patience, Maximo seized Renato’s wrist as if to crush it. Renato groaned because of the pain in his wrist.

I’m scared.

Having to face violence, Renato felt an inevitable fear. He felt like Maximo would raise his hand to strike his head or slap his cheek at any moment. It was because of the memories engraved deep in his bones.

‘I am the Emperor! The Emperor! But why?! Damn it! Are you also laughing at me internally? You thought I didn’t know that you also think I deserve this?’

‘If it weren’t for your blood, you would have already died by my hands!’

Maximo, who was mentally cornered with doubts about his legitimacy, often vented his anger on Renato. Renato remembered all the terrible violence that was inflicted on him.

Maximo didn’t stop when Renato screamed, apologized that he was wrong, or begged him to stop. Blanche and Marquis Medus also inflicted numerous wounds on Renato, but Maximo used more direct and destructive violence than what they inflicted.

“Yes, I have gone crazy.”

Renato affirmed Maximo’s words and forcibly raised the corners of his lips. His jaw twitched and his heart pounded. Even his legs, which had lost their strength, trembled mercilessly.

Is this a symptom of trauma?

Renato recalled the explanation Khalid had given him three days ago. Just like what the man said, Renato didn’t even know that something had gone wrong with him. Even though time had returned, all his memories remained.

It was still the same now. Renato wanted to run away as far as possible from Maximo, shaking off the hand that was holding his wrist.

But he desperately endured. If he really was traumatized by Maximo like Khalid said, he shouldn’t run away now. If he trembled like an idiot every time he encountered Maximo, he wouldn’t be able to protect Trudy, as well as Louis and Luna.

So he persisted. Even if his stomach was boiling, even if his scar was tingling and his intestines felt like flipping over, he persistently gave strength to his toes. The desire not to lose a loved one again became the strength for Renato to face Maximo.

However, there were times when things didn’t go according to his will. Renato felt his vision gradually become blurry and his mind wander. Perhaps at this rate, he might really pass out in front of Maximo.

Come to your senses.

Renato pushed himself and bit the flesh inside his mouth. Then, along with stinging pain, a metallic taste spread in his mouth. Thanks to that, his mind came back a little.

“Maximo Florence, you know what?”

Renato, whose complexion had turned pale, faintly smiled as he swallowed the blood in his mouth. Seeing the smile that seemed to crumble at any moment, Maximo stiffened. His hand which seemed as though it would break Renato’s hand also momentarily lost strength.

“Let me say this……”

Not missing the opportunity, Renato shook off the man’s hand. Then, he took a few steps backward to distance himself from Maximo.

“I really hate you.”

“W, what?”

Maximo reached out to grab Renato again, but stopped moving. ‘Hate’, that word flew like a dagger and pierced his chest.

“Should I say it again? I hate you.”

Renato conveyed his feelings without trembling so that his pronunciation would not be slurred. This was his declaration of war against Maximo.

In his mind, he clearly knew a fact. Just like the current Baikal was not the Baikal that contributed to Trudy’s death, the Maximo in front of him was not the Maximo who took Renato’s life.

However, Renato’s body was deeply engraved with the horror and pain of violence that the man had inflicted. And above all, he had no expectations that Maximo would change just like Baikal.

If Baikal was a weak person swayed by the will of people in power, Maximo was a tyrant who trampled on others with his own will. Blanche and Marquis Medus were also the same. Even in this life, they would never give up the next throne.

And apart from that, the three of them had already committed many sins. Not only were they involved in Ludmilla’s death, but in the process of taking control of the noble faction, they destroyed several families and ruined many lives.

Thanks to Marquis Medus’ evil deeds, Renato was able to oppose them without any hesitation or any expectations.

“So, from now on, don’t unnecessarily pretend to be close to me. I am not your person.”

Maximo didn’t say anything in response to Renato’s declaration. To be exact, the man seemed to be out of his mind. He just looked at Renato with a blank expression.

“Then please go home safely, lord Maximo. I hope you will be more polite to me the next time we meet.”

Renato gave Maximo a one-sided greeting and turned around without any regrets. He forced his weak legs to move. Although he poured out his words bravely, it wasn’t that he was not scared of Maximo.

Renato was afraid that the man would chase after him and start a fight again. It was something that the Maximo he knew would definitely do. Before that could happen, he had to stay as far away from the greenhouse as possible.

However, Renato couldn’t last long and collapsed. When the tension was relieved, his body reached its limit, then fell. Fortunately, he managed to reach out his hands before hitting the ground, preventing him from completely falling down.

“Agh……”

Half lying on the floor, Renato groaned because of the pain in the palm of his hand. It seemed that his palm was scratched.