How to Survive as a Supporting Male Lead

The Emperor swept into the tense standoff with his signature joviality.

“Now, now, can the pillars of the Empire really afford to bicker like this? Ho ho!”

With the Emperor’s hearty laugh diffusing the tension, the argument came to an abrupt halt.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.”

“…Greetings, Your Majesty.”

Iann echoed Kallian, who spoke crisply, his tone befitting the commander of the knightly order, following suit to not get overshadowed.

“Yes, yes. The pillars of our Empire! Why are you always bickering? You’re past the age for such quarrels. Come now, reconcile.”
The Emperor, his expression warm, spoke kindly.
“Extend your hands.”

Kallian, his expression wiped clean, and Iann, still puffed with irritation, simultaneously held out their hands.

“Shake hands. Yes, just like that. How wonderful it is to see the two of you getting along. Oh, while you’re at it, stay close until your hair turns white from age.”

“Your Majesty, Iann de Loit’s hair is already white.”

The imperial attendant quietly whispered to the Emperor.

“Haha, I simply meant to emphasize how long they should stay on good terms. I trust everyone understands what I mean.”

The Emperor brushed it off with a good-natured chuckle, not even bothering to conceal his slip of the tongue. His verbal missteps were well-known, and those close to the imperial family had long since mastered the art of filtering his words.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Understood.”

“Now, I hope you both enjoy the hunting festival.”

The Emperor patted their shoulders and moved on toward the other attendees. After bowing respectfully, the two stood upright, an awkward tension filling the air between them after the sudden end to their confrontation.

“I’m leaving first,” Iann said abruptly, spinning on his heel. Kallian started to follow but stopped himself. He clenched and unclenched his hand, the same hand that had grabbed Iann earlier. His thoughts were a tangled mess.

* * *

“Can a knight really act like this? Huh? Is it okay for them to attack a civilian like that?”

Once again, Iann, astride his white horse, grumbled. Riding ahead on a brown horse, Derrick leaned toward Yuhwa, who sat in front of him, and whispered, “It’s best to humor him just enough and ignore the rest.”

To demonstrate, Derrick decided to engage.
“Still, things went the way you wanted, didn’t they? The Duke’s reputation probably took a real hit this time.”

“Yeah, but he grabbed my arm so hard. Derrick, Yuhwa, look at this! Ow, I think my arm’s dislocated. Check it out.”

“What? Let me see.”
“Are you alright?”

Alarmed, Derrick and the ever-kind Yuhwa moved closer to Iann. Reveling in the attention, Iann exaggerated his pained expression as he rolled up his sleeve. A smooth, pale arm emerged.

“Stop whining.”

“I’m not kidding! It really hurt! What if there’s a bruise? Look again, carefully!”

Iann twisted his arm this way and that, inspecting it dramatically. Realizing he’d almost fallen for it, Derrick clicked his tongue and backed off, while Yuhwa’s expression cooled visibly.

“Iann tends to exaggerate,” Derrick muttered to Yuhwa, who nodded like an obedient student taking a teacher’s advice after experiencing Iann’s antics firsthand.

“Ah, but, Derrick…”

Yuhwa leaned in to whisper something quietly to Derrick. Occasionally, she gestured toward a distant spot. Meanwhile, Iann continued prodding at his arm, determined to find evidence of his suffering. It was the perfect opportunity to showcase Kallian’s alleged cruelty.

“Iann.”
“Huh? Yeah?”

Distracted by inspecting his other arm, Iann replied absentmindedly.

“Yuhwa says she heard something strange over there. We’ll head that way, so stay close.”
“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry.”
“You have to follow, Iann!”
“Sure, sure.”

Iann nodded while pressing down on his pale arm unnecessarily. It was blatantly obvious he hadn’t really been listening.

“Seriously, Iann. Just listen for once.”

Derrick grabbed Iann’s arm, and Iann seized the moment to overreact again.
“Ow, ow! That’s where Kallian grabbed me!”

“That’s your other arm. Let’s go.”

“Oh, right. Huh? Go where?”

“To where Yuhwa heard the noise.”