The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 65

65. Our Deal

2021.08.18.

I wanted to twist Prince Tessler’s arm off right then and there.

“……A welcoming greeting?”

I stared at the arms the Prince had spread open and asked again.

“Yes, as friendly as we are, wouldn’t you say? Not even a passionate hug.”

Even though the Prince was speaking respectfully to me, his eyes and expression remained the same. Just like when I was Zelda von Trova, a powerless illegitimate child of a count’s family and a royal bath maid.

“Wasn’t yesterday’s welcoming greeting enough?”

I said, re-tying the loosely fastened bathrobe string.

“They say position changes people, quite disappointing.”

Prince Tessler made an uncharacteristically pitiful expression. I wanted to rush at the Prince and strangle him. But how did that man get in here? No matter if a prince from a foreign country came, they wouldn’t let him into the Empress’s bedroom while she was showering. I stared at the terrace door that was half-open behind him. He must have come in through there. Before I went into the bathroom, the terrace door was definitely closed. Prince Tessler also had the athletic ability to easily get in and out at this height. Furthermore, of the two terrace doors in the Empress’s palace bedroom, that one faced the back garden, making it easier to avoid the eyes of the palace people.

“Don’t be so difficult, allow me a warm hug?”

Prince Tessler said again, putting strength into his arms.

“I’m dressed like this.”

I pointed to the bathrobe I was wearing and refused.

“Look, look. This is why people change.”

Prince Tessler, who was refused a hug, sighed and said.

“I knew it……”

I got goosebumps at the Prince’s last words, which he muttered to himself.

“Your Majesty, Empress, you haven’t forgotten our deal, have you?”

“……Of course.”

“Ah, you remember? Hahaha.”

Prince Tessler narrowed his eyes and suddenly laughed heartily.

“I thought you had forgotten?”

“Pardon?”

When I tilted my head, Prince Tessler hit his forehead with his fist, making a regretful expression. It seemed like a fake expression, but it felt quite unpleasant.

“I’m talking about our deal. I came to remind you of your role as the Empress, but I guess I made a pointless trip.”

“Remind me? What do you mean?”

Could it be……? I instinctively turned to look at the dressing table where I had hidden the magic potion. Surely not, I thought foolishly……

***

“It’s here again?”

Rosie stopped turning the pages of the ancient book written in the Southern Continent’s ancient language. The sword drawing that she had already seen in various places in the book.

“What is this that keeps appearing? Is it important? The red jewel embedded in the sword’s hilt is pretty, but……”

It wasn’t a very special sword.

“Humans are crazy about jewels, so they probably appear often in books. Jewels are expensive, Moiya.”

The baby wyvern started putting his name at the end of every sentence because Rosie didn’t call his name often.

“This isn’t a book about humans, it’s about your race?”

Rosie said, putting the thick ancient book down on the marble floor.

“Really? That’s strange. I don’t like jewels. My existence itself is more radiant than jewels, Moiya?”

“Ugh, never mind!”

Rosie shook her head, looking at Moiya, who was absorbed in self-admiration. As she was about to turn the page again, a kitten rubbed its body against the back of her hand, acting cute.

“I didn’t call you. Go away. I can’t let this book get torn.”

The kitten, which she ended up raising because of Moiya, seemed to have accepted its name as ‘Aohssi’. Rosie would habitually shout ‘Aoh, ssi!’ when she was angry or frustrated, and every time she did, the kitten would come to her side and lie down.

“Miyaong. (Just accept me. It’s fate.)”

Aohssi slightly bit Rosie’s index finger as she turned the page. Knock, knock-. The sound of knocking on the bedroom door made Rosie gesture to Moiya to go under the bed, but Moiya went into Aohssi’s body instead of hiding under the bed. Rosie glared at Moiya, who had turned into a kitten, without hesitation and shouted towards the bedroom door.

“Come in!”

As soon as she finished speaking, the bedroom door burst open.

“Let’s go on a picnic!”

The Second Empress Melanie barged in without notice.

‘Picnic? Going outside to play? Then this body must go out too!’

Moiya, who had entered Aohssi’s body, sparkled his red eyes.

“Melanie, Your Majesty, what picnic all of a sudden?”

“The weather is nice. Originally, I was going to go next week when Emperor Adrian Meltin of the Tevelo Empire arrives, but I can’t stand it. We can go on a picnic today and then go again then!”

“On the day Emperor Adrian of the Tevelo Empire arrives…… why?”

“Don’t you know? I heard he’s incredibly handsome? Not as good as our Emperor, though.”

“A handsome man already came from another country……?”

Rosie unknowingly recalled Prince Norton and muttered to herself.

“Where, which empire? Who?”

Melanie widened her eyes and asked. She shook Rosie’s shoulders, asking why she hadn’t told her such an important fact.

“Th, Prince Norton of the Petsha Empire……”

“Miyaaong?!”

‘What’s so handsome about that prince? This great Moiya is much better.’

Moiya raised his tail high and made a sharp cat cry. Melanie was startled by the cat’s sound and looked down.

“What cat is this?”

“Would you like to raise it, Melanie, Your Majesty?”

When Rosie asked indifferently, Melanie jumped up.

“Oh? I don’t like anything cuter than me!”

“……Ah, yes.”

“But did you get permission from the Imperial Family to raise it?”

“Ah, not yet. I was going to tell the administrative office…… but the cat has been sick like it was going to die, so I had no choice but to postpone it…… I should tell them now that it seems to be okay.”

Rosie said in a flustered and pitiful voice, and Melanie bent down and looked closely at Aohssi.

“Ah, no wonder it looks a bit scruffy.”

‘That thing that looks like an iron skewer…… is actually saying something right?’

Moiya wagged Aohssi’s tail and walked gracefully towards Melanie.

“So you were sick as a living thing? The weather is nice, so let’s go out too.”

Moiya was touched by Melanie’s words.

‘Wow, this iron skewer has a generous heart?’

“Don’t just stay cooped up in the basket, run around. That way, your owner won’t get in trouble for secretly raising you. Right? Hahaha!”

Melanie patted Aohssi’s butt and threw Aohssi into the picnic basket she had brought.

‘Keuh, this human knows how to have fun? I really like you!’

Moiya, who was wagging his tail excitedly, saw Rosie’s increasingly fierce face and lay flat on the bottom of the basket.

“Rosie, Your Majesty, let’s go out quickly. Let’s eat sandwiches by the lake. Ah, take that book too. I need to use it as a pillow and take a nap!”

Melanie put the ancient book Rosie was reading into the basket as well. *** Rosie and Melanie arrived at the lake garden, which was about 15 minutes away from the West Palace by carriage. The lake’s water meets a long and wide waterway, and that waterway is connected to a large river that leads out of the Lapion Imperial Palace. In summer and autumn, quite a few nobles enjoyed boating along the large waterway that connects the lake to the entrance of the Imperial Palace.

“Shall we sit here? Let’s eat first.”

Melanie said, collapsing onto the checkered cloth that the servants had spread out on the lawn.

“……Already eating?”

“Of course, it was hard to come all the way here.”

“It’s hard to come here, even though you took a carriage for such a short distance?”

Rosie retorted to Melanie’s words, glancing at the Imperial Palace’s internal carriage, which was waiting far away from the lake.

“Isn’t taking a carriage a trip, even if it’s a short distance?”

Melanie rummaged through the basket that the servant had placed next to her and offered Rosie one of the sandwiches she had prepared in her palace.

“Eat this while you read the book.”

“Thank you. It looks delicious.”

Rosie smiled as she accepted the sandwich.

“How is it? Is it edible?”

“Mmm, it’s delicious.”

Rosie took a bite of the sandwich, tasted it, and made a satisfied expression.

“Miyaong? (Are you eating alone?)”

Moiya, who saw the sandwich, jumped out of the basket.

“You eat this.”

Melanie rummaged through the basket next to her and threw a small piece of bread to Moiya.

‘That iron skewer is really nice!’

Moiya grabbed the bread with both paws as if he had been waiting for it and began to tear it apart diligently. Rosie wanted to smack Moiya on the head, but she couldn’t hit him now that he was in Aohssi’s body.

“The weather is nice, shall I sing you a song?”

Melanie asked out of the blue when she was about to finish one sandwich.

“No.”

Rosie refused, taking out the ancient book from the basket, but Melanie loosened her throat as if she had received a request.

“Ah, throat test! Ah, you can’t be an imperial concubine if you can’t sing. Ah, hateful Emperor~ You can’t give birth to a prince if you can’t be an imperial concubine. Ah, hateful Emperor~”.

“……”

“Okay, now that I’ve loosened my throat, I’ll sing properly.”

The moment Melanie opened her mouth wide to sing, after all,

“Rosie, Your Majesty, it’s nice to see you here again.”

A sweet male voice was heard from behind them. Rosie put both hands on her forehead to block the sunlight and turned her head.

“Oh? Hello!”

The man who greeted her was Prince Norton, whom she had met in the Empress’s palace garden last night. Rosie jumped up. Moiya took advantage of the gap and snatched the sandwich she had left half-eaten and slipped into the basket.

“What brings you here, Your Highness……”

“I was taking a walk.”

Prince Norton smiled slightly and touched his mouth with his hand. Only then did Rosie realize that she had bread crumbs on her mouth and hurriedly brushed them off.

“It’s on the opposite side.”

Prince Norton pointed exactly to the side where the bread crumbs were.

“……I, I know.”

Rosie replied, wiping her entire mouth with the back of her hand. She belatedly discovered that there was something sparkling behind Prince Norton.

“But who is that person?”

Rosie asked, glancing at the beauty with the pretty pink hair with curious eyes. Princess Resilia, who was standing behind the prince, slowly walked forward. The princess looked down on Rosie, who seemed a bit clueless.

“Ah, this is the Kingdom of Shatonil……”

As Prince Norton was about to introduce Princess Resilia, she stepped forward without waiting.

“The weather is really nice.”

‘Those who will be under me later.’

As soon as that thought came to mind, Princess Resilia’s condescending tone came out naturally.

“Were you having a picnic?”

Melanie stared up at the princess, whose arrogant attitude was ambiguous, as if it were a question or a monologue. The two people’s unusual gazes met in the air and sparked.

‘They’re both…… somewhat similar!’

They exchanged glances for a while, as if exploring each other.

“Are they His Majesty’s imperial concubines?”

Princess Resilia asked again, looking back and forth between Rosie and Melanie in a tone that was ambiguous whether it was a monologue or a question.

“They *are* imperial concubines.”

Melanie emphasized each word clearly.

“Eutzza.”

Then, she tried to stand up at once without putting her hands on the floor, but she stepped on the hem of her dress and shouted ‘Aohssi!’ again, falling on her butt. Melanie fell almost backwards, and some of her long hair was soaked in the lake water.

Rosie quickly grabbed the ends of Melanie’s hair and wrung out the water.

“Squeeze it, squeeze it. I don’t want my dress to get wet.”

Melanie glanced back at Rosie and said.

“Oh my. I’ve seen all kinds of shows, I have……”

Princess Resilia looked at Melanie crookedly and sneered as much as possible.

“Then pay and laugh.”

Melanie, as if nothing had happened, got up with Rosie’s support and snapped at Princess Resilia.

“What?!”

“Who are you, speaking so informally?”

She was not aware that she was also speaking informally like a princess. The two women’s eyes, as if they were about to devour each other, collided sharply at the same eye level.