The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 91

91. Called to Mate? [Implying a summons or invitation, possibly with romantic or animalistic undertones]

2021.11.17.

“What are you going to do?”

Although I had already prepared myself, my fingertips trembled at the thought that I might have to leave Rinell’s side.

“Zelda, we won’t be able to avoid this.”

“Then…”

“We have to fight. It would be easiest to bury the fact that you are the surrogate empress, but there’s already someone using that fact to threaten us.”

“Wouldn’t Prince Tesler be reluctant to reveal that he sent me as the surrogate empress to the Rafion ministers? If he does, he won’t be able to promote Princess Resilia as the remarried empress either.”

“Hmm… If the prince can’t get his sister into the empress’s seat, what do you think he’ll do to you then?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he’ll just…”

“Kill you.”

His hand lightly brushed my neck. The image of Prince Tesler holding a knife to my throat flashed in my mind, sending a chill down my spine.

“First, you have to trust me.”

“I do.”

I replied without a moment’s hesitation.

“Do you have a plan in mind?”

“Not yet.”

“!”

I was taken aback by his resolute lack of a plan. *** After our conversation in the lounge, we returned to the office. The eyes of the three people waiting at the table focused on him and me. Rosie’s face looked very dark as she looked at me, probably noticing the signs of crying on my face. I gave Rosie a slight smile, but her worried eyes didn’t fade.

“I’m sorry to both of you, but you’ll have to leave for today. I still have things to discuss with you, so I’ll call you again later.”

At Rinell’s serious tone, Norton and Rosie didn’t dare ask why and immediately nodded. He added that he wanted them to take some time to think about each other. Both of them looked bewildered, and so did I. But perhaps because of the somewhat subdued atmosphere in the office, they both readily agreed and got up from their seats. *** Norton and Rosie left the office and walked quietly down the hallway.

“I think Her Majesty was crying. I hope everything is alright.”

Rosie lowered her voice and asked Norton, conscious of the servants following behind.

“It didn’t seem like they were fighting, so I’m sure everything is fine. She’ll be alright.”

Norton was bothered by Prince Tesler’s sly smile, but he spoke calmly to reassure Rosie, who was worried. He had noticed that both the empress and the prince’s expressions had changed when the name ‘Bonis’ was mentioned. In particular, Prince Tesler seemed to have a card to play against the empress.

“I was planning to look around the library while I’m here at the main palace.”

Rosie stopped walking as she approached the central staircase.

“The library is over there.”

She pointed towards the library.

“I see.”

“Your Highness, would you like to come with me?”

“…”

‘Even though he just came from meeting His Majesty, is she asking him out on a date? She’s a very bold woman.’ Norton slowly shook his head, rejecting Rosie’s offer.

“I’m sorry, Your Grace. I have things to do at the detached palace. Then, goodbye.”

“Okay, then goodbye.”

‘Tch, I was going to ask him a few things about ancient languages from the Southern Continent.’ Rosie felt a little disappointed that Norton had rejected her offer so bluntly and turned away. Norton watched Rosie’s brisk walk towards the library for a moment before hurrying down the central staircase. He was planning to return to the detached palace to meet Duke Martins and ask who Miss Bonis was.

***

“We’re leaving now. Hey, if the great wyvern greets you, at least wave your hand. This kid has no manners, Moiya~.”

Moiya waved her hand at Joseph while greeting him, then waved her small fist back and forth in front of Joseph’s eyes, who was just blinking.

“Miyaaong? (Oh, stop it. How can he wave when he’s in the ice?)”

“Ah, that’s right… Good point, cotton ball.”

Moiya scratched Ao’s chin and praised him, then suddenly her expression hardened.

“Huh? It smells like Rosie. It looks like Rosie is coming towards the library! Why is she trying to come in here?”

Moiya turned her head towards the closed gray wall and spoke urgently to Ao.

“Miyaong? (Did she come on a date with Norton?)”

“A date? Then did His Majesty decide to spare them both?”

Moiya chuckled, recalling the atrocities she had committed against Norton last night when she transformed into Rosie. Then she scratched her chin and muttered seriously.

“Ah, did Rosie come to the library to mate with Norton?”

“Miyaong? (Why would they mate in the library?)”

“Ugh, the library is Rosie’s favorite place.”

“Miyaong! (You’re so smart!)”

Ao was startled and impressed by Moiya’s absurd reasoning.

“Let’s go watch them mate. But where did that mosquito bastard go? Ah, it’s stuck there.”

Moiya found the mosquito stuck on the gray wall that opened like a door and transformed back into a mosquito. Joseph watched the baby wyvern doppelganger in front of his eyes with amazement.

“I’ll be back soon!”

Moiya greeted Joseph, and Ao leaped up the stairs in front of the gray wall. Then the closed gray wall slid open to the side. Just as the gray wall was about to close, Joseph shouted inwardly.

‘Huh? Wait a minute, guys, look at this!’

Joseph widened his eyes and watched the cracks forming in the ice right in front of his face. It was right where Moiya had been breathing fire. The ice on the surface didn’t budge, but the ice on the inside, closest to Joseph’s body, was cracking. Ice fragments were melting little by little around Joseph’s mouth, like crumbs falling.

‘Thank you!’

Joseph said, looking at the gray wall that had already closed. *** The atmosphere in the office, from which Rosie and Norton had left, quickly became heavy.

“Prince, a mistress when you’re not even married yet, how unusual.”

Rinell smoothly returned to the conversation they had been having earlier.

“Bonis is lovely, but there are several problems with making her a princess, so it couldn’t be helped.”

Prince Tesler flinched slightly at his question, but he put on a straight face again and spouted nonsense. But the prince also looked very uneasy. He must be nervous. He wouldn’t know what kind of conversation I had with Rinell in the lounge, whether I had told Rinell something, and if so, how much I had said. I deliberately maintained a blank expression to avoid revealing my emotions. Prince Tesler stared at my face intently, as if he was desperate to figure out what I was thinking.

“So, not a formal concubine… but a mistress, is that it?”

I felt like my lifespan was shortening every time I talked to Prince Tesler, but I forced myself to speak. I didn’t know when a curse would come out of my mouth.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Well, a mistress doesn’t require any special procedures like a concubine, so it must have been the most appropriate.”

At my openly sarcastic tone, Prince Tesler nodded, the corners of his mouth barely raised, showing his strained patience. Generally, when taking in a concubine, the permission of the ministers and priests is required, but a mistress is simply declared by the person in question. Moreover, Prince Tesler was in a position to make such a decision at any time. So, he must be trying to suddenly disguise Bonis as his mistress to prevent her from becoming my maid.

“I think Miss Bonis would be suitable as the empress’s maid.”

Rinell tentatively probed Prince Tesler’s intentions.

“…However, Your Majesty, how many men would send their lovely mistress to another country as a maid? Hahaha.”

Prince Tesler shifted his gaze from me, who he had been staring at, to Rinell, and refused with a forced smile. ‘Look at that bastard’s mouth? He likes the lovely mistress. She must be a lovely hostage!’ I thought.

“What if there is one?”

Rinell countered with a serious face.

“Yes…?”

Prince Tesler’s pupils shook wildly.

“If there is such a case, would you yield your mistress to my wife?”

“!”

Rinell spoke to Prince Tesler with a solemn expression. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were very sharp. Prince Tesler’s shoulders were raised high, indicating his surprise. I, too, was completely taken aback by his unexpected remark and turned to look at him.

“Your Majesty, what do you mean by that…?”

Prince Tesler couldn’t hide his awkwardness.

“Before you ask what I mean, let’s bring your mistress here. It seems like the conversation will be much smoother if the person in question is present.”

“Y-Yes?!”

Prince Tesler’s face, with his mouth wide open, looked like someone who had swallowed a bug.

“I think it would be good to have lunch together and talk? What do you think, Empress?”

“I agree, Your Majesty.”

I looked straight at Prince Tesler’s flustered face and replied to Rinell.

“W-Well, that might be a little difficult. Bonis is resting because she has a cold… It would be better to have a seat together next time…”

“Raphael!”

Rinell brushed aside Prince Tesler’s flimsy excuse with a dismissive gesture and called the secretary towards the office door. Soon, the office door opened quickly and Raphael entered.

“Is Commander Macrome outside? If so, let him in.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Raphael stepped back, and in just a few seconds, Commander Macrome appeared in front of the office door.

“Did you call for me?”

Commander Macrome bowed exactly in the direction where Rinell was sitting. People who didn’t know that Commander Macrome had lost his sight due to the curse of the Southern Continent magician wouldn’t even notice that he was blind because of his accurate gaze.

“Go to the detached palace right now and bring Prince Tesler’s mistress, Miss Bonis.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. May I ask where Miss Bonis is staying?”

After Commander Macrome replied to Rinell, he looked towards Prince Tesler and asked.

“B-Bonis is currently, probably…”

As Prince Tesler dragged out his words and stammered, Rinell cut him off with a frustrated expression.

“She should be staying on the floor where the royal guests of Shattonil are staying. If you mention the emperor’s order, anyone will tell you where Miss Bonis is. Go.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will return quickly.”

“We are planning to move to the banquet hall soon, so I hope you hurry.”

“Don’t worry. I will bring Miss Bonis before the meal comes out!”

Commander Macrome clenched his right fist, thumped it on his chest, and left the office with a loud voice. Prince Tesler’s hand, which had picked up the teacup, was trembling slightly. *** Even after losing his sight, Commander Macrome knew all the locations in the imperial palace so well that he could ride a horse inside the palace. After sending the carriage to pick up Bonis separately, he rode his horse at once through the unobstructed field and quickly arrived at the detached palace. The guards who were standing guard at the entrance of the detached palace recognized Commander Macrome and bowed, and the commander nodded and returned the greeting to the guards. Commander Macrome went straight up to the 4th floor where the royal guests of the Shattonil Kingdom were staying. At the entrance of the 4th floor, he met Taran, the secretary of the Shattonil royal family, and conveyed the emperor’s order to bring the Bonis mistress. Taran showed a puzzled reaction to the word ‘mistress’ of Prince Tesler. He told Commander Macrome to wait in the hallway for a moment and quickly summoned Sir Ken, Prince Tesler’s closest aide. Sir Ken, who heard this news, was also very embarrassed. Something must have gone wrong in the main palace. First of all, since it was the emperor’s order, he had no choice but to guide Commander Macrome to where Bonis was. Coincidentally, Bonis was not in her room.

However, since she was being watched so that she could not leave the detached palace, her whereabouts could be easily found. Sir Ken found out where Bonis was, but he was worried because it happened to be Princess Resilia’s room.

“Commander Macrome, please follow me.”

“Yes.”

Sir Ken guided Commander Macrome to the room where Princess Resilia was staying, and he was constantly uneasy as he walked down the hallway. Since arriving at the Rafion Imperial Palace, Princess Resilia has been treating Miss Bonis worse than her own maid and using her as a target for her anger several times a day.

‘I hope the princess isn’t tormenting Miss Bonis today.’

Sir Ken stopped in front of the door at the end of the hallway with a worried face.

“Please wait here for a moment. I will go in first and tell the princess and Miss Bonis the news.”

Sir Ken spoke politely to Commander Macrome and knocked on Princess Resilia’s door. He must have heard the knock, but instead of telling him to come in, Princess Resilia’s curse leaked out from inside. Embarrassed by this, Sir Ken quickly opened the bedroom door, and,

“Why is it avoiding me so well today?”

Along with Princess Resilia’s irritable words, her shoe flew towards the door.

“Oops!”

Princess Resilia’s shoe, which flew in, hit Commander Macrome’s face with a thud.