The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 127

127. The Reason to Keep Alive

Bonis recounted to the Emperor exactly what Princess Resilia had said to Zelda during her visit to the main palace bedroom. She couldn’t let it go unaddressed. Zelda appeared calm, but Bonis knew her heart must be burning with suppressed anger. After Princess Resilia left, Zelda suggested they go to Rosie’s chambers to talk, but she spoke very little. Bonis, instead of sharing her anger with the others, decided to inform Linell directly. She feigned a stomachache, waited for Zelda and Sharon to head to the first-floor lobby, and then went straight to the Emperor’s office. ‘Your Majesty must know how malicious the Shattonil siblings are. It’s the only way to protect Her Majesty the Empress.’ Bonis had hesitated, worried that this revelation might damage Emperor Linell’s feelings for Zelda. What if the Emperor, upon learning Zelda couldn’t conceive, would remove her from the Empress’s seat? Or would this be an opportunity for him to turn his attention to the concubines? Bonis shook her head.

‘He wouldn’t do that.’

Despite their relatively short acquaintance, Bonis believed the Emperor genuinely cared for Zelda. Of course, if Zelda remained unable to conceive… eventually, a prince from one of the concubines would likely appear, but she couldn’t conceal this information. Besides, the truth was bound to surface eventually.

“The Empress… how is the Empress doing now?”

Linell inquired about Zelda’s condition in a flat voice. Was she crying? Was she struggling with how to tell him? He worried about everything.

“She seemed rather calm, perhaps due to the shock. But that very calmness concerns me, Your Majesty.”

Bonis replied anxiously.

“Hmm, the Empress went to Rosie’s chambers?”

Linell closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and repeated his question.

“Yes, she went with Sharon.”

“Thank you for letting me know.”

He opened his eyes and cautioned Bonis with a serious expression.

“First, it would be best if the Empress doesn’t know you told me this… If it must be revealed, I prefer to do it myself later.”

“Yes… I understand, Your Majesty.”

***

I descended the central staircase with Sharon, crossed the lobby, and headed towards the main palace entrance.

“Sharon, let’s go to the smithy.”

“Yes? Not to Rosie’s chambers?”

“I’m more eager to see the completed sword than to discuss things with Moiya [a term of endearment].”

“Shall I call a carriage, then?”

“No, the weather is pleasant. Let’s walk. The sunlight isn’t too harsh, and the wind is gentle – perfect weather for swordsmanship.”

I said, looking up at the sky.

“Your Majesty… This is presumptuous of me, but…”

Sharon looked at me worriedly, glanced around, and then spoke.

“Shouldn’t you tell His Majesty? He knows about the magic potion, so you should tell him about this…”

“Sharon.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I’m alright.”

“Alright? You can’t just ignore this! They’ve already done something unforgivable to you…!”

“I didn’t drink the last potion.”

I cut off Sharon’s words and whispered.

“Yes?! Are you serious?”

Sharon raised her voice, then quickly covered her mouth.

“Yes. Prince Tesla seems to believe I drank the last magic potion and informed the princess accordingly.”

I said, touching my right cheek.

“I drank one of the four bottles, threw two at Prince Tesla, and the last one is still untouched.”

“Ah, that’s a relief! I didn’t know, and after hearing Princess Resilia’s words outside the door, my heart sank… sob, sob.”

Sharon burst into tears. She had been holding them back, and now she cried with relief. I wiped her tears and patted her back to comfort her.

“Stop crying. Anyone who sees you will think I’m bullying you.”

I said with a smile, and Sharon quickly wiped her tears and nodded.

“But… why hasn’t the burn scar appeared yet? You said it was time to take the magic potion a few days ago.”

Sharon asked with a worried expression.

“I drank it last night. His Majesty brought me a new magic potion.”

Sharon’s eyes widened, blinking in disbelief. I explained that Linell had sought out the magician Big and had him create a new magic potion with the extra ‘Yakante’ herb he possessed.

“But from the beginning, the ‘Yakante’ herb that the magician Big had wasn’t enough, so the newly made magic potion will be used up a few days before the end of the hunting competition.”

“Oh my gosh, that’s why you changed the destination of the hunting competition to the nearby Tebello Empire!”

“Yes, that’s right. If there had been enough new magic potion, I would have finished the hunting competition in the Partsha Empire as planned and stopped by the Tebello Empire on the way to the Northern Continent to get the herb.”

“That’s amazing, Your Majesty. How could His Majesty have thought of that!”

Sharon, who had stopped crying, started again. It reminded me of my own tears yesterday after receiving the new magic potion from Linell. I was surprised by Princess Resilia’s story. If Linell hadn’t given me a new magic potion, I would have unknowingly consumed the last remaining one. And today, as Princess Resilia said, I would have become unable to have children. The thought made me angry.

“Thank you for worrying, Sharon. I was going to go to Rosie’s chambers to talk. I’ll have to talk to Bonis when I return.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I’m so relieved! I thought you were indifferent due to shock, and it hurt my heart even more.”

“I see.”

I smiled wryly. I hadn’t told Linell about the birth control in the magic potion I had been taking. Maybe the magician Big had told him, but I didn’t want him to know. Anyway, the new magic potion wouldn’t contain birth control, so pregnancy wouldn’t be an issue. Besides, it felt awkward to discuss birth control right after talking about him and children. But I never imagined that the birth control in the magic potion was a drug that would make me infertile.

***

As soon as Bonis left the office, Linell jumped up from his chair and walked quickly to the lounge door inside the office.

“Yo, Your Majesty. Are you going to see the magician Big?”

Raphael followed him into the lounge. Linell grabbed his sword hanging on the wall.

‘Something’s going to happen.’

Raphael felt uneasy as he watched him draw the sword. Linell held the sword and pushed one side of the bookshelf in the lounge aside. Behind the bookshelf was a long tapestry depicting the Northern Mountains. He reached behind the tapestry, turned something, and the wall rotated, revealing stairs leading to the basement of the main palace. The basement was a secret space created by previous emperors for their private lives. Linell had recently housed the magician Big there. There was no better place to hide than this hidden space.

He descended the stairs in a terrifying mood. The basement had a round hall in the center, surrounded by rooms created for the emperors’ secret activities. Linell provided the magician Big with everything he needed, including a workspace for making magic potions.

“Your Majesty, it would be better to calm down first!”

Raphael followed, trying to stop him, but it was no use. Torches lined the corridor leading to the central hall, illuminating the basement. The magician Big’s laughter echoed loudly from the hall.

“Hahaha! As expected, the imperial family’s food is full of delicacies.”

The magician Big sat at the dining table, enjoying dozens of desserts.

‘Why is he eating at a time like this?’

Raphael frowned and glared at the magician Big.

“Oh, Your Majesty!”

The magician Big, mid-scoop of pudding, saw Linell and hurriedly put down his spoon.

“Why suddenly at this hour… Ugh!”

Linell jumped onto the table and kicked the magician Big’s stomach with all his might. The magician Big fell backward with the chair. Linell’s anger was louder than the thud.

“Why didn’t you say anything! Why!”

He grabbed the magician Big’s collar, pulled him up, and threw him back to the floor.

“Wha, wha, what are you talking about…?”

“The birth control you put in the magic potion!”

Linell paused, taking a breath. The magician Big seemed to understand the murderous intent from those words alone.

“Is it true that the drug you put in the magic potion… is not birth control, but a drug that makes it impossible to get pregnant?”

He asked, pressing the blade of his sword against the magician Big’s lower lip. The magician Big’s face turned ashen. The Emperor was about to kill him.

“Tell me before I shove this sword down your throat.”

There was no mercy in Linell’s low voice. His eyes were already killing the magician Big.

“Ho, how did you know that!”

The magician Big looked up at Linell, then at Raphael, seeking help.

“Tell His Majesty the truth. Now!”

Raphael kicked the magician Big’s side, who was on the floor, and shouted.

“I, I’m sorry, Your Majesty! I, I deserve to die! I was going to tell you… but I didn’t.”

The magician Big trembled and rubbed his hands together. Linell grabbed his hair and tilted his head back, putting the end of the sword into his open mouth.

“It would be better not to have a tongue that can’t convey the words you need to say.”

“Heo, eok! Please forgive me, Your Majesty! I, I’ll tell you everything!”

“Didn’t I tell you to tell me everything from the beginning!”

Linell grabbed the magician Big’s collar and lifted him up again.

The magician Big’s arms and legs flailed like a scarecrow.

“I, I also told Prince Tesla about the danger! But the prince said that half of the potion was for intimidation, not to make her take it all, so I really thought that was the case! I was just following Prince Tesla’s orders… Ugh!”

Linell grabbed the magician’s chin tightly.

“I will take care of Prince Tesla separately.”

Linell said sharply and continued.

“Even if it was the prince’s order, I told you to tell me everything when I brought you here. How dare you deceive me and ask for forgiveness now?”

Linell increased the pressure on his hand, and the magician Big screamed in pain.

“Aaaagh!”

“The Empress took it! Without knowing anything!”

The magician Big seemed about to pee, terrified by the Emperor’s cold gaze. Cold sweat flowed down his spine.

“Your Majesty… please, forgive me, I was too scared to tell you that. It’s even harder to tell you now that Her Majesty the Empress has taken all the magic potions…”

Linell grabbed the pudding and shoved it into the magician’s mouth.

“Can you imagine what the Empress heard while you were eating this pudding like your belly?”

“Keok, keo-eok!”

The magician Big looked up, unable to swallow or spit out the pudding.

“Listen carefully. There is only one reason to keep you alive.”

“Yes, yee!”

“It’s because of the Empress. If it weren’t for the task of obtaining the herbs for the magic potion that the Empress takes, you would already be dead.”

“!”

“Before the word sorry comes out of your mouth, before the word kill me comes out! Your neck would have been stuck in that corner over there!”

Linell threw the magician Big into the corner.

“Hiccup, hiccup.”

The magician Big hiccupped after hitting the wall. The Emperor’s eyes were terrifying. He looked like a murderer. It wasn’t just a threat.

“Your Majesty, please calm down now.”

Raphael grabbed Linell’s arm, still holding the sword, and pulled it down, then grabbed the magician Big’s nape and dragged him back to the chair. Linell took a breath to calm down and threw the sword on the table. The magician Big stopped hiccupping.

‘He’s not going to kill me.’

The magician Big stroked his chest in relief. But then, thud, thud, thud-!

Linell’s fists flew in.

“Ugh, euk, euk, eugh!”

The pain was so severe he wished he would pass out. The magician Big was beaten until he was near death. Raphael grabbed Linell’s arms from behind and said quietly.

“Your Majesty, please stop now. He has lost consciousness.”