The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 165

165. Don’t Move!

2022.08.03.

With Linelle’s permission, Prince Tesler instructed Grand Duke Martins to show the escort knights the route to the monastery.

The monastery was located near the border between the Lapion Empire and the Shattonil Kingdom.

It was somewhat distant from the border villages of the Shattonil Kingdom, but fortunately, it was close to where we were.

Everyone prepared for vigilance and headed to the monastery.

However, the increasingly heavy rain made it difficult to secure a clear view.

As the rain began to fall, everyone fell silent.

The forest seemed to be filled only with the sounds of nature.

After the commotion caused by Galaco, fear settled in everyone’s hearts.

Most of the usually dignified dignitaries cowered.

Although knights were stationed in front, behind, on both sides, and in the middle to protect the dignitaries, they would be helpless if Galaco descended from the sky and attacked.

Galaco attacks everyone regardless of rank, whether they are dignitaries, knights, or servants.

To the monster, they are all just food.

Galaco could appear at any time, anywhere, and tear into their torso with its sharp claws, devouring them in the air.

The fear and dread were evident on the faces of the dignitaries.

Fortunately, perhaps because of the rain, Galaco was not seen throughout the journey to the monastery.

“That’s it!”

Grand Duke Martins shouted, pointing to the monastery steeple in the distance.

After moving for about ten more minutes, an old monastery covered in vines appeared. The monastery was not as large as expected and was rather quaint.

“I can’t sleep here,” Linelle said to me, looking at the hideous monastery building.

“The inside might be nice,” I replied, trying to be positive, but I was actually thinking the same thing.

“I hope so. We don’t have a villa to stay in because we deviated from the original route.”

“Ah, I see…”

“We’ll have to camp all the way to the Shattonil border village, but the problem is that if it rains this much, camping will be difficult.”

I nodded at Linelle’s words and looked at the entrance to the monastery with a worried gaze.

The main gate leading into the monastery was a huge wooden door.

However, perhaps because it had been neglected for a long time, the upper and lower parts of the wooden door were damaged as if something had scraped them.

The knights entered the monastery first to check, and upon receiving a signal that it was safe, everyone quickly got off their horses and carriages and entered the lobby to escape the rain.

The inside of the monastery smelled musty.

Dust rose whenever the dignitaries moved. It seemed like countless cobwebs were swaying as the dignitaries fanned themselves and sneezed.

“We need to turn on the lights first,” Linelle said, and the knights began to take down the oil lamps left in the monastery and light them.

However, the barely lit flames flickered precariously and often went out again.

Then, the Master of the Magic Tower stepped forward and revived the flames in the oil lamps.

“If Her Majesty the Empress could help a little, the flames would become stronger,” the Master of the Magic Tower quietly asked me for help.

I stared at each oil lamp, focusing on the feeling of increasing the flame.

Then, the flames that had been moving precariously inside the lamps rose up in a straight shape.

The Master of the Magic Tower looked slightly surprised and then smiled at me.

I felt proud, as if I had been recognized by the Master of the Magic Tower.

“Wouldn’t we have to stay here tonight without a doubt?” The concubines’ expressions turned gloomy at the Master of the Magic Tower’s suggestion.

“It looks like ghosts will come out. Is there no other way?” Melanie grumbled, covering her mouth with her hand to block the dust.

“It’s safer than the forest where Galaco appears. Although we might be washed away by the rain before that,” I said with a straight face, and Melanie pouted and looked like she was about to cry.

“Ah, Prince Tesler. What was the story Grand Duke Martins told you before we left the villa? I think there was a rumor that this monastery is cursed?”

Empress Adrian, with her short bob, asked Prince Tesler, who was leaning on a cane.

“Ah, the curse is just a rumor. Actually, there was a report that the last head of this monastery committed atrocities against the priests here.”

“What kind of atrocities would cause the monastery to be closed down?” Empress Adrian asked again.

Everyone was shivering from the long exposure to the rain, but they seemed curious as to why this monastery was closed.

As curious eyes stared at Prince Tesler, the prince grinned and opened his mouth.

“According to the testimonies of people at the time, the head of the monastery, Owen, was a genius and an eccentric. So, he created strange devices and traps throughout the monastery.”

Strange devices and traps?

“He’s not a genius, he’s just crazy,” I whispered to Linelle while listening to Prince Tesler’s story.

“What are these strange devices?” Linelle chuckled at my words, then turned serious again and asked Prince Tesler.

“For example, he created a secret room and tortured the priests there.”

“Moreover, in the name of judging people, he had the priests kidnap criminals and put them in the judgment room he had created and punished them,” Grand Duke Martins added.

Everyone’s eyes widened at Grand Duke Martins’ words, and they looked around the lobby.

They looked worried that there might be undiscovered traps somewhere in this place.

Hearing that story made the monastery building feel even more eerie.

“What happens if you avoid the traps and escape from the judgment room?” I suddenly wondered and asked Grand Duke Martins.

“There is a saying that it was called salvation.”

“He must have really thought he was God,” I said.

Grand Duke Martins nodded to me and continued to speak.

“The problem is that he gradually used not only criminals but also innocent people as his entertainment. He enjoyed playing games with people who came to the monastery, regardless of whether they were women, children, or the elderly.”

“Crazy old man. How did the head of the monastery come to create such things?” Linelle asked, snorting.

“Just before he was executed, he created a blueprint of the devices installed inside and a journal detailing his actions.”

This time, Prince Tesler looked at the faces of the curious dignitaries one by one and rambled on.

“A journal? Is that like a statement?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. That’s right. You can think of it that way.”

“What does it say? I don’t think he would have repented?”

“That’s right. According to the statement, he wrote that he only did it because the devil told him to.”

“He didn’t repent until the end. Seeing him spout such nonsense.”

Rosie suddenly interjected, and Melanie, who was next to her, snorted and added a word.

“I know, right? That’s a ridiculous excuse. The devil? Is that something the head of the monastery should say?”

“Prince Tesler, have you seen the devices inside the monastery that were written in the statement? If you have, you might know roughly where the traps are?” I didn’t even want to look at Prince Tesler because of the Bonis incident, but I asked the question.

Then, the prince made a face as if he was thinking about something.

I knew that unique expression that the prince showed whenever he had something up his sleeve, so I watched him closely.

“Unfortunately, I was too young at the time, so I didn’t see the statement or the blueprint.”

That’s a lie.

There’s no way that evil bastard didn’t see it.

He might not have seen it at the time, but there was a high possibility that he saw it after he grew up.

I shifted my gaze to Grand Duke Martins.

The Grand Duke was also staring intently at Prince Tesler, and it seemed like he was thinking the same thing as me.

“Let’s check the rooms that the priests used to use first,” Linelle said, and not only the knights but also some dignitaries joined in and decided to move in groups.

“The women should stay here. It would be a problem if they saw a ghost and fainted,” Empress Katria said, drawing her sword and winking at the concubines as if she wasn’t a woman.

The concubines’ expressions were mostly sullen, but no one said they would follow.

I was forced by Linelle to stay in the lobby with the concubines.

***

While the men went to explore the inside of the monastery, the concubines’ servants found the kitchen.

It wasn’t far from where we were, and the kitchen was connected to the dining hall at a glance.

“Let’s go take a look,” Melanie moved first.

I, along with the concubines, started to look around the kitchen through the dining hall because we were bored of standing and waiting.

The monastery’s kitchen was quite large.

There was also a cooking area where a large number of people could cook at the same time if they could make a fire.

“Your Majesty, it seems like we can have a warm meal for dinner,” Sharon said in an excited voice, examining the fireplace and brazier.

“Huh? What is this door?” Princess Resilia’s voice came from behind me.

Why did she come along?

It seemed like Princess Resilia had followed Pesilini instead of Princess Jasper.

Anyway, everyone looked at where she was standing at Princess Resilia’s voice.

“Ah, it’s probably a passage to the wine cellar,” Rosie said, pointing to the oak barrel standing in front of the wooden door.

“I’ve heard of it too. Monasteries usually have a passage to the wine cellar inside the kitchen,” Sharon agreed with Rosie’s words.

“Wine? That’s great! Wine only gets better the longer it’s aged, so even if it’s old, we can drink it if it’s been stored well, right? I want to have a glass right now!” Melanie said, swallowing hard.

Everyone was soaked from the rain, so it seemed like drinking wine would help warm them up.

“Let’s go in,” Empress Elan said, taking the lead.

“It might be a little dangerous, so why don’t we all go together?” Princess Resilia said, taking the initiative for some reason.

Could it be that she thinks we’re going to share the wine without her?

Everyone nodded at the princess’s suggestion and stepped into the wooden door.

Everyone carefully walked through the passage, relying on the light from the oil lamp that Sharon and Rosie’s servant, Misha, had brought from the lobby.

The inside of the monastery wall was covered with moss, reminding us once again that this place had not been touched by human hands for a long time.

“This is it,” Empress Elan pushed the wooden door to the side, and countless oak barrels were piled up in the wine cellar.

“Oh my? What is this on the floor?” Princess Resilia jumped and stepped on something with her toes, asking with a curious voice.

I looked closely at the floor.

A star-shaped drawing was drawn in the center of the wine cellar floor, and a cube shape was drawn on the outside, surrounding the star shape.

Why is such a fancy-shaped drawing drawn on the floor of the wine cellar?

Could it be the strange device or trap that Prince Tesler and Grand Duke Martins were talking about?

“Everyone, it’s best not to step on the drawing on the floor,” Before I could finish my words,

“Oh my! I already stepped on it, what should I do, Your Majesty?” Princess Resilia stood on one of the vertices of the cube right in front of the cellar door, as if she had been waiting for it.

It seemed like she was deliberately provoking me because she didn’t like my words feeling like an order.

“Huh? The star shape is lighting up? It looks like it lights up when you step here. It’s not dangerous, is it? It’s good because it’s dark,” Catherine said, watching Princess Resilia, who was standing on the vertex, for a while before stepping on the vertex herself.

Seeing that, the other concubines also stepped on the vertices of the cube in turn, watching the golden light flashing in the star shape in the circle with a curious look.

Some even went inside the star shape and enjoyed watching the golden light that came on every time they stepped on the vertex right under their feet.

I was somehow dragged by someone among the concubines and stood on the vertex close to where I was standing.

So, Princess Resilia was right in front of the door, Catherine and Melanie were on the vertices on either side of her, Empress Elan and Rosie were below them, and I was standing in front of the opposite vertex where Princess Resilia could be seen from the front.

And the people who accidentally entered the star-shaped drawing were Pesilini, Sharon, Rosie’s servant Misha, and Melanie’s servant Hedon.

When everyone took turns stepping on the vertices of the cube, the star shape suddenly started to rotate slowly.

“Oh my, why is the circle spinning?” Melanie exclaimed in surprise.

Everyone tilted their heads and watched the star shape spinning in the circle,

Thud-!

Suddenly, the star shape sank down.

“Kyaa!”

The people inside the star shape all screamed.

I reached out to Sharon, who was in front of me at that moment, but I couldn’t grab her because the star shape sank down as much as her height.

“What the heck is this?!” I stepped back and then instinctively stepped on the vertex again because the star shape seemed to be moving again.

“It seems like we’ve fallen into a trap!” Empress Elan said seriously, looking at the sunken star shape.

“Your Majesty, isn’t this drawing on the floor the trap that the head of the monastery created?” Rosie also said in a trembling voice.

Then, Princess Resilia and the other concubines tried to take their feet off the vertices.

I knew instinctively.

That if they took their feet off, the star shape would spin and sink down again.

Damn it!

I shouted to the people stepping on the vertices.

“Everyone, don’t move from your spots!”