The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 210

210. The Sin That Made Me Dizzy

2023.01.07.

Linelle tilted his head back.

The sight of his thick Adam’s apple moving was incredibly sensual.

At that moment, it felt like flames were erupting in my palm.

It wasn’t just a feeling; the heat really surged from my hand.

I quickly pulled my hand away from his body.

I almost burned a part of him that only reacts to me with my own hand.

He lowered his head and looked at me again.

Deep regret danced in his blue eyes.

“It’s… burning hot there. Like standing right in front of a bonfire.”

Yes, he almost got burned there.

“Oh, it must be your imagination.”

I laughed more exaggeratedly than I intended.

“Hehe, I’m just saying… wait, really?”

Linelle laughed along with me, but then he glanced down and jumped back.

His sudden serious expression made me wonder why, so I followed his gaze.

“Gasp! What is this!”

The fabric of his dress pants around the zipper area was burned, as if scorched by fire.

If I had removed my hand just a few seconds later, he probably would have….

Ugh, just thinking about it is horrifying.

“Did you do this? Or did this guy do it?”

Linelle asked, sounding dazed and confused.

“Well, I don’t know? The culprit is one of us, though….”

That included me as well.

Our gazes moved back and forth, once to my hand and then to his lower body.

Linelle grabbed my hand, opened my palm, and examined it closely.

“There’s something you haven’t told me, isn’t there?”

“…….”

I couldn’t decide how to respond.

“Like I’m cursed with hypothermia, maybe you’re also….”

“I’m not cursed.”

He sighed in relief at my words and hugged me.

“Haa, that’s a relief. Really. If it’s not a curse, then it’s fine.”

“I’ll tell you the details tonight.”

Even though he must be curious, he readily nodded at my words.

“And I’m really sorry. You almost lost something precious because of me.”

“I’ll definitely hold you accountable for the sin of making me dizzy, in many ways.”

He said in a stern voice.

“Yes, anything you want. But… what about this hole? The ceremony is soon.”

I asked, pointing to his pants.

“I’ll just switch with Raphael.”

“Then what about Raphael?”

“Since it’s the Imperial Castle’s open pants anyway, it’ll be fine to put him in this.”

It didn’t seem entirely unreasonable, so I didn’t argue further.

“I’ll head to the bride’s waiting room now. I have a lot to prepare.”

“Ah, you should. We’ll see each other soon.”

“Okay.”

“Zelda.”

He called me as I opened the door to leave.

When I turned around,

“Thank you for marrying me again.”

Linelle’s cheeks were flushed pink.

I wasn’t sure if it was because of what he had just said or because of the burned pants.

I also had something I wanted to say to him.

“I’m also grateful that you didn’t give up on me.”

***

As I entered the bride’s waiting room, the concubines from the Principality of Aclato were already fully prepared.

“You’re late? I heard you couldn’t get a wedding dress made, but you managed to find one? The design is quite extravagant too.”

Yulina, the tallest of the three concubines, commented, looking at my wedding dress that Sharon had hung on the hanger.

“Yeah, luckily, the heavens helped.”

Actually, it wasn’t so much that the heavens helped, but rather the Master of the Magic Tower helped.

I went to the vanity that Sharon had prepared and sat down on the chair.

“Excuse me, now that we’re fellow concubines, why are you speaking informally?”

Yulina asked, sounding unpleasant, directing her question at the back of my head.

“It is a bit much, isn’t it?”

“That’s right, we’re all Second Concubines anyway, right?”

The twin sisters, El and Celine, echoed Yulina’s words.

“Hearing that, it’s not wrong… Okay, I’ll use honorifics from now on. If you were offended, please forgive me with your generous hearts, everyone.”

I acknowledged their words and immediately used honorifics.

Then, the expressions of the three concubines from the Principality of Aclato seemed even more uncomfortable than when I had spoken informally.

“What’s wrong? Are you unhappy that I, the former Empress, am using honorifics?”

I asked again in a polite tone.

“Honestly, it sounds like you’re subtly looking down on us in your tone.”

When Yulina nitpicked, the twin sisters agreed with her, as if they had been waiting for it.

“Ah, I can’t control even my subconscious, so I’m sorry.”

I didn’t want to waste unnecessary energy, so I stopped making excuses and readily admitted and apologized.

Then, the three of them glared at me with even more dumbfounded expressions.

Seriously, they’re making a fuss even when I apologize.

Knock knock-.

At that moment, a knock was heard from the door attached to the waiting room, and after a few seconds, the door slid open.

“If it’s not an imposition, may I come in?”

The color of the door was the same as the wall, so for a moment, Linelle’s handsome face seemed to pop out of the wall.

Ah, it’s a door connecting the rooms.

“Oh my, Your Majesty!”

“How could it be an imposition? Please come in.”

“Your Majesty, the ceremonial robes suit you so well.”

The three concubines, who had been sitting on chairs, stood up and flirted with Linelle.

I checked his zipper area first.

Fortunately, he seemed to have switched pants with Raphael.

The color was slightly different from the ceremonial robe’s top, but it was only noticeable if you looked closely, and at first glance, it wasn’t noticeable at all.

“Don’t you have anything to say?”

Linelle glanced at me and asked with an expectant look.

“What’s the matter?”

“It seems you’re not happy to see me?”

Linelle wore a slightly disappointed expression.

Wow, he just met me a little while ago and now he’s acting.

“I’m sorry. The concubines were having an important conversation.”

“May I ask what conversation you were having?”

Linelle looked at the flushed faces of the concubines and asked me.

“I was apologizing for making the concubines feel bad.”

“What did you do to… make them feel bad?”

“I spoke a bit informally, and they made a huge fuss, but it wasn’t wrong, so I quickly used honorifics and apologized. It’s all my fault for being immature.”

The expressions of the three concubines twisted strangely at my repentant tone.

“Oh dear… Although you are fellow Second Concubines, I think the concubines should show you, the former Empress, a certain amount of respect, don’t you think?”

Linelle said sternly, lowering his voice and admonishing the concubines.

Then the concubines didn’t know what to do.

They all looked at me, and then one by one, they began to make excuses to him.

“I think our thoughts were short-sighted.”

“Yes, we were just asking without any ulterior motives, but if Zelda-mama was upset….”

“Yes, you should apologize.”

Linelle interrupted Yulina’s words and said preemptively.

“Your Majesty, I’m fine. I don’t want an apology that’s forced.”

I looked at the concubines and smiled kindly.

What came back were gazes that looked at me as if I were creepy, but I didn’t care.

“Well, if that’s what you think, then I can’t help it.”

He turned around to face the wall with a smile on his face.

“Your Majesty, I would appreciate it if you could close the door and leave as you are now. We’re running out of time to do the bride’s makeup.”

“Don’t do it.”

“Yes?”

“You’re pretty even without it….”

“?”

“Makeup.”

He complimented me as if we were the only two people there and disappeared into his waiting room.

“Did everyone hear that? Did you hear that?”

I asked, looking at the three concubines.

“Yes.”

“Well, we heard it.”

“So?”

The three answered sarcastically.

“I was just asking in case it was only me who heard it.”

I smiled brightly.

“Well, then keep decorating yourselves diligently. Keep trying.”

No matter what you do, you won’t be able to beat me, right?

His Majesty the Emperor said I’m pretty, right?

I covered my mouth with my hand and giggled.

“Please restrain yourself; the atmosphere has become incredibly tense.”

Sharon said to me in ventriloquism as she styled my hair.

***

Moya and Moni, transformed into butterflies, were sitting on the chandelier in the bride’s waiting room.

“Do humans usually marry one male with multiple females?”

Moni asked Moya, watching the three concubines who were about to leave the waiting room for the bride’s entrance.

“It’s because the male is the Emperor. Still, it’s a relief that he’s only mating with our mistress, Moya~.”

“Huh? Then the marriage should only be with our mistress, Moni~.”

“Ooh? Now that you mention it, that’s right. Then what should we do?”

“Let’s get rid of them.”

Moni chose the first target and immediately took action.

Before leaving the bride’s waiting room, Yulina poured wine into a wine glass from the wine provided in the waiting room and gulped it down, feeling nervous.

Moni, taking advantage of the gap, flicked the bottom of the wine glass with her wing.

It was impossible with the flapping of a normal butterfly’s wings, but it was possible because a wyvern [a dragon-like creature] had entered the body of a butterfly.

“Eek… Oh, what should I do!!”

With the sound of the wine glass falling and breaking on the floor, Yulina screamed and stomped her feet.

The wine in the wine glass spread across Yulina’s wedding dress, covering her chest and stomach.

It looked as if she was bleeding from those areas.

“Oh my, oh my! What on earth is going on?”

The twin sisters pretended to worry about Yulina, but they were secretly pleased.

“The ceremony has begun. The concubines must enter immediately.”

Chief Steward Stian came to the bride’s waiting room and said.

“W-what should I do? My wedding dress is in this state!”

Yulina burst into tears and clung to Stian.

“I am sorry, Mama [term of respect for a concubine]. His Majesty has ordered that the ceremony be held without delay. If you do not have a wedding dress to change into, you cannot enter in that state.”

In fact, Yulina didn’t have the courage to stand before the ministers and nobles in a wedding dress that had wine spilled on it and become a laughingstock.

But how long had she waited for the concubine ceremony!

“Is there no other way?”

“Mama, even if you do not hold the ceremony today, it does not mean you cannot become a concubine. As of this morning, you are already a concubine on paper.”

Stian conveyed words of comfort to Yulina, but he did not lose his composure.

He took Yulina’s hand off his arm and urged the remaining concubines to hurry and enter the bride.

The twin sisters left the waiting room first, as if they had been waiting for it.

El, the older sister, was a little faster.

But as soon as she stepped out of the door, one foot slipped forward, and she wildly spun her arms.

“Uh… uh, uh?!”

As El fell, she reflexively grabbed Celine’s wedding dress next to her.

“Sister, don’t grab me! I said don’t grab me!”

Celine pushed El away, and El fell to the floor, severely spraining her ankle.

“Ouch, my ankle!”

“Ah!”

However, Celine also hit her head on a bronze statue placed next to the door and fainted.

“Summon the palace physicians immediately!”

Stian quickly gave orders to the other servants, then picked up a banana peel from the floor.

“…No, why is this here!”

“Who on earth would put a banana peel in front of the waiting room door?”

Zelda, who came out late, tilted her head and asked Stian.

“That’s what I’m saying. Unfortunately, you’ll have to enter alone, Empress Your Majesty.”

Stian also called Zelda Empress, shaping the words with his mouth, as he had learned from Linelle.

“I will go ahead and report the situation, so please come slowly.”

“I will.”

Stian hurriedly ran to the chapel first.

“Empress Your Majesty, just in case, please take my hand.”

Sharon, leaving behind the concubines who had suffered consecutive accidents, offered her hand to Zelda with an uneasy face.

Zelda took Sharon’s hand and walked slowly towards the chapel, more carefully than usual.

As they were almost at the chapel, two butterflies flew and sat on Zelda’s shoulders.

“Marriage is only for one female and one male, Moni~.”

“I don’t eat banana peels, Moya~.”

‘…Oh my gosh, you guys did this!’

Zelda looked alternately at her shoulders and burst out laughing.

Linelle was waiting for her in front of the chapel door.

Because Moya and Moni caused the accident, the concubine ceremony became a wedding ceremony for just the two of them.