The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 274

274. Buried Truth

August 19, 2023

An awkward atmosphere hung between the two men sitting face to face.

They weren’t close enough to chat casually, nor did they particularly like each other.

Just being alone together made them extremely uncomfortable.

‘The guy who requested the audience should speak first. What am I supposed to do if he just stares?’

Linelle tried to convey his thoughts with his eyes, but Hektor’s tightly closed lips showed no sign of movement.

Another ten minutes passed.

Linelle was starting to wonder if Hektor was sleeping with his eyes open.

Just as he was about to suggest that Hektor write a letter instead of dragging things out, the office door opened.

A servant entered the heavy atmosphere of the office, placed mint tea in front of Linelle and Hektor, and then left.

Linelle stared silently at Hektor’s rock-like figure.

‘Even if he doesn’t talk, shouldn’t a human with eyes, a nose, and a mouth at least move a little? Or at least twitch his body.’

He thought as he stared at Hektor’s consistently expressionless face.

‘He looks like he’d just say “Ah” even if he got punched in the face.’

Linelle didn’t realize that others probably thought something similar when they looked at him.

“Drink,” Hektor said, breaking the silence and offering the tea.

“Yes,” Linelle replied briefly, picking up the teacup and gulping it down in one go.

“……Isn’t it hot?”

Linelle alternated his gaze between the steaming mint tea and Hektor’s furrowed brow.

“I’m fine.”

Hektor grimaced as he touched his throat, managing to force out the words.

Linelle wondered if the tea had cooled down despite the steam, so he wrapped his hand around the teacup.

‘Fine, my ass.’

The heat was palpable even through his hand, which was affected by the hypothermia curse, yet Hektor had swallowed it in one gulp.

There was no way he was fine.

What a show-off.

Linelle chuckled silently as he watched Hektor’s neck turn red.

“You must have come with a purpose. Will you be able to get to it today?”

He’s probably burned his mouth so badly he can’t even talk properly.

Linelle asked, taking out his pocket watch and looking at it.

“If you could give me some cold water, I’ll be able to…….”

Hektor finally moved his facial muscles and spoke.

Linelle immediately called the head attendant.

“Stian, bring a cup of cold water. With ice.”

“……Yes, Your Majesty.”

A few minutes later, Stian brought two glasses filled half with water and half with ice.

Linelle pushed the ice water meant for him towards Hektor.

“Put an ice cube in your mouth first.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Hektor quickly picked up the glass and put a couple of ice cubes in his mouth.

After swiftly swallowing one ice cube, Hektor returned to his expressionless state, and Linelle savored the mint tea.

“Men usually take it in one shot, but hot tea is an exception,” Linelle said to Hektor, who was staring at him as he took his lips off the teacup.

“We don’t enjoy hot tea on Tanya Island, so I’m not used to it. The climate is so hot,” Hektor replied, looking embarrassed.

“I suppose so. But on the continent, especially in the Northern Continent, we enjoy warm tea. Get used to it. If blowing on it seems unmanly, then let it cool down completely before drinking it.”

Even at Linelle’s joke, Hektor didn’t crack a smile and maintained a serious expression.

“Well, now that you’ve cooled your throat, tell me why you came all this way.”

Linelle thought Hektor had come about Melanie, but it felt like a different issue.

“I know that Zelda Mama is a Wyvern Lord.”

He had hesitated so much before speaking, but the first words he uttered were serious.

“……And?”

Linelle put down his teacup and asked quietly.

Who could have told him that?

‘If Hektor knows that Zelda is a Wyvern Lord…… then Adrian is most likely to have told Roxana that fact.’

And Hektor is her loyal dog, so he must have heard it through her.

“Not only Zelda Mama but also most of the congratulatory delegation will be in danger on the journey to the Partsha Empire.”

Hektor threw out the words and watched Emperor Linelle’s expression.

He wasn’t very surprised.

It seemed he had already expected it to some extent.

‘Then it will be easier to talk.’

Hektor continued.

“I heard that the fact has already been conveyed to the countries of the Southern Continent. It seems Your Majesty already knows about it.”

“Heh, you must have heard it from Empress Roxana, right? She must have heard it from Emperor Adrian.”

“That’s right.”

As expected, Emperor Linelle knew the source of the rumor.

“If Emperor Adrian told Roxana that fact directly, there’s only one reason. He wants to join forces, right?”

Hektor chuckled and silently agreed to Linelle’s question.

“And Roxana must have consulted with you. Because you are her guard knight and have a considerable number of troops. Like the Galacos…….”

“You’re right.”

Hektor nodded.

Linelle watched Hektor’s expression change as he mentioned Galacos.

He didn’t seem to know that all the male Galacos in the Aclato Duchy had only one head left each.

“Emperor Adrian wants to use the Galacos to get rid of Zelda Mama. So, he reached out to someone else who wants to get rid of Zelda Mama besides himself.”

Silence fell after Hektor finished speaking.

“But, what’s the reason for telling me this?”

Linelle leaned forward, breaking the silence.

“There is something I want to protect…….”

“I thought you originally wanted to protect Roxana?”

“The target has changed.”

Hektor said only that and stood up.

“Is it Melanie?”

Linelle also stood up and asked.

“Does Your Majesty have no interest in Melanie Mama at all?”

Hektor asked him instead of giving a direct answer.

“None.”

Hektor almost raised the corners of his lips at the Emperor’s firm answer.

“Then maybe Melanie Mama is like Rosie Mama…… cough, cough.”

Hektor coughed to gloss over his words.

“If she meets a good match, by all means. However, that’s only possible if the person isn’t someone who is at odds with me. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes, I suppose so. Then, I’ll be going.”

Hektor bowed and turned around.

“Are you betraying Roxana because you’ve fallen for Melanie?”

Linelle asked.

Hektor slowly turned to face him and replied,

“Betrayal…… I’m not sure if trust ever existed in the first place. It may sound strange.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve been having strange thoughts for a while now. It feels like someone has reached into my head and taken out a handful of memories from a certain period…….”

Hektor’s eyes showed that he himself didn’t understand what he was saying.

“It may sound like nonsense, but it’s true.”

“I think I can understand that feeling to some extent…… Until recently, I was experiencing a similar feeling myself.”

After losing his memories of Zelda, Linelle felt like something was grabbing a handful of past memories from his head, just like Hektor said.

‘It feels like my heart has changed, or that the feeling never existed in the first place…….’

Hektor repeated in his mind.

“In short, you’re experiencing confusion…….”

Linelle nodded and defined it in one word.

“If you don’t remember what your past self was like, then follow your current heart,” Linelle said, offering Hektor a handshake.

Hektor stared at his hand for a moment, then repeated the words he had just said and took the outstretched hand.

“Thank you for the advice…….”

“It’s not advice, it’s an experience.”

***

“Y-Your Majesty…… cough!”

Emperor Adrian dragged Empress Elan into his room, threw her onto the bed, and then strangled her with both hands.

Her face turned blue.

Her widened eyes were filled with terror.

“Why were you eavesdropping!”

Empress Elan couldn’t think of a plausible excuse.

Her mind froze as she struggled to breathe.

But she couldn’t die like this.

She struggled with all her might, but the murderous look in Emperor Adrian’s eyes drained the strength from her limbs.

“P-Please forgive me! I came out onto the terrace and heard voices…… I couldn’t help but commit an act of rudeness.”

“How much did you hear?”

“Galaco! Cough…… The plan to use Galacos to get rid of Zelda Mama and the congratulatory delegation……!”

Empress Elan honestly confessed everything she had heard.

It seemed better to tell the truth and ask for forgiveness, or think of another excuse, rather than deny it.

Emperor Adrian wouldn’t let it go even if she said she hadn’t heard anything.

Emperor Adrian reached out and picked up a dagger from the bedside table.

“Y-Your Majesty! Please……!”

Despite Empress Elan’s pleas, the blade headed for her neck.

“Ah!”

With Empress Elan’s scream, a lot of blood flowed from her neck.

But the wound wasn’t life-threatening.

‘He didn’t kill me!’

Empress Elan quickly sat up on the bed, cowering and trembling.

“Elan, if you had said you hadn’t heard anything, you would already be dead.”

Emperor Adrian said soothingly, tucking Empress Elan’s hair behind her ear.

Empress Elan felt chills down her spine.

She wanted to shake off Emperor Adrian’s hand immediately, but she couldn’t because she had to get out of the crisis first.

She put on a docile expression and looked at Emperor Adrian.

“As you overheard, Zelda, the Wyvern Lord, will be thrown to the Galacos as food,” Emperor Adrian said casually, lifting Empress Elan’s chin with one finger.

“Elan, I’ll give you a chance to make up for the mission you failed last time on this journey. I think there will be something you need to do on the ship.”

“……Are you telling me to lure Zelda Mama?”

“You’re smart. If this goes well, I’ll finally take you as my wife this time. The Empress of the Tevelo Empire.”

“T-Thank you, Your Majesty. I won’t disappoint you this time!”

“Yes, you better.”

Emperor Adrian nodded, patted her, and smiled.

Empress Elan breathed a sigh of relief, but she felt uneasy for some reason.

‘There’s no way he’d let it go this easily?’

Something was suspicious.

But for now, she couldn’t think deeply because of the joy of escaping the immediate danger.

“Oh dear, it looks like you have a scar on your pretty face, and now you have a scar on the right side of your neck. Tsk, tsk.”

Emperor Adrian kissed the wound on Empress Elan’s neck.

“Y-Your Majesty?!”

Empress Elan was shocked.

As she shrugged and tried to get up, the Emperor grabbed her shoulder and sat her back down on the bed.

“Shhh…… stay still. I’ll stop the bleeding.”

Empress Elan, startled, tried to push Emperor Adrian away, but he didn’t budge.

Elan, who knew that the magician Pilleke was occupying Emperor Adrian’s body through black magic and that he needed to absorb blood periodically to maintain that form, felt goosebumps all over her body.

Emperor Adrian’s lips touched the wound on Empress Elan’s neck.

Then, the pale Emperor Adrian’s face began to regain its vitality.

***

Late in the evening, Bellos arrived at the Magic Tower using teleportation.

The Magic Tower, which he hadn’t visited in a while, was still in good condition thanks to Logan’s management.

“You don’t look well.”

Logan asked, examining the complexion of his master, Bellos.

“You too. It doesn’t matter if I don’t look well, since my face doesn’t age anyway, but you’ve aged a lot more than before. You have quite a few more gray hairs.”

“I know that without you pointing it out so specifically.”

Logan smiled bitterly.

He wondered when he had last smiled bitterly. It was probably the first time since he heard the news of Bonis’s death.

“How have you been lately?”

“I eat when I’m hungry and sleep when I’m sleepy. Even though my daughter is dead.”

Logan mocked himself.

Bellos, unable to offer words of comfort easily, simply looked at Logan with pity before carefully speaking.

“Hmm, Bonis would want you to be well.”

“Master of the Magic Tower, do you know what makes me the angriest?”

Logan continued his lament to the Master of the Magic Tower, his master and the person he served, while keeping his eyes fixed on the window.

“It’s that even if I go back to when Bonis was alive, there’s nothing I can do.”

“Logan…… it wasn’t your fault.”

“No. It’s mostly my fault.”

Logan said without stopping, swallowing his tears.

“When I was a court wizard in the Shattonil Kingdom, I abandoned young Bonis and Zelda, who had red potion poured on her face and burned her, to escape Prince Tesler in order to save my own life. I only watched Bonis from afar with the excuse that I would visit when the time came, and that’s what happened.”

“Who would have known that Roxana would threaten you?”

Bellos comforted Logan, patting him on the shoulder.

“I shouldn’t have given in to the threat, no matter how many swords I stuck in my thigh. If I hadn’t given in to Roxana’s threat, those things wouldn’t have happened.”

“Even if it wasn’t you, Roxana would have planned something. And my responsibility also lies in what happened to Bonis. If I hadn’t been so greedy to make Zelda my partner, I wouldn’t have joined hands with Roxana.”

Bellos muttered, looking at the potion-making workshop with a hollow gaze.

“No. It was natural for you to think of Zelda, who held the Avatar [a powerful magical artifact], as your partner. Besides, you had to give her the Avatar Sword, so it was natural for you to be greedy.”

“But in the end, she was a woman I couldn’t handle. But Logan.”

Bellos let out a hollow laugh and placed his hand on the workbench.

“Yes.”

“What’s the reason you’re still giving magic potions to Roxana? What are you thinking? I thought you would take revenge right away.”

At Bellos’s question, Logan’s gaze, which had been dreamy, suddenly sharpened.

“I want to see that evil woman die very slowly.”

Bellos wondered if Logan was mixing something else into the potion that temporarily removed the burn scars.

But Bellos didn’t ask further. He just nodded and pretended not to know Logan’s plan.

Logan erased his blank expression and looked at Bellos.

“But, what brings you to the Magic Tower?”

“It’s about Hektor.”

Bellos ruffled his honeybee-colored hair with both hands and made a painful expression.

“Hektor…… are you talking about the Pirate King of Tanya Island? Is there something wrong with him?”

“I think he’s starting to awaken.”

When Hektor came to him, he didn’t think much of it, but he felt a sense of crisis when Linelle and Zelda began to suspect Hektor’s condition.

Roxana was the one who fed Hektor the obedience potion, but Bellos himself was the one who made it.

The time was coming to reveal the buried truth.