The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 296

296. Melanie’s Condition

November 4, 2023

“You guys…….”

I was speechless at the absurd situation.

“Moya, Moni!”

Grand Duke Joseph waved happily at the two.

“Oong? Why is a kid mixed in with the adults?”

Moya also waved excitedly at Grand Duke Joseph, whom she hadn’t seen in days, but when she saw my still-frozen face, she quietly lowered her hand.

“Did you… intentionally let the Galacos go?”

I asked.

“I don’t think so?”

“Probably.”

Moya and Moni raised both hands in unison, replying simultaneously with innocent faces.

I narrowed my eyes and stared at them as if interrogating them, and their red eyes shifted before they opened their mouths again.

“Actually… the people the Galacos took were Silver Belt and Red Head [likely nicknames for specific individuals], so we just waved at them, Moya~?”

“Should we catch them again? But they’re already in the Galacos’ bellies, Moni~?”

The two looked very worried that I would scold them.

At that moment, something fell from the sky with a thud.

“This, this is what His Majesty was wearing!”

At the same time as what appeared to be Emperor Adrian’s uniform fell in front of the Tavelo Empire’s guard knights, a tattered piece of cloth that was torn beyond recognition fell towards us.

“This is… the color of the dress Roxana was wearing.”

I said, picking up the piece of cloth from the ground.

Silence fell again for a while.

Moya and Moni seemed to have decided that I was angry, so they let go of each other’s hands and stood at attention in the air, hanging their heads.

Even more surprising, a dozen adult wyverns were floating in the air behind Moya and Moni in the same posture.

“We greet our master!”

The wyvern leader shouted, and the adults behind him greeted me as well.

It was like watching a loyal army.

In fact, it is undeniable that wyverns are more useful and powerful than most armies.

That’s why intercontinental wars broke out to take possession of the wyverns.

The wyverns’ loyalty to me seemed to be a great stimulus to Hector’s soldiers and the knights of the Tavelo Empire.

One by one, they were already taking the same posture as the wyverns and looking at me.

The sight was so absurd that I let out a hollow laugh before closing my mouth.

Then, I heard the adult wyverns waiting in the sky whispering, ‘It looks like our master is very angry? What should we do?’

Linell reassured Moya and Moni in my place.

“Kids, your master is not angry.”

“Your Majesty, then did we do well?”

Moni asked with a bright smile, and he glanced at me before answering.

“Hmm, I don’t know. It’s going to be a bit of a headache because your identities have all been revealed.”

Linell said, scanning the soldiers.

Then Moya covered her mouth with one hand and asked loudly.

“Should we just pluck out all their eyeballs, Moya~?”

Moya’s voice echoed loudly, making it useless to cover her mouth with her hand.

The soldiers all flinched.

Commander Markrom, who had regained his sight after being freed from the curse less than 10 minutes ago, had the most surprised expression.

“Do we have to pluck them out one by one? Ugh, it takes too much time, Moni~.”

Everyone was speechless at the sight of the two baby wyverns with cute appearances making terrible noises.

Moni, whispering to Moya, also had a loud voice, so the tips of the soldiers’ spears and swords were pointed at the two in a defensive posture.

“Lower them.”

Hector shouted to the soldiers.

Then the soldiers obeyed the order, but they couldn’t completely relax their vigilance against the wyverns.

“Your Majesty, what should we do with the knights of the Tavelo Empire?”

Hector asked him.

The knights of the Tavelo Empire tensed up when the word ‘dispose’ was attached after ‘how’.

“We have to keep them alive. If we only have our witnesses, the people of the Tavelo Empire and other countries won’t believe it.”

Everyone nodded in agreement with Linell’s opinion.

“However, it would be better for you to manage them on your ship until they arrive in the Partsha Empire. You said you have detention facilities here, so that would be better.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will do so.”

Hector answered him and gestured lightly to his soldiers, who quickly bound the knights of the Tavelo Empire.

“Good. Instead of doing this here, let’s cross over first. It seems like we need a meeting about this situation.”

Linell said, pointing to the Rafion Empire’s ship with the sword he was holding.

“Your Majesty, can’t we just talk here?”

Moni asked, raising her hand.

“I have such a cold body that I don’t like having meetings outside.”

Then he replied solemnly, but eventually burst out laughing.

“Everyone, go to the Gorge of Death first. I’ll call you again soon.”

I calmed myself down and looked up at the wyverns and ordered.

“Master! Please don’t scold the great elders too much.”

The leader said to me pleadingly.

If I hadn’t seen Moya and Moni poking the leader’s sides from both sides, I would have been moved by the leader’s remarks.

“Yes, and we were trying to stop the fight between the two elders and the Galacos, but we ended up tearing the Galacos apart together.”

Following the leader, the bulky one continued his complaint.

“Don’t worry and go back.”

I said, giving a slight smile to the adults.

Then the large wings began to flap and move all at once.

The two also seemed to be preparing to fly away, slipping in between the adults.

“Moya, Moni. You two come with me.”

***

I crossed over to the ship and went down to the cabin with the secret conference room.

Grand Duke Joseph wanted to be with the two baby wyverns, but he was sent to Bellos’s cabin, where Melanie was being treated.

Grand Duke Martins also attended the meeting.

Grand Duke Martins, who heard that Emperor Adrian and Roxana had become food for the Galacos, said with a very regretful expression.

“I missed a great sight.”

He would have been the most scared if he had actually seen it.

I glanced at Grand Duke Martins and laughed silently.

“Empress Roxana and Emperor Adrian died without trial. What should we do since they died without being deposed or demoted?”

Prince Norton asked Linell with a serious face.

“Are the deaths of the two being treated as accidental deaths?”

Grand Duke Martins also asked a question.

“They will pay for their sins. Their sins do not disappear just because they died.”

“But Your Majesty, is that possible?”

“We have to make it possible. Because the truth does not change.”

He continued, holding my hand under the table.

“The key will be to make sure that Prince Kalvin of the Partsha Empire and Empress Katria of the Delroy Empire understand.”

His gaze reached Prince Norton.

“My brother will surely make a wise decision.”

Prince Norton said in a confident tone.

“I hope so. Besides, there are many people who will testify to the crimes committed by Empress Roxana and Emperor Adrian, so it will be difficult to record their deaths as honorable.”

“But Your Majesty. Isn’t the fact that Zelda Mama has been revealed to be a Wyvern Lord a bigger problem than the deaths of the two criminals?”

Bellos, who had been silent, opened his mouth.

“If we do not show threatening behavior by putting forward the wyverns on our side, other countries will not attack us first.”

He replied in a cautious voice.

My thoughts were the same as his.

“Um, I have something to say, Moya~?”

Moya, who was sitting quietly on my lap, jumped onto the table and raised her hand.

“Speak.”

Linell, who was scratching Moni’s wings, chuckled and gave permission to speak.

“Don’t we have to hide anymore?”

“That’s something Zelda, you should answer.”

He postponed the answer to me.

Moya and Moni stared at me with wide eyes and expectant eyes.

“Yes. You don’t have to transform and go around.”

I said to the two with a smile.

Everyone on board had already witnessed the wyverns obeying me, so there was no need to hide their appearance anymore.

“And thanks to you today, we were able to minimize the damage from the Galacos. Thank you.”

Moya and Moni scratched each other’s heads, feeling embarrassed, as if they hadn’t expected to be praised.

“Yes, well done. I should give you sausages as a reward. Stian, I need to go to the kitchen.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As Stian, who was standing in front of the cabin door, went out at Linell’s instruction, Moya and Moni, who were excited, began to dance.

“Since they are the first contributors, we should consider giving them a knighthood.”

Linell followed the shoulder dance with a expressionless face, and laughter erupted from here and there.

“Your Majesty, then can we really walk around with confidence now?”

Moya asked again, personally correcting his shoulder dance.

“Didn’t your master answer you? Why do you ask me again?”

“Everyone doesn’t listen to the cold body [Linell], everyone values Your Majesty’s words the most, so I’m asking.”

“……Okay. You can walk around with confidence. But you can’t breathe fire at any time.”

At Linell’s firm warning, Moya and Moni stopped their shoulder dance and drooped their shoulders, muttering, ‘We’re nothing without fire…….’

Knock knock-.

“Sausages! Huh? It’s not?”

The two quickly flew to the door and cheered at the knock, but it was Sharon who opened the door, not the sausages.

“I apologize for interrupting the meeting.”

She wouldn’t have come unless it was something urgent.

“What’s wrong?”

I approached her and asked, feeling uneasy.

“I have some urgent news to tell you…….”

Sharon took a breath and answered.

“Tell me, Sharon.”

“That, that… Melanie Mama….”

I became nervous when Melanie’s name came out of Sharon’s mouth.

I was worried that the stab wound in her abdomen from Roxana might have led to a major injury.

I was relieved because it didn’t seem like a major injury at first…….

I quickly looked at Hector.

Hector’s face had already turned pale.

“What about Melanie?”

I asked again, urging her.

“Mama is preg, preg…….”

As Sharon stammered,

“Gasp, did she pass away?”

Moya blurted out.

“……How do you know such a word?”

Sharon, startled, asked Moya.

“Oong? Sharon, do you think we only know the word sausage?”

“Isn’t that thinking of us as very ignorant, Moni~? The ignorant one is over there.”

Moni muttered, pointing to Hector, who had stood up.

“What happened to Melanie!”

Hector, who had lost his composure, shook Sharon’s shoulders wildly.

“Look at that. That, that… shaking people like they’re dusting off their clothes.”

“His voice is so loud too.”

Moya and Moni glared at Hector and shook their heads.

“Hector, calm down. Sharon, tell me quickly.”

Linell ordered, pulling Hector away from Sharon.

Sharon staggered as if dizzy, but raised her voice.

“Melanie Mama is pregnant!”