The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 297

297. Apologies Should Be Made Face-to-Face

2023.11.08.

The news was unexpected.

Well, news of a pregnancy is certainly better than news of someone’s impending death.

Still, it took a moment to process.

“…Wh-what?”

“She’s pregnant, Your Majesty. Pregnant.”

“…Who?”

“Melanie, Your Majesty.”

“Ooh? Not dying, but pregnant?”

Moya seemed disappointed, clearly focused on the fact that her hunch had been wrong. She mumbled with regret.

“Sharon, tell me everything in detail.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Well, Logan was treating Melanie’s abdominal wound when he suddenly seemed flustered. Then, after checking her pulse several times, he said he felt fetal movement. But for a definitive diagnosis, the Master of the Magic Tower should examine her again…”

That’s why Sharon brought Bellos.

At the news of Melanie’s pregnancy, everyone’s eyes turned to Linelle.

“It’s not mine.”

He stated it firmly.

“I guarantee it.”

Even with my assurance, those who didn’t know about the relationship between Melanie and Hector seemed to think that Linelle was involved in Melanie’s pregnancy.

He immediately pointed to Hector to prove his innocence.

“After Norton and Rosie are married, I was planning to marry Hector and Melanie.”

“Your Majesty, how can all the concubines remarry…?”

Grand Duke Martins chuckled as he spoke.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t just Rosie and Melanie.

Even Pessillini, who was pregnant with Prince Tessler’s baby, would soon go to the Kingdom of Shato Neil, which Grand Duke Martins would rule.

“This is not a loss for the Rafion Empire either. It’s not a bad thing for Rosie’s family or Melanie’s family.”

Linelle placed his hand on my shoulder and addressed the people at the meeting.

Rosie would become the Crown Princess of the Patsha Empire, and Melanie would become the Queen of Tanya Island.

“Oh, and if Catherine leaves the palace with Count Ethan, the Imperial Palace will be quite empty.”

“Thanks to our children and wyverns, there will be no time to be lonely, right?”

Imagining children resembling Linelle and me running around on the grounds, and wyverns flying in the sky, I was already looking forward to it.

“Now, let’s go see Melanie, who is pregnant with ‘Hector’s’ baby.”

As soon as Linelle finished speaking, Hector was the first to run to the guest room where Melanie was.

“Zelda, what did Hector put on his shoulder just now?”

I pointed to something on Hector’s shoulder as he ran down the hallway of the guest room.

“…Bellos.”

Hector ran with Bellos slung over his shoulder as if he were kidnapping him for Melanie’s examination.

***

Logan was standing outside Bellos’s guest room.

“Master of the Magic Tower.”

“Logan, is it true? That Melanie is pregnant.”

“Yes, but I think the Master of the Magic Tower should examine her again, just to be sure.”

“If you felt that way, it must be true.”

Although not comparable to Bellos, Logan was also a talented magician.

“Just in case, I haven’t told Melanie about the pregnancy yet.”

“We’ll need some acting until the Master of the Magic Tower examines her.”

Linelle, who arrived later, patted Hector on the shoulder and teased him.

Hector tried to calm his excitement before entering the guest room.

After Linelle and Zelda entered the guest room with smiles, Hector followed behind.

“Ah, did you hear about Roxana?”

Bellos turned to Logan as he entered the guest room and asked.

“I heard…”

“His Majesty is planning to declare Roxana a deposed empress based on several testimonies. Your testimony will be the most important.”

“Ah, that’s a relief.”

Logan sighed, as if releasing the uneasy feeling he had been holding in.

He had been secretly worried that Roxana, who had lost her life to Galaco, would be treated as an accidental death.

“Of course, there will be a trial for you in the process.”

“I’m already prepared for it…”

“Don’t worry too much. It will be a light punishment.”

“Yes, Master of the Magic Tower.”

Fortunately, Logan seemed much more at ease.

Bellos patted his disciple and entered the guest room together.

Rosie was taking care of Melanie in the guest room.

“She just fell asleep a little while ago.”

Rosie said in a low voice.

But Melanie soon opened her eyes, as if she had been in a light sleep.

After looking around at the people, she made eye contact with Hector and suddenly groaned, making a painful sound.

“Ugh… Oh, my stomach…”

“How are you feeling?”

Zelda approached and asked.

“It hurts, it hurts so much. Have you ever been stabbed by a sword, Your Majesty? If not, you wouldn’t know this pain.”

“I had a sword stuck in my heart.”

At Zelda’s calm reply.

“Ah, right…”

Melanie’s groaning stopped abruptly.

“Bellos, check Melanie’s condition again.”

At Linelle’s instruction, Bellos held his hands over Melanie’s body and began to feel her energy.

He nodded to himself and finally checked her pulse.

Hector waited for Bellos’s diagnosis like someone holding his breath.

“Congratulations. It is certain that she is pregnant.”

Everyone smiled gently at Bellos’s words.

“…What?”

Melanie, on the other hand, looked at Hector with an expression that said, ‘What is all this about?’

“Doctors wouldn’t be able to feel the fetal movement yet, as it is in the early stages of pregnancy.”

Bellos said proudly.

He added that he and Logan were able to feel the subtle life force because they were talented magicians.

Only then did Melanie grasp the situation and looked down at her stomach, showing a strong reaction.

“Pregnant! I’m pregnant?! Master of the Magic Tower, am I amazing? Or is the baby’s father amazing?”

“Pardon?!”

“We haven’t done it that many times yet.”

“!”

Bellos, who was nearly 300 years old, blushed at Melanie’s words.

The faces of the others were not much different.

Only Melanie’s face, lying in bed injured, had a normal complexion.

“Hector… I have… a baby in my belly.”

Melanie’s eyes welled up with tears as she raised and shook her arms, and Hector leaned over and hugged her.

“What an amazing man!”

Everyone quietly congratulated Melanie for her boisterous joy, and then quietly left the guest room.

***

That night at midnight.

Prince Norton returned to Rosie’s room with her.

“It seems like you two haven’t been close for very long, but already pregnant…!

How did they progress so far already?”

Rosie’s worries deepened.

“Hahaha, does the timing matter?”

Prince Norton said with a hearty laugh.

“Yes, passion and ability must be important.”

Rosie retorted coldly.

“?”

“Come to think of it, everyone is having babies. Zelda, Pessillini, and now Melanie.”

“Are you envious?”

Prince Norton asked, flipping through a book on the table.

“Pardon?”

“It seemed like you looked envious just now, Rosie.”

“No…”

“Really?”

Prince Norton smiled and asked again.

“Actually, it’s not that I’m envious of being pregnant. Well, I am a little, but more than that, it seems like everyone is sharing passionate love… That’s what I’m envious of.”

“Ah.”

“So, Melanie got pregnant before even having a wedding, didn’t she?”

Rosie continued calmly at first, but her tone changed to an annoyed one as she spoke.

“We’ve known each other much longer than those two…”

Besides, weren’t they about to have a wedding soon?

“You are still a concubine of the Rafion Empire, Rosie.”

Prince Norton said in a composed voice.

He patted the back of her hand, saying that he was being careful in many ways.

Even that was a cautious touch.

“Your Highness. I hesitate to say this, but Pessillini is pregnant with the baby of a prince from a neighboring country, and Melanie has the baby of a pirate king from an island nation, right? All as ‘concubines’.”

Even though the Emperor officially allowed it!

Rosie felt unfairly sad.

Prince Norton, sensing that her protruding lips were unusual, asked seriously.

“Do you think I’m holding back because I don’t love you?”

“It’s not that, but if your love for me is great, you wouldn’t be so patient. Unless there’s a functional problem.”

“There’s absolutely no problem with function.”

“Then there must be a problem with affection.”

Rosie’s tone was quite sulky.

“It’s a misunderstanding, I’m trying to cherish you until the wedding…”

“Am I wearing out? Why do you keep saying you’re going to cherish me, really?”

Rosie finally exploded.

“?”

“Am I some kind of melting candy! Chocolate!”

At that moment, Aoshi and Moni entered Rosie’s room with a basket of sausages.

Aoshi, seeing Rosie breathing heavily, put down the sausage basket and clapped her hands.

“Wow, our orange head is celebrating too, Moya~?”

“…What?”

“Aren’t you pregnant too?”

Moya asked innocently, staring at Rosie’s stomach.

“!”

Rosie gasped and sucked in her stomach.

“No, you’re clueless. Rosie just has a belly, Moni~.”

Moni scolded Moya, making even more clueless remarks.

Rosie’s face turned bright red.

Normally, she would just ignore it with a few snorts, but hearing such things in front of Prince Norton was embarrassing.

Prince Norton, on the other hand, was looking lovingly at her lower abdomen, fidgeting with his hands, wanting to touch it, but Rosie didn’t notice at all.

“Ooh? Your belly is bigger than Melanie, who is pregnant, but you’re not pregnant.”

“Yeah. At first, I thought Rosie put a book in her belly, Moni~?”

Moya and Moni giggled, completely oblivious to the atmosphere.

“Miyaaong… (I’m going out to sleep…)”

Aoshi, who was under the bed, quietly came out, jumped, and opened the door to the room and went outside.

***

“Why are you here? I thought you were going to sleep in Rosie’s room.”

I was about to go to bed with Linelle for the first time in a while, but intruders came.

As soon as their identities were revealed, they confidently knocked and entered.

“We got kicked out, Moni~?”

“There was just a small misunderstanding, Master.”

“Moya messed up with her mouth. She saw Rosie’s belly and asked if Rosie was pregnant too, and congratulated her.”

Moni said, snuggling up to Linelle as if telling on her.

“With Prince Norton there too?”

Guys, surely not?

“Ooh? That way, Rosie will be embarrassed and work out hard, Moya~?”

“…That’s not wrong.”

Linelle chuckled.

“Why are you like that too, Linelle.”

When I glared at him, he immediately erased his smile.

After hearing what the two of them had said to Rosie, I couldn’t possibly send them back.

“Still, you shouldn’t say such things when the Prince is there. Go to Rosie tomorrow and apologize properly.”

“Yes, Master. I’m going to write a letter to Rosie.”

“No, you should apologize directly to the person involved. Face to face.”

When I gave serious advice, Moya nodded repeatedly with a look of realization.

“But Master. Can we sleep here today?”

Moya lay down on the bed, and Moni slyly went next to her, covering herself with the blanket.

I looked at Linelle.

“Okay. You worked hard today, so do that.”

As soon as his permission was given, Moya sat up again.

“I’m so glad that your cold body has a warm heart.”

“Our Emperor has a very broad chest too, Moni~?”

Moni praised him, raising both thumbs towards his broad chest, which was revealed between his gown.

“Yes. I have a warm heart and a broad chest. My heart is as broad as my chest. Hahaha.”

As Linelle burst into laughter and praised himself, Moya crawled up his lap and looked up at him with sparkling eyes.

“Why, Moya.”

“Really… is your heart broad too?”

“Of course! Ah, you guys subdued the Galacos today, so as a celebration, I’ll grant you each one wish.”

He said to Moya and Moni with a benevolent face, as if trying to show that he had a broad heart.

“Yeah? Really?”

“Ooh? Your Majesty. Can you keep that promise?”

Moya swallowed hard and gathered her hands politely.

“Why, Moya, is your wish very big?”

“Kind of.”

“Hmph, what is your wish?”

He said generously that he would grant anything today, as he was in a good mood.

“Forgiveness.”

“…What?”

“I’m really sorry.”

Moya suddenly knelt down and apologized to him.

To be exact, towards his lower body.

“As expected, there’s no reaction from anyone but Master. Oh right, you said I have to apologize while looking at the person, right?”

Moya, who was muttering something, turned her head and asked me.

“Huh? Uh…”

I exchanged glances with him as I answered absentmindedly.

He also tilted his head, looking puzzled.

Linelle looked at his lower body and Moya alternately with a flustered face and asked.

“What on earth are you doing now?”

Moya said, untying the *끈* [string/tie] of his gown.

“Are you trying to apologize while looking directly, Moya~?”