The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 328

328. I Love You More

February 07, 2024

Bellos quietly led Lily and Rams out of the room.

‘It’s best to get the children out of here first.’

Zelda opened the door and stepped outside, questioning Bellos again.

“Send the children back to the palace immediately.”

Resilia, overhearing this, hurried to the door, eager to see Rams, but Zelda blocked her path, closing the door.

“Move! I haven’t even had a proper conversation with my son yet!”

“What ‘proper conversation’ are you planning besides airing your grievances? Go sit down before I throw you out myself.”

If Zelda had been yelling, it might have been less intimidating.

Resilia’s arms prickled with goosebumps at Zelda’s calm warning.

Though momentarily frightened, Resilia’s resentment surged as she confronted Zelda’s face.

After all, Lily, despite being splashed with hot water, was unharmed, while she was the one who had been attacked.

Tears still welled in her eyes from the dirt that had been thrown at her.

“Do you even know what your daughter did to me?”

“I know, so you don’t need to explain.”

Zelda retorted coldly.

She could easily deduce what had transpired from the dirt trampled underfoot.

For the first time in the seven years since Lily’s birth, she felt a surge of pride in her daughter.

“So, you dare to pour hot water on a princess of the Lapion Empire?”

Zelda asked in a monotonous voice.

“I wanted to throw her into boiling water! I guess she takes after your fate? Looks like she’s lucky too.”

Resilia glared at Zelda with bloodshot eyes, struggling against the knights holding her.

“You aimed for Lily’s right face? Was that a coincidence?”

“Yeah. Old memories came flooding back, and I couldn’t help myself!”

Resilia grabbed a teacup filled with citron tea from the table and hurled it at Zelda.

“?”

Zelda swiftly deflected the flying teacup with the back of her hand.

The teacup rebounded, flying back towards Resilia with incredible speed.

The teacup moved so fast that Resilia’s head turned to the side, it was incredibly fast and strong.

“……Ah!!”

The teacup struck Resilia’s cheek, then shattered on the floor.

“Sorry. Old memories came flooding back, and I couldn’t help myself. I can’t control my strength.”

Zelda said casually.

“She grew up with a violent mother, so the child is just like her!”

Resilia picked up another teacup and threw it at Zelda.

Zelda anticipated her actions. She quickly deflected the flying teacup as before.

“Agh!!”

This time, the teacup hit Resilia’s mouth.

Her front teeth felt like they were about to fall out from the force of the impact.

Resilia was suddenly afraid that her front teeth would fall out like her brother’s, making her look ridiculous.

Hiding her mouth with both hands, she twisted her head again and glared at Zelda.

“Resilia, it’s not just your heart that’s wicked. That mouth of yours is a problem, too. It makes you get hit twice for something that would have only happened once.”

“Shut up!”

“I want to break your arms and legs one by one in this place, but the only reason I’m not doing that is because of Prince Rams. If your son wasn’t here, you would have already been thrown out the window.”

It was a calm tone, but Zelda’s eyes showed enough anger to throw Princess Resilia out the window.

“Are you going to send me back to prison again?”

“No. I’m going to keep you wandering around the monasteries. But, there will have to be changes.”

“What, what are you going to do?!”

“From now on, you’ll have a lot more to do yourself. You won’t have any attendants to take care of you. And every time you move monasteries, you’ll have to walk there on those feet.”

“……What nonsense are you talking about?”

Resilia screamed, flailing.

“Oh, and the monastery you used to move to once a year will now change to once a month.”

“Yaaah!”

She had never walked for more than an hour, but now she had to walk to monasteries that took days to reach? Once a month?

Unfortunately, most of the monasteries were deep in the mountains.

It was impossible.

“Why don’t you just tell me to meet a wild beast in the forest and die?”

“That’s right. If you meet a wild beast while walking through the forest, that will be the day you die.”

“Are you threatening me right now?”

“Threatening is something you do when you have something to gain from the other person. I don’t want anything from you. And isn’t dying of natural causes better than execution? If you’re lucky, you might survive by giving up only an arm or a leg.”

Resilia felt a chill at Zelda’s calm tone.

Looking at her expression, it wasn’t a joke.

“Cruel woman, vicious woman!”

“Yeah. That’s the extent of your self-reflection.”

“What, what is it?”

“It’s time to shut up and leave. Even if you leave diligently now, you’ll only arrive at the monastery around dinner three days later. If you’re still alive by then.”

At Zelda’s words, Linell and the knights burst into the room.

She asked Linell, Emperor Norton and his wife, and King Martins, who arrived late, for their opinions on her decision.

She wouldn’t have carried it out if even one person had objected, but no one did.

The priests and knights who accompanied Resilia were to be transferred to the kingdom by King Martins for separate interrogation.

“Drag her out.”

After the decision was made, the escort knights took Resilia out at Linell’s command.

“Let go of me! Let go! How am I supposed to find the monastery in this night!”

Resilia was kicked out to the place where the monastery was located.

Walking.

Linell immediately hired two mercenaries.

The mercenaries were given the task of monitoring Resilia, not protecting her.

The mercenaries were people who only carried out orders they were paid for.

For that reason, Linell deliberately entrusted the monitoring of Resilia to mercenaries who had no blood or tears instead of knights.

Zelda liked the fact that she couldn’t expect chivalry from them.

If there was danger on the way to the monastery, it was up to Resilia to overcome it.

She didn’t feel any sympathy.

Even if Resilia was attacked by a wild beast and died in the forest tonight, she was confident that she wouldn’t feel sorry at all.

The money paid to the mercenaries was only calculated until three hours before arriving at the monastery.

Resilia had to make her way through the dark forest alone for three hours to reach the monastery.

Linell’s shadow knights were also going to follow her to the end because of the risk of escape. However, like the mercenaries, they would not step in if Resilia was in danger.

Even if Resilia survived tonight, she would have to walk to another monastery again in a month.

Each time, mercenaries and shadow knights would follow.

She didn’t know when, but there was a high possibility that news would come that Resilia had collapsed in the forest or was attacked by animals and died of exposure.

Zelda didn’t intend to make any exceptions in the middle of summer or in the cold winter.

She hoped that she would spend her life wandering through the forest and moving from monastery to monastery before dying.

For Resilia, that itself was a death sentence.

***

Rams had been sick for three days since the day he met his biological mother.

When he recovered, it was the day before he left for the Partsha Empire.

Lily practically lived in the room where Rams was staying for the three days he was sick.

While putting a cold towel on Rams’ forehead, she brought her father, who was colder than ice, once a day and had him put his hand on Rams’ forehead for about 10 minutes.

As the fever gradually subsided, Lily brought a fairy tale book and read it to him.

Because she didn’t know all the letters yet, she often skipped over words she didn’t know or added nonsense stories, but Rams enjoyed it.

“Thank you, Princess. For being by my side…….”

Rams said, holding Lily’s hand.

After his longing for his biological mother turned into disappointment, he suffered from a strange sense of emptiness.

No matter how mature he was, he was only eight years old.

Fortunately, after being sick for a few days, Rams’ heart felt much lighter.

Still, he was sorry for what Lily had suffered at the hands of his biological mother.

“I’m really sorry. For making you go through that because of me.”

“It’s okay. I’m really okay!”

Lily was sincere.

Emperor Norton had also apologized to her that day, saying he was sorry, but Lily was not surprised or intimidated at all.

Of course, if she didn’t have the power of fire, she would have been burned. But Lily simply laughed it off, saying it was okay as long as she wasn’t hurt.

“If you’re really sorry, Prince, please grant me one wish.”

“I’ll grant you anything I can.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Rams, still with a slight fever, smiled faintly and answered.

Lily ran out, saying, ‘Just a moment!’ and reappeared 10 minutes later with Moiya, Moni, and Matthias.

“……What are you doing now?”

Rams asked, looking down at Moni, who was tying a bow tie around his neck.

“Isn’t it a betrothal ceremony, Moni~?”

“I brought witnesses so you can’t change your mind later!”

Moiya poked Matthias in the side.

“I’m a witness, brother-in-law.”

Matthias, who was hearing the word ‘witness’ for the first time, simply raised his hand as Moiya told him to.

‘The Master of the Magic Tower is also a brother-in-law, and Prince Rams is also a brother-in-law. That’s strange?’

Matthias didn’t even know what the word ‘brother-in-law’ meant.

He was just doing as he was told because he didn’t want to be bothered by Lily.

“Groom Rams, do you promise to marry bride Lily in the future, whether it rains, snows, or the wind blows, or you crawl through a dog hole, with a sausage on the line?”

Moiya suddenly asked, clearing her throat.

“?”

She had already called him ‘groom’ and was asking if he promised to marry her?

It didn’t make sense, but Rams answered willingly.

“Yes.”

“If you want to break the betrothal, you can bring a box of a hundred sausages and it will be as if it never happened. Then we’ll end the betrothal ceremony, Moiya~?”

“Wait! Why don’t you ask me?”

Lily asked with a puzzled expression.

“Your answer is obvious. It’s just a waste of breath, Moni~?”

“That’s right. There’s a witness here, so don’t worry, daughter of your parents.”

Matthias patted Lily on the shoulder.

“Okay, then finally, the bride and groom kiss. Lily, don’t do it on the mouth, do it on the cheek.”

Moiya stared at Lily with wide eyes.

Lily pouted and reluctantly kissed Rams on both cheeks, making a sound, and then smiled contentedly.

Rams, who had performed the betrothal ceremony while sitting on the head of the bed without energy, fell asleep again, thinking that this might be a dream.

***

The Lapion Imperial Palace became quiet again on the night when all the dignitaries from each country had left.

Moiya and Moni sat on the roof of the main palace, looking up at the night sky.

“Do you think Lily and Rams will really get married later?”

Moiya asked.

“They’ll do it when they’re old enough to mate. They’ve already kissed.”

Moni giggled and replied.

“Hey, Moni. Why aren’t we growing? I don’t know how long we’re going to be cute like this.”

“The Master of the Magic Tower said so. We’re so great that we grow much slower than other wyverns.”

Moiya’s expression began to darken at Moni’s answer.

“Oong? Then will we only be able to mate in 300 years?”

“We can still love each other even if we mate later.”

Moni said her thoughts in a mature voice.

“But what is love, Moiya~?”

“Sharon said before that love is when you don’t mind giving away what you cherish most.”

Moiya made a serious expression at Moni’s words and took out a sausage from the bag she was wearing around her waist.

“Moni, you eat this.”

“!”

Is she crazy?

Giving me a sausage!

It’s love. This is love…….

She’s given me a bite before, but this is the first time she’s given me a whole sausage.

Besides, this was the last sausage left in Moiya’s bag.

Moni was shocked to receive the sausage that Moiya had given her.

“You know? That was the last sausage for today. I gave you everything?”

“……I know. But why are you looking at me with those eyes?”

Moni asked, looking at Moiya’s red eyes, which were staring at her as if she was going to burn her.

“Moni, my body is suddenly getting hot.”

“Are you sick like Rams? Go to His Majesty and ask him to hug you. Then the fever will go down quickly.”

“A cold body is male, Moiya~?”

Moiya moved her hips and stuck close to Moni.

“Why are you keep coming closer?”

Moni asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Shall we try it too?”

Moiya whispered.

“What?”

“Oong? What else, Moiya~? What the master and the cold body do every day.”

“Ang? Are you saying we should bump our snouts together?”

Moni said coyly that only lovers or couples do that.

“Then if you put that sausage all in one bite, will you go out with me?”

Moiya said, dancing her shoulder dance to Moni.

‘I don’t know about anything else, but Moiya is really good at the shoulder dance.’

Moni hesitated for a moment, then stared at Moiya and put the sausage all in one bite.

Then Moiya’s face came closer and closer to Moni’s lips.

“From today, we’re day 1, Moiya~?”

Moiya took out a mustard sauce bottle from her bag, put the sauce on her lips, and then pressed it on Moni’s lips.

Moni licked the mustard sauce on her lips and nodded.

“Let’s bump our snouts one more time. There’s not enough sauce, Moni~?”

Moni blinked her eyes prettily and said, dancing her shoulder dance.

***

“The night breeze is nice. Your scent is even better.”

I came out to the bedroom terrace to get some air, and Linell hugged me from behind.

“The Imperial Palace is quiet again.”

“Not my heart. It’s gotten louder.”

He whispered, kissing my shoulder.

I couldn’t stand the tickling and twisted my body slightly and asked.

Then his arms tightened around my body even more.

“Will everyone arrive safely?”

“I’m sure they will. Oh, a letter came from Joseph.”

“Really? When is he coming back?”

Joseph was currently about to graduate early from the academy.

Originally, he would graduate at the age of 18, but he was graduating early at the age of 16, two years ahead of schedule, with excellent grades.

As expected, it was worth teaching him swordsmanship myself.

“In a month. So I just told him to come in two months.”

“Why~ I want to see him soon.”

“They say Joseph and I look alike. If you want to see Joseph that much, you can look at your husband’s face more.”

“Tch, jealousy.”

“I was just stating the facts.”

“Whether you like it or love it. It’s the same thing.”

“How is that the same thing? Look closely. To compare the depth, liking is just this…….”

Linell kissed me lightly on the cheek and then continued.

“Loving is this.”

His sweet voice permeated my ear intimately as his hand turned my face slightly to the side.

Our lips met, and his love came into my mouth and expressed his love to his heart’s content.

I spoke through a brief gap.

“I’m happy.”

“Too bad. I’m feeling lewd.”

He put my hand on his heart and asked as if he was complaining.

“What the hell are you doing right now?”

Linell’s heart was rioting again tonight.

Then Moiya and Moni’s voices were heard in the air.

“Oong? We didn’t do anything, Moiya~?”

“Ang! We were just eating because the sauce was delicious, Moni~?”

What is that sound?

“Looks like those guys are playing on the roof of the main palace? What kind of accident are they causing up there again?”

Linell said, looking up at the sky.

“I guess so.”

When I burst out laughing again, he hugged me again.

“If we had met in a different place, in a different situation, would we have loved each other?”

“I don’t know.”

He shrugged, laughing as if he had never thought about it.

“I think I would have loved you. What about Linell?”

“I’m not that easy of a man. If you want to have me, you’ll have to try your best to seduce me. I won’t show it easily either.”

He said with a very haughty expression.

“But…… your body seems like it will show it first? Like now.”

I whispered, slightly lowering my gaze.

“If I was like this from the first time we met, I’d be crazy? You’re really letting me go too easily.”

“I’ll love you even if you’re an easy man from the start.”

“Keep your promise.”

“Of course. I love you a lot.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist and went back into the bedroom.

“Don’t mess with me, I love you more.”

Linell said threateningly.

I burst out laughing at his serious tone, but his lips blocked my laughter.

I didn’t mess with him anymore and obediently lay down on the bed, acknowledging his love.

Today, another day passes with half laughter and half love.

The End.