The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 1

1. The First Night Must Be Spent

2021.01.06.

“Lift your face.”

My husband, whom I met for the first time today, said. Speaking of my husband, he is Linell Gadion Edpar, the emperor of the Lapion Empire, the most powerful nation in the Northern Continent. The moment I saw Emperor Linell’s face for the first time inside the Grand Temple where our wedding was held today, I wanted to cover myself with the hem of my wedding dress and run away. Actually, we met last night at a secret place outside the Imperial Palace. But thankfully, he didn’t seem to recognize me. *Please*, he must not remember me… Still, I was able to relax a bit during the wedding ceremony, thanks to the makeup that was close to a disguise that even I couldn’t recognize myself, and the extravagant wedding dress. However, night soon fell, and I started to worry again with my makeup cleanly removed. It’s not that I was admiring the marble floor of the bedroom. As time went on, my heart shrank more and more. In fact, there was a bigger problem than meeting him last night—a really important problem that my life depended on. I am not the real empress. In short, I’m a surrogate empress. What if this fact is discovered? Ah, it’s terrible just to think about it. I can say with certainty that the man sitting in front of me like a magnificent portrait will mercilessly chop off my head and send it flying towards my home country, the Kingdom of Shattonil. Looking at his cold, bluish eyes, he seemed more than capable of doing that. But unfairly, even when the emperor was doing such cruel things, he had the looks to appear beautiful.

“Did you commit a sin?”

“!”

Following a question that caught me off guard.

“You look like you’re hiding something from me.”

Even a question that pricked my conscience. I was sitting precariously on the edge of the bed in a thin slip, and I was so surprised by his words that I almost collapsed to the floor. *Yes!* I confessed immediately in my mind, but my lips were even more tightly shut. Only my head, bowed deeply, reveals the truth: surrogate empress. My very existence is a sin. How did I get caught up in such a huge thing? Until a few days ago, I was just a bath maid in the Shattonil royal family. Damn it, it’s all because of Princess Resilia, who ran away with a mercenary knight before the royal wedding! As I squeezed my eyes shut in tension, the day I left the Kingdom of Shattonil came to mind. . . . . 5 days ago, the royal family of the Kingdom of Shattonil.

“Become a surrogate empress?”

What did I just hear? At first, I burst into laughter at Prince Tessler’s absurd words. I laughed for a while, then closed my mouth again at the unusual atmosphere.

“Are you serious…?”

“Zelda von Trova, you’re the only one I can trust!”

If I’m the only one you can trust, isn’t it better to just give up on the situation? Prince Tessler spoke as if he trusted me the most in the world. Then he grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips. I quickly pulled my hand away, feeling uncomfortable.

“Zelda, please.”

The tone was closer to an order than a request.

“Just be the empress of the Lapion Empire for a while.”

“Isn’t that the country that Princess Resilia will soon have a royal wedding with?”

“That’s right. But that damn girl… no, Resilia disappeared a week ago.”

…Huh, how could that happen? No wonder. The royal family has been quiet lately. Normally, Princess Resilia’s dissatisfied, high-pitched voice should be heard all over the royal family about once every two days.

“What should we do? Isn’t it almost time to leave for the Lapion Empire?”

“What do you mean *soon*? She should have left already.”

So you’re telling me to go instead? It was absurd. Three months ago, the young emperor of the Lapion Empire requested a royal wedding with the Kingdom of Shattonil, citing a strong alliance. The letter sent by Emperor Linell stated that the person who would become empress did not necessarily have to be a princess of Shattonil. From the perspective of the Shattonil royal family, unless there was no princess, there was no reason to hand over the position of empress of the Lapion Empire to another noble family. However, the only princess, Princess Resilia, disappeared after hearing the news that the royal wedding was brought forward from the schedule.

“Where on earth did the princess go alone?”

“*Alone*? She ran away with a mercenary knight who was in the royal family.”

“Oh my god….”

“Damn it! I shouldn’t have brought the mercenary knights into the royal family in the first place.”

From a year ago, monsters frequently appeared in the diamond mine, which was the largest source of national treasury replenishment for the Kingdom of Shattonil. Because of this, the royal family hired a professional mercenary knight group to hunt monsters and allowed them to stay in the palace. That was the root of the problem. It seems that the old saying that a family will be ruined if they bring people into their home carelessly also applies to the royal family. So now, Princess Resilia fell in love with one of the mercenary knights staying in the royal family and eloped?

“That mercenary knight, whose origins are unknown, didn’t catch the monsters he was supposed to catch, but caught Resilia and ran away!”

Veins popped out of Prince Tessler’s neck. His voice was filled with frustration mixed with anger. He began to explain how urgent the situation was, venting his anger. While the royal knights were chasing after Princess Resilia day and night, the Lapion Empire moved the date of the royal wedding even further forward, adding insult to injury. From the perspective of the Kingdom of Shattonil, which was treated as a vassal state, it was impossible to postpone the royal wedding schedule.

“No matter how I think about it, there’s no way out. So you…”

“Prince, I’m just a royal bath maid!”

I desperately expressed my refusal, waving my hands with soap in one hand and a towel in the other. Prince Tessler took the soap and towel from my hand and threw them into the corner of the office. It wasn’t just the soap and towel that flew away. It felt like my future had flown away with them.

“The royal knights will find Resilia soon. Until then, just act as the empress. If our kingdom doesn’t send a bride in time, the position of empress of the Lapion Empire will go back to the Echia Empire! I can never let that happen!”

Prince Tessler slammed the scabbard he was wearing around his waist on the floor of the office and shouted. It was a clear threat disguised as desperation.

“You know how important this royal wedding is for our Shattonil Kingdom to form a strong alliance with the Lapion Empire, right?”

“Your Highness knows very well that I have a burn scar on my face, right? If someone like me goes as the empress, the relationship with the Lapion Empire might get worse!”

I raised my voice, pointing to the burn scar on my right face. Prince Tessler smiled as if he knew I would say that.

“Zelda, that’s why…”

He proposed a secret deal to persuade me. It was something I could never refuse.

“On the night you arrive at the Lapion Imperial Palace, Grand Duke Martins will guide you to a place that sells magic potions that remove the burn scar. How about it? You have nothing to lose, right?”

“…Re, really?!”

“Yes. But the scar disappears temporarily, and you have to keep taking the magic potion to maintain it.”

My heart was pounding. I couldn’t hide my excitement. Even temporary was fine. I wanted to live with my face intact, without a burn scar, even for just one day in my life.

“Of course, I’m going to keep giving you the magic potion on the condition that you faithfully play the role of surrogate empress until Resilia is found.”

“But am I qualified to be a surrogate empress?”

“The marriage proposal sent by the Lapion Empire says that the empress doesn’t necessarily have to be a princess. So you, a young lady from a count’s family, are qualified to be the empress. Besides, no matter how I think about it, you’re the perfect fit.”

A perfect fit?

“Why?”

Listen, Prince Tessler added the conditions for the surrogate empress with a confident tone like this: A young lady whose beauty is so different from the princess that Emperor Linell will be fascinated by Princess Resilia’s beauty in the future and immediately decide to divorce. And a young lady from a noble family with weak power who has no choice but to accept the divorce willingly. He also added that it would be even better if she was an illegitimate child like me. The conditions were surprisingly simple, and surprisingly unpleasant. While listening to Prince Tessler’s words, I wanted to find a part to refute, saying, ‘I don’t meet the conditions?’… But there was none. How could the conditions be so tailored to me? Prince Tessler was convinced that even if my burn scar disappeared, I would never be able to match Princess Resilia’s beauty. That was the most unpleasant thing.

“Zelda, I’m just saying this out of concern. If you suddenly change your mind and don’t step down from the position of empress after Resilia returns, the burn scar will reappear.”

Oh, so the magic potion that removes my burn scar is the carrot and stick that will move me?

“Is that magic potion for blackmail?”

“Why are you saying such a sad thing? It’s not blackmail, it’s negotiation.”

Prince Tessler pretended to be surprised with the purest eyes in the world.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you; it’s just that feelings can change without you knowing it.”

“?”

There was no reason for me to stay in that position and not step down. Moreover, it was an empress position that I didn’t even want.

“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”

I replied confidently. The future of the Shattonil Kingdom depends on my shoulders. …Prince Tessler put his hand on my shoulder and said in a serious voice before leaving Shattonil Palace. Unlike my increasingly dark expression, a relieved smile began to appear on the prince’s face.

“If you play the role of surrogate empress well until the end, I’ll give you a cure that can completely remove the scar then.”

“Not just temporarily covering it up, but a cure that can completely heal it?”

I opened my eyes wide and approached Prince Tessler, who was deliberately keeping his distance, and asked.

“Yes. But if things go wrong in the middle… you know?”

A question suddenly popped into my head over Prince Tessler’s face, which felt mean.

“If you had such a medicine, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Oh, my Zelda. Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t know there was a magic potion that could remove your burn scar until recently.”

“I see…”

Of course, I didn’t believe Prince Tessler’s words. My head was spinning complicatedly, but the conclusion was the same from the beginning. There was no way to escape this situation anyway. Even if I refused the position of surrogate empress, I would be forcibly put on a carriage to the Lapion Empire. In that case, the wisest choice was to get on the carriage nicely on the condition of receiving a magic potion that could treat the burn scar. As Prince Tessler said, it wasn’t a losing business. However, that’s only if I survive without Emperor Linell finding out my identity.

“It’s much better to do this than to give up the royal wedding and get on the bad side of the Lapion Empire.”

Prince Tessler said with a determined look in his eyes.

“You don’t know how precious you are to me right now…”

Prince Tessler put both of my hands on his chest again and said affectionately. Anyone would think he was confessing his love.

“Hmm, what should I do?”

I asked, thinking only of the magic potion that would remove my burn scar. Prince Tessler’s dark expression brightened in an instant, and he quickly spoke.

“It’s simple. When Resilia arrives at the Lapion Imperial Palace, get a divorce from the emperor around that time. It’s not difficult, right?”

“It’s not difficult, but my life will be in danger instead. But, will he grant me a divorce so easily?”

As soon as I said the words, I realized it was a really stupid question. There wouldn’t be a man who wouldn’t be captivated by Princess Resilia’s beauty. I was worried for nothing.

“If Emperor Linell sees Resilia, he will easily divorce you then.”

Prince Tessler stared at my face and confirmed, ‘You know what I mean, right?’ I nodded as if I was calm on the outside, but I was bitter on the inside.

‘*I know, so shut up now!*’

Those words were up to my throat, but I persevered until the end.

“Thinking about it, divorce won’t be difficult. Anyway, please find Princess Resilia as soon as possible.”

I spoke briefly and coolly like a person in charge of a simple mission.

“Yes! Thank you so much, Zelda…”

Prince Tessler stopped trying to caress my cheek. He unknowingly raised his left hand, then changed it to his right hand again and brought it to my left cheek, which had no burn scar. Then he tilted his head to the side as if he was going to kiss me and whispered near my lips.

“You are my benefactor. I will never forget it.”

‘*You are my misfortune. I will never forget it either.*’

It was a pity that my true feelings could not be conveyed with just my eyes. There was no kiss. Actually, I didn’t expect it either.

“Hmm, when should I leave then?”

“Today.”

What the hell! I calmly asked again.

“Today, when?”

“Right now.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“The carriage is waiting outside.”

“….”

“A formal dress is prepared, so you just need to change your clothes and leave right away.”

“…I see.”

I didn’t want to face Prince Tessler any longer, so I quickly said goodbye and turned around.

“Ah, and Zelda. I have something to tell you in advance.”

He grabbed my wrist.

“When Resilia arrives at the Lapion Imperial Palace, rumors will spread quickly.”

“What rumors?”

“Rumors that you are secretly enjoying secret meetings with other men.”

“What did you say?”

“Yes, of course, it’s a ridiculous false rumor. But it’s unavoidable to justify the divorce.”

“Do you have to spread such rumors?”

I asked Prince Tessler with an unpleasant expression.

“It’s dishonorable, but it’s a way to get out of the Lapion Imperial Palace as soon as possible, so it’s good for you in the end.”

“Is that really the best way?”

“For now, it is.”

“Who would believe that I’m having secret meetings with other men while leaving the emperor behind?”

“It’s hard to believe, but it’s enough if Emperor Linell is displeased.”

What about the fact that I’m feeling unpleasant right now? I was pouring curses on Prince Tessler in my mind.

“It’s also easy to present it as a basis for asking the High Priest to approve the divorce.”

“…Yes. I’ll be on my way.”

I replied in a resigned tone.

“Hey, have I ever said this? That you are beautiful too.”

Prince Tessler hurriedly said the words as if he had forgotten the words he had prepared in advance.

“Your Highness really thinks I’m beautiful?”

“…Yes.”

A beat late answer.

“If you just cover the scar.”

Moreover, he added words that he didn’t have to add.

“And Zelda, when you come back, I’m thinking of taking you as my mistress.”

Prince Tessler said as if he was doing a favor. The moment I heard those words, my expression crumpled.

Prince Tessler is the object of envy for all women in the Shattonil Kingdom, but I never wanted to be his woman. But a mistress?

“Anyway, Emperor Linell will never touch you. So even if I bring you back to the kingdom as a mistress, I won’t be too upset.”

“Yes? What are you talking about?”

“It’s information that the emperor has never brought a woman into his bedroom. Do you know what that means?”

“He must have high standards and hasn’t found a woman he likes so far.”

“That’s true too. But Zelda, he’s at the height of his energy. And he’s the emperor.”

“Then, could it be that he…?”

I said one word that came to my mind at that moment in the shape of my mouth.

“Maybe.”

Prince Tessler recognized the shape of my mouth and nodded.

“So you don’t have to worry about sleeping with the emperor while you’re in the position of surrogate empress. How about it? Don’t you feel more relieved? Instead, when you come back, I’ll love you twice as much.”

He stroked my shoulder line with the back of his hand and babbled.

“I refuse.”

“Does that mean you want to be my princess? Zelda, that’s a bit difficult…”

Ha, isn’t your delusion more difficult?

“No, I just don’t like it.”

“Think again. I don’t have any broken parts like Emperor Linell. Besides, do you think this handsome face is common?”

My small foot, which can break marble with Prince Tessler’s pretense, twitched towards his center. I suppressed my anger and sternly blurted out to Prince Tessler.

“That’s enough. I really hate handsome men!”
. . . .

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

A very handsome man said. When I opened my tightly closed eyes again, a beautiful face that couldn’t even be compared to Prince Tessler was looking down at me.

“Ah… Your Majesty.”

Suddenly, realization came. I really *do* like handsome men.

“I told you to lift your head, but you changed it to closing your eyes? Now that you open your eyes, you bow your head again. What’s with that guilty expression all the time?”

His dissatisfied voice struck my chin once again.

“We’re about to have our first night, so shouldn’t we see each other’s faces properly?”

Emperor Linell raised my chin himself and muttered in a low voice.

“Gasp-!”

I was so surprised by the word ‘first night’ that I took a deep breath and accidentally fell backwards behind the bed. As if waiting for it.

He was momentarily embarrassed, then looked down at me intently and said.

“You have a fiery personality… I see. Anyone would think you’ve been waiting for this day?”

“!”

What? Prince Tessler, you son of a bitch, did you lie to me? Emperor Linell is *not* a beautiful but useless thing! A eunuch!