The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 113

113. Good for Stamina

2022.02.02.

Macrom flinched at my words.

“Why are you so surprised? Is Macrom lonely at night too?”

“…Yes. I was surprised because I thought you were talking about me.”

I chuckled at the commander’s reply and rotated my shoulders. I had been crouching behind a pillar, eavesdropping on Catherine and Count Ethan’s conversation, so my body felt stiff.

“Isn’t there much time left until dinner?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Then shall we stop by the training grounds and practice archery? My fingers are itching.”

“Of course, that’s an excellent idea.”

Commander Macrom greatly welcomed my suggestion. We turned towards the cypress forest where the training grounds were located.

***

From the moment Zelda left the Empress’s Palace, Velos had been following her. Arriving at the smithy, she parted ways with her escort knight and headed alone into the largest workshop inside.

“Why did she come here?”

Velos sat on a branch near the workshop she had entered, watching her. Zelda seemed to be hiding behind a pillar, eavesdropping on the conversation of two men and women already inside the workshop.

“Isn’t she cute?”

Velos pointed at her as his crow flew over and sat beside him. The crow tilted its head, looking back and forth between its master, the Tower Lord, and his mate hiding behind the workshop pillar. It had no idea what was so cute about it.

“Next time, I plan to transform into something more noticeable again.”

Caw- The crow looked at him with worried eyes at his excited voice.

“Oh, my mate must have heard everything. She’s leaving now.”

Velos watched Zelda leave the workshop and flapped his wings.

“I’ll be going now for a natural encounter.”

He flew into the sky and spoke in a truly joyful voice. Caw- Caw caw! The crow had an ominous feeling and cried out loudly.

***

As I walked along the cypress forest path towards the training grounds, talking with Commander Macrom, the conversation between Catherine and Count Ethan kept swirling in my head.

‘Meet me at the training ground warehouse at 10 PM tonight. I have something to say too.’

Should I tell Linelle about this right away? No, I shouldn’t act rashly without evidence. Should I just turn a blind eye for Catherine’s lonely night? No, Catherine is also a concubine, and it’s not right to let her do such a thing with another man. But for whose sake is it not right? Linelle? Catherine? Count Ethan? Or me? Ugh, I don’t know. As I was lost in thought, Commander Macrom whispered softly.

“It’s a deer.”

“A deer? Where?”

I quickly raised my head and followed the commander’s gaze to where he was pointing.

“Wow, it’s beautiful…”

The deer blinked its long eyelashes between the forest grasses and looked at me with its big eyes. It was so strange that it stared at me as if it knew me, and when I took a few more steps closer, the deer still stayed in place.

“It’s not thinking of running away?”

“That’s strange. Normally, they run away as soon as they sense a person.”

Commander Macrom also looked puzzled.

“The antlers are really magnificent.”

I said in admiration, and Commander Macrom nodded.

“Deer antlers are really good for the body.”

“What are they good for?”

“They are said to be the best for stamina.”

I paused in my steps.

“Re… Really?”

At Commander Macrom’s words, I naturally thought of Linelle.

“Your Majesty, I apologize for saying this, but deer antlers are not necessary for Your Majesty.”

Commander Macrom replied quietly as if he had read my mind.

“How do you know that?”

“Didn’t I compete with you yesterday?”

“That was a sword fight.”

I lowered my voice as I carefully approached the deer.

“Ah! Are you perhaps saying that His Majesty has problems…?”

The commander trailed off and followed behind me.

“That’s not it, but the more stamina, the better. It’s even better to replenish it in advance. Don’t you think?”

I smiled brightly to look like the nicest person possible to the deer and spoke to Commander Macrom.

“That is true, but if it becomes too much…”

“We can become too much together.”

“Yes? What do you mean by that?”

“Is my mouth not a mouth?” [A playful way of asking if she doesn’t have the right to speak or enjoy things too.]

Ah, was my voice too loud? The deer, which had been quietly waiting for me with its big eyes wide open, suddenly ran away into the forest.

“Ugh, the deer ran away because you kept talking to me.”

I turned to Commander Macrom and grumbled.

“Could it be that the deer understood Your Majesty’s words and ran away?”

“Come on, don’t be ridiculous.”

I snorted and laughed. Leaving my disappointment behind, I headed back to the training grounds.

***

“Kyaa! So refreshing.”

Moya, who had finished drinking the pineapple juice that Misha had brought, took out two ice cubes from the glass with her hand.

“I wonder if the child in the ice is doing well?”

She put one ice cube in her mouth and threw the other to Ao’s.

“Miyaong. (It’ll be quietly in the ice.)”

Ao’s played with the ice that fell in front of him with his front paws and replied.

“Shall we go warm up our throats?”

“Miyaaong? (Really? What made you want to do good deeds?)”

“Like I would do that?”

Moya put her hands on her hips and asked.

“…Miyaong? (Then?)”

“If I don’t breathe fire often, the flames will weaken. I need to breathe fire periodically to get stronger, Moya~.”

“Miyaong… (That’s what I thought…)”

“The child in the ice who can’t even speak the same language is much better than him. I can’t even have a human conversation with him at all.”

Moya glared at Rams, who was sleeping soundly on the bed.

“Miyaong? (But you’re not even human, why do you have to have a human conversation?)”

“Ugh, you have no ambition. That’s why you can’t speak human language like me.”

Moya plucked one of Ao’s whiskers with a look of pity, and Ao’s lashed out with his front paw in anger.

“It’s about time Rosie finishes her business and comes out. We have to leave now if we’re going.”

Moya easily dodged Ao’s paw and grabbed Ao’s by the scruff of his neck and flew towards the terrace door.

“Miyaong! (Okay, let’s go! To the child!)”

“Wait. I don’t see anything to transform into today?”

“Mi, Miyaong? (A bee just came in. Oh? It looks like it’s trying to sting Rams?)”

At Ao’s words, Moya put Ao’s down on the terrace floor and flew back to the bed.

“That flower-like thing! You’re asking for death, Moya~!”

Moya glared at the bee circling over Rams’ face and did a doppelganger [transformed]. Moya, who instantly turned into a honeybee, made eye contact with Rams.

“What are you looking at? I’ll be back, so bother Rosie a little. Got it? Cry, quickly!”

Despite Moya’s threat, Rams only laughed, recognizing Moya who had doppelganged into a bee, and showed no signs of crying at all.

“Miyaong! (Let’s go quickly!)”

As Ao’s went out to the terrace and urged her, Moya clung to Ao’s fur and shouted.

“Departure to the Royal Library… Aal!”

“Miyaaong? (Why does she always stick to my fur even though she has wings?)”

***

Thwack-! Every arrow shot hit the center of the target. Commander Macrom also shot arrows with me, and only two out of five shots slightly missed the center, and the rest were hits. Considering that the commander is blind, it’s really amazing. I could fully guess how skilled Commander Macrom was before he lost his sight.

“Who won?”

Commander Macrom asked, lowering his bow.

“The commander won.”

It was a lie, but it made sense. If I had shot with my eyes closed, I wouldn’t have reached even half the level of the commander’s shots. Commander Macrom smiled faintly. He didn’t seem to believe my words. He pulled out the last arrow from his quiver and said.

“Your Majesty, there is no need to actively participate in this hunting competition.”

“I don’t intend to actively participate, but if prey passes before my eyes, I don’t intend to actively stay still either?”

I turned my body slightly to the side and shot an arrow at Commander Macrom’s target. Two arrows flew towards Commander Macrom’s target at the same time. Thwack-! The arrow I shot slightly pushed Commander’s arrow away and hit the center.

“That’s true. You may enjoy it to some extent. Although Your Majesty may not like it. Is it a hit?”

Commander Macrom pointed to his target that I had just shot with his finger and asked. He even noticed that I had shot an arrow at his target.

“Surprisingly.”

I replied in a boastful tone.

“I’m in a dress today, so I’ll just have to shoot arrows. Next time, let’s have a formal sword fight.”

“I would be honored. You are welcome to attack me simultaneously with His Majesty at any time.”

“I’ll be sure to tell His Majesty that when he’s in the worst mood.”

“Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty.”

I smiled with satisfaction at Commander Macrom’s hardened expression.

“Do you know that?”

“Know what?”

“The fact that you two are starting to resemble each other in your jokes.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“…You also resemble each other in positive aspects.”

Commander Macrom raised his hand to his forehead and said in admiration.

“Anyway, don’t worry too much about the hunting competition. I’ll adapt well.”

“Yes, but you will be spending more than half a day in the forest. It is not an easy journey for women. Of course, you will be resting in the summer palaces or nobles’ villas located in various places before nightfall.”

“I heard. But we’ll always be sleeping indoors, right?”

“Yes, but there are variables depending on the weather and situation.”

I nodded and said in a serious voice.

“As I said before, please take good care of Bonus instead of me.”

“Of course.”

When Bonus’s name came up, a slight smile appeared on Commander Macrom’s expressionless face.

“Oh, about the armory. You don’t usually lock the door or anything, do you?”

“Because there’s nothing for the knight commanders who come here to steal from the armory. Why are you suddenly asking that?”

Commander Macrom asked back with an expression that he was hearing all sorts of strange things.

“What about the windows? Do you leave the windows in the warehouse open too?”

“Well…?”

“Commander, wait here. Just a moment.”

As I walked towards the warehouse, Commander Macrom followed me almost unconsciously.

“Why is Your Majesty checking whether the warehouse windows are open or closed?”

Why else? Because I have to catch the secret meeting tonight, no, watch it.

“Um, as the Empress, for the sake of managing the training ground facilities?”

“…Yes?”

I left the bewildered Commander Macrom behind and opened the warehouse door and reached for the window behind the straw pile.

“Ah, it’s locked.”

“Is the window management well maintained?”

Commander Macrom asked, leaning against the warehouse wall.

“Oh, it’s carefully locked.”

So no one can eavesdrop from the outside.

“Then let’s get out of here. Your Majesty.”

“I should.”

I came out, slightly unlocking the window lock as I went down the straw pile.

“Let’s shoot the remaining arrows in my quiver and go back.”

I came back to the training ground and picked up the bow that I had put down on the floor.

“Yes, shall I go to the target and stand with an apple on my head?”

“Aren’t you overestimating my skills?”

I laughed, pulling the bowstring. Then Commander Macrom said, “Huh?” and turned towards the entrance of the training ground.

“What’s wrong?”

I turned my head to where the commander was staring.

“Your Majesty, what brings you here?”

Linelle strode into the entrance of the training ground.

“Anyone who hears that would think I follow the Empress all day long.”

“Your Majesty. I apologize for saying this, but I have never thought that way.”

At Commander Macrom’s words, he got angry instead.

“Why haven’t you ever thought that way? It’s the truth.”

“…Ah, I see.”

The commander sighed softly with an expression that said, ‘Here we go again.’

“We’re having a banquet with dignitaries tonight. Have a cup of tea with me and let’s go back to prepare. Oh, shoot all the remaining arrows.”

He handed me an arrow directly from the quiver and said.

“Suddenly?”

I received the arrow from him and immediately shot the arrow at the target.

“That’s how it is. Huh? It’s a hit even without aiming? Was that just shot… coincidence or skill?”

Linelle had a look of disbelief.

“You’ll know if you shoot the last one left.”

I picked up the last arrow with an elegant gesture.

“What, a deer in the training ground?”

At Linelle’s muttering voice, I glanced at the entrance of the training ground while pulling the last bowstring.

“Oh? It looks like the deer I saw in the forest earlier?”

Looking at the deer’s large antlers and seemingly sad eyes, it was definitely the deer I had met on the way to the training ground.

“Really? There have never been animals lurking in the training ground before, so this is really strange.”

Commander Macrom stroked his chin and looked bewildered.

“Deer steak is delicious.”

Linelle’s words awakened my hunting instincts. I quietly recited as if making a pledge.

“Let’s catch it.”

“What did you say?”

He asked, bursting into a hollow laugh.

“Deer antlers are good for stamina.”

“Empress, what are you doing? Shoot quickly!”

Encouraged by Linelle’s support, I picked up the last arrow towards the deer lurking at the entrance of the training ground.