The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 118

118. For You

February 19, 2022

“Little one, how have you been?”

As soon as they entered the underground chamber of the main palace library, Moiya, who had been a bee doppelganger, returned to her original form and flew to Joseph. Joseph blinked and greeted her happily.

“Miyaong! (You missed me, right?)”

Aoshi also jumped up and scratched at the cursed ice with her two front paws.

“You’re always in the same place, unchanging. This great wyvern is very tired these days.”

‘Why?’

Joseph asked inwardly, his eyes widening slightly.

“A very insignificant human brat has come into the house of the human subordinate I have, Moiya~.”

Moiya clenched her small fist and trembled. Joseph didn’t understand what Moiya was suddenly talking about, but he figured she must be unhappy about something lately.

“You at least blink at what I say, right? But all that one can do is cry, poop, and eat. Ugh, I wonder when it will grow up and be a proper human.”

‘Aren’t you still a baby too?’

Joseph smiled inwardly, looking at Moiya.

“Well, it’s not like I expect to be repaid for my kindness. But since it was born as a human, it should know the grace of those who raised it, right? Later, I hope it doesn’t say something like it doesn’t remember because it was a baby.”

“Miyaaong. (Humans supposedly don’t remember when they were babies.)”

Aoshi looked at Moiya with a pathetic expression.

“Really? Humans are inferior animals after all. Oh, except for our master…….”

Moiya harshly criticized humans, but when Zelda came to mind, she immediately corrected herself.

‘Um… Moiya, the area around your mouth where you breathed fire last time seems to be melting little by little. You might not know it, but I can feel it.’

Joseph hoped that Moiya would breathe fire in the same spot again today. If the cursed ice melted a little more, he might be able to move his mouth a little.

“I have to go take care of the human brat, so I can’t stay long. You can be fine alone like this, but Rams can’t.”

From Joseph’s perspective, Moiya seemed to have affection for the baby named Rams, even while grumbling.

‘Why?’

“Because there are humans who are after that small and insignificant thing.”

Moiya, remarkably, seemed to understand the intention behind Joseph’s wide eyes and added the reason why she had to leave quickly.

“Miyaaong? (But is it okay to tell the little one about Rams? Rose clearly said it was a secret.)”

“Hey, where is he going to say it? Unless his mouth gets opened. In that sense, shall we breathe fire until our throats are hoarse today?”

Moiya twisted her neck this way and that, took a preparatory stance, and breathed fire in the same spot as before, as Joseph had hoped. Kwaaack- Kwaaaaaack-!

“Miyaong?! (Oh? The flames seem a bit stronger than last time?!)”

Aoshi flapped her wings in the air, looking up at Moiya breathing fire with a curious expression, and exclaimed in admiration. Ten minutes passed as she breathed fire without stopping.

“Agogo, I’m dying.”

Moiya, looking utterly exhausted, seemed to collapse to the floor, then sprawled out.

“Even if you twist a wyvern’s neck, dawn will come! There’s an old saying like that, but it must be a lie. My neck feels like it’s about to break just from breathing fire a little. I’m going to die at dawn like this.”

“Miyaong? (You’re a great wyvern, but you’re making a fuss over doing that?)”

Aoshi nudged Moiya’s foot lying on the floor with her front paw, scolding her. Then Moiya opened her mouth wide and slowly raised her body.

“Cats are said to be mystical beings… you’re incredibly perceptive, Moiya~? Hehe.”

Aoshi was right. Rather than being tired, Moiya was bored and annoyed, so she was deliberately making dying noises to get out of the secret chamber quickly. Moiya looked up at Joseph with an apologetic expression.

“Oong?”

But when she thought about it, Joseph couldn’t understand cat language. Realizing this, Moiya changed her expression again and spoke to Joseph in a hoarse voice.

“I worked too hard, so my voice… feels like I’m going to lose it. I’ll come back later. You’re very grateful again today, right?”

Joseph blinked his eyes several times with an expression that clearly showed his gratitude.

“I’ll come back with better quality flames next time, so stay well until then. Ah, maybe I’ll come after the hunting competition.”

“Miyaong? (Are we going to the hunting competition too?)”

Aoshi asked in surprise.

“Of course, since our master is going.”

Moiya put her hands on her hips and shouted proudly. Even if she was told not to come, there was no one who could stop her. She could just doppelganger into anyone and follow along.

“I’ll come back even greater!”

She had heard from Rosie that the continental hunting competition would begin in three days. If so, there might not be a chance to visit Joseph before leaving.

“Miyaaong……. (I’m going to miss you…….)”

Aoshi and Moiya waved their hands and said goodbye to Joseph. Moiya, who had transformed back into honey on the wall, clung to Aoshi’s fur and muttered.

“A strange guy is coming. Let’s go, Aoshi. We have to go back now!”

‘Goodbye, thank you, guys.’

Joseph sent his greetings with his eyes. Soon after Moiya and Aoshi returned. The innermost ice in the area where Moiya had breathed fire began to melt little by little like cookie crumbs. Joseph could move his lips ever so slightly.

***

After the banquet, Emperor Adrian remained at the main palace, saying he wanted to tour the interior. In fact, that was an excuse. There was another reason why he stopped his steps to return to the detached palace.

‘I can definitely feel the aura of a wyvern somewhere around here…….’

Emperor Adrian wandered around the main palace, pretending to admire it, with Empress Elan and his secretary. As he headed towards the side where the wyvern’s aura was getting stronger, he was ascending the central staircase.

“What’s on this floor?”

Emperor Adrian stopped on the landing where the wyvern’s aura was clearly felt and asked his secretary.

“There is His Majesty Rinell’s office and audience room, and the imperial library,” the secretary replied, unfolding a book containing a diagram of the imperial palace and major facilities that he had received from Rafion, the attendant at the detached palace. Emperor Adrian silently went up to the second floor, stood in front of the central staircase, and alternately looked at the left and right corridors. The emperor’s office and audience room were to the left, and the library was to the right.

“Your Majesty, is there a place you are looking for?”

Empress Elan asked cautiously.

“To the right.”

Emperor Adrian gestured with his chin to Empress Elan, pointing to the right corridor, and walked slowly.

‘It’s getting closer.’

But the wyvern’s aura stopped abruptly in front of the library.

“Why?”

Surely the aura was strongly felt here, even just on the landing? If it wasn’t a mistake, there was only one answer.

“It must have slipped out in the meantime.”

Emperor Adrian looked out the arched window, wide open, across from the library door. It was to feel the aura left behind by the wyvern.

“I’m sure of it.”

Emperor Adrian closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke to himself in a confident voice. Then he turned around and looked at the large library door.

“Why did it come to this place…….”

There was no way the wyvern had come to read human books. Or maybe it did. Wyverns were so eccentric and unique that it was difficult to predict their behavior.

“Open it.”

Emperor Adrian slowly walked towards the library and ordered his secretary.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Let’s go in.”

The secretary quickly opened the library door, and only Emperor Adrian and Empress Elan entered the library. Unlike its large size, there was no librarian managing the library. Emperor Adrian, looking around at the enormous books, narrowed his eyes and approached the bookshelf with the fireplace.

“Your Majesty, is there something here?”

Empress Elan followed him and asked.

“The aura of a wyvern. But it seems to have disappeared, leaving only traces now.”

Emperor Adrian smiled helplessly with a disappointed expression.

‘A wyvern?!’

Empress Elan couldn’t close her surprised mouth and began to look around the library in detail. Emperor Adrian stood in front of the space where the wyvern’s aura remained and tilted his head. There was also another powerful aura of curse mixed in.

“Ha, hahaha. He brought it here.”

Emperor Adrian muttered with a meaningful smile. With an excited expression, he began to tap the bookshelf here and there with the palm of his hand.

“……Your Majesty, what are you doing?”

Empress Elan was flustered by his strange behavior and approached him.

“You too, tap the bookshelf near here with the palm of your hand. There must be a button behind the bookshelf that allows you to enter.”

Empress Elan didn’t even dare to ask what he was talking about and began to tap here and there on the shelves of the bookshelf as he instructed. After tapping the bookshelf for a while, suddenly-. Sreureuk-.

“Yo, Your Majesty……!”

When Empress Elan put her hand on one shelf and pressed it, the bookshelf and the wall slid sideways at once. And as Emperor Adrian had said, there was a space.

“My lovely empress. You give me joy again.”

Emperor Adrian stroked Empress Elan’s wounded right cheek and said.

“You wait here. I’ll be down for a moment.”

“Wouldn’t it be dangerous since you don’t know what’s below that space?”

“There’s nothing dangerous or to worry about. Unless Emperor Rinell appears.”

“?”

“It won’t take long.”

“……Yes, I’ll wait, Your Majesty.”

Emperor Adrian left Empress Elan behind and entered the dark space. As he went down the stairs, a gray wall appeared. When he stepped on the last, fourth step, the gray wall slowly opened to the side.

“It’s been a long time since the Valley of Death.”

Emperor Adrian approached Joseph, Rinell’s young brother whom he had seen in the Valley of Death three years ago, and greeted him.

“To think you would hide Grand Duke Joseph in a place like this. Today, Emperor Rinell surprises me several times.”

Joseph was nervous about the unfamiliar visitor. Then, looking closely at his face, he realized that he was Emperor Adrian of the Thebelo Empire in the Southern Continent.

‘Why is that person here? More than that… how did he get in?’

Joseph looked at the door of the secret chamber. Adrian wondered if Emperor Adrian had come with Commander Macrum, Raphael, or Stian, but he was alone. He had seen Emperor Adrian from afar at the Valley of Death, the last battlefield three years ago. That was all. Moreover, this place was so cold with the strong chill of cursed ice that anyone who entered wearing only such a uniform would not be able to withstand it. But why…….

‘Emperor Adrian doesn’t seem to be bothered?’

“The volume of the ice isn’t as large as I thought. And it’s even melting little by little…….”

Emperor Adrian’s expression turned cold in an instant as he spoke with a smile.

“It must be the work of a wyvern, right?”

‘Gasp, he even knows about Moiya’s existence?!’

Joseph’s eyes widened without him realizing it.

“Judging by your surprise, it seems a wyvern visited a little while ago.”

Emperor Adrian looked around the secret chamber and pondered. How did the wyvern find this secret chamber? Did Emperor Rinell tell him? No, he didn’t seem to know about the existence of the wyvern yet. Then, Empress Zelda? No, that wouldn’t be it either. Not long ago, when he met her on a promenade near the West Palace, he had subtly probed her about the wyvern. Even then, she was not even aware of the fact that she understood the language of the wyvern, let alone the existence of the wyvern. So, the wyvern felt the aura of the curse itself and found this place…….

“That’s quite a nosy bastard.”

Emperor Adrian chuckled and muttered. Joseph felt an extreme sense of foreboding.

‘Why did he come in here?’

Because his body was trapped in ice, he couldn’t run away even if he felt threatened. But no one could torment him trapped in the cursed ice. The day would come when he would feel safe inside the ice. Young Joseph felt this situation was very strange.

“Do you know how much sacrifice I had to make because of this cursed ice?”

Emperor Adrian raised his left hand, touched the ice, and spoke to Joseph.

“Emperor Rinell lost his right arm.”

Suddenly, Emperor Adrian’s voice changed. It was a completely different person’s voice. Joseph’s pupils were filled with fear. It was a bigger shock than when he first saw Moiya in the secret chamber. The voice that had just come out of Emperor Adrian’s mouth was a voice that Joseph had heard before. Moreover, it was a voice he could never forget.

‘That guy!’

The one who sent the curse to trap him in the ice in the Valley of Death, and at the same time, took hypothermia from Rinell and sight from Commander Macrum…… Philke, the magician from the Southern Continent who handles wyverns. Joseph had heard about the magician Philke from Commander Macrum and Raphael after being moved to the secret chamber. He said that after Joseph fainted immediately after being cursed by Philke, Rinell, enraged, struck down his right arm with a sword and threw it down into the Valley of Death. He heard that he had disappeared since then. But why was that magician transformed into Emperor Adrian of the Thebelo Empire with a different face?

“It seems you remember my voice? How commendable.”

Emperor Adrian had no qualms about revealing his identity to Joseph. Joseph, trapped in the cursed ice, would not be able to tell anyone anyway.

“Magician Philke is no more. I was reborn in the body of Emperor Adrian. In order to keep living in this body, I need to see some blood periodically, though.”

After complaining in a plaintive tone, Emperor Adrian changed his expression again and said.

“Since the wyvern did something unnecessary, I will restore it to its original state and retreat.”

He chanted a spell and raised his left hand, scanning the cursed ice up and down. The cursed ice began to become more solid and harder than before. Joseph’s complexion changed painfully.

‘Ah, no! I don’t want to!’

The corners of his mouth, which he could move very slightly, became stiff again.

“I will visit you again after the continental hunting competition is over and the situation is settled. But I will be coming to kill you then.”

Emperor Adrian bowed to Joseph and turned around and left the secret chamber.

‘Moiya…… Aoshi…… guys, I’m so scared…….’

Tears flowed from Joseph’s eyes. Before the tears could flow down, they were absorbed into the cursed ice and frozen.

***

After exchanging greetings with the dignitaries in the banquet hall, we were the first to leave. Rinell had to go to the conference hall for a meeting with the ministers. But he said that there was still some time left before the meeting and took me to the bedroom. We had something to say to each other, but we didn’t say anything until we entered the bedroom.

“Your Majesty, why did you suddenly change the destination?”

As soon as I entered the bedroom, I brought up the question I had wanted to ask throughout the banquet.

“Were you dozing off when the Emperor spoke at the banquet hall?”

He tilted his head and smiled.

“It doesn’t seem like it’s just for convenience.”

Rinell readily admitted.

“There’s a real reason…… right?”

“It’s because of the Empress.”

“Me?”

I was dumbfounded by his words and raised my hand to my chest, asking back. My heart started beating fast for no reason.

“Yes, it’s for you.”

Rinell took something out of his uniform pocket.