The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 12

12. I Felt It Deeply

February 13, 2021

“Pardon me?!”

I was so surprised that my body levitated off the bed before landing again. The bed shook violently, rattling even Emperor Linell. He raised an eyebrow, teasingly.

“Yes, just like my body is shaking now, I think it was like that back then too.”

“……”

“It felt like a wave of heat was being transmitted deep within my body. I felt that warmth intensely… Was that really just my imagination?”

Was I too aggressive on our first night? No, I don’t think so? I was just lying there like a corpse. Ah, now that I think about it, the moment his body touched me, the fiery heat inside me did cool down. So, I might have been a little proactive then. Emperor Linell’s gaze, full of longing, remained fixed on my face. What should I do now? Should I casually slip off my nightgown, suggesting we find out if it was really just my imagination? Should I turn off the lights first?

“However, I will not force myself on you.”

Emperor Linell’s solemn voice made both my hands, which were reaching for the nightgown strap and the lamp, freeze simultaneously. Wow, I almost jumped the gun!

“……Your Majesty.”

“I mean it. That’s how I feel. I don’t know about my body, though.”

His eyes, which had been filled with desire just moments ago, softened.

“I may be someone who can do almost anything I want in the Lapion Empire, no, in the Northern Continent, but not to my wife… I don’t want to do that.”

Surprisingly, his voice sounded sincere. It was astonishing that an emperor with all that power would think that way. Whether he could stick to that thought was another matter.

“I want to keep at least one person by my side in life who I have to be mindful of and can’t treat carelessly.”

Emperor Linell suddenly started to look lovable. His sincere words made me want to throw off the thin nightgown I was wearing right away. I wasn’t really going to do it, but I was touched by the Emperor’s words. The fact that he was a good man… made the fact that I was a surrogate empress even sadder. I lowered my head without realizing it. A few seconds later, his large hand rested on the back of my head.

“I won’t treat you carelessly, but honestly, I don’t plan on being very patient.”

I raised my head again at his confessional tone. He was smiling, his hand still on my head as if the priests were giving a blessing.

“Of course, I’ll need your permission. Well, I guess so… Hmm, let me tell you in advance…”

He whispered in my ear like it was a top secret.

“I’m a terribly impatient person. I hope you’ll keep that in mind.”

“Thank you for the information…”

I bit my lower lip and replied.

“Let’s make do with that today.”

He gestured to my hand with his eyes.

“……Pardon?”

What is he going to replace with my hand? My eyes wandered around. Emperor Linell withdrew his outstretched hand and glared at me.

“Why, is that not allowed either?”

“No, I don’t know what it is, but… it’s allowed.”

“Really? But Empress, why do you keep looking down?”

That’s what I want to know, why do my eyes keep doing that?

“And why are your eyes so wide? Is there something you need to check in here?”

Emperor Linell poked the blanket covering us with his finger and asked.

“No, it’s not that…”

His jokes, which didn’t suit his deep voice at all, completely shut me up. I didn’t know why my eyes kept wandering to the wrong places, just as he pointed out. As a sign of repentance, I squeezed my eyes shut and pretended to poke them with my fingers. Then, I repeatedly heard Emperor Linell scoffing.

“Empress, you almost caused a big problem just now.”

“……Why?”

“While you had your eyes closed, my resolve almost changed.”

He ruffled his hair and grumbled.

“So, don’t do that anymore.”

Do what? What did I do to make the Emperor look so troubled? He didn’t look upset, but he didn’t look happy either.

“I hope you’ll let me keep my resolve, at least for today.”

His resolve? Ah, maybe…

‘I have no intention of forcing myself on you.’

Is that what he meant?

“Don’t try to know the details.”

Emperor Linell said warningly.

“Don’t be curious. And definitely don’t try to confirm it.”

He moved his hips, creating a little distance between us.

“……Pardon?”

“Let’s just sleep quietly today.”

He muttered softly. It was as if he was saying it to himself.

“Here.”

Emperor Linell suddenly held out his hand like before.

“As I said a moment ago, I’ll be satisfied with this today.”

His tone was as solemn as if he were reciting a declaration. I placed my hand on his palm as he wished.

“Your Majesty, are we just going to hold hands and sleep?”

He reacted immediately to my words. Nod, nod. …I guess that’s really it.

“You look disappointed? Seeing this, I don’t think the Empress is that innocent either.”

He smiled teasingly.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about?”

I naturally feigned ignorance. It’s not like I was expecting anything, but I really didn’t think we would just hold hands and sleep.

“You’re also bad at lying.”

“……”

He flicked my cheek and chuckled.

“Let’s lie down now.”

We slid down and lay side by side. He put our clasped hands under the blanket and repeatedly squeezed and released my hand. It felt like I was getting a massage on my hand. After a few minutes, he called me.

“Empress, no, Zelda…”

My name. In a sweet voice. It felt strange to hear my name from Emperor Linell’s lips. When I didn’t answer right away, he turned to me.

“This is much better. From now on, when it’s just the two of us, I should call you by your name.”

His smiling face was too close.

“Let’s call each other by our names when it’s just the two of us. What do you think?”

“Are you saying… I should call Your Majesty by your name too?”

“Yes. Now, you, Zelda, are the only person in the world who can call me by my name.”

Indeed, Emperor Linell’s father and mother had both passed away before he even turned 20, so there was no one left who could call him by his name.

“I don’t even remember when I last heard someone call my name.”

“Linell…”

I don’t know where the courage came from, but I called him without hesitation. I spoke the Emperor’s name as naturally as if I had always called him by his name.

“What?”

“Linell.”

“What did you say?”

It didn’t sound like he was asking because he didn’t hear me, but he kept asking.

“Why do you keep pretending you can’t hear me, Linell?”

“Ha, hahaha!”

This time, he burst out laughing. I couldn’t understand what was so funny about what I said. Anyway, I was happy that he seemed to be in a good mood. He was embarrassed to hear his name, like a teenager receiving a confession, but he kept asking me to call him by his name.

“Go on.”

“Linell, aren’t you tired?”

“I guess that means you’re tired, so I should stop asking you to do it?”

As expected, he was a very perceptive man.

“You are a wise ruler.”

I replied, pretending to be impressed.

“Zelda.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

When I called him Your Majesty again, he glared at me.

“Ah, Linell.”

As soon as I called him by his name again, he twitched his lips and looked up at the ceiling. He paused for a moment and said to me in a serious voice.

“I like your name. I’m starting to like it.”

“My name? You’re starting to like my name?”

Not me, just my name? It sounded a little strange, so I asked him again. Linell let out an unknown laugh and repeatedly emphasized that he was starting to like it. Could he be talking about me, not my name? For a brief moment, a vain hope fluttered through my mind like a spring breeze. But that couldn’t be it, could it? He must just be saying it. I nodded quietly to myself and sorted out my thoughts. The night was getting late, but his and my pointless conversation showed no signs of stopping. As our words dwindled, he mumbled like he was talking in his sleep.

“Zelda, I’m not cold when I sleep with you. It’s really strange…”

Linell’s sleepy voice entered my heart and swirled around. A moment later, his comfortable breathing tickled my ears. I carefully turned my head to the side and saw that he was asleep with a smile on his face.

“I also feel cool when I’m with you, like I’ve been thrown into a fire. I want to keep sleeping comfortably like this in the future…”

I secretly whispered to him as I watched him, then fell asleep. I felt the hand I was holding with him being pulled out of the blanket by him. Was I dreaming? I could feel Linell’s heartbeat in my hand… Maybe it was just my imagination?

*** When I opened my eyes in the morning, Linell had already woken up before me and left the bedroom.

“Your Majesty the Empress, did you sleep well?”

Sharon, with a much brighter expression than yesterday, greeted me with a morning greeting and examined my complexion. She clearly knew that Linell had spent the night in my bedroom. Sharon glanced at the spot where he had been lying and carefully opened her mouth.

“His Majesty said that Your Majesty the Empress was sleeping deeply and told me not to wake you.”

“I see. But please wake me up next time. It was like this on the first day too, and I overslept again and couldn’t see His Majesty off this time either.”

Somehow, my face flushed as I imagined Linell looking down at me, sound asleep, after getting up first.

“Yes, I will. Your Majesty the Empress.”

Sharon smiled brightly and answered.

“Oh, Sharon. Do you like your new residence?”

“Yes, but it’s too much for me!”

Since last night, I had Sharon move from the servants’ quarters to the closest place to my bedroom, one of the rooms used by the maids when they stayed in the palace.

“I don’t know how to thank you for Your Majesty the Empress’s grace.”

“You are qualified enough. Tell me anything you need in the future. I’ll solve it as much as I can.”

“I’m already so satisfied! Thank you so much.”

Sharon’s face, which had been smiling brightly, became solemn again.

“Um, Your Majesty the Empress…”

“Yes?”

“Grand Duke Martins has requested an audience.”

“The Grand Duke again?”

What’s that human doing today? At my question, Sharon lengthened the end of her words with an ‘uh-uh’ sound, and then corrected her words, saying that she had missed something to convey, and reopened the notebook she was holding.

“It is stated that he requested to see you with His Majesty the Emperor.”

“What? Grand Duke Martins with His Majesty?”

“Yes, I received it exactly as it was conveyed. Shall I go to Secretary Raphael and check again?”

“Ah, no. If that’s how the report came, it must be correct.”

Haa, just thinking about meeting the three of them in one place made me feel uneasy.

“Yes, I have to meet them together…”

I steeled my resolve and got out of bed. Grumble-. With a hungry stomach.

“Your Majesty the Empress, I will have breakfast brought out first before you take a shower.”

I nodded, once again feeling that Sharon was a truly excellent servant.

“Yes, that would be good.”

I smiled awkwardly and stroked my stomach. 1 hour later. I finished the hearty breakfast that Sharon had prepared and even took a shower.

“Meeting His Majesty and the Grand Duke is in the afternoon, what’s the schedule for the morning?”

I asked Sharon as I sat in front of the dressing table.

“Oh my, my mind. I almost forgot to report the morning schedule because I was telling you about the most important schedule today first.”

Sharon hurriedly took out her notebook from her dress pocket, hitting her head lightly with her fist. I smiled at Sharon’s flustered appearance and turned my body, still seated at the dressing table, towards Sharon.

“In the morning, you will have tea time with the noble young ladies in the reception room. You may want to see if there are any of the young ladies you meet today that Your Majesty the Empress would like to bring in as new maids.”

“Hmm, tea time with the young ladies… How many will attend?”

“A total of fifteen young ladies have been invited to the Empress Palace today.”

“Will those young ladies I saw in the bedroom yesterday attend?”

“Yes, they were on the list.”

“I see.”

I nodded and sat back down, looking in the mirror.

“Now, I will have the maids who will do Your Majesty the Empress’s hair and makeup come in.”

“Yes, do that.”

Sharon quickly opened the bedroom door and brought in two maids who were waiting. She introduced the maid who would do my hair first in a proud voice.

“Your Majesty the Empress, this is Solie, from the Imperial Gardener’s family. Since her great-grandfather’s time, they have been cultivating and tending the flower garden for generations. Solie has a better talent for doing hair than landscaping.”

I reached out to Solie, listening to Sharon’s praise.

“Nice to meet you, Solie. That’s a very precious talent.”

“You flatter me, Your Majesty the Empress! I will serve you with all my heart!”

Solie smiled innocently and kissed the back of my hand.

“Please take good care of me in the future. Think of my hair as a tree and decorate it as much as you want.”

Solie’s face brightened even more at my words.

“And this is Teresa, who will be in charge of makeup. She is an artist, and her makeup is like painting a picture. She is especially talented at mixing various colors to create lipsticks that don’t exist anywhere else in the world.”

“Ah, Teresa is also really wonderful. Please paint my lacking face well, as if you were drawing a picture.”

“I, I will do my best to make you the most beautiful and sophisticated in the Lapion Empire, Your Majesty the Empress!”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

I chuckled at Teresa’s enthusiastic eyes and nodded. Sharon personally picked out the dress, just like yesterday. I was impressed with Sharon’s eye for choosing dresses again today. The three maids seriously discussed with each other what kind of hairstyle and makeup would go well with the dress I was wearing, and occasionally asked for my opinion. Do I really need to pick maids? There are experts in clothing, hair, and makeup like that? I seriously pondered while entrusting myself to their touch.

“It’s all done. Your Majesty the Empress.”

At Sharon’s words, I got up from the dressing table chair and stood in front of the full-length mirror.

“Wow, I knew you would be this beautiful!”

“You’re so gorgeous!”

“It’s disrespectful to say this, but you’re much, much more wonderful than when I saw you at the wedding!”

They surrounded me and constantly exclaimed. I couldn’t help but agree with their words to myself in an atmosphere that was definitely different from somewhere. In the mirror, there was no longer Zelda von Trova, the Countess of Shattonil, who worked as a bath maid. It was the appearance of Zelda Gadion Edpa, the Empress of the Lapion Empire. Suddenly, I thought of someone I wanted to show this more sophisticated look to than yesterday. Linell, what is he doing now? But before meeting him, I had to have tea time with the noble young ladies first. Knock knock-. A knock sounded, and a servant outside the bedroom delivered the news that Sharon was wanted. Sharon excused herself and left the bedroom. A few minutes later, she returned with a pale face.

“Sharon, what’s wrong?”

“Your, Your Majesty the Empress… You should go to the reception room, the tea time venue, quickly.”

“Why? Are the gathered young ladies urging me?”

I approached Sharon, who was restless, and asked.

“No, it’s not that…”

Sharon couldn’t continue her words with a troubled look.

“What’s wrong?”

I had a bad feeling instinctively. When I frowned slightly, Sharon said in a subdued voice.

“There’s news that… there are candidates who will become His Majesty’s concubines… at the tea time…”

What?