The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 152

152. The Pet

June 18, 2022

It was long, silver hair.

Without needing to ponder whose it was, Bellos knew who had attacked Misha.

Still, confirmation was necessary.

Bellos held the silver hair in his hand and closed his eyes.

After sensing the energy remaining in the hair, he opened his eyes.

It was as he expected.

“It was the bastard next door.”

Bellos glanced at the right wall as he spoke.

“Yes…? Are you referring to His Majesty Emperor Adrian?”

“Yes, I’ve been watching him as he possesses a unique energy… What is his true nature?”

Bellos muttered, staring at the wall.

Emperor Adrian’s energy itself was abnormal.

Bellos usually felt that way about those who practiced black magic.

Was Emperor Adrian a black magician?

But that couldn’t be. Black magicians possessed much stronger energy, but Emperor Adrian’s energy wasn’t at that level.

If he wasn’t a black magician, it was highly likely he was using black magic.

But why? What for?

Bellos’s thoughts stretched endlessly before he looked back at Misha.

“For now, you must keep the information about this hair and what I just said to yourself. I will find an opportunity to speak with His Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress separately.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Hmm, I’m sorry. It seems like it’s my fault that you had to go through this.”

“Not at all, Master Bellos! I have been satisfied with my life so far, both in the Adelheid family and in the Imperial Palace, following Lady Rosie.”

Misha was sincere.

If it weren’t for Bellos, she would undoubtedly be stuck in Akrato Duchy, helping her witch grandmother and living a stifling life on a small island.

Since her teens, Misha had served Lady Adelheid, Bellos’s disciple and Rosie’s mother, in the Adelheid family, and she assisted Rosie just before her death.

Of course, her main task was to occasionally send news via crow about any changes in the wyvern egg, as Bellos had instructed.

After Moiya hatched from the egg, the frequency of her reports to Bellos increased.

In short, she was sending Bellos Moiya’s growth diary.

“The wound will last about a week. Although I’ve stopped the bleeding, avoid strenuous movements as much as possible, and be careful not to get water on the wound.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Oh, no, bowing your head like that is the worst thing you can do. It will open the wound.”

When Misha bowed deeply to express her gratitude, Bellos waved his hand to stop her.

“Ah, right, that’s true.”

“Until you’re fully healed, you must keep your head held high even when serving Lady Rosie.”

Misha burst into laughter at Bellos’s sincere joke.

Her face, which had been pale until a moment ago, thankfully began to regain color.

“Lady Rosie will understand. After all, you were injured while bringing Moiya’s sausages.”

“Actually, it’s a bit much to blame Lady Rosie or Moiya… It was originally my job anyway.”

At Misha’s words, Bellos tilted his head to the side.

“It seems you’ve grown quite fond of them?”

“I’ve been with Lady Rosie since we were like sisters in the Adelheid family. Ah, but I am Master Bellos’s person!”

Misha, who had been speaking with a gentle smile, hurriedly said as she looked at Bellos, who was staring at her.

“I’m not saying anything. It’s natural to grow fond of someone when you spend a lot of time together.”

However, Bellos, who had lived for 250 years after the age of 20, had never given his heart to anyone.

Everyone he had cared for had passed away before him.

So, at some point, he consciously stopped giving his heart to anyone.

But it seemed he had already given his heart to Zelda, whom he had only met recently.

‘I gave her a Divine Sword, a wyvern egg, and now even my heart…’

But when he thought about it, he hadn’t intended to give any of those things to Zelda.

And she certainly hadn’t taken them from him.

They had simply flowed to her naturally.

What was disconcerting was that he had never dreamed his heart would go that way.

‘My partner is stripping me of everything I have.’

But he still had one thing left that he hadn’t given to Zelda.

Bellos looked at the Divine Sword leaning against the wall a moment ago.

He would hold on to that one and resist giving it to her.

Until she begged him to give it to her.

‘But will that ever happen? Will she ever beg me for the Divine Sword because she needs it?’

Well, if it didn’t exist, he could just create it.

Misha quietly looked up at the Archmage, who had fallen silent again.

The emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure appeared on his face in turn, wondering what he was thinking.

“Master Archmage?”

Misha cautiously called out to Bellos, feeling uncomfortable as the silence grew too long.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment.”

She wanted to ask what he had been thinking about that had made his cheeks flushed, but she couldn’t dare to ask such a question.

“Ahem, for now, focus on recovering from your injury. I’ll tell Big to do the dressing once a day, so keep that in mind.”

“Thank you for your concern. Then, I will return to my room now.”

“I’ll escort you.”

“Ah, no! I can go alone.”

Misha waved her hands.

But the Archmage had already walked past her and was heading towards the door.

“Don’t refuse. I’m doing this because I feel sorry.”

As he spoke to Misha and pulled the doorknob, the Archmage turned his head back and was startled, taking a step back.

“Oh, geez, you scared me!”

“Miyaong? (She knows my name?) ”

Aoshi looked at Bellos, startled, from Rosie’s arms.

Outside the door, Rosie stood holding Aoshi, her eyes bloodshot.

“Lady, didn’t you leave earlier? Why did you come back?”

At Bellos’s question, Rosie poked her head into the room and pointed at Misha with her finger.

“I came back to take my maid.”

“Yes? Alone, Lady?”

Bellos tilted his head, puzzled that the concubine had come to take her maid in person, and looked around the hallway.

The hallway was quiet.

“Not alone, with my cat. His name is Aoshi.”

Rosie stroked Aoshi in her arms as she replied.

“…Ah, I see.”

“Lady, what if that rascal wanders around again? Why did you come out alone!”

Misha quickly came to the door and said to Rosie.

“You have to come back alone too.”

“Lady…”

Misha’s nose tingled.

Rosie put Aoshi on her shoulder and took Misha’s hand.

“Let’s go, Misha. How’s the pain?”

Moiya, who had transformed into a white butterfly and followed, was attached to Rosie’s back.

“Thanks to the Archmage’s good treatment, there’s no pain. He said there won’t be any problems as long as the wound heals well.”

Misha wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with her fingers.

“Archmage, thank you once again. We’ll be going now.”

Rosie put her hands together neatly and greeted Bellos.

“You’re welcome. Then, please return safely, Lady.”

Bellos smiled and saw Rosie and Misha off at the door.

He smiled inwardly as he watched the daughter of his only female disciple.

‘I thought they didn’t look alike at all, but her personality is exactly like hers.’

Bellos recalled his disciple, who had passed away, and continued to watch Rosie’s receding figure.

“I’ll have to catch up with that one soon too.”

Bellos lowered his gaze to the white butterfly, Moiya, attached to her back.

***

“It was a good idea to include the Archmage in the hunting competition.”

Linelle, who had entered the room, said as he leaned back against the headboard of the bed after showering.

“I agree. Thanks to him, Misha was treated quickly.”

I took off the gown I was wearing and put it on the sofa before climbing onto the bed. He put his arm around my shoulder.

“Do you think he specifically targeted Misha? Or did he simply need blood?”

“I don’t think he targeted a specific person. It’s more likely that Rosie’s maid was unlucky. If it had been me or you going up those stairs, we might have been attacked too.”

Linelle massaged the back of my neck with his hand.

For some reason, I felt a chill and goosebumps rose on my neck.

“But if he really needed blood and sucked Misha’s blood, there’s a possibility that another victim will appear later, right?”

“There’s a high possibility. Who could it be… The culprit is definitely here.”

“What if the culprit is one of the honored guests?”

“That’s true. If it’s someone from our empire, I can take care of it myself, but if it’s a guest from another country, especially from the Southern Continent… it’ll be a bit complicated.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to keep it quiet for now rather than making it public rashly?”

“I think so too. It makes the culprit uneasy while also making them careless. If they consumed blood out of necessity, a similar incident will definitely occur during the hunting competition. We can make it public then.”

“That’s right, the culprit must be wondering how the aftermath was handled.”

“I suppose so…”

Linelle whispered softly as he kissed my neck.

“If he was a vampire, he probably would have bitten here.”

He gently bit the side of my neck.

For a moment, I thought that if it was such a handsome vampire, I would gladly offer my neck.

I pushed his body, which was leaning towards me, away and said seriously.

“Weak. You have to bite like this.”

I sank my teeth into his neck and shouted, “Grrr!”

Despite the proper demonstration, he was ticklish and shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t remember raising a dog.”

Linelle hugged me and laughed.

“I think you’re raising someone who turns into a dog when they drink?”

I confidently said, pressing my cheek with my index finger.

He rubbed his lips against my ear, then pressed his lips against mine once, as if stamping a seal, and looked into my eyes.

When I smiled, making my eyes into crescent shapes, he smiled along with me, then his eyes suddenly darkened.

Linelle gently licked my lips.

“I don’t remember raising a dog either?”

I tilted my head away from his sticky kiss and said.

He stared at me blankly for a moment, then,

“Woof-”

He made a dog barking sound.

His actions just now were completely devoid of the dignity of an emperor, but as a husband, he couldn’t have been more lovely.

I burst into laughter, laid him down on the bed, and kissed him mercilessly.

“Try it again, it was really cute just now.”

“Ah, no.”

He frowned and resisted.

“Hand.”

When I held out my hand to him and spoke commandingly, he unknowingly placed his hand on my palm and immediately groaned.

“…Oh, geez!”

“See, you listen so well?”

At my teasing tone, he suddenly pounced on me like a crazy hunting dog.

“Ah, why are you biting there! Ah, it’s ticklish there!”

Only the location had changed, but our night was no different from the nights in the Imperial Palace.

No, he was even more wild.

***

Rosie took Misha into her room.

“Misha, are you really okay?”

She burst into tears again from the moment she said the name ‘Misha’.

“Lady, don’t cry! Thanks to the Archmage’s good treatment, I don’t feel any pain. He said the wound will heal in about a week.”

Misha also burst into tears as she said ‘Lady’.

“Miyaong. (Don’t cry, you two.)”

Aoshi also cried sadly between the two and rubbed his eyes with his front paws.

“My sins are great, Moiya~ sob!”

Moiya surveyed the atmosphere, then lay flat in front of Misha and sobbed.

She felt sorry for Misha, but since she couldn’t cry, she secretly put saliva on her finger and applied it to her eyes.

Contrary to her dry eyes, her crying was a wail.

“But, Misha, you… are you acquainted with the Archmage?”

Moiya suddenly tilted her head and asked.