The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 164

164. No Choice

July 30, 2022

The Galaco looked exactly as I had seen in books.

The Galaco, with its two snake heads, was ravenously devouring the hawk’s neck and wing area.

A gruesome sight unfolded in the cloudy sky.

The women all closed their eyes and screamed at the chilling and grotesque appearance of the Galaco, and the men were also in shock and wandered around in confusion.

The horses neighed anxiously and shifted as the procession abruptly halted.

I held the reins tightly, stroking the horse’s neck to calm it.

Linelle swiftly raised his bow and aimed at the Galaco.

“You have to hit the Galaco in the head!” Vellos shouted.

“I know,” Linelle said, his voice low. The arrow soared into the sky.

The arrow struck one of the Galaco’s two snake heads as it tore at the hawk’s wings.

But the Galaco didn’t die. The other head continued to devour the hawk’s neck.

“Why isn’t it dying when it got hit in the head?” I asked Vellos, surprised.

“The Galaco only dies when both heads are hit.”

Just then, the Galaco, which had been clutching the hawk’s torso with its sharp claws, threw the remains away.

The hawk’s corpse, more than half-eaten, landed right among the nobles.

The nobles recoiled in terror, creating a wide berth around the fallen hawk.

“Be careful!”

As if enraged by the death of its other head, the Galaco suddenly swooped down towards Linelle.

The people around him scattered.

Linelle, unfazed, pulled another arrow from his quiver. He wouldn’t miss, but the Galaco’s speed was alarming.

Even if the arrow found its mark, a collision seemed inevitable.

I quickly retrieved my slingshot from my uniform pocket, loaded a bead, and fired at the Galaco’s head.

The bead struck the Galaco’s eye, but it didn’t kill it.

The Galaco, now with a bead lodged in its eye, changed direction, bared its claws, and charged at me.

‘Come at me. You snake head,’ I thought.

I braced myself and drew my sword.

“Zelda!” Linelle cried out urgently.

I could practically hear his scolding in his voice.

‘Are you crazy? Why are you getting involved?’

‘Do you want to die?’

Etc. Distrustful of my abilities, he turned his horse and started toward me.

I raised a hand, signaling him to stay back.

‘Don’t come, I can’t concentrate!’

But he ignored me, dismounted, and ran towards me.

“Oh, geez.”

I had intended to wait for the Galaco to get closer and then sever its neck.

But with Linelle’s intervention, I had no choice but to grab a throwing star from my waist and hurl it at the Galaco’s neck.

The throwing star spun, sliced through the Galaco’s neck, and embedded itself in a tree trunk.

As the Galaco’s head and torso thudded to the ground, the nobles’ gazes followed, then turned to me.

I simply smiled at them.

The surprised stares were a bit unnerving, so I glanced back.

The concubines and other women were leaning out of the carriage windows, watching me.

Melanie even applauded.

Rosie, Bonnie, and Sharon were the only ones outside the carriage.

Rosie clutched a thick book, Bonnie a stone, and Sharon a paring knife.

They had come to help if I was in danger, but all three were shaking their heads vehemently.

It wouldn’t have been much help, but their courage felt like a rescue.

I gestured for them to return to the carriage and turned back around.

“What on earth are you doing…?” Linelle, who had reached me, looked down with a more frightening expression than the Galaco.

“I’m okay,” I said calmly.

“I’m not okay,” he retorted, oblivious to the nobles watching from behind.

“I thought my heart was going to stop.”

His tone was a mix of anger and anxiety.

“It was the Galaco that fell. Your Majesty, calm down; nothing happened to us,” I reassured him.

“I told you not to interfere.”

“It was dangerous.”

“No, I could have handled it. And even if it was dangerous, someone would have stepped in.”

“It’s because Your Majesty is so focused that you don’t see what’s around you. Everyone backed away from Your Majesty.”

“…”

I was the only one who could help him.

Everyone was shocked and panicked, so it was a reflexive action, but the truth remained.

“And there are many listeners. Please lower your voice,” I whispered, leaning closer.

“Let’s discuss this later, Empress,” he said through clenched teeth, before returning to his horse.

The nobles were visibly shaken by the Galaco’s terrifying display.

“Prepare yourselves!” Linelle commanded. The knights formed a protective cordon around the nobles, with some riding between them as escorts.

“It seems the Galaco is nesting in the forest,” Vellos said to Linelle gravely.

“Yes, the jay’s cry yesterday wasn’t just a coincidence. It saw the Galaco in this forest and mimicked its call.”

“Where are we now?” Prince Kalbain asked. Grand Duke Martins answered, “We’ve traveled more than halfway through the Elange Forest. We’re closer to the Kingdom of Shattonil.”

“Then, is it faster to reach the Kingdom of Shattonil than to return to the Rafion Empire?”

“Yes, in terms of distance.”

“Let’s move to our kingdom for now. It’s safer to seek refuge nearby than to travel a long distance back, not knowing where the Galaco will strike next,” Prince Tessler suggested, leaning out of his carriage window.

“If we head south without stopping, there’s a village near the border of the Kingdom of Shattonil. We can reinforce the troops there and safely escort the nobles to the kingdom.”

The consensus seemed to favor the prince’s suggestion.

It would take about a day and a half to reach the border village of the Kingdom of Shattonil.

Even with increased speed, it would still take a full day.

Until then, another Galaco attack was a constant threat.

“It looks like rain is imminent, so let’s proceed to the next villa without resting. We’ll depart early, just before sunrise,” Linelle declared, settling the matter. Everyone complied.

There was no time for a proper lunch in the forest.

We each grabbed a piece of fruit and continued to the villa where we would spend the night, barely pausing for rest.

Those in the carriages fared slightly better, able to have a simple meal inside.

Rosie and Sharon invited me to join them in the carriage, but I declined.

I didn’t want to burden someone else with my horse while the women on horseback steadfastly maintained their positions.

About four hours into the march, Raphael pointed and shouted, “If we cross that bridge, we’ll see the villa soon!”

An arched stone bridge spanned the rushing river.

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Upon reaching the bridge, the nobles seemed to relax, and I could hear chatter all around.

My tense shoulders finally loosened.

I rotated my neck to relieve the stiffness.

“I need to eat as soon as we get there. My stomach has shrunk in half a day,” I overheard a minister from the Ekia Empire say, patting his bulging stomach.

The nobles chuckled at his words, glancing at his ample belly.

Just as I was about to laugh, the minister vanished.

It happened in an instant.

Kieeeek-!

The Galaco, emerging from the forest, snatched the heavy minister with its sharp claws and soared away, his terrible scream echoing in the air.

In the blink of an eye, jovial laughter turned into a bloodcurdling scream.

“Hurry!” Linelle shouted at the nobles, who, now panicked, quickened their pace under the escorting knights’ guidance.

The carriages rattled faster.

Just as we were about to cross the bridge, a Galaco, larger than the previous one, appeared and destroyed the bridge we had just traversed.

The adult Galaco’s monstrous power was beyond comprehension.

Fortunately, no one was stranded on the bridge, but that didn’t guarantee safety.

I loosened the reins and slowed down.

I had deliberately hunted small animals during the march, anticipating this situation.

I tossed the captured animals to the Galaco, but the prey was too small for its size.

After throwing two or three pieces, the twin-headed snake devoured them in turn.

In the meantime, I managed to increase the distance between the Galaco and the nobles.

Before Linelle could notice, I spurred my horse to full speed towards the villa.

***

‘Too many windows…’ I thought.

The villa was covered in large windows.

But for now, it was the only place large enough to shelter everyone.

The knights and servants rushed inside first.

The nobles dismounted and hurried up the villa steps.

“There’s a Galaco inside!” A servant who had entered first shouted, fleeing from the villa.

Everyone froze.

I looked up at the villa.

“There, the window is broken!”

The leftmost window, along with the outer wall, was slightly damaged.

As everyone turned to look, their mouths agape,

Bang!

The large window in the center of the second floor shattered, and the Galaco’s two snake heads emerged, each clutching a knight in its jaws.

Everyone stood frozen, mouths wide open.

“Get down!” Linelle yelled, and everyone flattened themselves on the stairs.

It was too dangerous to enter, as more Galacos might be inside.

But retreat was impossible.

The bridge had been destroyed.

“There’s an abandoned monastery near the border. It’s not far from here. What about going there?” Prince Tessler suggested.

“But, Your Highness! That place is dangerous. Rumor has it that it’s cursed…!” Grand Duke Martins protested.

The monastery is cursed?

I tilted my head, listening to their conversation.

“Grand Duke! This isn’t the time for superstitions!” Prince Tessler snapped, dismissing his concerns.

“It’s starting to rain. The raindrops are quite heavy, aren’t they?” Vellos observed.

Everyone held out their palms to feel the rain.

The dark clouds that had gathered all morning finally unleashed their downpour.

“Your Majesty, even if we search for another place to stay, shouldn’t we seek shelter from the rain at that monastery first?” Prince Tessler asked Linelle.

“I suppose we have no choice for now.”

There was no choice.