The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 215

215. A Night to Endure Alone

After seeing Rosie and Melanie off, I immediately took the ruby ore to Count Ethan’s smithy, which was conveniently located near my residence.

“What brings you here…?”

Count Ethan seemed quite surprised by my visit.

“We’ll be seeing each other often from now on.”

“Ah… I heard you were given that place as your residence. I am very sorry.”

Count Ethan gestured towards my residence and bowed slightly.

“I actually like it better this way. It’s more lively and vibrant.”

Count Ethan gave an awkward smile at my words.

I didn’t hesitate and immediately told him the reason for my visit.

“Actually, I came because I need a sword.”

“What kind of sword are you talking about?”

“Hmm…”

I looked through the swords displayed in Count Ethan’s workshop.

Fortunately, there were several swords similar in length to the Avatar Sword.

Among them, I chose the one with the most similar shape and color to the Avatar Sword’s handle and asked Count Ethan.

“Can you give me this sword? As a token of becoming neighbors.”

“Of course. But what are you going to do with it…?”

Count Ethan glanced down at the pouch I was holding and asked.

“I want to decorate the sword handle with this.”

I took out the ruby ore from the pouch and rolled up my sleeves.

“You’re going to do it yourself?!”

Count Ethan was shocked and tried to stop me, but he couldn’t take the sword I had already picked up.

Since it wasn’t about making a sword from scratch, the work was simpler than I thought.

Using the metal already heated in the furnace, I melted the center of the sword handle.

I melted the adhesive used to engrave and attach jewels or family seals onto the sword handle, applied it to the center of the handle where I had made a groove, and pressed the ruby ore onto it.

“Putting the ruby there… it looks a bit like the Avatar Sword.”

Count Ethan came next to me and said with a smile.

“Does it look that way to you too, Count?”

“At first glance, one might think so.”

“It’ll look even more like it in the dark, right?”

“Of course. Zelda, if it’s not a rude question, may I ask what you intend to use this sword for?”

“I thought the Avatar Sword looked really pretty during the Continental Hunting Competition.”

I smiled, pressing the sparkling ruby with my hand.

“Pardon?”

“It’s just… for decoration.”

It might be useful in many ways for a decoration.

***

“Your Majesty, why are you so unable to concentrate on your work today?”

Raphael asked as he corrected the document that Linell had signed incorrectly for the third time.

“You think so too?”

“Yes, did something bad happen? You’re making all the mistakes you’d make in a year today.”

“That’s even stranger. Nothing bad happened yesterday or today… I just can’t concentrate.”

He put the quill on the desk and made a profound expression.

“Did something happen last night, perhaps?”

“There was a lot of work. Isn’t that obvious? It’s the first night of the wedding.”

“No, I mean… did you perhaps argue with Her Majesty the Empress, or rather, Zelda?”

Raphael lowered his voice and asked.

“I didn’t have enough conversation to argue.”

“Why?”

“Why do you think? Should I tell you?”

Linell chuckled and furrowed his eyebrows.

Seeing that, Raphael realized what the Emperor meant by not having much conversation.

“…I don’t want to hear it. I don’t really want to know.”

Raphael waved his hand and covered his ears just in case.

“Last night was really happy. I laughed a lot with her during breakfast this morning too. But why…”

Linell’s worries began again.

He got up from his chair and walked to the window.

“Why does my heart feel so uneasy as time goes on?”

He raised his hand and placed it over his heart.

“Is it because you miss Her Majesty?”

“What?”

“There’s still work left. You need to work.”

Raphael said firmly.

“Who said anything? I’ll finish all the work today.”

He returned to his desk and sat down.

Linell picked up one of the unread documents piled in front of him and handed it to Raphael.

“Why are you giving it to me?”

“You read it.”

“Why me…?”

“I can’t concentrate, so I can’t focus on the words. That’s why I keep making mistakes.”

“No, it’s not like your eyesight is failing, so why are you doing this, Your Majesty!”

“Then let’s just say my eyesight is failing.”

“!”

“Then it’s settled? Read it quickly.”

Raphael reluctantly began to read the document he had handed him.

But even as Raphael read the contents of the document in a clear voice, Linell continued to be lost in thought.

As the sun began to set, an ominous feeling began to creep up even more.

“Raphael, read faster.”

“Yes?”

“I need to finish work early today. Hurry up.”

“Ah, yes… My throat might get sore, but I will follow your orders.”

Raphael couldn’t break his stubbornness.

As he increased the speed at which he read the documents according to his orders, Stian entered the office.

“Your Majesty, a message has arrived from Her Majesty Zelda’s residence.”

“What is it?”

“Her Majesty Zelda says she is not feeling well and suggests that you have dinner separately at the main palace.”

“I knew it… I’ve been feeling strange since the afternoon.”

Linell muttered as if he knew something was going to happen to her.

“Your Majesty, I will prepare dinner at the main palace.”

“No. I don’t have any appetite, so there’s no need.”

“However, you will harm your body if you skip dinner. Besides, considering that Her Majesty Zelda specifically sent a message, doesn’t that mean she wants you to rest during dinner time?”

“Is that… what it means?”

At Stian’s advice, Linell asked Raphael, who was in front of him.

“Yes, it seems to me that that is her intention.”

After answering, Raphael suddenly said ‘Ah!’ and lowered his voice to ask him.

“Could it be that Your Majesty was too passionate last night, and she caught a cold?”

“If that’s the case, I should go even more!”

Linell got up from his chair.

“Your Majesty! It’s still early evening. And work isn’t finished yet.”

Linell glared at his secretary and sat back down in his chair, then called back the chamberlain who was about to leave.

“Stian, come here and help too.”

“Yes? With what?”

He handed Stian the documents as well.

“Okay, you two take turns reading.”

“And Your Majesty will just be listening?”

Raphael asked, dissatisfied.

“I’ll read the documents myself.”

Adding that the work would be finished sooner that way, Linell picked up his quill and began to show a terrifying level of concentration.

***

I was fully prepared.

But whenever even a little fear crept up, my resolve would fall apart again.

Should I ignore this situation and run away right now?

If I ignore it?

If I run away?

Then what would change?

Nothing would change.

But questions kept pouring in.

Do I really need to receive this power?

Is my choice really the right one?

I shook my head firmly.

There might not be a right choice in the first place.

I’m just making the choice I made the right one.

Organizing my thoughts once again, I steeled my heart.

As my nerves were on edge, even the sound of leaves rustling outside the window sounded loud.

Perhaps it was because I hadn’t yet imprinted the Avatar Sword [a magical sword that bonds with its wielder], but all my senses were becoming more sensitive.

The Avatar Sword hidden in the dressing room seemed to be awakening the heat within my body.

‘The Avatar Sword knows too. That today is the day.’

The Avatar [Zelda’s inner voice/spirit], gathering the fire energy spread throughout my body into my heart, spoke cautiously.

As my five senses became more sensitive, the fear and loneliness that had been buried deep down, which I had tried so hard to ignore and cover up, raised their heads once again.

‘Zelda. You know that it’s unavoidable to gain power.’

The Avatar inside me read my emotions and spoke carefully.

“Who said anything?”

I shrugged my shoulders, smiling lightly like someone without any worries.

The Avatar’s words were correct.

It’s true that the Avatar Sword is reacting to me, but it’s not yet perfectly synchronized with me.

In order for the Avatar Sword to truly become mine…

The Avatar Sword must enter my body, that is, my heart.

That’s what the Avatar had told me on the way to the training grounds to hide the Avatar Sword after leaving the Empress Palace.

That this was the only way for the fire energy within my body to meet the Avatar Sword and amplify its power.

Instead, once the imprinting is done, even if the Avatar Sword falls into someone else’s hands, its power can never be manifested by anyone other than the imprinter.

That was the biggest reason I decided to imprint.

At least I can prevent the Avatar Sword from falling into the hands of Princess Roxana or Prince Tesler.

‘He’s here.’

The Avatar informed me of the intruder.

‘I know.’

The intruder was none other than Prince Tesler.

The dressing room connected to my bedroom had a terrace door, unlike the dressing room in the Empress Palace.

Prince Tesler must have broken in through there.

This afternoon, I sent a message to Grand Duke Martins through Moiya.

I had told him to leak the news to Prince Tesler that I was not feeling well and would be going to bed early.

This was to induce Prince Tesler, who had heard this from Grand Duke Martins, to move with confidence.

I lay in bed, staring at the door of the dressing room directly in front of me.

I put my hand under the blanket and fiddled with the sword with the ruby embedded in it, which I had gotten from the smithy today.

Suddenly, Linell’s face came to mind.

There were still about two hours left before Linell would come here.

By the time he comes to my residence, everything will be over, right?

That’s a relief.

Because I don’t want to show him the sight of me being stabbed by a sword.

The same went for Sharon. But in order to finish this, I had no choice but to ask for Sharon’s help.

I just hope she doesn’t cry too much.

‘Hey, what if Prince Tesler breaks into the dressing room and just steals the Avatar Sword and runs away?’

Even if he just stole the sword and ran away, I had planned it thinking that if it was the foolish Prince Tesler, I could easily get it back, but as the time approached, I suddenly became worried and asked the Avatar.

‘Zelda, that guy’s eyes were full of murderous intent every time he looked at you.’

That’s right. Prince Tesler was a man who would definitely eliminate me if he had the chance, even if it wasn’t the Avatar Sword.

‘Don’t worry about useless things and prepare yourself.’

At the same time as the Avatar scoffed and replied, the door to the dressing room opened very slightly.

Prince Tesler had finally entered the bedroom through the dressing room door to kill me.

Indeed, I was worrying about useless things.

I closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep, and waited for the prince to come closer.

The first reason I brought the Avatar Sword to the dressing room connected to the bedroom was to prevent the servants of my residence from being exposed to unnecessary harm.

And the second reason was to accommodate Prince Tesler.

That accommodation was a lure to induce him to attack me easily.

‘He’s coming this way.’

The Avatar whispered to me.

My heart was already ready to receive a new energy.

If it’s an unavoidable fate, let’s face it head-on and overcome it!

Besides, I can get rid of the trash together, so it’s beneficial to me in many ways.

‘Zelda, now!’

The Avatar shouted.

I opened my eyes at the same time as the Avatar’s voice.

Prince Tesler’s greedy purple eyes were eerily revealed under his mask.

Prince Tesler flinched when he met my eyes.

I also widened my eyes in surprise, pretending to be surprised to see Prince Tesler.

“You managed to steal the Avatar Sword. I don’t know what the Master of the Magic Tower was thinking when he entrusted you with the Avatar Sword, but this is not a trivial object for you to have.”

Prince Tesler thought that the Master of the Magic Tower had given me the Avatar Sword.

“Zelda, don’t resent me. If I have any sin, it’s only that I was too weak-hearted and let you live for too long.”

Prince Tesler turned the tip of the Avatar Sword towards my heart.

“What exactly is the reason you want to kill me so much?”

Prince Tesler’s eyebrows twitched at my question.

I wanted to end this moment quickly too. But if I didn’t ask now, I might not have another chance.

“Zelda, your sin is that you received the love of Emperor Linell. That’s the beginning of your misfortune. I don’t need to keep humans who have lost their value to me alive.”

“Yes, you’re going to make Resilia die like that too.”

Prince Tesler narrowed his eyes.

He seemed quite surprised by my reaction.

Of course he would be.

This is a situation where I should be trembling with surprise and fear, begging for my life, but I’m laughing at him with a calm expression.

“What are you doing? If you came to kill me, stab me quickly.”

“…You’re being arrogant to the end. You can’t even beg for your life!”

Prince Tesler raised the handle of the Avatar Sword even higher.

Then, he tilted his head for a moment and made a suggestion to me.

“Beg. Then I’ll spare your life.”

“?”

“I’m serious. If you bark like a dog under my feet and beg, I’ll take only your eyes instead of your life.”

“Crazy… bastard.”

I barely managed to resist the urge to twist Prince Tesler’s wrist, take the Avatar Sword, and stab him.

“What? Ha, you’ve lost your fear because you’re about to die!”

“Don’t drag it out, kill me quickly if you’re going to kill me.”

“You’ve only gained worthless pride since you’ve been by the Emperor’s side. Fine, I’ll do as you wish. I’m curious to see what kind of expression the Emperor will make when he sees you torn to pieces and dead.”

Prince Tesler raised the tip of the Avatar Sword, aiming it at my heart.

I obediently closed my eyes.

Not to welcome death, but to gain the power given to me.

At that moment, I heard the sound of the door opening.

It seems like there are still a few minutes left before Sharon comes?

I rolled my eyes towards the door, thinking that Sharon might be in danger.

“Zelda?!”

It was Linell’s voice.

On a night to endure alone… he had come.

What, why did he come so early?

He wasn’t supposed to come yet!

Besides, I even made the excuse that I wasn’t feeling well today to buy time, but why is he already here?

I didn’t want to show him this sight…

Prince Tesler hesitated at his appearance.

I was just as flustered as the prince.

‘At this rate, I won’t be able to imprint and I’ll just have the Avatar Sword stolen!’

At the Avatar’s urgent voice, I looked at Prince Tesler again.

The prince had a dumbfounded expression, with the tip of the Avatar Sword pointed at my heart, and was frozen.

I quickly grabbed the blade with both hands.

And with that, I gave strength and pulled the Avatar Sword towards me.

“You, you… what are you doing!”

Prince Tesler’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out.

To Linell, it would look like I was blocking the sword and was stabbed by it.

“Ugh!!”

The Avatar Sword went deep into my heart.

I feel like my body has been thrown into a fire.

The imprinting had begun.

“Zelda!!”

Linell’s voice calling out to me was faintly heard.