The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 217

217. Leave and Lie Down

February 1, 2023

“This is the West Palace. Knights are stationed near the West Palace to guide you, Your Majesty.”

As Linelle dismounted from the terrace, a knight who had been waiting below gave his report.

He mounted the horse prepared in advance and headed straight for the West Palace.

He chose the field path in the back garden rather than the more formal garden path, which had many obstacles, and urged the horse forward.

As the knight had said, as he approached the West Palace, knights stood guard in pairs at regular intervals.

“Your Majesty.”

The knights who recognized him bowed their heads in unison.

Linelle continued past the knights and slowly stopped his horse in front of the largest gathering of them.

“The escaped assassin has just been surrounded. He is confronting Commander Marcrom behind the building.”

A knight, hearing the horse’s approach, ran from behind the building and reported.

Linelle’s eyes shone with a fierce light.

He got off his horse and looked up at the building.

It was the palace wing where Pessilini resided.

‘Why did the assassin run to the West Palace, where the concubines’ residences are located?’

Was he unfamiliar with the layout of the Imperial Palace?

Anyone who had even glanced at a map of the Imperial Palace would not have fled to the West Palace.

Zelda’s residence was close to the smithy, and the smithy was also close to the drawbridge of the Imperial Palace.

To escape outside the Imperial Palace, he should have fled in that direction.

“Your Majesty, you’ve arrived?”

Commander Marcrom, who had been confronting the assassin, approached Linelle as he came around the back of the building.

There had been a physical struggle between the two, and both Commander Marcrom and the assassin’s clothes were covered in dirt.

Linelle took off the robe he was wearing and tossed it to Commander Marcrom.

“Are you going to deal with him yourself?”

“Yes.”

He replied, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt.

Commander Marcrom nodded once.

There was no reason to stop the Emperor, nor did he particularly want to.

“Everyone, step back.”

At Commander Marcrom’s command, the knights surrounding Prince Tesler all stepped back a few paces, increasing the distance.

‘Shit. At this rate, I’m just going to die!’

Prince Tesler was in a helpless situation as he watched Emperor Linelle approach, closing the gap.

If Emperor Linelle had appeared in Zelda’s bedroom just five minutes later, everything would have gone smoothly.

No, it would have been a complete success if he had entered just one minute later.

‘Damn it, it was a perfect chance to kill Zelda and get away with the Avatar Sword!’

The route to steal the Avatar Sword and escape, and the location to temporarily hide the Avatar Sword, were meticulously planned.

He had intended to hide the Avatar Sword in Pessilini’s bedroom until he could return to the Shatoanil Kingdom.

If her aides discovered that Zelda was dead and the Avatar Sword had vanished, they would undoubtedly search for the Avatar Sword, so a secure hiding place was essential.

In that regard, Pessilini’s residence was the ideal choice.

Who would suspect that the Avatar Sword would be hidden in the residence of Pessilini, Emperor Linelle’s concubine?

Everything had gone perfectly up to this point, but that single minute had made all the difference.

‘Anyway, Zelda is dead!’

Prince Tesler was certain of her demise.

A strange elation brought a bitter smile to his face beneath the mask.

‘Even if I’m caught by Emperor Linelle and die here, at least I won’t be alone.’

No, he wouldn’t kill him outright.

As a prince of the Shatoanil Kingdom, there was a high probability that he would at least be put on trial and executed according to protocol.

If he killed himself on the spot, Emperor Linelle’s position would become complicated.

‘I have to hold out until the end. If that doesn’t work, I’ll have no choice but to reveal my identity.’

Prince Tesler resolved.

The prince slightly raised his head and glanced at the window of Pessilini’s bedroom.

Pessilini was hiding behind the curtains, shedding tears.

‘Wait, did Pessilini confess to that bastard?’

A seed of suspicion sprouted in Prince Tesler’s mind.

‘Yes, it’s possible! Stupid bitch, useless thing.’

He recalled how he had coldly dismissed Pessilini, who had cried and begged him to take her to the Shatoanil Kingdom.

There was a chance that she held a grudge and had tipped off Emperor Linelle about his plan in advance.

He should have continued to cater to Pessilini’s desires until he returned to the Shatoanil Kingdom…

‘No, no.’

Prince Tesler reconsidered.

‘If that were the case, that bastard would have known my identity from the start.’

Right now, Emperor Linelle didn’t seem to know who he was yet.

Meanwhile, Linelle held out his palm to a knight standing nearby.

His gaze remained fixed on Prince Tesler, who was still wearing his mask.

Prince Tesler hesitated, stepping back, and then swiftly drew his sword from his waist.

He gripped the sword with both hands and adopted a defensive stance.

“I won’t ask who you are.”

He swung his sword in the air, creating a fierce whistling sound as if cutting through the wind.

“The question… I’ll ask it right before your breath stops, at that time.”

There was no hint of compromise or mercy in Linelle’s voice.

Clang-!

The moment the two men’s swords collided, Prince Tesler’s entire body was forced to the side.

“Huh?”

The force behind the blow was so immense that Prince Tesler’s sword blade snapped in half like paper.

‘What, what is this bastard!’

Prince Tesler, who had never sparred with Linelle before, was taken aback by his strength.

Before his staggering body could regain its balance, Linelle’s sword slashed across Prince Tesler’s arm.

“Aagh!”

“You’re being dramatic. Your arm hasn’t been cut off yet.”

It was as Prince Tesler was attempting to quickly transfer the sword to his other hand.

As if anticipating the move, Linelle severed the prince’s other arm as well.

Prince Tesler, his arms now bleeding from the sharp blade, groaned and dropped his sword.

As Prince Tesler looked around for an escape, Linelle lowered his body and slashed at the prince’s hamstrings.

Prince Tesler’s knees buckled instantly, and he collapsed forward.

The prince writhed in agony, his limbs deeply wounded by the blade.

Some of the knights around them frowned, but Linelle remained unmoved.

His expression was still consumed by anger.

“Hiss.”

“Your screaming is quite annoying. It would be better to be quiet before I cut off your vocal cords.”

“Heok!”

Linelle kicked Prince Tesler’s stomach with the toe of his boot, turning his body over.

His foot landed squarely on Prince Tesler’s Adam’s apple.

“Keck, keeeck!”

Prince Tesler struggled, gasping for air.

But Linelle pressed down harder with his foot.

When Prince Tesler began to show signs of vomiting, Linelle slowly removed his foot and bent down to ask quietly.

“Who is it? The one who sent you to her residence.”

“…….”

Prince Tesler could only make groaning sounds, unable to speak.

Then Linelle, as if expecting this, said with a murderous smile.

“If you don’t speak, you don’t need a tongue.”

He twisted his wrist and raised the tip of his sword towards Prince Tesler’s mouth.

“I have asked assassins like you who is behind them three times before killing them. But, I can’t do that today.”

Even the knights around him held their breath, sensing the eerie energy emanating from his blue eyes.

“After your tongue is torn to shreds and you can’t speak, write the name of the person who commissioned the assassination on this dirt floor with your hands. If you refuse to do that, you don’t need to have your wrists either.”

It wasn’t just a threat.

Linelle’s sword tip descended mercilessly towards Prince Tesler’s mouth.

At that moment, Prince Tesler turned his head to the side, tore off his mask, and shouted.

“I, it’s me, Your Majesty! It’s Prince Tesler!!”

“!”

Linelle examined the face of Prince Tesler beneath his feet, and his expression hardened rapidly.

Commander Marcrom, who was behind him, also rushed forward to confirm Prince Tesler’s identity.

“Please, please have mercy! Please save me, Your Majesty!”

Prince Tesler knelt and bowed his head to the ground.

“Tesler, why are you…?”

Linelle’s expression, filled with confusion, slowly shifted.

He didn’t finish his sentence.

As his memories returned in Zelda’s residence, Prince Tesler’s past actions flooded his mind.

Not only had he manipulated Zelda into becoming the proxy empress and exploited her position, but he had also secretly added a drug to her magic potion that would prevent her from conceiving, all to conceal her burn scars.

Fortunately, she hadn’t consumed the potion Prince Tesler had given her, but his actions were unforgivable.

Linelle aimed the tip of his sword at Prince Tesler’s heart.

“I will cut out your heart and throw it in the direction of the Shatoanil Kingdom!”

“No, Your Majesty!”

Raphael, who had belatedly chased after the Emperor from Zelda’s residence, clung to his arm, breathless.

Raphael, exhausted, appealed to Commander Marcrom for assistance, but the commander seemed reluctant to intervene.

Left with no other option, Raphael pleaded with Linelle directly.

“If you kill him like this without due process, things will become complicated in many ways.”

“What process is needed for a bug like this!”

“Even if he is a bug, isn’t he our empire’s bug? There is no need to invite unnecessary trouble. He won’t escape punishment anyway!”

Linelle lowered his eyes as if lost in thought for a moment, then looked down at Prince Tesler and said.

“…Yes, I can’t kill him here. It’s not worth the trouble to let him off so easily.”

Linelle threw his sword to the floor.

Prince Tesler, who was sitting on the ground, slumped his shoulders in relief, believing he had been spared.

Linelle discarded his sword and was halfway turned away when he spun back with incredible speed and punched Prince Tesler in the face.

“Ugh!”

Prince Tesler’s body fell to the side, unconscious.

Several teeth were dislodged from the prince’s open mouth.

“Throw him in prison. I’ll interrogate him myself when it gets light.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

***

While Linelle went to apprehend Prince Tesler, the Magic Tower Master examined my wound.

“How intense is the pain? Is it still uncomfortable when you exhale?”

“No. For a few seconds after the Avatar Sword was stabbed, I genuinely thought I was going to die, but it gradually improved. Now it only feels like a minor injury.”

The Magic Tower Master nodded, closed his eyes, and slowly examined my body, raising both hands into the air and scanning it.

“The energy flowing through your body is becoming smooth again.”

“That’s a relief.”

“The imprinting seems to have been successful. But, you did something incredibly dangerous and reckless. Do you realize that?”

The Magic Tower Master scolded me in a calm tone.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t inform you in advance.”

“The reason you didn’t consult me… I think I understand.”

The Magic Tower Master shook his head with a bitter smile.

He continued, his voice tinged with guilt rather than resentment.

“You must not have trusted me. I understand. I would have done the same if I were the Empress.”

I couldn’t deny it.

Before imprinting with the Avatar Sword, I had considered consulting with the Magic Tower Master, but his earlier confession had made me hesitant.

He had admitted to wanting to harness the power of the Avatar Sword through me.

I knew that the Magic Tower Master had a deep attachment to the Avatar Sword, so I couldn’t share this plan with him.

It was a decision I made, thinking it was better to be cautious, but now that things had unfolded this way, I felt a pang of regret.

“Magic Tower Master, the title of Empress feels awkward.”

“I apologize. I should call you Mama [Empress in a more intimate way], but like Sharon, it doesn’t roll off my tongue easily.”

“Then call me by my name.”

“…Are you serious?”

The Magic Tower Master asked in surprise.

“Yes, I would appreciate it if you did.”

In truth, I was deeply grateful to the Magic Tower Master.

Allowing him to call me by my name was also a way of acknowledging our continued friendship.

“Do I have the right to do that… Should I…?”

The Magic Tower Master lowered his head as if he had committed a grave offense against me.

“You healed me from the evil energy, and thanks to you, I’ve been able to brew plenty of magic potions in the Tevelo Empire and take them regularly. Besides, there’s the Avatar, and even the Avatar Sword… I unintentionally feel indebted for many things.”

The Magic Tower Master shook his head at my words.

“No. I’m alright because I now understand that it wasn’t meant to be mine in the first place. No, I’m getting there. But can’t we still be friends?”

“Then please call me by my name from now on. I think it will make me feel more comfortable.”

“Then I will do so from now on, Zelda… Nim [A Korean honorific suffix].”

Just by uttering my name, the Magic Tower Master seemed flustered, as if he had confessed his love.

I quickly changed the subject.

“Oh, right, there’s also the matter of the Wyvern… Moiya.”

“The Wyvern also responds to individuals with fire abilities, so it’s natural for Moiya to serve Zelda as her master.”

The Magic Tower Master, who had been answering seriously, chuckled and continued.

“And if I had known that Moiya would hatch from the Wyvern egg I possessed, I would have discarded it long ago.”

I burst out laughing at the Magic Tower Master’s candid remark.

“Ah…”

My heart is throbbing.

“Zelda, you didn’t just steal my heart.”

The Magic Tower Master muttered jokingly.

I felt a pang of guilt for no reason and laughed even harder.

But that only made it seem as if I was teasing the Magic Tower Master.

“I’m sorry, if you were 100 years younger, I might have considered it.”

It was a remark I made to ease the awkwardness, but judging by the Magic Tower Master’s expression, it seemed I had blundered again.

But there was no need to get teary-eyed, was there?

The Magic Tower Master spoke to me very kindly, his face filled with tears.

“You should refrain from laughing loudly for the time being. I’ll go to the Magic Tower and prepare a medicine that will help you recover quickly.”

“Besides laughing, what else should I be careful about?”

Linelle’s voice echoed from behind the Magic Tower Master.

He was leaning against the bedroom door.

“Oh? When did you arrive?”

I smiled at him, leaning back against the headboard.

“From when the Magic Tower Master said ‘Zelda Nim’.”

For some reason, his expression was peculiar.

“That’s because I allowed him to call me that. He kept addressing me by the title of Empress…”

“Who cares?”

He walked towards the bed.

“What happened to the assassin?”

The Magic Tower Master asked him.

The Magic Tower Master was also aware that the assassin was Prince Tesler, as I had informed him earlier.

“Commander Marcrom is outside, so go and inquire with him.”

Linelle said, gesturing towards the bedroom door with his finger.

“Yes? Ah, yes… Your Majesty.”

“Then, Magic Tower Master, you may leave now.”

His finger pointed at me this time.

“Zelda Nim, you may lie down now.”

“?”

Why was he suddenly using honorifics like this?

Could it be that he was jealous of the Magic Tower Master right now?