The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 218

Looks Like His Personality Is Great Too (218/347)

“Should a patient be sitting like that?”

Linelle asked, staring at me with blazing eyes. He was addressing the Master of the Magic Tower, though his question was clearly directed at me.

“It’s best if you lie down.” The Master of the Magic Tower advised.

“Did you hear that, Zelda?” Linelle raised his eyebrows and said to me.

“Don’t worry. The brand [referring to the magical brand from the Hwansin Sword] is working well, so the wound in my heart will heal quickly.” I got up from the bed to reassure him.

Perhaps it was still too much, as the Master of the Magic Tower stopped me this time.

“It’s best not to move your body as much as possible today, Zelda.”

“Yes, I understand.” I nodded obediently at the Master of the Magic Tower’s advice.

“Then, can I get up from tomorrow?”

“Yes, I will come again tomorrow to check your condition.” The Master of the Magic Tower replied in a more affectionate tone than when we were alone.

Linelle watched me and the Master of the Magic Tower talking, then pointed to the bedroom door with his eyes, a clear signal for the Master to leave.

“Ah, I will step back now and see you in the morning.” The Master of the Magic Tower glanced at him and left the bedroom.

“Why are you still standing?” As soon as the bedroom door closed, Linelle approached me and asked.

“Ah, should I treat you with respect like the Master of the Magic Tower to get you to listen?”

“Your Majesty, perhaps now…” I was about to ask, ‘Are you jealous?’ but I couldn’t continue because one of his fingers pressed against my lips.

“Lie down, Zelda. This Emperor has a lot to say tonight.”

“Why are you using honorifics? It’s uncomfortable.”

“Ah, the Master of the Magic Tower is okay, but your husband is uncomfortable?” His face was smiling, but his eyes were full of anger.

“That’s not what I meant…”

“Or should we just go up to the bed?” Even though his eyes were unusual, I liked seeing him jealous, so I stubbornly stood there.

But it seems it wasn’t a good choice.

“Zelda.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I’m so handsome that you think my personality is great too, right?”

“!”

No?

His face, asking kindly, looked like a beautiful madman.

I had already noticed that his personality wasn’t very good.

Besides, I had heard from Moire how cold-hearted he was.

Still, I thought I should respond, so I nodded.

“Actually, unlike my face, my personality is terrible. So, Madam, from now on…” He gently lifted my chin with his hand and warned.

“Don’t give your name to other men so carelessly. Do you understand?”

“I didn’t give it carelessly.”

“Yes, I can see that you are giving it with sincere friendship.”

“I have received a lot of help from the Master of the Magic Tower.”

“Then, should I tell Sharon to call you Zelda too? What about Commander Markrom?” He asked, pressing me.

When I smiled awkwardly, his long eyelashes moved slowly, and he said in a sulky voice, “If you keep doing this, this Emperor will be upset, Zelda.”

“Pfft, ah, right. The Master of the Magic Tower told me not to laugh for a while…” As I quickly erased my laughter and muttered, he narrowed his brows.

“You listen to the Master of the Magic Tower so well, don’t you?” He sighed softly, touching his chin. “Zelda, should I learn magic too?”

“No, you’re already busy, and you’ll be even busier. Then I’ll have less time to see your face.”

“If so, please don’t do anything that makes this face, which Madam likes so much, frown. Thanks to you, I feel like I’ve aged 10 years today.”

That’s right. That face must be eternal!

I quickly climbed onto the bed.

He also climbed onto the bed and sat next to me.

“Were you very surprised because of me earlier?” I asked, leaning my head on his shoulder.

“‘Surprised’ is not enough to describe it.”

I was also surprised by his continued use of honorifics.

“How long do you plan to use honorifics?”

“Until Zelda’s wounds are completely healed.”

“There’s only one person who speaks casually to me, are you giving up that privilege?”

“Not giving up, but putting it on hold.” He said deliberately sulkily.

Then, he laughed awkwardly, realizing it was childish.

After feeling each other’s warmth for a while, I straightened up and asked him, “Is Prince Tesler okay?”

“You know… who the assassin is?”

“Yes, I can tell just by looking at his eyes, even if he wears a mask.” Because there are few people with such unpleasant eyes as Tesler.

“But why do you have the Hwansin Sword? I thought Roxana had it?”

“Because I took it back.”

“Then, perhaps on the day of the fire in the Empress’s dress room, you…” Linelle looked at me with an understanding expression.

I explained to him in detail how I planned this.

“Grand Duke Martins played a big role. In the end, Prince Tesler was bait?”

“The branding was something I had to do anyway. I also had a debt to repay to Prince Tesler, so I did it all at once.”

“But it was too dangerous a choice.” He said with a serious expression. “What if he stabbed somewhere else? Didn’t you worry about that?”

“I know what kind of person Prince Tesler is, so I didn’t worry about that.” I replied without hesitation.

Linelle asked with a dumbfounded expression, “How can you make such bold choices like you?”

“I end up doing everything I need to.” I buried my face in Linelle’s chest.

Then he became serious.

His lips were raised too high for a serious face.

“What are you doing so well?”

“I’m acting cute because I did something wrong.”

“What, you think I’ll just let it go if you act cute?”

“Isn’t that so?”

“Of course not. I’m not such an easy Emperor… um?” I blocked his mouth with my lips.

The Emperor’s lips, which he said were not easy, opened too easily.

“You’re really not as easy as you said?” I teased him after taking my lips off.

“Zelda, who was the surrogate Empress, now lie down.” He coughed awkwardly with an embarrassed expression and patted the pillow.

“Just a little later.”

“Listen to me. I told you? Even though I look like this, I have a very bad temper.” He emphasized once again that the rumors were rampant in the Northern Continent.

“That’s…”

“You wouldn’t know. I’ve been treating you with a smiling face every day.” I was about to say that I already knew, but he cut me off, so I closed my mouth.

“Ah, right, what about the Hwansin Sword?” His gaze stayed on my heart as he asked.

I put my hand under the pillow and showed him the Hwansin Sword.

“Here it is.”

“What on earth is this?” He looked at the red gem in my palm and asked with a surprised face.

“After branding with the Hwansin Sword, I tried to hide the sword again, but it changed like this.”

“Then… the blade?”

“It disappeared. The Master of the Magic Tower said it probably went inside the red gem.”

“This red gem is holding the blade?”

“I think so. He said the sword will reappear when the Hwansin Sword needs to be used.”

“Good heavens… it’s very hot.” Linelle touched the red gem and then took his hand away.

“Hot? I don’t feel anything?” The temperature of the red gem on my palm was not hot.

“It’s very hot.”

Ah, I see….

It seems that the heat is not transmitted to the brander.

“Prince Tesler will testify at the trial. It will be difficult in many ways if he reveals that you have the Hwansin Sword, so you need to prepare.”

“I’m going to make it seem like it was a mistake the Prince made because he was mistaken.”

“For the claim that it was a mistake to be accepted, there must be a reason to think so…” Linelle muttered as if he was thinking hard.

“Look under the bed.” At my words, he put his hand under the bed and took out a sword.

“This is… ?!”

“At first glance, it looks similar to the Hwansin Sword, right? It will be even harder to tell in the dark. Prince Tesler mistook the Hwansin Sword and stabbed me with that sword tonight. That’s what I’m going to testify.”

“Where did you get it?”

“I borrowed the sword from Count Ethan at the smithy today. I melted the handle with fire and put in a ruby gemstone. I did it myself.” I shrugged and replied.

“And Melanie got the ruby gemstone through her family.”

“Then there are witnesses…”

“Yes. There are many people who can testify that I asked for the ruby gemstone and the sword, and that I made it myself.”

He nodded and smiled with satisfaction.

“But Prince Tesler has no one to prove that the Hwansin Sword he took from the dress room was the real Hwansin Sword.”

Linelle stroked my head repeatedly as if he was impressed.

“Besides, since the Hwansin Sword only has this red gem left, Roxana won’t be able to find it even if she searches my bedroom.” Because the Hwansin Sword is already in my heart.

“But Zelda, I would have stopped you even if I knew all this.” He said, holding me in his arms.

His heart and mine touched each other.

As I felt his pounding heartbeat, the newly created blood due to the branding circulated rapidly in my body.

“That’s why I couldn’t tell you in advance. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay because you’re safe. And you’ve become stronger with the branding of the Hwansin Sword, so can I just trust Zelda now?” At his playful words, I joked even more.

“Yes, just trust me.”

Linelle laughed in disbelief.

Then he said to me again in a serious voice, “The fact that you branded with the Hwansin Sword means you can move the wyvern. If this fact becomes known to the continent, perhaps…”

“Everyone will want to be friends with me, right?” I blurted out jokingly.

I wanted to put aside the troublesome thoughts tonight and spend a comfortable time alone with him.

He understood my intention and let go of his serious expression and matched my tone.

“Yes. Don’t share your friendship with others carelessly. Because you are my Zelda.”

***

At the same time, Roxana and Princess Resilia were sitting face to face in the Empress’s Palace, drinking tea.

Roxana went to the room where Resilia was confined and poured her black tea herself.

‘What is she up to today?’

Princess Resilia glanced at Roxana and sipped her black tea.

“Will Prince Tesler bring the wyvern egg and the Hwansin Sword back to me? What do you think, Princess?”

Princess Resilia was disgusted by Roxana’s pretentious tone, but she also gave a fake smile and opened her mouth.

“I have nothing to do with that, so I don’t know, but if my brother did it… of course he should.”

“Right? No matter how great they are, they are not more precious than the life of my only sister.”

“…Y-yes. O-of course.” Princess Resilia, who was drinking black tea, almost choked.

Just as an awkward silence was about to fall, Hector entered the room with a flushed face without knocking.

“What’s going on?” Roxana asked with an unpleasant look.

Hector was conscious of Princess Resilia and told Roxana the news with respect.

“Something terrible has happened, Empress. Prince Tesler is said to have been taken to prison.”

Roxana’s hand, which was drinking black tea, stopped at Hector’s words.

“What? What for?”

“Why my brother?!” Roxana and Princess Resilia asked at the same time.

“He was caught by His Majesty while trying to assassinate Zelda.”

“In Zelda’s residence… directly?” Roxana rolled her eyes and asked.

“Yes, he fled to the West Palace, where the concubines’ residences are located, and was taken to prison in a mess.”

“T-that can’t be! You must have misunderstood something!” Princess Resilia shouted, spilling all the black tea in her teacup.

But Roxana and Hector ignored Princess Resilia and continued their conversation.

“What was His Majesty’s reaction?”

“According to the knights who were at the scene, if the secretary hadn’t stopped him, Prince Tesler would have been beaten to death by His Majesty on the spot.”

“That’s impossible!” Princess Resilia burst into tears and covered her mouth.

“Isn’t the Hwansin Sword in the former Empress’s residence?” Hector lowered his voice and asked Roxana.

“Then… does that mean Prince Tesler didn’t take the wyvern egg and the Hwansin Sword?” Roxana muttered, looking at Princess Resilia, who was shedding tears.

“I’ve told you so many times that it’s not me! Why don’t you believe me? I thought it was Zelda… I knew it!” Princess Resilia complained, hitting her clothes.

“Shut up!” Roxana, fed up with Princess Resilia’s tears, got up from her chair and slapped her on the cheek.

“Ah! Sob, sob, why are you hitting me? Who is the one who imprisoned an innocent person and put my brother in a corner? Why are you hitting me, why, why!” Princess Resilia sat down on the floor and cried out loud.

Roxana, whose head was already messed up, became more complicated by Princess Resilia’s tears, so she came out of the door with Hector.

“If Prince Tesler moved himself, then the Hwansin Sword was in Zelda’s residence. I’m sure!”

“If the former Empress has the Hwansin Sword, then she also has the wyvern egg, and if it hatches…”

“Absolutely not! It’s me. I’m the owner of that wyvern egg! What should I do? What should I do…?” Roxana clung to Hector’s arm and pleaded.

Hector said to her as if to soothe her, “I’ll try to bribe the guards in the spire. First of all, it would be good to meet Prince Tesler, who is imprisoned.”