The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 226

Kiss and Go

“Your Majesty… no, Zelda, what brings you here?”

Stian, who had been waiting in front of the office, asked in surprise as he saw me approaching quickly.

“It’s urgent! Please let me in quickly, it’s an emergency!”

Sharon said urgently to the chamberlain.

But, Sharon, it’s not *that* urgent that I need to stomp my feet like this…….

Stian looked at my face with surprised eyes, and I nodded my head as if Sharon was right.

“Ah, yes, yes. Please wait a moment.”

Then, Stian seemed to think that something urgent had really happened and hurried into the office.

Just a few seconds after entering the office, Stian rushed out of the door again.

“Please come in, His Majesty is waiting.”

“Sharon, I’ll go take care of my health.”

I thanked Stian, turned around, put my hand on my stomach, and whispered to Sharon.

“Yes, for your health!”

Sharon clenched both fists and stared at my stomach with supportive eyes.

Stian looked at her with a curious expression, wondering what Sharon was talking about.

I slightly raised the corners of my lips, clenched both fists like her, and entered the office.

“……Ah.”

When I entered the office and saw Linell, I was speechless and could only stand there.

“Why are you standing like that?”

“Do you really not know why you are asking?”

He was quickly taking off his uniform jacket.

“Your Majesty… I don’t think you need to go that far?”

I walked towards him, waving both hands.

He looked like he was determined to take off all his clothes.

“How do you know? You came because our baby is too hot right now, didn’t you?”

“Well, it’s not *that* hot… it’s not.”

“You might not know if the heat is rising slowly. Besides, you have been suffering from unbearable fevers periodically.”

Linell’s hand unbuttoned his shirt, and his words continued without stopping.

“So, what I mean is, the heat you have experienced and the heat our baby will feel are different levels.”

That made a lot of sense.

“Well, I’m happy even if you’re pretending to be sick right now.”

Oh, I was caught red-handed.

But it wasn’t entirely a pretense, so I quickly raised my voice.

“……I’m not pretending? I felt a heat gathering in my stomach on the way back from Rosie’s place.”

I raised my voice at first, but as I went on, my conscience pricked me, and my voice lost strength.

He smiles slightly.

Even though it was a smile that was clearly mocking me, my body was already feeling relaxed and relieved.

Just one smile from him makes my body so comfortable.

He unbuttoned all the buttons on his shirt and stretched out his arms towards me.

His perfect upper body muscles radiated a brilliant light and welcomed me.

I swallowed twice without realizing it.

I knew very well how my expression looked as I looked up at him now, so I was subtly looking forward to how he would react.

“Is a pregnant woman allowed to give such a sensual smile?”

He lowered his head and put his forehead against mine, then gently nudged it.

“I’m your husband……”

“And you keep shortening your words [dropping honorifics, a sign of intimacy in some cultures].”

“What does it matter if it’s just the two of us…….”

I subtly dropped the honorifics again and waited for his reaction.

He stared at my face for a moment,

“Well… what does it matter? You’re so pretty even when you speak informally to the Emperor.”

He looked down at me with loving eyes, as if he couldn’t help himself.

My husband is completely smitten.

I shook my head and clicked my tongue, and he chuckled as if he found it funny.

“I wish I was the only one who saw this smile. I’m very worried that you might give the same smile to your best friend, wife.”

Linell erased his smile and said in a serious tone.

“It’s a smile that only comes out in front of my husband. How haughty do you think I am elsewhere?”

I lifted my chin and retorted primly, and he quickly changed to a satisfied expression.

“Hmm, it’s a problem because you’re pretty even when you’re haughty.”

He hugged me and muttered.

Ah, I thought that if someone heard our conversation now, they might get goosebumps all over their body and roll around on the dirt floor.

The power of love is truly great…….

Even if my hands and feet are curling up [a common expression for feeling embarrassed or cringey], I can endure it like this.

“Isn’t it difficult because I can’t hide how pretty I am?”

“Ah, hahaha. Did you hear that, baby? Remember what your mother just said and check it out with your own eyes when you are born.”

Linell stroked my stomach and said something ambiguous.

What does he mean?

“But, is it okay to just keep hugging like this?”

He asked, gently placing his hand on my belt.

“The heat seems to have disappeared quickly because my bare skin is touching my stomach.”

“If it’s uncomfortable here, we can move the location over there…….”

He reached out and pointed to the lounge door in the office.

“It’s not that bad today.”

I looked up at his raised lips with a smile and replied.

Then he put his hands back on my stomach and said kindly.

“From now on, bother your mother more. If you feel even a little hot, kick her stomach to let her know. You must remember your father’s words.”

Usually, people tell their children not to make their mothers suffer during prenatal care, but what is this man saying now?

“Baby, you have to answer.”

He stopped talking to my stomach, raised his head, and looked at my face.

Is he telling me to speak for him now?

I was taken aback, but I quickly cleared my throat. Ahem, ahem!

“If Daddy hugs me tight every day, my tummy won’t suddenly get hot!”

I tried to speak cutely like a child, but my lisp came out too much.

“……Is something very wrong with you?”

Linell put one hand on my stomach and the other on my forehead and asked with a worried look.

I was about to take some time to reflect, but he burst into a cheerful laugh and began to shower my cheeks with merciless kisses.

“Hey, hey. You’re the cutest pregnant woman in the world, you know?”

“…….”

“Did she say that? If I hug her tight, she won’t get hot?”

“!”

Wow, I can’t listen to this…….

I unconsciously took a step back from him and told him honestly.

“Your Majesty, a cute voice doesn’t suit you at all.”

“If I suited that too, would I be human?”

Linell shrugged his shoulders as if it were obvious and asked me back.

Well, if he could handle cuteness too, that would be too unfair.

I nodded and had no choice but to admit it.

“I’ll be going now. I don’t feel any heat anymore.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I feel comfortable just from being hugged.”

I straightened his open shirt, greeted him, and was about to turn around when,

“Come here.”

He turned me around again and hugged me.

“If you want to be safe until dinner, kiss me before you go.”

Linell whispered, gently lifting my chin.

“I’m really okay…….”

“If I just let you go like this, I don’t think *I’ll* be okay. Please, just a little…….”

His lips, which had been pleading, parted my lips and entered.

As soon as I felt him filling my mouth, I immediately realized.

What would have happened if I had just left…….

As he said, I felt the high temperature that I had not been aware of returning to normal.

Knock knock-.

We were in the middle of exploring each other and kissing when there was a knock and the office door opened.

“Oh my, what a surprise!”

Raphael carelessly stepped into the office and dropped the documents he was holding on the floor.

“Who told you to come in *after* knocking?”

“……No, Your Majesty. It’s not like I didn’t knock, and I came in after knocking as usual, so why are you saying that?”

Raphael was furious at Linell’s scolding.

He picked up the documents that had fallen on the floor and added another word, feeling upset even after thinking about it again.

“And! Who comes in *before* knocking instead of after knocking?”

“From now on, knock and stand there until I tell you to come in.”

“Yes, yes, I will. But, why are you leaving your shirt open?”

“Raphael, just as you are the open pants of the Imperial City [a playboy or someone with loose morals], I will also be active as the open shirt of the Imperial Palace from now on.”

“……Is this something I should ask the reason for?”

Raphael looked at Linell with a dumbfounded look and then asked me.

I pretended not to hear and looked into the air, feigning ignorance.

“Raphael, there is a difference between you and me. You are an open space for an unspecified number of people, but I will only open up for a specific person.”

Linell grabbed both sides of his shirt, swiped them open and then closed them again, starting to button them one by one.

“Your Majesty, my heart has become very disturbed, so I don’t think I will be able to do my job properly today.”

Raphael grumbled, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Yes, I guess you would feel a sense of self-disgust when you see my body, wondering if we are even the same man. That’s why I tell you to exercise a little more. But there’s no guarantee that you’ll become like me even if you do.”

“……I’ll just live like this since I can’t become like Your Majesty anyway.”

Raphael showed an attitude of unconditionally agreeing with his opinion, as if he wanted to end this conversation.

Even if he didn’t like his boasting, it was hard to refute, so he just seemed to accept it.

“Oh, by the way, Your Majesty. Is Grand Duke Joseph doing well?”

I turned around and asked him before leaving the office.

Suddenly, Grand Duke Joseph’s chubby and fair cheeks came to mind.

“Ah, he said he wanted to visit your residence this morning.”

“Really? Then I should meet him while he’s here at the palace.”

***

Bellos visited the office but turned away when he heard that Zelda was there.

He visited the office again an hour later.

“I came to see you because you said you had something to say last night.”

“Yes. Let’s go to the sofa and sit down first.”

Linell instructed the chamberlain to bring tea and continued reading the documents he was looking at.

Just as two cups of black tea were placed on the table where Bellos was sitting, Linell also finished signing the documents and got up from his desk chair.

As soon as he sat down opposite Bellos, he immediately got to the point.

“I remembered the memories I lost a few days ago.”

Bellos was startled as he picked up his teacup.

“……Do you mean that the memories you lost, the memories of Zelda… have returned?!”

The black tea in Bellos’s teacup, which was in his hand, flowed down to the floor.

“Yes.”

He replied briefly and stared silently at Bellos’s tilted teacup.