The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 255

255. I’ll Just Snip It Off

2023.06.14.

Catherine, looking momentarily surprised, approached with a stiff gait.

“What brings you two to the training grounds…?” I asked, alternating my gaze between Count Ethan, who was slowly emerging from behind Catherine, and her.

“We came to… borrow a decent sword.”

Catherine replied, subtly avoiding my eyes.

“You came to the training grounds to borrow a sword?” I rephrased the question, sensing their hesitation.

“Why a sword all of a sudden?” If they really needed a sword, they could have simply asked their own guards.

“I want to go to the Partsha Empire as part of the congratulatory delegation,” Catherine stated.

“Ah? Are you trying to learn swordsmanship for physical training like Melanie?” I glanced at Melanie and then back at Catherine.

“What is Melanie training for?”

Catherine widened her eyes and turned to Melanie.

“I didn’t think you would go, Catherine. Looks like I have more competition,” Melanie muttered warily.

“Catherine came to borrow a sword, but what brings you here, Count Ethan?” I addressed Count Ethan, who was standing awkwardly behind Catherine.

“Ah, yes… I came to display the new swords made in the smithy. I just happened to run into Catherine.”

“In the warehouse, you mean?”

“T-there weren’t any good swords on display, so I went into the warehouse and met her!” Catherine exclaimed, flustered.

“The good swords are all over there on the display stand, though? Isn’t the warehouse mainly for storing swords with broken blades or defects?”

At my words, Catherine and Count Ethan’s faces simultaneously began to turn red.

Gazing at their expressions, I suddenly recalled the kiss I had shared with Linell in the warehouse not long ago.

Ah, come to think of it, Linell and I had hidden because Catherine and Count Ethan were coming into the warehouse that day.

It was the day we hurriedly rolled to the floor, unintentionally ending up on top of each other, and eventually even kissing.

My face was starting to turn red too, so I quickly changed the subject.

“But seeing as you came out empty-handed, I guess there wasn’t a sword you liked in the warehouse?” I asked, glancing down at Catherine’s hands.

“Huh? Ah, yes. I think I’ll learn archery instead. Swordsmanship doesn’t seem to suit me.”

Without even trying?

“I see. Oh, but aren’t bows also displayed in the warehouse?”

“R-really? How do you know so much, Zelda?” Catherine flinched, narrowed her eyes, and looked at me with a strange gaze.

…Right?

Did I used to go to the warehouse often when I was the surrogate empress?

I’ll have to ask Linell about it tonight.

***

“She was at the training grounds less than three hours ago, what does she want now?” Hector was talking with his aide, Falto, in his quarters when he heard that Melanie was looking for him, so he had to visit her bedroom.

“You called, again,” Hector said with a hint of annoyance. Whether Hector wore a sulky expression or not, Melanie greeted him as if she was seeing him for the first time today, even waving her hand cheerfully.

“Come and sit down. Oh? What’s that?”

Hector was holding a wooden sword in his hand. After visiting the training grounds, he had his aide, Falto, get him a wooden sword.

A light and safe wooden sword was perfect for Melanie’s level, compared to a heavy sword.

“Practice with this.” If you really want to learn swordsmanship, that is.

Hector said, handing her the wooden sword.

“You’re giving this to me? It’s the first time I’ve received a gift from a man…” Her eyes were filled with emotion, as if she had received a jewel.

Hector frowned, wearing a dumbfounded expression.

“It’s not a gift, it’s a practice sword.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m not stupid.”

Or are you?

“Should I wear this around here too?” Melanie smiled, folding her eyes as she held the wooden sword to her side.

I think she really is stupid.

Hector bit his tongue to keep from laughing at her absurd words, maintaining a stern expression.

“Your Majesty, I didn’t give it to you to use as a dress accessory.”

“I’m just kidding. I’ll really try hard to learn.”

Melanie gripped the handle of the wooden sword with both hands, made a determined expression, and then looked at Hector with a bright smile.

“Can I tell you what I need now?”

“Please do.”

“First, sit down.”

“I’ll just stand and listen.”

“Then I’ll stand up.”

Melanie got up from her chair, picked up a fork from the fruit plate on the table, and held it to Hector’s lips.

“Eat.”

“What is it?”

“Pomegranate. Our family sent pomegranates today.”

“Haa, is this why you called me?”

“Yeah. It tastes good. It’s better than the pomegranate I gave you last time… no, threw away. It’s sweeter. Say ah~.”

Melanie forcibly opened Hector’s lips as she pushed the pomegranate seeds on the fork towards him.

‘Sweet, my foot.’ Hector chuckled softly after tasting the pomegranate.

No one on Tanya Island would dare to offer him a pomegranate with this level of sweetness.

“Is it good?” Melanie waited for Hector’s reaction.

‘Good, my foot.’ Hector put his hand in his uniform pocket.

Should I take it out, should I not? Should I take it out, should I not?

The hesitation grew longer.

Just a little while ago, a pomegranate sent from Tanya Island had arrived at his quarters. They were specially selected, top-grade pomegranates that he had his aide, Falto, bring.

‘Why did I bring this, really…’ Before coming to Melanie’s bedroom, Hector had unknowingly put a pomegranate in his pocket.

“What are you thinking so hard about? Are you surprised because it’s so delicious?” Melanie looked anxious as Hector’s expression became too serious with just one piece of pomegranate.

Swish-.

Hector drew his sword from the scabbard at his waist.

“Gasp! Why? Is it worse than last time? Is that why you’re angry?” Melanie gasped as she saw the sharp blade Hector had drawn.

“Throw away all those pomegranates,” Hector said coldly.

Melanie, frightened, retorted timidly, “But that’s a very precious fruit?”

“Enough. Eat this.” Hector finally took out the pomegranate he had brought from his uniform pocket.

“Where did you get that pomegranate…?” Melanie asked with curious eyes, but Hector did not answer.

Hector cut the pomegranate he had taken out of his pocket into several pieces with his sword and put one piece directly into Melanie’s mouth.

“Shut up and eat this.”

“?” Melanie’s eyes widened. She was surprised by Hector’s informal speech and doubly surprised by the sweet and sour pomegranate seeds bursting in her mouth.

“Did you, just talk down to me?”

“Why, you told me to drop the formalities when we’re alone. Should I go back to using honorifics?”

“…No, never. Just try using honorifics!” The pomegranate Hector gave her was so sweet that her answer was a beat late.

“Hey, Hector. Can you call my name once?” Melanie asked, swallowing the remaining pomegranate in her mouth.

Hector opened his mouth slowly with a complicated expression.

“How’s the pomegranate taste, Melanie…”

“Good. And you too!” Melanie’s answer was refreshing and immediate.

***

After returning from the training grounds and taking a bath, it was already dark outside.

Linell sent word that he would not be able to have dinner together tonight. It seemed that the meeting with the ministers regarding the formation of the congratulatory delegation to the Partsha Empire was running late.

Coincidentally, Moiya and Moni had not yet returned to Rosie’s quarters, so we decided to have dinner in the bedroom tonight.

I prepared Moiya and Moni’s places in front of the table.

Unlike Moiya, who immediately put a sausage in her mouth when Sharon brought it, Moni stared at me intently and said to Sharon, “Sharon, I want to eat like Master too.”

She seemed to like the way I used a knife and fork and wanted to imitate me.

When Sharon brought her a knife and fork, Moni cut the sausage little by little using the knife and fork.

“Moni, you have to hold it with the fork and cut it with the knife. You’re doing it the other way around.” At my correction, Moni’s eyes widened as if she had gained a great realization.

“Huh? Is that how it is?” Moni was stabbing the sausage with the knife and cutting it with the side of the fork.

Meanwhile, Moiya, who was diligently eating sausage, had been staring intently at Sharon, who was knitting on the sofa, for some time.

“Who are you making that for?”

“It’s for our baby who will be born soon. Isn’t it pretty?” Sharon held up a small hat with a cute tassel, smiling brightly as she explained that she had chosen sky blue yarn because she didn’t know if it was a prince or a princess yet.

“Sharon, don’t you have one for me?” Moiya asked with expectant eyes, as if she liked the hat Sharon was knitting.

“What does a wyvern [a mythical winged creature] need a hat for? You don’t even have hair.”

“I want to wear it even more because I don’t have it. And my horns get cold sometimes, Moiya~?” Moiya puffed out her cheeks, stroking her bald head.

“Liar,” Moni scoffed at Moiya, cutting the sausage with a rather elegant hand gesture.

“Okay, Moiya, I’ll make one for you before winter comes.” Moiya shook a new sausage excitedly as Sharon said generously.

“Really, really? Then put a sausage on my hat too!”

“Wow, it would be cool to make a sausage shape in the middle of the hat?” I stroked the horns on Moiya’s head and laughed, then turned my gaze back to Sharon, who was engrossed in knitting the hat.

“Sharon, what were you talking about with the servants earlier?” It was when I had just returned to my quarters from the training grounds. Sharon and several servants were gathered together, talking about something serious.

I had been curious about what they were talking about and was looking for an opportunity to ask. The conversation, in which they were whispering with their mouths covered and words like ‘bastard’ and ‘son of a bitch’ were rampant, made me even more curious.

“Ah, it was about Sollie’s cousin.”

“Why, what about Sollie’s cousin?”

“She’s heavily pregnant, and guess what, that husband of hers cheated on her?”

“Really?”

“Yes, he was so good to her in the early stages of pregnancy, but as her belly grew, he started to change.”

“Oh dear.”

“He started coming home later and later, and eventually, he didn’t come home at all, and in the end, he fell for another woman, and to make matters worse, he cheated on her with Sollie’s cousin’s best friend?”

I almost missed out on hearing this if I didn’t ask. Sharon rattled off the stories she had shared with the servants earlier without taking a break.

“Until then, he would wash her hair, bathe her, and was so kind. But as her belly grew, his eyes turned to another woman.”

Hmm? Come to think of it, Linell did all those things for me.

‘Wait, what if Linell changes his mind later?’ The thought suddenly crossed my mind.

It was clearly a fleeting thought, but strangely, it didn’t leave my head, and unnecessary worries kept swirling around.

They say that when you’re pregnant, hormonal influences cause you to have strange thoughts several times a day, and you have absurd suspicions… am I like that too?

I’m quite embarrassed that worries I don’t usually have suddenly pop up.

“Ooh? Do human males’ eyes roll when their bellies get big from pregnancy?” Moiya asked Sharon with a curious expression.

“Yeah. That happens quite often.”

“Then His Majesty is a male, so that could happen too, Moni~?” Moni said gloomily with a worried look.

“That’s not true! His Majesty loves our Empress very much,” Sharon retorted in a firm voice.

Perhaps my expression had also turned sour, as Moni patted the back of my hand and said as if making a pledge, “Don’t worry, Master. If His Majesty turns his eyes to another woman, I’ll pluck them out!”

“!”

…Didn’t you like His Majesty a lot?

“Then I’ll just snip off a different part, Moiya~?” The fork that was in my hand was now in Moiya’s hand.

“Snip what off?” At that moment, Linell’s voice was heard.

When did he come in?

Startled, I turned my head towards the bedroom door. He was standing, leaning against the bedroom door with his arms crossed.

Moiya suddenly shouted at him, “Hey, Cold Body! Are you going to turn your eyes to another female when our Master becomes a pregnant belly?”

The direction of the fork that Moiya was holding was aimed at his center.

“…What did you say?”

“Ooh? The answer is late? Master, I’ll commence the attack!”

“!” Before I could stop her, Moiya charged towards him with the fork.