The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 275

275. You Were Talking About Me, Weren’t You?

Adrian entered the Empress’s palace dining hall just in time for lunch.

“Welcome.”

Roxana, who had arrived earlier, rose from her seat to greet him.

“It’s an honor to be invited, Your Majesty.”

Adrian bowed, folding one arm.

“You’re too kind. You’re leaving tomorrow with the congratulatory delegation, and I wanted to treat you to a meal before you go.”

“In honor of our friendship?”

“Of course.”

Roxana instructed Nancy to bring out the food and then sat down with Adrian.

“Yes, this is how we deepen our friendship. Haha.”

Adrian chuckled, picked up a wine bottle, and poured wine into Roxana’s glass.

Roxana sipped the wine, gazing at Adrian’s face.

“Your Majesty, is there something good happening? You look particularly radiant today?”

she asked.

Last time she saw him, he looked like a dead man, his face devoid of color, making him look eerie, but today, his face had a healthy glow.

“Haha, is that so? Perhaps it’s because I’m already looking forward to the voyage to the Southern Continent.”

Adrian stroked his jawline and shrugged.

He had absorbed the blood from Elan’s neck wound, so he would look healthy for a while.

Besides his complexion, Adrian’s physical condition was much better than before.

Even a small amount of human blood was much more efficient for maintaining black magic than consuming a large amount of animal blood.

He wanted to absorb all the blood flowing through Elan’s body, but if she died, things would become complicated.

He hadn’t dismissed his suspicion of Elan, whom he had overheard talking to Hector.

During the Continental Hunting Competition, he had heard that Zelda, infected with demonic energy, had left for the Thebelo Empire with the Master of the Magic Tower. Adrian had recommended Elan as a guide to the Thebelo Empire to Linell, sending her with Zelda’s group.

He considered that the two might have formed a friendship during their journey to the Thebelo Empire, but Zelda and Elan hadn’t shown any particular closeness in his presence.

However, that could have been a deliberate act.

The thought that their conversation might leak out almost made him kill her.

Of course, that might not be the case, but Adrian was a man who didn’t trust anyone in the first place.

Even though he still suspected Elan, it wasn’t time to kill her yet.

He planned to test Elan’s loyalty on this journey and use her for his own plans.

“Have you met Hector?”

Roxana asked, starting the meal after all the dishes were set on the table.

“Of course. He’s the one who directly controls Galaco.”

Adrian replied, cutting his steak, then paused deliberately before speaking again.

“Does the Empress trust Hector completely?”

If there was any romantic entanglement or problem between them, it could disrupt his plans, so he thought it best to address it.

“Of course. Hector is entirely my man. A loyal dog I can absolutely trust.”

Roxana trusted Hector completely.

“That’s reassuring.”

Adrian smiled faintly and continued to cut his steak, which was almost raw.

“Your Majesty, if you don’t have trust in the people you use, they must at least be useful. If they are neither… there’s no reason to keep them alive.”

Roxana nodded in agreement, tilting her wine glass at Adrian’s words.

“I think so too.”

***

After lunch, a welcome guest arrived.

“Rosie, welcome.”

I was just about to go for a walk.

I was thinking of taking a walk towards the West Palace and stopping by her residence, but it seemed our hearts were connected.

As I was about to tell Sharon to bring refreshments, Rosie quickly spoke.

“I came to ask a favor.”

She looked a little nervous.

“Anything. Tell me comfortably, Rosie.”

I said, holding her hand.

I had received a lot of help from Rosie, so I wanted to grant her anything she wanted.

“Before I go to the Partsha Empire, I want to meet Princess Resilia once. Could you… come with me?”

“See the princess?”

“Yes, there’s something I really want to say.”

I was curious about what she wanted to say to Princess Resilia, but I would find out if I went with her.

I immediately had a carriage prepared.

The carriage stopped in front of the Spire Prison, near the palace drawbridge.

To my surprise, Grand Duke Martins was standing there as I got out of the carriage.

“What brings you two here?”

“We came to see Princess Resilia. What about you, Grand Duke?”

“I have some matters of the kingdom to inform Prince Tesler about, so I’m just returning from a brief visit.”

“I see. Is Commander Markrom inside?”

“Ah, he went to the main palace a little while ago. I heard there’s a meeting with the deputy commanders regarding the deployment of the escort knights for the congratulatory delegation. I’ll guide you in place of Commander Markrom.”

I expressed my gratitude for Grand Duke Martins’ kindness.

“Then I’ll ask for your help. It’s reassuring.”

With Grand Duke Martins’ escort, Rosie and I got out of the carriage and entered the Spire Prison.

Guided by Grand Duke Martins, we headed to the underground prison where the siblings of the Shatoanil Kingdom were imprisoned side by side.

It was much gloomier than I had expected, but the environment was better than a regular prison.

“This is where Princess Resilia is.”

Grand Duke Martins stopped in front of a cell with an iron door.

“Is the last cell perhaps…?”

“Yes, Prince Tesler is staying there.”

“I see. Please open it.”

“Are you sure you’re alright with this?”

Grand Duke Martins looked at me and Rosie alternately, asking with a worried expression.

“Of course, don’t worry.”

Even if I were to enter Prince Tesler’s cell alone, I would be fine, let alone Princess Resilia, who only knows how to scream.

At Grand Duke Martins’ command, the guard on duty opened Princess Resilia’s cell door.

The heavy iron door opened, and Princess Resilia, who had been sleeping on the bed, rose.

The princess looked at me and Rosie, her eyes narrowed, glaring as if to kill us.

“What is it? The very people who made me like this have come all at once?”

Princess Resilia seemed to be suffering from paranoia.

“Resilia, it’s all your fault you’re in this state.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s all Zelda’s fault in the first place! And then some ridiculous gourd rolled in and stole my husband and child!”

Princess Resilia’s gaze shifted from glaring at me to Rosie, and her anger reached its peak.

“The more I think about it, the more my stomach churns. How could Norton propose to someone as unsightly as you? I could understand if her appearance was somewhat similar to mine. But this is… she looks like a tough dough that you flatten and step on but give up on…”

Princess Resilia scanned Rosie up and down, spewing out unspeakable curses.

“Princess, haven’t you looked in the mirror lately?”

Rosie, who had been listening to Princess Resilia’s insults indifferently, looked around the cell and asked.

“What?”

“Ah, there really isn’t a mirror? So you don’t know what your face looks like now and criticize other people’s faces…”

“What is she saying right now?!”

Princess Resilia shouted, glaring, and Rosie confronted her in an even calmer tone.

“Your face has become very dull because you can’t see the sunlight. The dark circles under your eyes are darker than this underground prison. And your pink hair, which used to be glossy, has become dry… and especially that look in your eyes, it’s very eerie.”

“You little…!”

Princess Resilia raised her hand to slap Rosie’s cheek, who was kindly reciting her condition in a soft voice.

“If you can’t watch your mouth, at least watch your body.”

I blocked Rosie, grabbing Princess Resilia’s wrist tightly.

“Ah, ah… it hurts!”

I looked at Princess Resilia, who was twisting her body, with a pathetic expression, and let go of her wrist.

She fell back onto the bed, gasping for breath.

The princess sat on the bed, rubbing the wrist I had grabbed with her other hand, glaring at me.

“You guys, why did you come here anyway? Did you come to laugh at me, the two of you who took everything from me?”

“You’re seriously ill. Are you really suffering from paranoia? I don’t remember ever taking anything from you?”

I approached Princess Resilia and asked.

The princess then made a truly absurd expression, her mouth wide open.

If someone who didn’t know the circumstances saw Princess Resilia’s wronged expression now, they would all take her side.

“It was originally my place, but you kept sitting on it? You were just a surrogate empress! When I came here, you should have died on the way to the Shatoanil Kingdom!”

“…I’m sorry that I’m living so healthily.”

I replied, holding back laughter.

I almost felt guilty for surviving every moment of crisis.

Princess Resilia began to get so excited that she could hardly breathe at my mocking answer.

“I can understand Emperor Linell, but I’m going crazy with hurt pride that Norton gave his heart to a gourd like you. I can’t stand the thought of my son Rams calling a gourd ‘Mommy, Mommy’!”

The arrow of anger that had been aimed at me changed direction and poured out on Rosie.

“If it weren’t for you, I could have been the Crown Princess of the Partsha Empire. If Rams becomes Kalvain’s adopted son and later becomes emperor, I could have been the Grand Empress Dowager!”

Princess Resilia jumped up and ran to Rosie, shaking Rosie’s shoulders wildly with both hands.

“What did you do to Norton? What did you do to make him like you and abandon me!”

She shook Rosie with all her might, but her body remained unmoved by Princess Resilia’s struggles.

Just like her steadfast personality.

“She’s like a wooden doll!”

Princess Resilia fell away on her own, panting.

“I didn’t come here to brag about how much Prince Norton cherishes me, or how much Rams smiles at me.”

Rosie said with a sigh.

“What, what?!”

“The reason I came to see you before I leave for the Partsha Empire is to tell you not to worry.”

“Are you making fun of me? What nonsense is that!”

“Rams, I will raise him with all my heart, as if he were my own child.”

“…….”

“I wanted to tell you that. To reassure you.”

Rosie conveyed her heartfelt feelings in a sincere voice, and

“Okay. Try your best, go ahead. No matter how well you raise someone else’s child, they will eventually give their heart to their biological mother! Just you wait. I’ll show you how scary blood ties are!”

Princess Resilia struggled to the end.

***

Knock knock knock-.

Palto, who had returned from the Aclato Duchy on Hector’s orders, came to see him as soon as he arrived at the imperial palace.

“Are you coming from the duchy?”

Hector, who was sitting in a chair, glanced at Palto and asked.

“Y-yes….”

“How are the Galacos doing?”

At Hector’s question, Palto hesitated before opening his mouth.

“Great King, something terrible has happened.”

“What is it?”

Looking at the expression on his right-hand man’s face, it seemed something had happened in the duchy.

“T-that is… how should I explain this….”

“What are you talking about that you’re taking so long to say?”

“It’s about the Galacos.”

Palto said, looking troubled.

“Don’t they have two heads each?”

“Yes.”

“They’re gone.”

“…What is.”

“All the two heads are now only one.”

Palto recalled the appearance of the Galacos imprisoned in the Spire Prison.

He still couldn’t shake off the shock.

Hector stared intently at Palto.

His tone was quite serious. He didn’t seem to be joking.

“What nonsense are you talking about? What’s gone?”

Hector asked again with a puzzled look.

“Here, this is gone.”

Palto raised his voice, tapping his temple with his finger as if frustrated.

“What nonsense is that?”

“Ah, I’m telling you! The head, this head is gone!”

At that moment, Melanie’s sulky voice was heard.

“Are you making fun of me now?”

“M-Melanie, Your Highness?!”

Palto turned around in horror.

Melanie was standing outside the door, only her small head peeking in, her eyes wide open.

“You two were talking about me, weren’t you?”

What nonsense is she suddenly talking about.

Hector frowned and asked Melanie.

What are you….

“…What are you talking about?”

“You said I don’t have a head.”

“?”

She approached Hector and Palto, stomping her foot and began to question them fiercely.

“Hmph, so you were talking about me!”

Melanie’s eyes were full of conviction.