The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 289

289. You Can’t Have It Either

2023.10.11.

Was it because of the Pesilini incident yesterday?

A sense of foreboding washed over me.

“Your Majesty, I’ll see you at the party later. I need to find Rosie, Melanie, and Ao.”

“I don’t know where Ao is, but if you’re looking for Melanie, start with Hector’s cabin.”

Linelle said as he put on his uniform jacket.

Ignoring his advice, Rosie and I set out to find Melanie.

“Let’s check the deck first and then work our way down.”

“Yes, we should tell the crew in advance. I hope she hasn’t gotten caught in a net somewhere,” Rosie said with worry, “struggling, is she?”

“Melanie? Or Ao?”

“Both……”

Rosie hurried along, a worried look etched on her face.

The deck was bustling with preparations for the evening banquet and shipboard party that would be held shortly.

After asking the crew and attendants to let us know if they saw Ao, we went back down to the cabins and began to search each floor thoroughly.

“Zelda, Your Grace!”

“Elan?”

As we returned to the floor with my cabin, Empress Elan suddenly appeared from behind the stairs.

Rosie and I were both startled.

Seeing as she appeared without a sound, it didn’t seem like a chance encounter.

“Did you come to see me?”

“Yes, I have something urgent to tell you.”

Empress Elan looked around nervously and whispered.

“Then let’s go to the cabin.”

“No, I just need to tell you and leave.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Roxana came to see Emperor Adrian a little while ago. Their plan is for tomorrow at dinner! That’s what they said! The atmosphere was such that they were careful not to say more because I was there.”

Empress Elan said without taking a breath.

She had come to tell me that, risking danger.

“Thank you for letting me know. We’re expecting that and preparing for it on our end too.”

I reassured Empress Elan.

But something felt strange. They openly revealed the day of their plan in front of her? Even if they didn’t say much, I felt uneasy…

It might be a groundless fear, but it seemed like Empress Elan needed a safety net for herself as well.

What should I do?

“Elan, you should go back now. Until tomorrow’s work is done, don’t do anything that would make Adrian suspicious.”

“But if there’s anything more I can tell you…”

“No, your safety comes first. This is enough.”

“Yes, but you don’t have to worry about me.”

Empress Elan said bravely, greeted Rosie and me, and turned around.

“Wait a minute.”

I grabbed her wrist as she turned.

“Yes?”

“If… you are ever threatened by them, say this.”

I began to whisper something to Empress Elan.

“!”

She looked shocked after hearing everything I said.

“Do you understand? If you’re in danger, do exactly as I said. And don’t forget to trade on the condition that they spare Elan’s life.”

“……But, that’s something you shouldn’t reveal, is it?”

Empress Elan didn’t seem willing.

“It doesn’t matter. Not anymore.”

I told her it was okay several times and sent her back.

“Your Grace, what did you say?”

Rosie, who had been looking around the cabin hallway while I was talking to Empress Elan, asked with a very curious look.

“The information that Roxana and Adrian are most curious about.”

That would be Empress Elan’s safety net.

“By the way, where did Melanie go?”

***

Melanie entered the food storage room with a knight.

Contrary to the knight’s words that there were not only mice but also a lot of dust, the inside of the food storage room was cleaner than expected.

“Ao~! Where are you? Your owner is desperately looking for you!”

Melanie shouted, undeterred.

The knight was worried that her voice might awaken Hector, who was unconscious from the anesthetic.

‘Damn it, why is her voice so loud?’

The knight, who was walking behind Melanie, cursed silently.

Anyway, he was going to keep her from going to the place where Hector was tied up.

“Your Grace, no matter how much I look, I can’t see the cat.”

Just as he was getting close to the place where the sack bags were piled up, the knight stopped Melanie.

As the knight said, they had searched the entire fairly large grocery storage room, but they couldn’t see Ao, let alone a single mouse.

“That’s strange… It was definitely Ao’s voice. Hey, what’s behind there?”

“!”

Melanie gestured at the sack bags piled high in front of her and asked.

“……As you can see, there are only sack bags.”

“Really?”

“Yes, so let’s get out of here. I think you must have misheard…”

“Did I really mishear?”

Melanie stared at the sack bags near the ceiling for a moment, then turned around with a look of resignation.

At that moment, Ao’s cry was heard again from beyond the sack bags.

“Myaaong-! (Here, here!)”

“Huh?! Did you hear that? That cat meowing just now!”

Melanie turned around and asked the knight.

The sound was so clear that the knight nodded along.

“Ah, yes, well……”

“It must be behind those sacks!”

“Well, as far as I know, there isn’t anything there…!”

“Myaong, Myaong! (Bullshit. Melanie, your bodyguard knight is here too!)”

This time, Ao’s cry was a little more shrill.

“Why are you pretending to know when you don’t even know?”

Melanie glared at the knight and rebuked him.

“Your Grace, please stay here. I, I’ll go in and get him!”

“No way. I’m going to take him out.”

Despite the knight’s protests, Melanie quickly ran to the place where the sack bags were piled up. There was a narrow passage where one person could pass through.

“He went in here, this rascal.”

Melanie smiled and walked into the space beyond the sack bags.

‘Now that it’s come to this, there’s no choice. I’ll have to take care of that bitch too.’

The knight slowly pulled out the sword he was wearing on his waist and chased after her.

“Ao, why are you alone in a place like this…?”

Melanie stopped walking as soon as she went behind the sack bags.

Ao was not alone.

“…Who is that tied up in a place like this? Eek?! Wh, what! Hector!”

After confirming the side of the man’s face, who was slumped over with his head down, Melanie collapsed on the spot.

Ao was biting the piece of cloth on Hector’s pants.

Then, seeing the knight with his sword drawn behind Melanie, he quickly went behind the sack bags and hid with the piece of cloth in his mouth.

Melanie, who had not been watching her rear, crawled to Hector and shook him awake.

“He, Hector, wake up!”

He was still under the influence of the anesthetic and could not open his eyes.

“No, why are you tied up here, huh? Did you get caught stealing something? No. You wouldn’t be able to do piracy alone on the ship, would you?”

Melanie repeatedly slapped Hector’s cheeks with both hands and called out to him, but it was no use.

“And why is your face so bruised? Who did this to you, huh?!”

Melanie huffed and tried to untie the rope tied around Hector’s body.

“Leave him alone.”

The knight’s voice was heard from behind her.

“Yeah, you can untie him better than I can. Hurry up and untie this. It’s tied so tight that the blood isn’t flowing.”

Melanie misinterpreted the knight’s words and let go of the rope.

“Huh? Why is it so prickly?”

Melanie turned around, feeling something poking her in the back.

The tip of the knight’s sword was right against her back.

“What are you doing? How dare you point a sword at someone!”

Melanie glared at the knight and scolded him.

“That’s why I wish you had just left earlier.”

The knight’s tone suddenly became rough.

“Are you crazy! Don’t you know who I am?”

“I know. Aren’t you the pitiful concubine that the Emperor doesn’t even touch, even though you have a pretty face?”

The knight put the blade of his sword to Melanie’s neck and lifted her chin with his hand.

“I’ve never seen such an impolite guy! You’re more ignorant than that barbarian king here!”

The knight was startled by Melanie’s unyielding struggle, but soon burst into laughter and picked up the rope he had dropped on the floor.

In the meantime, Melanie grabbed the easily torn lace-decorated sleeve of her dress with her mouth and threw it to where Ao was hiding.

“You won’t be lonely. I’ll send you with that bastard in a few hours.”

The knight, who had brought the rope, smiled weakly and approached.

“Hey, what are you doing! What did I do wrong to tie me up? And where are you sending me?”

“Keep him company on the way to the afterlife.”