The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 299

299. The Coveted Mother-in-Law

November 15, 2023

Linelle briefly summoned Belos onto the deck.

“Your Majesty, what is it?”

Belos, looking like he’d been caught doing something wrong, kept his head bowed, glancing at Moija perched on Linelle’s shoulder as he asked.

“There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

“…Please, speak.”

“Do you happen to know of any drug that causes a man to lose function? The symptoms are… no reaction in the morning or at night. No matter what I see or do. Except for one person.”

Linelle subtly glanced down at his own lower body as he asked.

Belos wondered why he was being secretly summoned in the middle of the night for such a question, but judging by the atmosphere, it seemed Moija had caused some trouble.

“It’s usually a drug requested to prevent a married spouse from cheating. I believe it’s traded covertly.”

“Are you going to ask the Magic Tower to make an antidote? Is there really a need? If you only love Master for the rest of your life, there’s no need to take an antidote, Moija~?”

Moija offered his unsolicited opinion, and Linelle coldly rebuked him.

“Shut your mouth. I didn’t call the Magic Tower Lord because of that.”

“Your Majesty, what on earth…”

He was about to ask what was going on, but Linelle cut him off.

“If you take that drug, are there any side effects, like a slight decrease in function?”

That was the most important thing.

In any case, in his life, the only woman was the Goddess of Fire, Zelda.

“Fortunately, the one person who *does* elicit a reaction receives even greater focus than before. Your Majesty, you must be feeling it yourself, aren’t you?”

Belos felt a deep sense of shame.

‘Why am I even telling him this?’

His stomach churned, but since he felt he had wronged Linelle, he told him the truth as a form of atonement.

“I know that. But I thought it would be good to get it checked by an expert.”

Linelle let go of Moija’s hand and finally regained his smile.

“An examination… I refuse.”

“You’ve got some nerve. Thanks to you, my curiosity has been satisfied. Magic Tower Lord, have a delightful night.”

He tapped Belos on the shoulder and spoke kindly.

Spending a delightful night alone? Who was he kidding?

“…Yes, then I’ll head back first.”

Belos turned away forlornly with a sullen expression.

The wind felt particularly cold that night.

After Belos disappeared, Linelle spoke to the two creatures, each perched on one of his shoulders.

“Tonight, sleep somewhere else.”

“Oong? You said we could sleep together earlier.”

“I heard that too, Moni~?”

“I really don’t want to sleep with you guys tonight. Try to reflect on what you’ve done, even if it’s just for one day.”

“Why did you change your mind? You said Your Majesty’s heart is as big as your chest!”

Moija bristled.

“My heart plummeted in the guest room earlier and scattered into the air.”

“The Magic Tower Lord said it’s okay, that the function is even enhanced!”

“I heard that too, Moni~?”

Moni, who was also being forced to sleep elsewhere, pouted.

“I should check again today. Whether that’s really true or not.”

Linelle said, deliberately serious.

“So… you’re telling us not to come in?”

“As expected, our Moni is smart.”

Linelle placed Moija and Moni on the deck railing and descended the stairs leading to the guest room.

“Oong? Why are you pretending to be sophisticated about mating night, Moija~?”

Moija grumbled, puffing out his cheeks.

***

He returned after meeting Belos.

Fortunately, his expression was much brighter than when he left the guest room.

“But, where are Moija and Moni?”

“They went to Sharon.”

“Are they going to sleep well there?”

“That’s what they said… Voluntarily.”

There was no way those guys would do that.

“You didn’t chase Linelle out, did you?”

“Zelda, am I such a narrow-minded man? It seemed like they felt sorry for what they did, so they were embarrassed. So I told them to do whatever they felt comfortable with.”

“What did Belos say? About the drug, are there any side effects?”

“He said there wouldn’t be any side effects. Because I’m such a strong man.”

“How would Belos… know that?”

“He’s the Magic Tower Lord, so he’d know just by looking. Ah, even without a private examination.”

He grimaced as if the thought alone was terrible.

“…Then can we spend some time alone today?”

“Weren’t we always alone?”

He stroked my cheek as he spoke.

“It’s not that, but I feel like I can finally stretch my legs and sleep comfortably tonight.”

Our lips gently met.

His body was quickly heating up because of me.

Instead of him, who was solely focused on me, I personally took off his uniform jacket.

As I took off his jacket, something caught my hand.

“Linelle, there’s something hard inside your uniform.”

“Yeah… it must be muscle. Asking even though you know. Teasingly.”

“?”

He pinched my cheek lightly and smiled.

“Not that, what is this? I’ve never seen it before?”

I rummaged through his uniform’s inner pocket as I asked.

“There’s no way there’s something you’ve never seen on my body… Hmm? What’s that?”

What I took out of his uniform’s inner pocket was a notebook.

“Ah! I forgot about it.”

“About what?”

“When I went to find Melanie and Hector, it was dropped in the food storage. Under the chair where Hector was tied up.”

“Then Hector’s notebook?”

Hector and a notebook. It wasn’t a fitting combination, but it was even less likely that Melanie would carry a notebook.

“I think so. I meant to return it, but I forgot. I’ve been so out of it with all the things that have been happening.”

“That’s unexpected. He doesn’t seem like the type to carry a notebook.”

As I was about to put Hector’s notebook on the side table, he snatched it away.

“Let me see. What does he write in it? Is it a notebook where he records the items he pirated?”

Linelle opened the notebook.

“Is it okay to look at someone else’s stuff?”

“I wouldn’t look even if you told me to look closely. I’m just checking what kind of notebook it is.”

He replied, turning the first page of the notebook.

“What if it’s a diary?”

“Hahaha, Hector writing a diary? I’ll bet my throne… no, scratch that. What is this?”

“Why? Is it really a diary?”

“It’s not a diary, but something is written densely? What on earth is this about?”

Linelle stared intently, as if he would pierce the notebook he was holding.

We put our heads together and read the words written in the notebook.

The notebook contained a childish and absurd third-rate novel.

A romance novel, at that.

“The title is ‘The Secret Room’?”

The content was roughly about a young lady from a duke’s family named Susan who shared love every night in the ‘Secret Room’ with her bodyguard, Paul.

Just a typical and common story.

The ending of every episode ended in the ‘Secret Room,’ so you couldn’t help but want to read the next episode.

Sentences that made your hands and feet curl [an expression for feeling embarrassed or cringey] were listed in a row, but you couldn’t close the notebook.

It was like… it kept provoking curiosity even while making you cringe.

“I can’t take my eyes off it.”

He seemed to be at a similar level as me.

“This is the first time we’ve stayed up all night doing something other than making love, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. Zelda, I can’t read the last scene. You read it for me.”

He handed me the notebook, saying he was too nervous to see the next part.

The notebook ended with episode 11. Episode 11 also continued with the content of meeting in the ‘Secret Room’ on the night before the heroine Susan’s wedding.

After clearing my throat, I read the contents written in the notebook aloud.

“‘Tonight, they were drawn to each other again and met in the darkened secret room. The man, who had arrived early and was waiting, hugged her as she opened the door and kissed her eagerly. The two intertwined and shared love, rolling all the way to the window before they knew it.'”

“Wait, not walking to the window, but rolling? Rolling all the way?”

He interrupted the flow at an important point and asked.

As he pointed out, that expression was somewhat excessive and ridiculous for a romance novel.

“The author wrote it that way, so they must have rolled that way.”

I started reading again, trying to regain my composure.

“‘Just like swordsmanship fitting perfectly, their chemistry was especially good. As always, there was no meaning in the conversation between the two. Unlike other days, Susan pulled Paul’s hair while they were making love. Paul felt like a handful of hair had been pulled from the crown of his head, but he didn’t dislike her fierce passion, which he felt for the first time. It was a night that burned away all the energy to speak.'”

“Is the man weak?”

He laughed and interrupted the flow once more.

When I glared at him slightly, he gestured for me to continue reading and quickly shut his mouth.

“‘The man, who woke up before sunrise the next day, froze stiff as soon as he saw her sleeping.'”

I couldn’t read the last sentence and closed the notebook.

“Why did you stop reading? Why did the man’s body stiffen? Did he get a cramp? Did he use too much strength last night?”

He asked with a very curious expression.

“I can’t read the last part.”

“Why?”

“It’s too shocking.”

“What is it? Oh, you’re making me curious. Read it to the end, quickly.”

“Okay.”

I warned him to prepare himself and listen carefully, then opened the notebook again.

“‘She wasn’t Susan.'”

“What? If she’s not Susan, then who is it?!”

“‘It was Susan’s… sister.'”

Linelle couldn’t close his mouth in shock.

“This is totally messed up, isn’t it?”

“Listen. Susan’s sister has a line left.”

“?”

I patted him and recited the last sentence realistically.

“‘How is it, Paul? Am I better than my sister?'”

“Haa, what did Paul say?”

“That’s the end. Paul’s line will be in episode 12.”

“Ugh, cutting it off here!”

I was just as curious.

“I should ask Hector what kind of novel he wrote. I should ask him to tell me the title.”

“I guarantee you, there’s no publishing house that would publish such a third-rate novel. I can’t believe it, look at this!”

He scanned the notebook and shouted in an excited voice.

It was small letters, but it was written exactly on the last page of episode 11.

Written by Hector… it said.

We lost our words for a while and decided to accept this incredible fact.

“When I meet him tomorrow, I should ask him when episode 12 will come out.”

“I’m even willing to pay.”

***

The next morning.

In the buffet-style restaurant, a silent battle of wits was taking place among the concubines.

Catherine put the last remaining orange slice on her plate.

“Ah, I wanted to eat that!”

Melanie, who was standing right behind her, said with a regretful voice.

“Are there no more oranges?”

Fesilini approached, stroking her belly with one hand, and Melanie quickly stroked her own belly as she replied.

“Yes, Catherine took the last orange.”

At Melanie’s words, Rosie asked a passing kitchen servant if there were any more oranges.

The kitchen servant said that there were other fruits left, but only the oranges were all gone.

“Shouldn’t you give the orange to Fesilini, who is pregnant?”

Rosie carefully said to Catherine.

“I’ll give it if I want to. Rosie, why are you telling me what to do?”

Catherine replied with an unpleasant expression.

“Rosie. I’m pregnant too. I’m upset that you only take care of Fesilini. If Rosie were pregnant, I would have taken care of you first.”

Melanie also said with a slightly sulky face.

“I’m sorry. I forgot that Melanie was also pregnant.”

“Oh my, come to think of it, me, Fesilini, and even Zelda. All three of us will be giving birth around the same time?”

Melanie laughed and raised her chin.

Then Catherine looked around and lowered her voice, subtly interjecting.

“I might be giving birth around the same time too.”

Rosie and Melanie, who already knew about Catherine’s relationship with Count Ethan, were startled by her words.

It was a very possible story.

“Then all the babies will be the same age, or at most one year younger.”

Everyone smiled happily at Melanie’s words.

Rosie, feeling left out, blurted out a word without realizing it.

“I, I might be possible too!”

The concubines’ eyes widened at Rosie’s cry.

“Does that mean you finally had something with Prince Norton?”

Melanie stopped asking there and examined Rosie’s expression.

Seeing Rosie’s face turning red, it seemed she had also done the deed.

“Ladies. I suddenly had a thought, wouldn’t it be nice if our children’s mother-in-law was Zelda?”

Melanie asked, her eyes sparkling.

“The mother-in-law has the Wyvern Road [a powerful trade route] and the power of fire! And she’ll soon be reinstated as empress. Could there be a more perfect mother-in-law than this?”

Rosie also agreed entirely with Melanie’s words, clasping her hands together.

“I don’t know if Zelda will give birth to a prince or a princess, but I definitely want to form a marriage alliance!”

The other concubines seemed to be thinking the same thing in their hearts at Melanie’s resolution.

A silent competition had begun among them.

Shortly after, Linelle and Zelda entered the restaurant.

She smiled and approached the place where the concubines were gathered.

“Did you sleep well last night, Empress?”

Rosie took the lead and flattered her with courtesy.

“…Empress?”

Zelda had a bewildered expression.

“You are the Empress. You’ll be reinstated soon anyway. Hehehe.”

Even Fesilini was trying to look good to her.

“Empress, please have this. They said it’s the last orange.”

This time, Catherine handed Zelda the last orange she had taken, plate and all.

‘Why are they doing this?’

Zelda was embarrassed by the concubines’ sudden fuss.

“I… I have a question.”

Not to be outdone, Melanie stuck close to her and started talking.

“…What is it?”

“What are your plans for children? Mother-in-law, no, Empress?”

Melanie asked with a serious face, and the other concubines pricked up their ears.