The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 31

31. Desiring Him

Arriving at the Empress’s Palace and entering the bedroom, fatigue washed over me. They say emotional exhaustion is more draining than physical exertion, and that was spot on. I’d rather spend all day training with swords at the training grounds.

“Your Majesty, this is Asaka tea, good for calming the mind, body, and relieving fatigue.”

Starting with Sharon bringing me tea, Sollie offered a head massage, putting strength into her fingertips, and Theresa, holding my hands, began to massage them, saying these noble hands had been overworked in the greenhouse. The three maids stuck close to me, chatting away before subtly bringing up Rinell.

“It seems Your Majesty really didn’t go to Catherine’s palace last night!”

“I knew His Majesty wouldn’t go!”

“Oh my, so Catherine was furious and took it out on Rosie for no reason?”

They poured out all the things they had been saying since we left the greenhouse. I simply shrugged at them, who were so excited. When my reaction wasn’t enthusiastic enough, they changed the subject and started talking about the satisfying lesson I had given Catherine.

“My heart feels so clear now!”

“I don’t think I’ll have indigestion for the next 10 years.”

“There were so many moments I wanted to capture in a painting… Hee hee.”

The three maids took turns praising me like a war hero. Oh my, if they saw me wielding a sword, they would worship me like a god then. They raised their voices, saying they had sworn allegiance to me for life as they left the greenhouse. This went on for 30 minutes.

“But…”

“Anyway…”

“In any case…”

Sharon, Sollie, and Theresa’s topic returned to the Emperor’s whereabouts last night.

“Where on earth did His Majesty go last night?”

Sharon asked, as if deep in thought.

“Who knows.”

My answer was very short compared to their long curiosity. I stared blankly at the bed, which seemed even wider today, and after a moment of thought, I gestured to Sharon.

“Sharon, I need to go to the Main Palace.”

“To the Main Palace? Is there something you need me to fetch? Or is there something you need at the Main Palace…?”

“Yes.”

“Just tell me anything, I’ll go get it right away!”

“I need him.”

“Yes, I’ll bring His Majesty right awa… Huh?!”

Sharon was so surprised that her mouth dropped open.

“Leave His Majesty there, just go and meet the secretary, Raphael.”

“The secretary?”

“Yes, I’ll go to the Main Palace later.”

“Th, that means!”

“Yes, tell him I’m going to His Majesty’s bedroom tonight.”

“Kyaa!”

At my words, the three maids hit each other, then suddenly did a silent dance, stomping their feet in excitement.

“Yes! I’ll go to the Main Palace right now and meet Raphael.”

“Ah, Sharon. Now that I think about it, I could ask another maid to do it.”

I smiled at Sharon, who was so excited, and suddenly realized that she didn’t need to go to the Main Palace herself. But Sharon was already a few steps away from me, ready to run to the Main Palace.

“No! I must deliver such an important message myself. I’ll go and tell Raphael directly and return!”

“You don’t have to run so fast…”

Before she could even finish my sentence, Sharon lifted her dress and ran out of the bedroom at full speed. I stared blankly at Sharon’s retreating figure before bursting into laughter with Sollie and Theresa, who remained by my side.

***

“Zelda… why is she being like this?”

Rinell had been experiencing emotional instability since Sharon, the Empress’s maid, had visited. He paced restlessly near the office window, not even taking a break. He had been pacing for dozens of minutes. He stopped abruptly, silhouetted against the sunset shining through the window, facing his secretary, Raphael, who was standing bored at his desk.

“Raphael.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Raphael had been rolling his eyes, following the Emperor’s movements for the past 10 minutes, and was just about to turn his gaze back to the desk to organize the documents.

“No, nothing.”

Rinell, who was about to say something, started pacing again. Raphael’s eyes followed Rinell again, but this time he spoke to the Emperor first.

“Your Majesty? I apologize for saying this, but you seem more anxious than when the war broke out in the Valley of Death.”

“Indeed, I am.”

“Are you serious?”

“I wish it were a lie.”

Rinell stopped walking again, raised his right hand, and placed it on his left chest.

“Why is my heart beating so much even when the person isn’t here? Why, why do you think it is?”

“Well, I suppose it’s because of the anticipation of seeing her later.”

“Oh, you’re as competent as ever.”

Rinell pointed at Raphael with his finger, giving him a look of admiration.

“Your Majesty, there’s something I don’t understand, may I ask? Why… why are you so excited?”

“What?”

“No, isn’t it strange? Tonight isn’t even your first night with the Empress, so why are you more nervous than before your wedding night?”

Raphael clearly remembered how indifferent Emperor Rinell had been right up until the national wedding. But after the wedding night, he had been getting stranger and stranger. First of all, he started chuckling more often while working. He would be in meetings with ministers, dealing with troublesome issues, but he would be lost in his own thoughts with a peaceful expression. Raphael, as his closest aide, could clearly tell that it was a different kind of smile than the sneer he usually gave the ministers.

“You wouldn’t understand because you haven’t been married yet.”

Rinell waved his hand dismissively at Raphael.

“No offense, but just because I haven’t been married doesn’t mean my dating experience can’t compare to Your Majesty’s short married life…”

“Ah, that’s right. Raphael, weren’t you nicknamed the ‘Open Pants of the Imperial City’? I forgot.”

Rinell readily acknowledged Raphael’s claim.

“Your Majesty, I may have been the ‘Open Wallet of the Imperial City,’ but I’ve never walked around with my pants open!”

“Yes, good point. That would be a bit unsightly.”

“…Anyway. I’ve told you before that I may change dating partners often, but when I’m with someone, I focus on them.”

“It’s not about your dating style right now. Diagnose why I’m like this.”

Rinell sat on the desk with one hand on his chest, speaking seriously to Raphael.

“What… diagnosis are you talking about? Should I call a doctor if your heart isn’t feeling well?”

“Why a doctor?”

“Ah, it would be better to bring the Empress than a doctor.”

“You’re a master physician.”

“This is the most generous compliment Your Majesty has ever given me. It’s all thanks to the Empress! Should I go and bring her right now instead of waiting until tonight?”

“Indeed, you’re competent.”

He was more pleased with Raphael’s suggestion than ever before, patting him on the shoulder.

“But… it feels like my heart is beating even faster after hearing that.”

Rinell muttered, tapping his chest again with his hand.

“Your Majesty, I apologize once again for saying this…”

“What’s making you apologize this time?”

“Are you that nervous about the Empress coming to Your Majesty’s Main Palace bedroom?”

“…Ah, stop! Don’t say it so directly.”

“Yes? Why?”

“I’m already imagining it…”

Rinell’s cold face turned red.

“No, what on earth are you imagining that’s making your face turn as red as those barbarian guys from the Southern Continent…?”

“I guess it shows on my face if I’m imagining something barbaric.”

Rinell blushed, stroking his flushed face with his hand.

“Well, no woman has ever visited Your Majesty’s bedroom before, right?”

“Yes, no one has. Except for my mother and nanny. But that was when I was a child, so my memories are vague.”

“And no woman has ever visited at night.”

Rinell reacted strongly to Raphael’s words.

“That’s it!”

The reason his heart was beating.

“Yes, today will be a historic day.”

At Raphael’s words, who was holding back a laugh, Rinell nodded with a determined expression.

“But why is the Empress suddenly… saying she’s coming to my bedroom? Does she have something urgent to say?”

“If she had something to say, she wouldn’t bother coming to the Main Palace late at night, especially to Your Majesty’s bedroom.”

Rinell’s eyes sparkled again at Raphael’s opinion.

“I suppose so?”

“But you never know?”

Raphael offered a contrary opinion as if flipping his hand, and Rinell’s brow furrowed.

“What don’t I know?”

“Maybe she’s coming to quietly question you about the issue of bringing in concubines.”

“Ah, that issue. Is that it? Is she coming because of that?”

The corners of Emperor Rinell’s mouth, which had been smiling, drooped. But soon, the corners of his mouth crept up again.

“But the fact that my heart is still beating means I’m really not in my right mind, right?”

“…Wow! You always make such objective and wise judgments, I respect you very much. Your Majesty, I’ll be on my way now.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Rinell, who had been staring out the window, called out to Raphael again as he was leaving the office.

“Raphael.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“So, what you said just now means you agree that I’m not in my right mind?”

“…I love you, Your Majesty.”

Raphael sent Rinell a finger heart [a gesture of affection] and quickly opened the office door and left.

***

Time was passing too quickly. I had told him that I would visit Rinell’s bedroom tonight, but I was already worried even before going to the Main Palace. Sharon, who had met with Secretary Raphael at the Main Palace, repeated the same story like a parrot, imitating Rinell’s reaction several times.

“I never thought His Majesty, who was in his office, would come out!”

The moment I said to Sharon, ‘It’s almost time to go to the Main Palace, isn’t it?’ she started reenacting again. It seemed like there was a play button hidden somewhere in Sharon’s body.

“He raised his chin sternly like this, and came out saying, ‘What’s going on?’ You know? Actually, I deliberately raised my voice and spoke into the crack of the office door to deliver the Empress’s message, but I never thought he would come out himself!”

Sharon described the moment Rinell opened the office door in the most dramatic way. Surprisingly, Sollie and Theresa were also listening to this part with the most interest every time.

“His expression wasn’t… really bad, was it?”

I had already asked this question for the fifth time.

“Of course not! He was surprised, but his expression wasn’t bad at all. He opened his eyes wide like this and asked me directly!”

Sharon’s eyes also widened as she imitated Rinell’s expression.

“Oh my, it’s already time! Your Majesty, it’s time to get ready.”

Sharon said combatively, rolling up her sleeves. The three maids began to actively step forward, making the most of their specialties.

“Your Majesty, I should sprinkle Adeline flower petals with a subtle fragrance in the bathtub! It also has the effect of improving hair texture.”

Sollie, a gardener by training who styles my hair, ran to the bathroom.

“I’ll prepare the scented oil in advance! The moment His Majesty touches our Empress’s shoulders, they’ll be so soft that his hand will slip all the way to her toes at once!”

Theresa, a painter who is in charge of my makeup, also moved busily.

“I’ll pick out the dress you’ll wear while you’re taking a bath. And the robe you’ll wear over it!”

Sharon, also with an excited face, headed to my private dressing room, stopped, and looked back at me again.

“Um… Your Majesty, can I prepare a very, very simple dress to put on and take off?”

Sharon waited for my command with her hands clasped together, her face full of anticipation. After a moment of hesitation, I said solemnly to Sharon in a firm voice.

“Sharon, I’m disappointed. What on earth are you talking about right now!”

“Yo, Your Majesty…?”

I suppressed a laugh at Sharon’s startled expression and continued.

“Haven’t I… always trusted your judgment, Sharon, and always worn what you recommended? What are you asking? It’s so unlike you.”

As I winked and whispered, Sharon covered her mouth with both hands and giggled before running straight to the dressing room.