The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 322

322. An Accidental Rival

“Melody, from what I saw at the party yesterday, would practically spoon-feed King Martins the most delicious food. But you… how can you bring dirt to your father, who can’t even eat it?”

Linelle said with a sigh, looking at Lily’s small fist, from which dirt was seeping.

“Don’t compare me to Father. And it’s not like I’m eating the dirt myself, is it?”

“You call that an excuse!”

“Father eats plenty of delicious things normally. Why are you jealous of something like that?”

“You call that a consolation!”

“I’m just stating the facts…”

Lily’s voice softened, as if she felt a little sorry.

“Why do you keep bringing dirt, anyway?”

I asked Lily, walking to the bedroom door, opening it, and calling Sharon in.

Sharon, who had been waiting outside, entered the bedroom and was startled to see Lily.

“Oh my, Princess. When did you come in?”

Sharon bowed her head, explaining that this happened while she was away for a moment to use the restroom.

Lily had been watching near the bedroom and entered during that brief absence.

“Why isn’t that patience and meticulousness displayed when studying?”

“Mother, refrain from personal attacks.”

Lily, having picked it up from somewhere, would say that whenever she was in a disadvantageous situation.

“I’m just stating the facts, like you, dear.”

When I returned Lily’s words, she seemed speechless; only her nostrils flared.

“Sharon, take the Princess out. We need to strengthen the security in front of the bedroom.”

Linelle pointed at Lily with his finger and said to Sharon.

Wait, I need to hear who the new person who pushed Bellos out is. Right?

I raised my hand and shouted.

“Lily! Who is the husband candidate your age that you want to marry?”

At my question, Linelle snorted beside me.

He looked like he was asking why I was even bothering to ask.

“Prince Ramses!”

Lily shouted quickly, as if she had been waiting for it.

“Ramses? You met Ramses?”

“Yes.”

Rosie was right.

Ramses said he would come here because there was someone he wanted to see, and it’s true?

Could that be our Lily?

“Well, he’s much better than the Master of Magic Tower,” Linelle nodded, letting out a sigh of relief.

“So, you’ll allow it?”

“I have no reason to object, but you’re both still young.”

“So?”

Linelle, who had forgotten that Lily still had dirt in her hand, spoke firmly, and Lily’s eyes seemed to spark with fire.

*Dirt would probably come out of her hand too….*

“If that thought doesn’t change by the time you’re 18, I think it’s not too late to seriously discuss a royal marriage then, right?”

“That’s ten years and several months away!”

“Is he not a man you want to marry so much that you can’t wait that long?”

Linelle clicked his tongue and asked.

“It’s not nearby, it’s far away, so it’s too long!”

“You can get engaged in advance.”

Lily stomped her feet and clung to the hem of Sharon’s dress, so I couldn’t help but say it.

Then Lily’s eyes flashed for a moment.

“Then do it this time. Huh? My in-laws are here too. Huh?”

How can she say such things so casually?

Does she even know what marriage is?

*My mouth is the problem, the problem.*

“Lily, has this been discussed with Ramses?”

He also asked a ridiculous question out of embarrassment.

“Would it be? They probably just met a little while ago.”

I said to him with ventriloquism.

“Then what is she basing her marriage decision on?”

“I think she’s just looking at his face.”

Seeing Lily abandon Bellos so quickly, it was clear that Ramses had grown up well.

“Please arrange a formal meeting with my in-laws. Otherwise, I’ll ask Moia to take me away.”

Lily slammed one foot on the marble floor and said in a semi-threatening tone.

I covered my forehead with my hand and opened my mouth.

“That’s not a difficult thing, but I don’t know if they’ll like you. I’m against a daughter-in-law who carries dirt in her hands like that.”

“Mother, do you happen to know what Empress Rosie likes?”

Lily quickly asked in a polite voice.

“I know it all.”

“What does she like?”

“Books.”

“……Are you kidding me?”

Lily had an incomprehensible look on her face.

“There are so many good things in this world, why books out of all things? She likes books?!”

“Why is that a joke, Lily?”

“Who likes books?”

“Her Majesty Empress Rosie likes them, and I heard that Theo and Mao of the Aclato Kingdom also like books.”

“Oh my, children have so many things to play with, how did they end up reading books from such a young age…”

Lily seemed to sincerely pity the twins.

“This is a big problem. Empress Rosie is someone who keeps books close; would she like a daughter-in-law who hasn’t even learned to read yet?”

“……What if she really hates me because of that?”

“She won’t hate you. She’ll just oppose the marriage with Prince Ramses.”

Linelle teased his daughter as if he was enjoying it.

“Th, then what should I do?”

Lily’s expression hardened as if the world was about to end, and she even stuttered.

*She’s just a child when I see her like this.*

“Go and study your letters right now. Who knows? If you master the letters today, she might look kindly on you.”

“Father, no, Your Majesty! Is there no other way?”

“I don’t know.”

Linelle shrugged his shoulders with an indifferent expression.

Then.

“Then maybe… it would be better to marry the Master of Magic Tower who doesn’t have in-laws…”

As Lily muttered to herself, the veins on Linelle’s forehead popped out.

“Daughter, how can your heart change so easily? The two of them might object, but I’ll still arrange a meeting.”

He stepped back and promised.

“Then I should gather some dirt.”

…Why dirt again?

“D, don’t tell me you’re going to throw dirt in their eyes?”

“……”

She’s not saying no, so it seems like that’s what she’s planning.

“If they object.”

Lily answered quietly.

*Oh my god. My head started to hurt.*

“Lily, if you do that, we might go to war with the Partsha Empire, let alone get married. Never do such a thing.”

Linelle urged, and Lily smiled and nodded.

“Yes. Then it’s a promise! You must arrange a meeting!”

“Alright.”

Linelle collapsed on the bed as if he had a headache.

“Sharon, drag Lily out.”

I quickly massaged the back of his neck and ordered Sharon.

***

Meanwhile, in the drawing-room, the competition among the young ladies surrounding Bellos was fierce.

Bellos felt like he might start to like Linelle from today.

He doesn’t know what they’re really like, but on the outside, they all had pretty faces and kind hearts.

There were a total of five young ladies chatting with Bellos in the drawing-room today.

Linelle said that Bellos would have this time with five people a day for a week.

*Doesn’t he hate me?*

Bellos suddenly had that question.

It’s already been seven years, but what did he do to Emperor Linelle?

He made him drink a potion that made him lose his memories of Zelda.

Of course, it was done by Roxana’s threats and schemes, but it wouldn’t have been easy to proceed if he had opposed it with his life.

At that time, Bellos himself was dreaming a vain dream of welcoming Zelda as his partner, so he had no choice but to be greedy.

Seven years ago, one hundred days after Zelda gave birth to her first child, Lily, Bellos sat the Emperor and Empress down and confessed what he had been commissioned by Roxana at the Continental Hunting Competition.

He should have confessed his sins earlier, but he apologized on his knees, saying that he had missed the right time because of several unexpected incidents.

Bellos was willing to accept all the punishments Linelle gave.

After being silent for a while, he dismissed Bellos, saying let’s talk again the next day.

That night, Bellos couldn’t sleep a wink.

It wasn’t because he was worried about what punishment he would receive.

It was because of the regret that flooded in from his past mistakes.

As an excuse, he couldn’t tell the sin sooner because Zelda was about to give birth.

Before that, he had witnessed Pesillini losing her life while giving birth, so he couldn’t easily bring it up considering the shock Zelda would receive.

He thought about telling Linelle first, but since they were such a close couple, there was a high probability that she would eventually find out.

After spending a long night, he sat face to face with the Emperor and Empress again the next afternoon.

Emperor Linelle said with an expressionless face.

‘You wouldn’t expect me to just let this pass, would you?’

‘Of course not.’

‘I’m going to throw you in jail.’

‘Yes, Your Majesty.’

Bellos accepted it willingly because he was prepared.

Linelle’s solemn command followed.

‘Be the doctor until the children who will be born in the future grow up.’

‘Pardon?’

‘Here. The Lapion Imperial Family will be a prison for you.’

‘What do you mean…’

‘That’s the punishment I’m giving. Leave the management of the Magic Tower to Logan as it is now, and you will stay in the Lapion Imperial Family and be responsible for the health of our couple and children.’

‘Why are you forgiving me so easily?’

‘Who said I was forgiving you? You have big dreams. There’s no salary. Just know that we’ll provide room and board.’

‘Your Majesty…’

‘You can only go on vacation when our whole family is healthy without anyone sick. Make sure you don’t exceed 3 days.’

The Emperor’s expression and voice were like someone giving a severe punishment, but it was an absurdly light measure compared to the sin he had committed.

Linelle said ‘punishment’ throughout the conversation, but it was not a punishment, but rather an honorable treatment.

Bellos shed tears that day.

Zelda was embarrassed and comforted Bellos, but Linelle was horrified, saying that Bellos’s crying face was like a bewitching monster.

Since then, Bellos has been tied to the Lapion Imperial Family for 7 years.

Fortunately, Lily and Matthias grew up well without any illnesses.

Instead of not having any illnesses, there was no place they didn’t cause accidents, so Bellos had no choice but to be busy all the time.

There were several nannies taking care of the Princess and Prince, but Bellos was the one who cleaned up the most accidents of the siblings.

Bellos was Lily and Matthias’s doctor, bodyguard, and teacher.

Bellos thought that Emperor Linelle recognized his hard work and was rewarding him like this today.

He thought that his feelings for the opposite sex had dried up because he had been taking care of the children for 7 years, but he was very wrong.

“But I think I’ve seen some of you before.”

Bellos said, looking closely at the faces of the young ladies.

It didn’t seem like they met at Lily’s birthday party yesterday.

They were faces he had seen much earlier.

The young ladies smiled at Bellos, saying that he had a good eye.

“We are actually former concubines…”

The moment one young lady was about to speak on behalf of everyone,

Knock knock knock-.

The drawing-room door opened and an unexpected person came in.

“Your Majesty Martins… what brings you here?”

“His Majesty Linelle said it would be good for me to join you, so I came. Am I intruding?”

*Of course, you’re intruding. Do you even need to ask?*

Bellos answered with his eyes, but Martins’s gaze was already directed at the young ladies.

The young ladies were momentarily embarrassed, but they all stood up and paid their respects to Martins.

Thanks to the young ladies who spoke kindly to him, Martins was able to join them naturally.

The attention of the young ladies, which had been focused on Bellos, quickly shifted to Martins.

This was because Martins was subtly revealing his power as a king and starting to win their favor.

*This is ominous?*

Bellos’s heart was becoming anxious.

The young lady he liked kept making eye contact with Martins.

He felt a sense of crisis.

*It’s dangerous to stay like this.*

It was time to show his own charm.

Bellos quickly racked his brain.

“Do you want a comfortable death? Then give me a chance.”

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

*Is this not it?*

After saying it, it became a funeral director’s sales pitch.

It was a word he wouldn’t have said in the first place if Martins hadn’t interfered.

But Martins subtly poked at that part and attacked.

“I want to live growing old together. Wouldn’t it be sad to see only one person growing old?”

Grand Duke Martins said with innocent eyes, placing one hand on his left chest.

“Your Majesty will bring in a young concubine when his wife gets old.”

This time, Bellos suddenly intervened.

The young ladies stirred as if Bellos’s counterattack had worked.

It was a sufficiently realistic story that couldn’t be ignored.

*Ha, so that’s how you’re going to come out?*

Martins also glanced at Bellos and snorted inwardly.

From this point on, the two began to slander each other to the best of their abilities.