The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 326

326. Who Does He Take After?

Lili and Rams, avoiding the eyes of the palace staff, hurried along the back garden path to the wall with the secret passage.

“Lili may not know how to read, but she sure can run fast, moya~?”

“Rams is super fast too, moni~?”

Moya and Moni, who were checking outside the wall, looked down at Lili and Rams, who had safely arrived at the secret passage, and applauded.

“Kids! We’ll go get the carriage. When you come out of the secret passage, stick close to the wall, got it?”

At Moya’s words, Lili asked excitedly.

“Are we transforming into coachmen today?”

“We have to, to avoid being seen and get to the inn, moya~?”

“Then Moni can turn into a horse!”

“……Lili, we’re not going on a trip. You know what happens if the master finds out, right? Please, let’s be serious.”

Moni advised Lili and then flew back over the wall with Moya to get the carriage.

Lili knew how dangerous it was to sneak out of the Imperial Palace.

‘Why do I keep smiling?’

The reason for her excitement was Rams’s hand, which she had been holding since the main palace corridor.

But she had to move the stone blocking the secret passage, so she reluctantly let go of Rams’s hand.

The two of them worked together to roll the stone covering the secret passage to the side. Lili was proud, but Rams looked at the secret passage with a troubled expression.

‘Do I really have to go this far to meet her?’

A sense of futility suddenly washed over him.

“How did the Princess know about this place?”

Rams asked, looking at Lili, who was constantly smiling.

“Sharon told me. I was planning to use it soon, and today’s the day! I’m honored to crawl through a secret passage with the Prince.”

“……I’m sorry for making you do such a rough thing because of me.”

Rams was ready to turn back without regret if Lili showed any sign of wanting to return.

But Lili didn’t.

“Not at all~ Not at all! I’ve always loved adventures. Let’s get out of here before we get caught. Oh, it might be dangerous, so I’ll crawl out first!”

Without hesitation, she flopped down on the ground.

“Yes? No, well…….”

Before he could finish speaking, Lili quickly crawled out of the secret passage.

Dumbfounded, Rams followed Lili into the secret passage as if in a trance.

As they emerged from the wall, a small carriage slowly stopped in front of them.

“Whoa, whoa, you wingless things. You have to stop right here.”

Moya, in the body of the coachman, scolded the horses.

“Get in quickly.”

Moni opened the carriage door and gestured to Lili and Rams.

“Is it far from here?”

Rams asked as soon as he got into the carriage.

“Yep, it’s the inn right after entering the Imperial City, moni~.”

***

An unexpected name came out of Matthias’s mouth.

“……Resilia?! Where did you hear that name?!”

Because my voice was loud, everyone’s attention was focused on us.

Everyone was startled to hear the name ‘Resilia’ and gathered around.

“Moya and Moni were telling Prince Rams that they found that person and would guide him?”

Could it be that Prince Rams really went to meet Resilia?

“I guess she’s someone he has to meet secretly?”

Matthias asked with an innocent expression.

While I was momentarily stunned.

“What is this……? U-our Rams went to meet Princess Resilia?”

Rose asked, turning pale.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Matthias’s tattling began.

“Prince Rams said he had to meet her secretly. After hearing that, our mother’s daughter grabbed the Prince’s hand like this and took him away.”

Matthias grabbed Rose’s hand and explained the situation he had seen in detail.

“So, Matthias, are you really saying that Lili took Prince Rams to the place with the secret passage?”

Rinel asked sternly, but as soon as he said ‘secret passage,’ a sound of stifled laughter was heard from somewhere.

But the atmosphere became serious and soon quieted down.

“Yes, Moya and Moni followed too.”

What should we do?

“Where is that secret passage? We must bring them back right now.”

Emperor Norton said with a worried face.

“It’s too late. They’ve already gone outside the palace. Moya and Moni went with them, so they’ve probably already entered the Imperial City.”

Resilia is staying in the Imperial City.

Did Rams know that fact and go to the Imperial City, meaning he had been looking for Resilia before?

He probably asked Moya and Moni…….

“Your Majesty, the person our Rams said he wanted to see was Princess Resilia. We thought it was Princess Lili…….”

Rose said to Emperor Norton with tears in her eyes.

She didn’t look upset, but Rose seemed a little sad for some reason.

“That can’t be…… Why would Rams…….”

Emperor Norton frowned, unable to understand Rams’s actions.

Both of them seemed greatly shocked by Rams’s actions.

That was the same for our couple.

It was even more so because Lili was involved in this.

“From what I hear, it seems Rams had Moya and Moni find out about Resilia’s whereabouts.”

I said, looking at Rose and Emperor Norton, but my mind was complicated, wondering how to find the children.

“Was it Resilia’s turn to come to the monastery in the Lapion Empire this time?”

Rinel muttered to himself, and Emperor Norton quietly added.

“Moya and Moni found out where Resilia was staying while she was in the Imperial City before going to the monastery and told Rams.”

“That’s very likely. If we release the knights, we can find out where Resilia is staying. The problem is, time.”

Rinel replied with a worried face.

“I’m worried that Princess Lili might be in a dangerous situation because of our Prince Rams. I’m really sorry.”

Emperor Norton apologized to me and him.

“This wouldn’t have happened if our Lili hadn’t stepped in. We’re the ones who are sorry.”

Rinel also bowed lightly.

I carefully added, as if comforting them.

“Still, Moya and Moni went with them, so there won’t be anything dangerous.”

That’s something everyone acknowledges.

Everyone knew that even if those two caused trouble, they wouldn’t put the children in danger or just stand by when a dangerous situation arose.

Still, I can’t relax…….

Excluding Prince Rams, there hasn’t been a time when Lili, Moya, and Moni got together and didn’t cause an accident.

They’ve escaped the Imperial Palace, where there are many guards and people to stop them, so they’re like wild horses that have been let loose.

“Who do they take after, really.”

I muttered to myself, and Rinel glanced at me.

“……Why?”

“Lili is entirely like you. I know that for sure today.”

He whispered in a confident tone.

“What did you say?”

“Think about it. Even if you knew about the existence of the secret passage, the drive to get out of there… Who would she take after? I’m someone who has never been through the secret passage. I’ve seen ‘a certain woman’ who lost her memory of her husband go through the secret passage to assassinate her husband.”

“…….”

I wanted to deny it, but I chose to remain silent because it was undeniable.

But there’s something he overlooked.

If there was no secret passage, Lili would have probably helped Prince Rams get out of the Imperial City even if she had to make a new hole in the wall.

It might be a relief that there was already a secret passage.

“I know where Resilia is staying.”

Rinel was about to leave the banquet hall to give orders to the knights when King Martins approached and said.

“I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner, but I couldn’t imagine Prince Rams would move first.”

“How did Your Majesty Martins know that Resilia was staying in the Imperial City?”

I asked in surprise, and King Martins looked at me, Rinel, and Emperor Norton alternately and opened his mouth.

“I have been monitoring Tesler and Resilia.”

King Martins said that he had planted people in each of the forces that followed them.

Only then did Rose let out a sigh of relief.

Melanie and Catherine quickly wrapped their arms around her shoulders and comforted her.

“If they just get out of the Imperial Palace, Moya and Moni are there, so they’ll meet Resilia. It’s hard to find them, but it’s easy to meet them.”

Catherine shook her head.

“She won’t harm her son when she meets him. Don’t worry too much.”

Melanie smiled and tried to ease Rose’s tension.

“That’s true for Prince Rams. I don’t think she’ll treat Princess Lili as a guest?”

Hector, who had been saving his words with a serious expression, said to Melanie.

My spine tingled at those words.

That’s a valid point.

I hadn’t thought that far…….

A sense of unease made my body heat rise rapidly.

Rinel, who was next to me, felt my body temperature and grabbed my hand.

A coolness quickly spread through my palm, but the anxiety was still burning fiercely.

“We need to find them quickly.”

Rinel said, putting strength into our clasped hands.

I know better than anyone else that Resilia’s venom is not something that can be easily removed even if she spends seven years, no, seventy years, in a monastery.

If the target of her venom is my daughter, she won’t hesitate.

“I need to go to Velos.”

I said to him.

He understood my intention.

He also knew that it was no use trying to stop me.

“Be careful. I’ll arrive with the knights as soon as possible.”

Rinel kissed me on the cheek and urged me.

I nodded and looked at King Martins.

“Your Majesty, please tell me the location of the inn where Resilia is staying.”

“Are you going to use the Archmage and teleportation?”

King Martins asked, taking a step.

“Yes, Prince Rams will be fine, but I don’t think Lili should meet Resilia.”

Everyone seemed to agree with my words.

I hurried to Velos’s room with King Martins.

***

As Moni said, the inn was located close to the Imperial Palace.

About five minutes after entering the Imperial City, the carriage stopped.

Moya got out of the carriage, opened the carriage door, and pointed to the other side with her finger.

“It’s over there. You have to go into that alley. Are you really going?”

Rams stared into the alley and replied.

“I’m just going to see her face from afar and come out.”

“Worthless children can’t enter the inn.”

Moya and Moni looked around.

Just then, a respectable-looking middle-aged couple was walking by.

Moya and Moni exchanged glances, flew to the middle-aged couple, and entered their bodies.

“Now you’re our little ones, moya~?”

“A harmonious family has to walk hand in hand, moni~?”

The four people, who suddenly became a family, held hands and walked towards the inn in the alley, even matching their steps.

“Hey, hey, smile. Smile.”

“Walk naturally.”

The atmosphere was friendly, but they were a family with nothing in common.

“We’re a family, please give us a room.”

Moya said to the innkeeper when they arrived at the inn.

Fortunately, the inn was postpaid. All they had to do was take the kids and jump out the window later.

The middle-aged couple, whose bodies they had borrowed for a while, would be surprised when they came to their senses and wondered why they were in an inn room, but they seemed to have a very good relationship, so they wouldn’t hate this place so much.

Moya and Moni came to that conclusion.

The innkeeper looked at the faces of the four family members, who were smiling too much, in turn, and couldn’t help but ask.

“The children’s faces are all different, are they nephews and nieces?”

Moya, Moni, Lili, and Rams were all startled at the same time.

“We’re…… remarried, moya~?”

Moya said with an unpleasant expression after a few seconds.

“Oh, I’m sorry, guests. I asked a pointless question…….”

“My mood has become dirty, moni~?”

Moni snapped open the woman’s fan she was holding and said nervously.

“I, I’m sorry. As an apology, I’ll give you the room with the best view.”

“That’s okay, is there a room here where a priestess is staying?”

Rams asked the innkeeper, unable to watch any longer.

The innkeeper stared at Rams.

He felt a dignity and elegance that was completely different from his parents.

The couple’s appearance was like that of a lower-class noble, but when you separated the boy and girl, they looked like quite high-ranking nobles.

Because attitude and tone of voice speak to one’s status in society, the innkeeper, who deals with many people, had no choice but to be quick-witted.

“It’s on the same 4th floor. She’s staying in the room at the end of the 4th floor hallway. But why?”

“Are there usually so many questions for guests at an inn? You’ll prosper more if you respect their privacy.”

This time, Lili said to the innkeeper as if advising him.

From the innkeeper’s point of view, who had already told them where Resilia was staying, it didn’t make sense, but she was overwhelmed by Lili’s momentum and agreed.

“Ah, yes. I’ll be careful.”

“Anyway, thank you.”

Lili replied curtly and turned around. The four of them held hands again and went up the stairs.

“This is the room, moya~?”

Moya pointed to the door where Resilia was staying.

Rams stared at the door for a while.

“Knock, Your Highness.”

Rams shook his head at Lili’s words.

“I think it would be better to just go back.”

“……Why?”

“I think it would be better to appear after I’ve grown up a bit more.”

“Since you’ve come all this way, at least say hello. Or at least see her face in secret and go…….”

Lili didn’t think Rams’s words were sincere.

She seemed hesitant to meet her second mother-in-law, Resilia, for some reason.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to meet her.

If that were the case, she wouldn’t have crawled out of the secret passage.

‘I have to step in this time too.’

Lili, a doer who eats when she wants to eat, sees when she wants to see, goes when she wants to go, and…… sprinkles flowers or dirt when she wants to sprinkle them, found Rams a bit frustrating.

‘Ah, maybe he’s shy. It’s been a long time since he’s seen her.’

Knock knock knock-.

Lili knocked on Resilia’s door forcefully instead of Rams.

“Y, Your Highness!”

Rams was startled.

There was no sign of anyone inside the room. Lili knocked on the door once more, but it was the same.

“It seems she’s gone out.”

Rams said, letting out a sigh of relief, but a slightly disappointed look flashed across his face.

“Then let’s just stop by a sausage shop nearby and go back.”

Moniya’s words were agreed upon by Moni as well.

“Since we’re leaving right away, we can get our money back, moni~?”

But at that moment.

“Did I find the wrong room? What are you doing here?”

Rams and Lili’s bodies turned towards the direction of the sharp voice.

One was Resilia, wearing a black priest’s robe, and the other was wearing a neat black dress.

Her pretty face and pink hair made her neat black dress look gorgeous.

‘Wow, my second mother-in-law is so beautiful?’

Lili admired inwardly.

‘That person is the one who gave birth to me…….’

Rams knew at a glance that Resilia was his biological mother.

Resilia was the same.

My son came to find me first!

“Rams……?”

Resilia asked carefully, moving her lips.