The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 43

43. Same Pace

His eyes held a desire that felt inappropriate for the setting and our situation.

“Tastes as good as always.”

“!”

I couldn’t help but glance at the concubines. They were surprised by Rinell’s sudden kiss, and then even more surprised by what he whispered to me afterward. Even as I looked at him, I could hear their envious breaths.

“Why don’t we finish lunch a little early?”

Rinell glanced at the concubines as he spoke.

“The Empress looks quite tired.”

“Your Majesty, I’m fine.”

I started to rise from my chair to see him off.

“Stay seated. *I’m* not fine.”

“Ugh.”

He kissed my shoulder and then gently pressed down on it with his hand. The spot where his lips had touched twitched, and my legs felt weak. I had no choice but to sit back down as he instructed.

“Looks like I troubled you too much last night, and you’re feeling weak.”

At Rinell’s words, the concubines’ faces collectively turned red. I needed to get him away quickly.

“Your Majesty… please look at Stian’s expression.”

I said quickly, looking at the chamberlain, who was making a desperate face behind him.

“Why?”

He turned to look at the chamberlain.

“Your Majesty, if you don’t want to run like before, you must hasten your steps now!”

The chamberlain repeatedly stretched out both hands towards the dining hall exit, pleading.

“Please go quickly, Your Majesty.”

I grabbed his arm and gently pushed him. He suddenly intertwined his fingers with mine and replied,

“I can just run on the way back, too.”

“…You’ll be tired.”

“The Empress doesn’t need to worry. Either way, these days my heart beats at the same pace whether I walk or run.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s better for you not to know. You’ll get annoyed if you do.”

“Your Majesty, if you’re not feeling well, you should get treatment!”

“That’s why I came.”

“Yes…?”

*Kiss-*

“This is treatment for me.”

He kissed my cheek and said in a serious voice.

“The catch is that the symptoms get worse with treatment.”

A red rose bloomed on my cheek where his lips had touched. I didn’t want to show my flushed face in front of the concubines, but it was unavoidable.

“The Empress already had dessert, so you probably don’t need this, right?”

He picked up one of the croissants placed in front of me.

“I’ll take this since I’ll quickly burn calories if I run.”

Rinell licked his lips slightly and winked.

“Yes? Ah, yes….”

I was completely stunned (넋을 놓다 [neok-eul noh-da]: to be stunned or dazed) by his slightly parted lips and answered quickly.

“There’s no time for more kisses. Endure with at least this for now.”

He tore off a piece of the croissant and put it in my mouth, whispering in my ear. When I glared at him with a slightly annoyed look at Rinell’s playfulness, he chuckled and turned to the chamberlain.

“Stian, you better start running now. I’ll catch up anyway.”

At his words, the chamberlain hurriedly greeted me and the concubines and dashed out of the dining hall.

“It’ll probably be hectic today.”

He said with his hands behind his back.

“I heard.”

“So you might need a late-night snack.”

He leaned closer and whispered.

“Not like this.”

Wondering what he meant, I stared blankly at his face. He shook the croissant he was holding, giving me a look that said, ‘You know what I mean, right?’ When I shook my head, he pointed to my lips with his finger.

“This, I mean.”

“…Really?”

“Of course. So finish lunch and rest beforehand.”

“Is that an order?”

“It’s the Emperor’s request.”

Rinell answered seriously and turned around. The concubines greeted him again, but he just waved his hand roughly this time and left the dining hall with quick steps. Rinell disappeared, leaving me with words that I couldn’t share with the concubines. They seemed very curious about what he had whispered to me. I didn’t want to show off, but after seeing their yearning eyes, I couldn’t help but straighten my shoulders. After Rinell’s surprise visit, the concubines’ expressions shifted between complexity and dismay. The already awkward atmosphere became even more so. It was necessary to break this subtle tension and change the subject. As I was thinking about what to say, I made eye contact with Rosie, who was sitting next to Melanie.

“Rosie looks a bit tired today?”

Just then, I noticed dark circles shaped like pen nibs under Rosie’s eyes.

“Ah, I went to bed a bit late last night, so… I look terrible, don’t I?”

Rosie smiled bashfully and rubbed under her eyes as if to erase her dark circles.

“Oh my, heavens. What are you doing?”

Melanie slapped Rosie’s hand away, saying,

“You’ll get wrinkles! You already have fine lines under your eyes.”

Melanie repeatedly tapped Rosie’s hand several times, exclaiming, ‘This can’t be happening!’ and asked her,

“But His Majesty hasn’t even visited Rosie’s chambers, so why did you sleep late?”

“Ah, that’s….”

Rosie scratched her neck and smiled bashfully again. Then, Catherine, who had been quietly sipping juice, raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth.

“Yesterday… His Majesty didn’t visit Melanie’s chambers either, did he?”

“What are you talking about…? His Majesty *did* come to my chambers yesterday.”

Melanie raised her chin and retorted to Catherine.

“Liar.”

Catherine said with a small sneer. She seemed sure that the Emperor, who hadn’t even visited her chambers, wouldn’t have gone to Melanie’s, the second concubine.

“Li, liar…? There’s a witness here, too!”

Melanie crossed her arms in front of her and retorted to Catherine’s dismissive tone.

“Witness? Are you talking about your servants?”

Catherine’s sneer intensified.

“My servants are witnesses, too, but more than that!”

Melanie raised her voice but kept looking at me.

“Her Majesty the Empress is the witness…!”

At Melanie’s confident shout, Catherine widened her eyes and looked at me.

“Is that true…? Your Majesty the Empress?”

Just as I was about to speak, Melanie quickly interjected.

“His Majesty really *did* come…! Well, Her Majesty the Empress came with him, though.”

“Together?”

Catherine’s expression became even more confused. I took a sip of black tea and said calmly,

“Yesterday, Melanie said she was sick, so I went to visit her with His Majesty.”

“Sick? She doesn’t look sick at all. Melanie looks much better than Rosie, who’s sitting next to her.”

Catherine looked back and forth between Melanie and Rosie’s faces with a displeased gaze. Whether she did or not, Rosie continued to rub her dark circles as if she had no interest in this conversation.

“It’s true!”

Melanie said again in a confident tone and looked at me, and I had no choice but to nod to Catherine.

“So… you both came to Melanie’s chambers together and left together…?”

Catherine wasn’t at all curious about why Melanie was sick. Her only interest was whether Rinell had stayed in her bedroom or had left with me.

“Yesterday, His Majesty….”

Just as I was about to tell the truth, Melanie blurted out again.

“*I* told them to leave together…. Because it was a dark night and Her Majesty the Empress might be scared. I told His Majesty to go with her….”

It wasn’t entirely wrong, but Melanie’s words were mixed with a cute lie. It’s true that he and I went back together, but it wasn’t like she was worried about my dark night and sent him away as if she were yielding him.

“Is Melanie’s words true?”

Catherine glared at Melanie and asked me.

“That’s right. She begged His Majesty to do so.”

When I joined in on Melanie’s lie, she gave me a grateful look. But Catherine’s eyes were still full of suspicion. It was a very reasonable suspicion, as Melanie would never have made such a consideration. The luncheon, where the fun of deceiving each other was quite considerable (쏠쏠한 [ssol-ssol-han]: quite good, substantial), was coming to an end. But there was one person who was hovering on the outskirts of the conversation until the end of the meal: Concubine Pesilini from the Astoto Marquis family. She listened intently to the conversation between me and the concubines, but she didn’t talk about herself, as if she was watching this situation intently like a spectator who had come to see an opera. It was as if she had to remember all the conversations well and report them to someone. Of course, that’s just my delusion (착각 [chak-gak]: delusion, misunderstanding), though.

“Is Pesilini originally a quiet person?”

I spoke to her for the first time.

“Ye, yes? Ah, I just prefer listening.”

I didn’t raise my voice, but Pesilini was more surprised than necessary and flinched greatly.

“Is that why? Pesilini seems to have good observational skills.”

“Me, me?”

She dropped the fork she was holding on the floor after hearing my compliment. Feeling strangely uneasy, I stared intently at Pesilini’s face from then on. Come to think of it, she had been intentionally avoiding eye contact with me since earlier.

“Pesilini must be very uncomfortable in this place?”

“Ah, no. Your Majesty the Empress. I’m just very shy….”

Pesilini lowered her head and answered.

“Oh, come on.”

Then, Rosie, who was sitting in front of Pesilini, laughed as if teasing her.

“Your Majesty the Empress, Concubine Pesilini’s family leads the largest trading company in the Lapion Empire.”

“Really?”

“Yes, so Concubine Pesilini has traveled a lot since she was young. But she’s very shy?”

At Rosie’s words, I stared at Pesilini again.

“I have visited many countries and cities with my father. Still, I’m nervous in front of Your Majesty the Empress, so that’s why.”

Pesilini said shyly. She’s been to many countries?

“Have you ever visited my home country, the Shatoanil Kingdom?”

“Ah, that Shatoanil Kingdom is….”

Why was she so flustered when my question wasn’t even difficult? Pesilini pursed her lips tightly as if she was nervous and then continued to speak.

“I stayed there for a short time.”

“Really? In the royal palace?”

I smiled and asked again.

“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress. But I was young, so I don’t remember well. I just remember it was a beautiful kingdom.”

“Hmm, I see.”

It was difficult to continue the conversation with her answer that she didn’t have any special memories of the Shatoanil Kingdom. At that time, Pesilini’s hand, which had lifted the teacup, was trembling slightly. I talked with the concubines a little more, finished the luncheon, and went out to the Empress Palace lobby to see them off.

***

Catherine didn’t even make eye contact with me and was the first to greet me and leave, and Melanie also hurriedly disappeared, saying that a dress designer was coming to her palace. Surely she’s not going to cut off one sleeve of all the dresses, is she? Pesilini was standing around me as if she was there and not there. When I told her that she could go back now, she linked arms with Rosie and said that her palace and Rosie’s palace were close, so she was going to go with her. In response, Rosie looked at Pesilini, who was holding her arm, with a puzzled look as if asking why she was suddenly acting friendly. Moreover, Rosie seemed to have something to say to me separately. I spoke to her first.

“Ah, right, Rosie. What interesting book did you read yesterday that made you stay up all night?”

“There’s a field of books that I’ve recently started reading with interest, and the information is so vast that I got excited and….”

Rosie replied with sparkling eyes.

“I’m curious. What is the book that Rosie is reading so interestingly that she’s forgetting to sleep?”

At my words, she opened her mouth with an expression that she had a lot to say, but she glanced at Pesilini, who was standing close to her.

“Ah, that is….”

She was clearly hesitant to speak, conscious of Pesilini.

“Rosie, would you ever bring the books you’re reading to the Empress Palace?”

The book that Rosie is interested in didn’t seem to be a simple novel. Besides, she said she studied healing magic, right? I guessed that it might be a field related to that.

“If you invite me, I want to come even tomorrow, Your Majesty the Empress!”

“Okay, I’ll call you soon.”

“Thank you.”

“Ah, no. You said there were a lot of books, right? There’s no need to bring heavy books all the way here. I think it would be better for me to go to your chambers?”

“Yo, Your Majesty the Empress is coming to my chambers in person?!

Rosie put one hand on her chest and was startled.

“Oh my! Concubine Pesilini, please let go of this for a moment.”

She was so excited by my words that I would visit her chambers that she shook off Pesilini’s hand.

“On the way to Melanie’s chambers yesterday, I saw that the garden nearby was beautifully landscaped, so it’s good for taking a walk. I’m thinking of stopping by soon to take a walk. How about it?”

“I’d be so honored!”

“Okay, I’ll let you know separately before I go.”

As they reached the Empress Palace gate, Duke Martins entered from the entrance. What is he here for today to complicate my head again?

“I greet Your Majesty the Empress!”

Duke Martins paid his respects to me with more exaggerated gestures than usual. He probably did that on purpose in front of the concubines.

“The concubines are here, too.”

Duke Martins bowed to Rosie and Pesilini as well, according to etiquette. But the Duke’s gaze lingered on their faces for so long that it seemed a bit excessive.

“What’s going on, Duke?”

I asked, forcing a smile. I didn’t like his appearance, but I couldn’t show the image of scolding a person from the same kingdom in front of the concubines.

“I have a gift for Your Majesty the Empress, so I brought it.”

“A gift?”

Duke Martins was holding a small jewelry box in his hand.