The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 53

53. The One Who Knows My Wet Appearance

“I saw you went into the training grounds and didn’t come out… so I thought a guest had arrived.”

The man stared intently at my face and replied to Commander Marcrom.

“I am Norton Asalman of the Partsha Empire.”

He revealed his identity first. Ah, so this is the Third Prince. But why did he arrive in the Lapion Empire so early? The dignitaries from each country weren’t scheduled to arrive for another week.

“Greetings, Your Highness.”

I greeted Prince Norton and glanced at Commander Marcrom, who stepped forward to introduce me.

“This is Sir Bonis, who is in charge of guarding Her Majesty the Empress.”

“Ah? Sir Bonis…”

Prince Norton’s eyes seemed to know my true identity. But that couldn’t be possible. Prince Norton and I were definitely meeting for the first time.

“Marcrom, I was wondering who you were talking to…”

Prince Norton trailed off, gently raising the corner of his lips. The situation was quite awkward. Even if I could pass as the Empress’s guard knight today, my true identity would be revealed when I formally meet Prince Norton with Linelle tomorrow… What should I do? Revealing that I am the Empress of the Lapion Empire right now wasn’t a good idea either. Commander Marcrom had already introduced me as a guard knight, so it would be strange for me to suddenly say I was the Empress. How should I handle this? My head was filled with complicated thoughts, but no solution came to mind. Prince Norton had already seen my face… I bit my lower lip and looked down at the sword in my hand, then raised my head again, feeling like I was avoiding Prince Norton’s gaze for too long.

“Have you finished contemplating whether to eliminate me or not?”

A playful glint flashed in Prince Norton’s purple eyes. …How did he know? Just a moment ago, while looking down at the sword, I thought, ‘If I could just get rid of Prince Norton, my presence in the training grounds wouldn’t be known.’ So, I briefly considered the ridiculous idea of eliminating him, but gave up, yet he saw right through my thoughts. It was astonishing.

“W-What are you talking about?”

I glanced at Commander Marcrom, whose gaze was uncertain, and asked Prince Norton.

“You kept looking down at your sword, so I was just wondering.”

The Prince gave an inscrutable smile.

“How dare I have such impure thoughts about the Prince of the Partsha Empire!”

I swallowed hard and replied.

“Hahaha, don’t be so nervous. The Prince is just joking.”

Commander Marcrom interjected with a hearty laugh, and Prince Norton joined in.

“Yes, it’s a joke. Actually, I recently had a near-death experience, so I’ve become very sensitive to the killing intent of others…”

His words sounded meaningful. A near-death experience? Why?

“Did you have some kind of accident recently?”

I asked him out of simple curiosity.

“Here, I was hit hard here.”

Prince Norton patted the back of his head with his palm. I wasn’t sure if he meant he was actually hit on the back of the head, or if he was indirectly expressing that he had been betrayed. Either way, it didn’t seem like a good memory, so I didn’t ask further.

“But Your Highness, why are you speaking so formally to Sir Bonis?”

Commander Marcrom asked him with a puzzled tone. It was only after hearing Commander Marcrom’s words that I realized the Prince was speaking formally to me. Even if I was a guard knight of a foreign Empress, it was strange for royalty to speak so respectfully to a knight. Especially since he was speaking informally to Marcrom, the commander of the knights.

“Well, why is that?”

Prince Norton replied vaguely, suppressing a smile.

“Is it because you sense an extraordinary aura? Well, I felt that way when I first met this friend too.”

Commander Marcrom said, patting my shoulder with his thick hand.

“If you could see Sir Bonis right now, you’d know why I’m doing this. Too bad.”

Damn it, did Prince Norton really know my true identity? All my nerves began to sharpen. But somehow, even if he knew my identity, I didn’t think he would reveal it to Commander Marcrom.

“Why? Is Sir Bonis’s face so frightening?”

Commander Marcrom asked with a serious tone. Swish- Clack! Without realizing it, I half-drew my sword from its scabbard, then exerted my patience and put it back in.

“Just now… what was that sound?”

Commander Marcrom, raising one eyebrow sharply, turned his head towards the Prince and asked.

“That was the sound of you nearly dying.”

Prince Norton chuckled and replied to the Commander.

“Ahem, I think I should be going now. Your Highness, you’re staying at the guest palace, right? If you’re heading to the guest palace, I’ll escort you. Shall we go together?”

Since my identity would be revealed to Prince Norton tomorrow anyway, I thought it would be good to walk with him through the cypress forest and talk to him separately.

“Certainly. It would be an honor.”

Prince Norton readily followed me.

“Bonis, make sure to guide him well.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Commander Marcrom continued to look puzzled because the Prince was speaking formally to me, but he couldn’t ask him the reason and simply said goodbye.

“Prince Norton, I’ll see you later then. If you need a sparring partner, feel free to call me anytime.”

“Thank you.”

*** This is so uncomfortable, really. I left the training grounds with Prince Norton and entered the cypress forest path. I had to bring up the topic before arriving at the Empress’s Palace, but I couldn’t open my mouth. I recalled Commander Marcrom’s words and spoke to him.

“Your Highness. If you arrived in the Lapion Empire today, you haven’t met His Majesty yet, have you?”

Caw, caw, caw-. I finally managed to open my mouth after hesitating, but a flock of crows cawed loudly from somewhere. I felt an ominous premonition.

“No, I plan to formally request an audience and pay my respects tomorrow, to both His Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress.”

Prince Norton looked up at the source of the crow sounds and replied.

“Ah, yes… Your Highness, you’re also participating in the hunting competition, right?”

“Of course, I came here because there’s a particular beast I want to hunt.”

“Oh, what kind of beast is it?”

“A very cunning and dangerous beast.”

Prince Norton’s voice sounded somewhat cold.

“Dangerous? Well, as far as I know, there are no magical creatures in the forest on the North Continent where the hunting competition is held?”

“The thing I’m here to hunt isn’t a magical creature. But it’s a beast that’s harmful to people, like a magical creature…”

What is he talking about? Prince Norton seemed reluctant to say more.

“Her Majesty the Empress will also be participating, of course, right?”

“Yes… Yes?”

Like an idiot, I answered Prince Norton’s question naturally and immediately flinched. Should I just confess the truth here? Before I knew it, the cypress forest path ended and we reached a field full of canola flowers. I stared at the Empress’s Palace right in front of me, then slowly turned my head towards Prince Norton.

“Your… Highness.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“!”

I had a hunch… Prince Norton already knew my true identity. But since when did he know? How did he know my face? I called out to Prince Norton but couldn’t continue speaking, staring at him with surprised eyes. I needed to confirm once again if he really knew my identity.

“What… what did you just say?”

“You may not know of my existence, Your Majesty, but I have seen you several times in the royal palace.”

“…Where? In the Shatoaniel royal palace?!”

Unlike me, whose face had stiffened in embarrassment, Prince Norton nodded with a relaxed expression.

“There are many people in the royal palace, how do you remember me…?”

I tried to calm down, but my tone was already full of nervousness.

“No, more than that. What brought you to the Shatoaniel royal palace?”

I bombarded Prince Norton with questions.

“I was with a mercenary knight团 [group] hired by the royal palace.”

“Ah!”

The Shatoaniel royal palace had brought in a mercenary knight团 specializing in magical creatures to eliminate a troublesome first-class magical creature that was destroying diamond ore. But why was Prince Norton in the mercenary knight团?

“At the time when power struggles were taking place in my home country, the Partsha Empire, I left the empire, hid my identity, joined a mercenary knight团, wandered around various places, and eventually became connected to the Shatoaniel kingdom.”

“Ah, I see. I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you.”

“It’s alright. It’s natural that you wouldn’t know me since we never met.”

Prince Norton waved his hand and smiled.

“Then how did Your Highness…”

“I happened to see Your Majesty near a valley where I often took walks.”

“That valley, could it be?!”

My spine tingled at Prince Norton’s words.

“Yes, the Poidon Valley near the royal palace.”

If he saw me there… that means he witnessed what I was doing in the water? I sometimes liked to go into the valley water and swing my sword. I enjoyed the feeling of the movements of my hand and arm holding the sword being resisted by the water. When my body couldn’t move freely as if facing a strong opponent, and I struggled to escape that pressure, my body and sword always created new solutions. It was a place where I felt a strange, unique pleasure. I never imagined that someone was secretly watching.

“It was a spectacle. I wanted to approach and talk to you several times, but I couldn’t.”

That means… he wasn’t just seeing me for the first time then?

“…Why?”

Even if Prince Norton had spoken to me in the valley, I wouldn’t have been very happy, but I was still curious about the reason.

“Every time you came out of the valley, your clothes were completely soaked, so I couldn’t bring myself to talk to you.”

“!”

Ah, that’s right. Like Prince Norton said, I was always completely soaked when I came out after training in the water. So, I changed my clothes as soon as I came out of the water… Huh! Don’t tell me, he saw all of that?! Without realizing it, I rolled my eyes and looked at him.

“No, I didn’t.”

Prince Norton said firmly, as if he knew what I was worried about. Seeing me still glaring at him, he immediately added.

“Really. At that time, there was someone else I was preoccupied with, so there was no reason for me to be watching you change your clothes.”

Prince Norton smiled slightly, but it was a somewhat melancholic smile.

“Someone you were preoccupied with? Ah, do you have a lover?”

Or, was there someone he liked in the royal palace? Only then did I relax my eyes. Prince Norton’s face, which seemed shrouded in secrets, aroused a strange interest.

“Not anymore.”

Did they break up?

“Anyway, rest assured that I have never seen the kind of scene you’re worried about.”

“Th-Then, Your Highness knows that I am the Empress…”

“I learned that you had become the Empress from a new friend from the Shatoaniel kingdom a while ago.”

Prince Norton stopped walking for a moment and answered seriously.

“A Shatoaniel person? They must be a noble, right? Since they know that I came to the Lapion Empire as the Empress.”

“Yes, a great noble.”

He nodded lightly.

“Then why did you pretend not to know in the training grounds?”

“Commander Marcrom doesn’t seem to know about Your Majesty’s existence yet. Which means that Your Majesty’s visits to the training grounds are also a secret from His Majesty.”

“Thank… you.”

“You’re welcome. I’m used to hiding my identity, so I understand perfectly.”

Prince Norton smiled gently and started walking again. There’s an even bigger secret than that secret for me… I looked down at the ground and smiled bitterly for a moment. As we approached the Empress’s Palace garden, this time I stopped walking.

“Your Highness, I have a favor to ask.”

“I understand. I’ll do that for you.”

“…Yes? You haven’t even heard what the favor is?”

“It’s to not act like you know me in front of His Majesty, isn’t it?”

“That’s right…”

Prince Norton seemed to be skilled in mind-reading.

“I will. Please go inside quickly, I think there’s a maid waiting at that back door since a while ago.”

As Prince Norton said, Sharon’s face was popping in and out from the back door of the laundry room.

“Thank you for today. Then, I’ll see you tomorrow… Ah!”

I was sincerely thanking him. Prince Norton suddenly covered my mouth with his hand and pushed me against the corner wall of the Empress’s Palace building. Then, he put his finger on his lips and looked at me.

“!”

When I nodded, he turned his back to me as if trying to hide me. Prince Norton’s broad back and thick blonde hair came into view. A few seconds later, the voices of guards were heard from somewhere. When the presence disappeared, Prince Norton turned back to me and whispered.

“That was dangerous.”

“Y-Yes, it was…”

“Just now, my promise to keep your visits to the training grounds a secret almost went up in smoke.”

“Thank you so much. Then, I’ll see you tomorrow. Your Highness.”

I greeted him again with a flustered face.

“I will. When we meet again tomorrow, please greet me very warmly, as if we’re meeting for the first time.”

Prince Norton kissed the back of my hand and disappeared leisurely. *** After safely climbing up to the bedroom with Sharon through the stairs connected to the laundry room, I took a bath and sprawled out on the bed.

“No matter how I think about it, it seems like he came here with some kind of purpose…”

I muttered, thinking of Prince Norton. Anyway, I was relieved that he had agreed to keep the fact that I was visiting the training grounds a secret from Linelle. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been getting enough sleep lately, but my eyes were closing on their own. *** How long have I been sleeping? What time is it? It seemed like it was still early morning, with darkness still lingering. I woke up feeling a cool sensation. I wondered if the terrace door was open, so I slightly raised my upper body and turned my head towards the terrace.

“Ah, you scared me…!”

Linelle was lying next to me. He was curled up towards me, fast asleep. When did this man come and fall asleep so peacefully? His appearance, sleeping quietly without waking me, was incredibly lovely. It seems that I am definitely a less considerate person compared to Linelle. Without realizing it, I started waking him up.

“Linelle, wake up…?”

I whispered softly, but I deliberately shook his shoulder hard. He twitched his eyes and opened them with difficulty. In the meantime, I climbed onto his thighs.

“Zelda, what are you doing…?”

His blue eyes, still drowsy, looked up at me in surprise.