The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 73

73. I Won’t Do It

Aware of the dignitaries in the reception room, he kept his voice down, but emphasized each word. I lowered my voice as well, replying seriously.

“What am I supposed to do when I get so worked up in the moment? I can’t even argue with the Empress of the Southern Continent.”

As I spoke, the image of Empress Katria kissing Linelle flashed vividly in my mind. What a waste. I should have made her kiss all his consorts. Revenge always comes with interest, right? Thinking about it again, I felt resentful and wronged.

“Then you should have done it to me.”

“That’s not revenge, is it?”

“So, for revenge, you’d do even more with other men, huh?”

At Linelle’s jealous tone, my sullen expression finally broke into a smile.

“You’re smiling? Does the thought of it make you that happy?”

“No, it’s not that. I just like it when Your Majesty says things like that.”

“I’m not in the mood for jokes. I was really… Hooo.”

He rubbed his right temple and sighed deeply. He closed his eyes, as if replaying the scene of me kissing the Empress’s consorts, and then frowned.

“I was short-sighted.”

I tried to soothe him.

“So, let go of your anger. I think I went crazy because of Empress Katria, too.”

“It wasn’t your eyes that went crazy, it was your mouth that was the problem.”

He retorted, snorting. When I burst into laughter again, he glared at me with dissatisfied eyes, but spoke in a pleading tone, his face slightly calmer.

“Don’t make me obsess over things like this. It really makes me feel complicated.”

I thought this was my chance, so I nodded eagerly, closed my eyes, and offered him my lips. He would surely shower me with kisses, as if he had been waiting for it. As always, with the skillfulness that would shake me with a soft touch, as if he would devour even my breath.

“?”

…But, even after waiting, nothing touched my lips. Why? I slowly opened my eyes and looked up at him. He was looking down at me with his arms crossed and a stern expression.

“Why aren’t you doing it?”

“Doing what?”

“Kissing.”

“Do you want to?”

“Of course.”

“No.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t want to.”

“Why?”

“Today, I won’t do it.”

He was really angry. But he seemed to regret saying those words himself. His blue eyes wavered as soon as he declared it. But for some reason, he didn’t change his mind.

“Really… You won’t do it?”

This time, his answer didn’t come right away. Is he wavering? After a moment of hesitation, he said as if making up his mind.

“It’s okay.”

I didn’t ask if *you* were okay. He then spoke in a solemn tone.

“It’s a punishment.”

Ironically, he seemed more tormented giving the punishment than I was receiving it.

“Don’t do that, please do it, okay?”

Why do I want it more when he says no? I suddenly felt anxious because of this man who was putting up an iron wall. I tilted my head back completely and looked up at him. He deliberately avoided my eyes and fixed his gaze on the ceiling.

“Your Majesty, my neck hurts!”

“That’s the fate of a sunflower.”

“Isn’t the sun too cold?”

I pouted and grumbled with a sulky expression.

“Ah, I’m hurt. For the Empress to talk about my curse like that.”

Linelle clutched his heart and put on a clumsy act.

“You’ll get hotter if you kiss.”

I grabbed Linelle’s hands, pressed my body against his, and whispered. He made a troubled expression for a moment before opening his mouth with a stern look again.

“I won’t do it.”

He said, pressing his index finger against my lips.

“……..”

My expectations were dashed. I didn’t think he would refuse twice. And his answer made me even thirstier. I boldly hugged his neck and tried to steal a kiss.

“Raphael!”

Then Linelle shouted for his secretary, who was in the hallway. Raphael quickly opened the door and came in, so I quickly lowered my arms.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Report now.”

“It was all I mentioned earlier, but….”

“…Is he an attendant of the Empress’s Palace?”

“We are checking.”

“Even if he’s not an attendant from another place, he was murdered in the Empress’s Palace garden, so it’s not a problem to just let it go.”

“That’s right. It happened at a time when dignitaries from various countries were starting to arrive at the Imperial Palace, so a thorough investigation is necessary.”

Raphael spoke cautiously, worried I might be frightened.

“Report as soon as the identity of the murdered attendant is revealed. And strengthen the security of the Empress’s Palace.”

Ah, there’s no need to go that far… Damn it, Prince Tesler has only made getting to and from the training grounds more difficult.

“Raphael, tell Commander Aaron to deploy additional guards at the entrance of the Empress’s Palace, and especially from the evening onwards, have patrols running all night.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will deliver it to Aaron immediately.”

“And it would be good to have someone trustworthy by your side… Ah, there’s a suitable person.”

Linelle snapped his fingers and laughed as if he had thought of someone.

“Who…?”

“How about Commander Marcrom, whom you saw at the training grounds?”

“Yeeeees?!”

“I know what you’re worried about. But even if Marcrom has lost his sight, he is incomparable compared to ordinary knights.”

That’s not what I’m worried about, it’s Commander Marcrom’s eyesight *on me*. Ah, I’m doomed.

“I’ll think about it….”

When I answered reluctantly, Linelle thought I was hesitating because of Commander Marcrom’s eyesight, and added that I wouldn’t regret it, and said we’d talk about it again later.

“Your Majesty, there is one more piece of news to deliver.”

“This time, which palace was the body found in?”

He asked nonchalantly.

“It’s not that….”

“Then?”

“In about 30 minutes, Emperor Adrian Meltin of the Tevello Empire in the Southern Continent is scheduled to arrive. The vice-commander of the Imperial Knights of that place arrived at the Imperial Palace a little earlier and informed us.”

Emperor Adrian Meltin. I heard that he was the most neutral emperor in the last war to occupy the Wyvern habitat. In fact, the Tevello Empire is the country in the Southern Continent that has the most active exchanges with the Northern Continent. According to Commander Marcrom, Emperor Adrian of Tevello was as unique as Empress Katria. He is known as a pacifist, but ridiculously, the reason he is known as such is because there is no empress in the Tevello Imperial Family. All the women chosen by him live together in a palace called ‘Wonyi’ [a harem or a place for concubines], and their ranks are all unified as imperial concubines. Whether the imperial concubines living in that ‘Wonyi’ are living peacefully, as Emperor Adrian intended, is questionable. It was something I couldn’t know unless I went to ‘Wonyi’ myself.

“Really? Everyone is arriving early. I’ll see that crazy pacifist again after a long time.”

Linelle’s lips turned crookedly upwards, and he made an expression that was hard to understand.

“Hmm, I’ve been away from my seat for too long. Empress, let’s go back in.”

“Yes, let’s do that….”

I’m going in like this after being denied a kiss. I felt depressed and answered sullenly.

“Oh, right, Raphael.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Do you have any candy?”

“…Candy? Is there a reason why you’re looking for candy after 15 years?”

“I feel like I need to put something in my mouth. Preferably something sweet.”

Linelle said, chewing on his lip.

“Your Majesty? You look very anxious right now… You look exactly like someone going through withdrawal.”

Linelle did not deny Raphael’s diagnosis.

“Indeed, you’re competent.”

“But why are you suddenly looking for candy?”

“I have to endure it with that all day today.”

He fiddled with his lips and replied to Raphael.

“Yes?”

Raphael looked at him with a dumbfounded expression before turning his gaze to me. I touched my neck, pretending not to know.

“So, do you have candy or not.”

“No? There’s never been candy in my pocket since I was 12 years old?”

“Have I ever seen such an incompetent fellow!”

“You just said I was competent… Does Her Majesty the Empress know why you’re suddenly saying I’m incompetent again, as if turning over the palm of your hand?”

Raphael asked me, as if complaining, with hurt eyes. I quietly nodded. This is all because of me and His Majesty’s strange stubbornness.

“Raphael, it would be good to have some candy prepared for His Majesty to eat, right? If possible, please make it a very big lollipop.”

“A big one? Why is that….”

Raphael looked even more confused. I glanced at Linelle’s face. His face was more drooped than before. If I laughed here, it would be like making fun of him, so I bit the inside of my cheek tightly and endured it. Linelle wiped his lips once and opened the door to the reception room. He came back in and started eating the sweet cakes and cookies that he hadn’t touched before. Empress Katria also looked at him with a puzzled look, but she picked up a cookie and started eating it, as if his eating looked delicious. I turned my gaze to the two handsome men who were blankly watching the two emperors and started talking to them. The name of Consort 1 with green eyes is Deon, and the name of Consort 2 with gray eyes is Clark, right?

“I heard that Deon and Clark are giving a lot of help to Her Majesty Katria?”

Consort 1, Deon, spoke first.

“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress. I am assisting Her Majesty with her work.”

Then, as if in competition, Consort 2, Clark, raised his voice a little louder.

“I am the knight guarding Her Majesty’s side.”

Oh, so both of them were not just simple consorts of Empress Katria.

“Hahaha! Deon and Clark have different jobs during the day, but at night, they do the same thing. Right? My loves?”

“……..”

“……..”

Linelle and I were speechless at Empress Katria’s outspoken words.

“Lips forward.”

At Empress Katria’s command, the lips of the two consorts turned towards her. Then, she fearlessly kissed them, bestowing her grace equally. Linelle, who watched the scene, swallowed hard and glanced at me. Serves you right. You boldly refused my lips. Hmph, try sucking on a lollipop all day today. But as time passed, my lips and hands also started to move restlessly, just like Linelle’s.

News was reported that the Tevello Imperial Family’s carriage would soon arrive. Linelle and I went to the entrance of the main palace to greet the new dignitaries. Empress Katria, who was chatting with us in the reception room, refused to greet Emperor Adrian, saying she was tired, but she seemed to be deliberately avoiding him. Her expression wasn’t very good from the time Emperor Adrian’s name came up. I wondered what kind of person he was, so I asked Linelle about him.

“He’s a sly person.”

That was his opinion of Emperor Adrian.

“Especially that look on his face, as if he’s some kind of god and he’s seeing through the other person, is very annoying.”

“Isn’t it just his expression?”

“It’s not just his expression, but there are times when he really guesses people’s minds correctly. That’s why he’s even more annoying.”

Does Emperor Adrian have telepathy or something?

“But I heard that the Tevello Empire doesn’t have an empress, right?”

“That’s what they say.”

“Then who will Emperor Adrian bring? Like Empress Katria brought her consorts, will he come with some of his imperial concubines?”

“Whatever. It’s none of my business.”

Linelle answered indifferently.

“You should pay some attention to the dignitaries….”

“Zelda, you are the most beautiful.”

“Yes?”

“Isn’t this what I care about and what I should pay attention to?”

“…Tch, even though you refused to kiss me.”

I forcibly pulled down the corners of my mouth, which were slowly rising, and whispered as if I was hurt.

“Sleep at the main palace tonight.”

He said quietly.