The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 86

86. The Swamp of Misunderstandings

October 30, 2021

“Don’t you think I look more like a painting than Prince Norton, even at a glance?”

He was serious.

“……Y-Yes, of course! Much more like a painting! That’s why I sometimes can’t bring myself to touch your face, you know?”

I enthusiastically agreed.

“Ahem, why?”

“Because your face is so much like a painting that I feel like the paint will smudge if I touch it? Ohoho.”

He stared intently at my face. Was I overdoing the flattery? I worried it might backfire. I should have been more subtle… I swallowed nervously, anxiously awaiting his reaction. After a moment, he leaned closer and whispered conspiratorially.

“Indeed, you are objective.”

He was practically applauding me with his eyes. Huh? This blatant flattery actually worked.

“Putting aside the face, Prince Norton lacks masculinity.”

My mouth moved mechanically.

“I think I mentioned this before, didn’t I? I even want to gift him a dress I don’t wear anymore! Ohoho.”

I had to inflate his ego as much as possible. It seemed like the only way to mitigate his anger toward Rosie.

“That’s what I’m saying!”

He widened his eyes and clinked his teaspoon against his teacup.

“He looks so weak. Will he ever receive any praise after getting married?”

“What kind of praise?”

“In bed, like me.”

Rinell pressed the tips of both thumbs onto his chest as if stamping a seal.

“……Of course, Your Majesty is absolutely right!”

I quickly gave him a thumbs-up, pressing it against his chest in agreement.

“Should I receive praise again tonight, or not?”

He wrapped my thumb in his hand and said quietly, as if to himself. It was embarrassing to hear such a thing from someone with such a dignified face, making it hard to laugh. But the sight was strangely cute and lovely, so I kept looking at him. Even amidst all this, his dissatisfaction with Rosie’s remarks lingered. I nodded unconditionally and put a sweet pie in his mouth.

“Rosie probably just doesn’t have an eye for it yet. She doesn’t know men, doesn’t know.”

“How can she be so clueless? What did she say again yesterday… that her heart felt like it was going to explode as soon as she saw Prince Norton? That he’s a handsome man that can’t be found in the Lapion Empire? Haa, honestly.”

His voice rose again.

“Please calm down, Your Majesty.”

I quickly put down my teacup and patted the back of his hand to soothe him.

“It’s the first time in my life that I’ve heard such an unappreciative remark and just stayed still.”

“Me too.”

“I only stayed still because he was in the middle of confessing, but if it had been an official setting, I would have said something.”

“Me too.”

That’s right. The moment Rosie said to Prince Norton last night, ‘He’s a handsome man that can’t be found in the Lapion Empire,’ even the usually stoic Prince Norton twitched his facial muscles. At the same time, Rinell’s face also twitched, but it was a different kind of movement than Norton’s. Anyway… he didn’t seem to care about her confessing her love to a prince from another country; he just didn’t like Rosie’s remarks themselves.

“Your Majesty, are you really not bothered at all that Rosie has feelings for Prince Norton?”

“Surprisingly, I’m not.”

After considering my question, he shrugged lightly and replied.

“But Rosie is a concubine.”

“That’s the problem.”

He tapped the table with his fingertip and finally adopted a serious expression.

“What are you going to say?”

Please, let it pass without anything happening. Please, let it end with just a warning. I clasped my hands together under the table and prayed inwardly.

“First, I’ll talk to both of them.”

“You’re not going to get angry at Rosie, are you?”

I carefully asked, watching his expression again.

“Angry? I’m already angry. I’m going to ask who’s more handsome again later. Without bias!”

He rested his chin on his elbow on the table again and said in a determined tone.

“……Then you won’t punish Rosie separately for having feelings for another man while being a concubine, right? Huh?”

“Why would I?”

My worried heart melted away at his indifferent but firm voice.

“Really?”

“Yes, I don’t care as long as you don’t have feelings for another guy.”

I jumped up from my chair, approached him, sat on his lap, and wrapped my arms around his neck.

“Thank you. My husband is not only handsome, but how can his heart be so wonderful?”

“Yeah, I’m jealous of you too.”

“Huh? Me?”

I had been burying my face in his neck, but I raised my head and asked with a bright smile.

“You have a husband like me.”

“Pfft, that’s right. Your Majesty must be a bit annoyed to have a wife like me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Because I keep bothering you.”

“What are you tal… Ughm?!”

I immediately invaded his personal space, initiating a kiss. It was the only arena where I could confidently win.

“Umm, wait Zelda… If you move like this, I can’t take it…”

He grabbed my thigh tightly and said pleadingly.

“I don’t think I can stop now. So just accept it.”

The two lips collided again. The soft sensations intertwined, and a sensual sound mingled with the morning birdsong. Even our breaths were becoming more intense. Rinell gently stroked my neck with his lips and whispered.

“Zelda, I’ve become curious about what it feels like to receive praise in the morning.”

Before he could even finish speaking, he picked me up and placed me on the bed, repeating.

“I’ll have to hear it, now…”

His body was already eager for praise.

***

“Why does she keep looking in the mirror like that? Nothing’s going to change.”

Moya, watching Rosie sitting at her vanity and constantly checking her reflection, whispered to Ao, seemingly exasperated.

“Miyaong. (She’s knowledgeable, but she doesn’t seem to grasp this yet.)”

Ao also agreed with Moya’s assessment. The previous night, Moya had casually, intermittently, and roughly recounted the events in the temple garden when Rosie seemed to be in a good mood. When she mentioned Rinell’s accidental appearance during Prince Norton’s confession, Rosie’s face paled. Of course, it was out of concern for Norton. She also casually mentioned that Rinell had summoned them both to his office because of yesterday’s events. Rosie, knowing about Norton’s confession, had spent the entire night worrying about the prince’s safety before finally falling asleep. That worry persisted even as she left the bedroom.

“Why did Prince Norton have to confess in a place where His Majesty was present, inviting danger?”

Rosie hoped Rinell would show great generosity and forgive Norton. But for some reason, she spent more time in front of the mirror today than usual.

“After all, I’m a concubine, and he’s a prince from another country.”

Rosie had been repeating to herself, putting on and taking off a large, flower-shaped hairpin from her hair.

“Besides, he’s from the Southern Continent, which might go to war again.”

Even though she and Rinell were estranged, she was still a concubine of the empire, making a relationship with Norton impossible. Despite that fact, Rosie’s heart kept pounding. She finally put on the large hairpin and stood up.

“You put a big flower in your hair? Wow, it’s crazy… it suits you well.”

Moya clapped her hands and praised.

“Really? I just wanted to try it today. Anyway, I’m going to go comfort Prince Norton. Don’t cause any accidents and stay quietly in the bedroom.”

Rosie bent down and firmly warned Moya and Ao.

“We’ll be at peace. Don’t worry.”

‘Rosie, worry about yourself.’

Moya answered confidently but couldn’t bring herself to say the last part.

“I don’t trust you, but I have to go to the main palace, so I’ll see you when I get back.”

“Miyaong. (Rosie, you will come back, right?)”

Ao cried sadly.

“I don’t know what’s going on. Ugh, annoying.”

Despite her words, Rosie’s footsteps as she left the bedroom seemed somehow light. As the bedroom door closed, Ao immediately pushed the terrace door with her front paws, expressing her intention to escape.

“Miyaong. (I’m going out for a few days.)”

No matter how she looked at it, it seemed like Moya had caused a major incident. If all the facts were revealed, Moya wouldn’t be safe in Rosie’s hands.

“I’m not going. A great wyvern doesn’t run away!”

Moya, who had been speaking proudly with her hands on her hips, quickly flew to the bed a few seconds later and disappeared under the bed. Ao tilted her head and followed Moya under the bed.

“Miya…ong? (Don’t do that, let’s go out together… Huh? What are you doing?)”

“I’m going to stay in here for a while. I think Rosie is going to curse me to death.”

Moya said, curling up inside the eggshell. Inside the basket was the wyvern eggshell that Moya had been in for 300 years, still split in half.

“Ao, can you cover the roof before you leave?”

“Miyaong? (Wouldn’t it be better to hide somewhere else?)”

“Running away is cowardly.”

“Miyaong……. (I think it’s better than being so foolish….)”

“Hurry up and cover it? This is my mental sanctuary, Moya~.”

Unable to resist Moya’s urging, Ao sighed and lifted the eggshell with her two front paws. But, by mistake, she dropped the eggshell.

“Miyaaong! (Oops, sorry!)”

The eggshell fell on the marble floor and shattered into several pieces. Moya’s mood was as if a 300-year-old house had collapsed overnight.

“You damn cotton ball!”

Moya clenched her fists and jumped out of the egg again.

“M, Miyaong. (Sorry, I didn’t do it on purpose.)”

As Ao stepped back and came out from under the bed, Moya gathered the eggshell fragments from the floor and threw them at Ao, shouting.

“Ao, you! I’m going to break you too!”

***

Rosie, having left her residence, headed to the main palace with a servant. The weather was pleasant, and the scent of flowers was especially fragrant. Come to think of it, she felt refreshed. She unconsciously hummed and looked up at the sky, waving at the flying birds. Then, oops, she forcibly lowered the corners of her mouth, which had been raised high.

“This is not the time for me to be doing this.”

Prince Norton was in a difficult position because of her, yet she was leisurely humming. Rosie calmly suppressed her somewhat excited mood.

“Why did you have to confess…”

Tsk, to be caught in front of His Majesty of all people. It was definitely a word that she had said out of concern, but she didn’t know why the corners of her mouth kept creeping up.

“But it’s not a sin to like someone, is it? You should have written a letter instead. Then things wouldn’t have gotten this big.”

Rosie was sincerely worried about Prince Norton.

“His Majesty wouldn’t punish him severely, would he? It wouldn’t be a punishment like putting him in the dungeon for a few days…”

She said that, but in her head, she pictured Prince Norton sitting alone in the prison, thinking of her. She frowned and shook her head. Rinell wasn’t interested in her. She felt the same way.

“He’s just calling us in for a warning, right?”

Rosie hoped her guess was correct. Even if she had never been intimate with His Majesty, she was still a concubine. In addition, she reminded herself that she was not in a position to accept Prince Norton’s feelings.

“How should I comfort him? No, I should be cold.”

Rosie steeled her heart and made a resolution. But on the one hand, she kept feeling a little smug.

“Lady Rosie.”

“Oh my, Prince Norton.”

The person who had been on her mind all night since last night appeared. Rosie tried to smile but stopped and pressed her lips together, repeating inwardly: *Cold expression, cold expression. Haughty expression.*

“Were you perhaps waiting for me?”

“……Yes? Aren’t you also on your way to the main palace now? It seems like we have the same business today.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

Rosie replied with a prim expression. Prince Norton looked haggard, as if he hadn’t slept well last night.

“Lady, since we’ve met, let’s go together. Let’s talk about what we couldn’t finish yesterday.”

“Since we’ve met like this, I can’t very well refuse, can I?”

“……Yes.”

The two began to head to the main palace together. Prince Norton glanced at Rosie and walked in step with her slow pace. No matter how he looked at it, her courage last night was commendable. To confess her love to a prince from another country without hesitation, even though she was a concubine. He hadn’t known her well from their brief previous encounters, but seeing her again today, she seemed more confident.

‘She’s a woman who doesn’t care about other people’s opinions.’

Prince Norton thought, looking at the large, tacky flower-shaped hairpin stuck in her hair. Rosie felt Prince Norton’s gaze constantly glancing at her and clicked her tongue inwardly.

‘Prince, no matter how you send such desperate eyes, I can’t accept your heart.’

Prince Norton, seeing her drooping shoulders, also conveyed his apologies inwardly.

‘Lady took great courage yesterday, but since we each have our own positions, you must abandon this impossible love.’

They were each sending each other looks of comfort.

“You don’t look like you slept well?”

After walking in silence for a while, Rosie spoke to Prince Norton first.

“If I had slept well after experiencing something like yesterday, I wouldn’t be human.”

The prince replied in a deliberately subdued tone, feeling apologetic.

“Haa, I wish you hadn’t. My heart is really not comfortable in many ways.”

*What to do, Prince Norton’s face has become so gaunt because of me.* Rosie’s worried eyes also contained a slight sense of the winner’s ease. Norton, who had no idea about this, was rather moved by Rosie’s words.

“Lady Rosie is very considerate.”

Knowing that it was an impossible relationship, she confessed courageously, and even in the midst of being summoned to the office, she was worried about him. The misunderstanding between them flowed like a stream, gradually heading towards the vast sea.

“Um… I shouldn’t be saying this in this situation, but there’s something I really want to say.”

Before arriving at the main palace and entering the lobby, Rosie stopped Prince Norton with a determined voice.

“Please speak, Lady.”

Prince Norton looked at her with a generous gaze. If she asked him to hold her hand, he was willing to grant that much. Even a hug, well, gladly.

“Yesterday’s events are yesterday’s events, and I have a favor to ask of you, Prince.”

Rosie brought up the matter firmly.