The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 88

88. My Lover

“These are earrings made of pink diamonds.”

Prince Tessler slid a jewelry box across the table towards me.

“I specially commissioned the kingdom’s most famous jewelry designer to craft them as a gift for Her Majesty the Empress.”

“Pink diamonds… they would suit the Empress’s eyes well. Why don’t you open it?”

Linell wrapped his arm around my shoulder and gestured towards the jewelry box. My hands wouldn’t move. I just glared at the jewelry box as if it contained poison.

“Please open it, Your Majesty. As a specialty representing my country, I hope you will wear them yourself.”

Prince Tessler urged. He already saw through what I was afraid of. Could it be that, like what the Prince said at the banquet yesterday, this time it’s Bonis’s ears…? No. I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again. I wanted to erase all the bad thoughts I had just had from my mind. I knew that Prince Tessler wouldn’t have put something strange in the jewelry box in a place where other people were present, but I couldn’t bring myself to reach for it. But I had no excuse to avoid it, so I had no choice but to open the jewelry box. Haa… Fortunately, it only contained pink diamond earrings. The jewelry box was just the same shape as the cold and heat magic stone jewelry box.

“They’re so pretty, Your Majesty!”

Rosie craned her neck and sparkled her eyes while looking at the pink diamond earrings.

“I know…”

I checked the earrings with an indifferent gaze and immediately closed the box.

“Try wearing them now. They will suit the Empress well.”

Linell opened the jewelry box again, picked up the earrings, and brought them close to my ear. I reluctantly took off the earrings I was wearing and put on the pink diamond earrings.

“Oh my, they really suit you!”

Rosie put her hands together and exclaimed.

“Thank you.”

I gave her a short smile and looked at Prince Tessler.

“Your Highness, I will gratefully accept the gift.”

“You’re welcome. Next time, I will prepare a pink diamond necklace.”

What? A necklace? I sensed a warning in Prince Tessler’s words. Is that crazy bastard going to…? Just imagining it made me want to throw up.

“I only accept your heart.”

My voice came out colder than I thought. I felt Linell, who was sitting next to me, glancing at me.

“Let’s get back to what we were talking about.”

Linell changed the subject. I kept staring at Prince Tessler. I realized that I couldn’t keep being dragged around like this. The Prince would continue to threaten me with Bonis as a hostage. The threat was obvious: to walk into the trap he had laid and be kicked out of the Empress’s seat willingly. I didn’t want to give up either Linell or Bonis. I can’t just stand still like a fool and be defeated. I won’t. Looking at Prince Tessler’s sly smile, I steeled my heart once again. If there was a way to solve it quietly, I would, but no matter how I thought about it, this was the only way to deal with the cunning Prince Tessler.

“Just a moment, Your Majesty. Before that, I have something to ask the Prince.”

I blurted out before the topic turned to the issue of Rosie and Prince Norton.

“Speak freely, Empress.”

Linell gave me a generous look. I gave him a slight smile and shifted my gaze to Prince Tessler. Frontal breakthrough. I brought up the story openly in Linell’s presence.

“Where is Bonis now? Ah, she must be staying in the detached palace [a separate residence], right?”

First, I had to confirm whether Bonis had really come here. Prince Tessler’s eyes widened as if he hadn’t expected me to mention Bonis in this way, and he opened and closed his lips several times.

“Your Majesty, Empress, that matter should be discussed separately…”

Prince Tessler tried to avoid the topic, glancing at Linell.

“Who is Bonis?”

But Linell looked back and forth between me and Prince Tessler with curiosity.

“She is a young lady who was close to me as a bathing maid in the royal palace. We are like real sisters. Yesterday, I was talking about Bonis with the Prince at the banquet, but the conversation was cut off…”

I deliberately showed a gloomy expression and replied to him.

“Why, is something wrong with that young lady?”

He looked at my expression for a moment and asked Prince Tessler.

“Ah, no, Your Majesty.”

Prince Tessler replied to him with a troubled expression. I gently grabbed his arm and frowned.

“I thought Bonis would come to see me as soon as she arrived here, but I haven’t heard from her. I want to see her right away.”

“Since she is a young lady who was like a real sister to the Empress, I would like to meet her too. Ah, then how about having dinner together tonight?”

At his suggestion, Prince Tessler’s face turned pale.

“I’d like that, Your Majesty.”

Okay. Maybe I could get Bonis out of Prince Tessler’s hands more easily than I thought. I wanted to run to the detached palace right away to see Bonis, but I tried to stay calm. I looked straight at Prince Tessler and spoke to Linell in a polite tone.

“Your Majesty, if Your Majesty allows it, I would like to make Bonis my maid and live with her in the royal palace in the future.”

“There’s no problem with that. If it’s what the Empress wants, I’m happy to allow it.”

He nodded and readily agreed. Only then did I feel like the needle hole that had been narrowed was blown open. I released my clenched fist and wiped the sweaty palm on the hem of my dress. But at that moment, Prince Tessler smirked and shook his head in a nasty way.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, Empress, but I don’t think that will work.”

What? There was no reason to object. And even if I didn’t, the Prince of the Kingdom of Shattonil opposed what the Emperor of the Lapion Empire had allowed? Something was wrong. Linell, as well as Rosie and Prince Norton, who were also present, looked at Prince Tessler with puzzled eyes.

“What do you mean it won’t work? Your Highness, what are you talking about?”

I couldn’t hold back my anger and eventually raised my voice. I became even more angry at Prince Tessler’s face, which was deliberately pausing and smiling weakly.

“Tell me the reason.”

When Linell ordered, Prince Tessler pretended to be serious and slowly opened his mouth.

“That’s because Miss Bonis is now… my lover.”

“What, what did you say?!”

What the hell is he talking about! Who did Bonis become a lover of? Without realizing it, I grabbed the teacup in front of me with one hand and lifted it up. Prince Tessler looked down at my hand holding the teacup and was startled for a moment, but then continued with his unique annoying voice.

“So… unfortunately, I can’t send Bonis to be Your Majesty’s maid.”

Prince Tessler drooped his eyebrows and gave a sorry expression, but his eyes were already filled with a sense of victory. Looking at that despicable appearance, I felt like I had grabbed a handful of sand and was chewing it in my mouth. There’s no way Bonis would do that. No way, it’s a lie! I screamed inwardly.

“From Bonis’s point of view, wouldn’t it be a much happier life as a woman to be loved by me than to serve by Your Majesty’s side?”

Prince Tessler put one hand on his heart and babbled as if he had a lot of affection for Bonis. I couldn’t contain my anger and jumped up from my chair.

“I have to see Bonis right away!”

I barely managed to hold back the curse that was about to come out of my mouth, but I couldn’t stop my angry voice. Everyone except Prince Tessler looked up at me with surprised eyes. The most surprised person was Linell.

“Empress.”

I regained my senses at Linell’s heavy voice and released my clenched fist. I released my fist, but I didn’t release the strength in my hand. It was a force that would only be released if I smashed one part of Prince Tessler’s body.

“Your Majesty, Empress, are you all right?”

Rosie asked in a whisper with a very worried face. Prince Norton, who was sitting next to her, also had a dark expression due to the unusual atmosphere. I couldn’t answer that I was okay. Instead, I slowly exhaled hot breaths and tried to calm the anger that was directed at Prince Tessler. Just as I was about to sit back in my chair, Linell got up.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

He got up from his chair and asked the three people for their understanding. Linell turned my shoulder and took me to the lounge inside the office.

***

A white kitten running through the Lapion Imperial Garden and a baby wyvern transformed into a mosquito sitting on the cat’s fur. Thanks to Ao’s cleverness in choosing only the bushes and wildflowers, he safely reached the front of the main palace building without being noticed by the palace staff.

“Miyaaong? (What do I do now? How do I know which floor the office is on?)”

“It’s on the second floor. I can hear our master’s voice.”

Weeeing-. Moya, who had transformed into a mosquito, flapped her wings in joy.

“You can come up this much, right? Cat?”

“Miyaaong…? (I’ve never been to a high place since I was born…?)”

“Even if you fall while climbing, just try it. I’ll save you if you fall, so don’t be too scared!”

Moya, who flew to the second floor first, encouraged Ao while looking down at the arched long window. Ao worked hard to climb, jumping between the sculptures that were embedded in the main palace building.

“Oong, cats are more tenacious than I thought?”

“Heeek, Miyaong! (Breathless, I did it!)”

“You survived this time too. Let’s go, the office is that way. Huh? Humans are coming. Hide behind the statue!”

Moya and Ao were heading to the office in the middle of the second floor hallway, but they quickly hid behind the statue at the sound of servants coming down the stairs.

“Let’s leave those two books in the library. Just take the rest of the books to the secretary.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The two servants talked and opened the door to the library in front of the statue and went inside.

“Ao, let’s go in there too.”

Moya flapped her wings towards the library door.

“Miyaong? (Why?)”

“There’s something amazing… in there.”

To Ao’s question of how she knew that,

“I can feel it with my body. Uh? The door is closing. Ao, now, run!”

Moya went into the library first, and Ao also flexibly squeezed through the slowly closing library door.

After the servants put the books in the library and went out again, Moya, who was hiding in the corner, flew somewhere and asked Ao.

“Can’t you feel it?”

“Miyaong? (What?)”

“Something’s terribly cold.”

Moya looked around the library and continued to fly towards the side where she felt the cold air.

“I’m sure it’s around here?”

“Miyaong? (There’s nothing but books here, cold?)”

Ao ran to the bookshelf where Moya was hovering around and asked, looking around.

“There’s definitely a cold air gathering around here? That’s weird…”

“Miyaong. (You must be mistaken.)”

“This great wyvern doesn’t make mistakes! Only stupid cats do.”

Moya shouted in anger.

“Miyaong? Kyaak! (Who are you calling stupid? Ao, if only I had wings!)”

Ao, who was angry, swung her front paws repeatedly at Moya. Moya was surprised and flew onto the bookshelf, and Ao jumped up in response.

“What’s the point of just jumping when you don’t have wings?”

“Kyaak!”

At Moya’s continued teasing, Ao hissed and flew her body to the middle shelf where Moya landed, and then climbed onto it in one breath. Then the alignment of the books that were lined up was ruined.

“Ao, you made all the books uneven! You’re so careless. Oong?!”

The moment Moya finished speaking, the bookshelf slid sideways along with the wall.

“M, Miyaong? (I, is this hell?)”

Ao quickly got off the bookshelf and widened her pink mouth as she looked at the suddenly appearing dark space. A cold wind like midwinter blew out of the dark space into the library.

“Huh, I was right? I told you there was a cold place!”

Moya shouted, feeling the cold air that rushed in for a moment.

“Miyaong. (Let’s get out of here. I’m scared.)”

Ao took a step back with a frightened expression.

“I should go in, Moya~.”

Unlike the nervous Ao, Moya, who was excited, flew into the dark space.

“Miyaong! (Eek, let’s go together!)”

Ao had no choice but to follow Moya into the place.