The Stand-In Empress's Wedding Night (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 15
“I had tea time this morning with fifteen noble young ladies.”
At my words, his hand—lifting the hem of my dress up to my knees—paused mid-motion.
“That’s quite a gathering. And so?”
“Among them… those who have already become Your Majesty’s consorts came over to greet me personally.”
“What?”
Rinel looked genuinely shocked.
He let go of my dress hem and slowly leaned his upper body back from me.
“Do you remember… which houses those young ladies belonged to?”
“Lady Catherine of Duke Kalios’s house, Lady Melanie of Duke Hetzros’s house, Lady Felicini of Viscount Asto’s house, and Lady Rosie of Count Adelaid’s house.”
Good heavens, did I really memorize all their family names?
Rattling off the names and houses of the consorts without even pausing!
While I was silently marveling at my own memory, Rinel’s expression grew increasingly grim.
“Oh, and Lady Catherine mentioned she had a special relationship with Rinel—is that true?”
At my casually added remark, Rinel’s blue eyes instantly darkened.
It wasn’t an expression of embarrassment or awkwardness.
He seemed thoughtful—deep in contemplation.
What was he thinking?
Honestly, I wasn’t particularly bothered by the fact that Lady Catherine had once been his fiancée.
What I truly wanted to know was Rinel’s current feelings toward Lady Catherine—but his ambiguous expression made it impossible to read his emotions.
“So you’ve gone and stirred up trouble, after all.”
Rinel murmured quietly, lowering his gaze to the marble floor.
I glanced sideways at his profile as he tilted his head slightly downward.
His jaw tightened, and his lips twisted faintly.
For a fleeting moment, a cold glint of killing intent crossed his face.
Noticing me secretly watching him, he softened his murderous expression and turned to face me.
“I hadn’t intended for you to find out this way…”
He confessed with an utterly aggrieved look in his eyes.
“Zelda, do you remember when we got married?”
“It’s been so long that it’s hazy, but I do recall.”
I hadn’t meant to sound sarcastic, yet my words came out that way unintentionally.
“Well, three days would certainly make memories hazy.”
Rinel didn’t seem offended at all; instead, he readily agreed with my remark.
“Even if you weren’t to my liking, I’m not such a fickle man that I’d take consorts mere days after marriage.”
“Is that really true?”
“Yes. I’m a man of considerable… weight.”
His eyes drifted downward briefly before returning to meet mine.
No—that wasn’t what I’d meant to ask at all…
“Is it also true that I don’t appeal to you?”
“That was just an example.”
He frowned slightly, replying with clear dissatisfaction.
If all this were an act, I’d applaud his performance.
“Anyway… you did plan to take consorts, didn’t you?”
He sighed and nodded in quiet admission.
“Sigh… truth be told, the matter of consorts had been proposed since before our state marriage, but I hadn’t expected them to move this quickly. We’d clearly agreed that I’d consult with you first before deciding when to receive any consorts…”
“So I found out before you could tell me?”
“Exactly.”
…In other words, before Rinel even had a chance to mention consorts to me, someone among them deliberately revealed the news to me first during today’s tea time.
“It may be hard to believe, but it’s true. It’s unpleasant news, but I intended to tell you myself and explain things properly.”
Rinel continued calmly, though clearly apologetic.
“As the child of a consort myself, now that I’ve ascended the throne, the ministers constantly use my legitimacy as an excuse to seek reassurance about their own positions whenever they get the chance.”
“Ah.”
“That’s why I arranged the state marriage—to bring in the influence of the Shattonil Kingdom as a counterbalance to the clergy. Of course, it was also to solidify our alliance with your kingdom in preparation for the war with the Southern Continent.”
“So Your Majesty caught two rabbits with one stone.”
My dry, detached reply—as if discussing someone else’s affair—elicited a faint smile from him.
“Hmph, make that three rabbits.”
His hand brushed lightly against my cheek.
“I had my way with the state marriage, but in return, they set a condition for me.”
“Would that condition be… accepting a Shattonil-born empress in exchange for taking consorts only from noble families of the Lapion Empire?”
“You catch on quickly.”
Rinel, who had been leaning against the sofa backrest, slowly inclined his body toward me again.
“As you know, our Northern Continent has been at war with the Southern Continent because of the Wyverns.”
“That’s right.”
“Although the war is paused for now, it will resume the moment the Wyverns return.”
“Yes, I’m well aware of that too.”
“Precisely. Given this situation, the ministers reluctantly accepted the state marriage with Shattonil Kingdom—but they absolutely refuse to accept an heir with foreign blood.”
“So… they intend to bring in noble young ladies from the Lapion Empire as consorts, then promote one of the princes born to them as Your Majesty’s successor?”
Rinel grimaced as if the very idea displeased him and gave a stiff nod.
“They probably assume I won’t object on that front, considering I myself am the son of a consort.”
His already low voice dropped even further.
As it turned out, this wasn’t simply about taking consorts.
A tense power struggle existed between imperial authority and ecclesiastical influence within the Lapion Empire.
Separate from that conflict, hearing Rinel explain the full context himself eased my mind considerably.
“But why the sudden rush to take consorts now?”
“The ministers seem to have grown impatient.”
“Why?”
“It seems one of the priests who entered our chamber on our wedding night spread rumors among them.”
“What rumors?”
“That I was… extremely passionate with you.”
“…Ah.”
The vivid memory of his fervent actions on our wedding night replayed clearly in my mind, leaving me momentarily speechless.
Heat rose from my toes, gradually flushing my entire body red.
“I’ll leave that priest to divine punishment—but how should I deal with the ministers who stirred this up and their daughters who spoke so carelessly to you…”
Rinel grasped my hand with a chilling expression—yet his hand was far colder than his face.
I had an urge to press his ice-cold hand against my burning cheeks.
“By the way…”
He tilted his head, staring at me with an even more serious look than when discussing consorts.
I was busy taking deep breaths to cool my overheated body.
“You’re making it hard to concentrate… with that peach-colored human suddenly appearing like this…”
“Huh?”
I blinked in confusion at Rinel’s unexpected remark.
He awkwardly patted his chest area, turned his head slightly, and cleared his throat.
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“It’s your current appearance.”
Rinel held up a finger before my face and drew an imaginary circle in the air.
The circle he traced encompassed not only my face but also my chest.
I looked down and confirmed the flushed state of my skin.
Only then did I realize what he meant.
“If you’re hot, why not just lift your dress hem a bit?”
Rinel reached for my dress hem once again.
“It’s fine. I’ve always been someone who runs hot…”
I gently batted his hand away and fanned my face with both hands.
“Cool yourself down.”
“Th-thank you…”
He placed his cold hand against my heated neck.
Wow, he’s like an ice pack.
“Your cheeks look cuter now.”
“Does my face look like a fully ripened apple right now?”
“Yes.”
His hand tightened slightly around my neck.
“P-please don’t snap my neck just because it looks ripe.”
“Caught me?”
Rinel chuckled and removed his hand from my neck.
I laughed along with him and touched the spot where my feverish heat had begun to subside.
“If you’re going to cover it anyway, why not borrow my hand?”
“…Huh?”
“My hand is much bigger than yours.”
Rinel compared the size of my hand to his own with shameless nonchalance.
“Please behave yourself.”
Although only the two of us were inside the office, many attendants waited just outside the door.
“That doesn’t apply only to me, you know. Maybe you should rein in your excessive deep breathing too.”
Rinel tugged lightly at the frill adorning my chestline.
At his remark, my breath hitched mid-inhale.
“I wouldn’t mind, but if you don’t want Grand Duke Martines—who’ll be here soon—to get the wrong idea…”
Rinel handed me a sofa cushion from beside him, speaking almost like a scolding parent.
“I’ll be more careful.”
I held my breath and adjusted my posture.
He let out a soft chuckle at my flustered expression before speaking again.
“I’d thought we could take things slowly, but given the circumstances, perhaps we should hurry a little ourselves.”
Hurry? Hurry what?
Oh no—could he possibly mean having a child quickly?
“I-It feels far too early to discuss the heir…”
“Too early? Do those ministers think it’s the perfect time to thrust consorts upon me?”
Rinel frowned and pointed toward the office door, raising his voice slightly.
He wasn’t wrong—but I certainly wasn’t in a position to enthusiastically agree with him and start planning children, like saying, “I’d prefer our firstborn to be a princess!”
“Wouldn’t it be better if I pursued you rather than letting those ministers push their consorts on me?”
His hand, which had been pointing toward the door, now gently lifted my chin.
His blue eyes bore into mine, icy and sharp enough to freeze me on the spot.
What should I say?
No suitable evasive answer came to mind.
Seeing me only fumble with my lips, he appeared slightly hurt.
“So you don’t mind if I sleep with other women?”
No—that wasn’t it at all.
“Would you truly be fine if a child born to another consort, not one of ours, became my heir?”
That was a question I could never answer.
“Rinel…”
I could only feebly call out his name.
That was all I could say right now.
“Let me ask again. Zelda, are you not angry about me sharing myself with consorts simply because you feel no affection for me?”
“Your phrasing is a bit too intense, Your Majesty.”
“Have you ever considered that your silence is far more intense than my words?”
Rinel looked like he was struggling to suppress his anger.
“…”
“Or perhaps you just don’t care about succession? Is that it?”
You don’t refrain from eating a feast before you because you aren’t hungry.
It’s because it’s someone else’s table.
You must never touch what isn’t yours. Never.
It’s not that I dislike you, Rinel…
No matter how desperately I pleaded with my eyes, he’d never understand my heart.
“I actually hate sharing my belongings with others the most! I’m an extreme individualist!”
Afraid the prolonged silence might endanger my very lifeline, I blurted out whatever came to mind.
Though I’d spoken earnestly, Rinel wiped away his earlier seriousness with a sudden burst of laughter.
“Hmm, I more or less understand the Empress’s stance.”
He cleared his throat with a fake cough, shaking off the last traces of his amusement.
“We’ll discuss this further once Grand Duke Martines arrives.”
“Yes…”
“Let me be perfectly clear one more time—this wasn’t my order. Taking consorts may have been unavoidable, but I truly never intended for you to find out this way.”
Convinced by his sincere expression, I nodded compliantly.
“I also dislike sharing what’s mine with others. And I’m quite picky too.”
“…So?”
“So I don’t enjoy sampling all sorts of things. I only eat what suits my taste.”
“What if you get tired of it? Would you look for something else then?”
“I’ve never grown tired of anything I’ve come to love, so I wouldn’t know.”
Rinel leaned closer to my face.
As if by silent agreement, our lips twitched simultaneously.
“Hmm?”
He pressed his lips gently against mine like a seal.
“W-wait a moment!”
I pushed against his firm chest with both hands, but he didn’t budge an inch.
“Why so suddenly…?”
“Because I suspected you’d keep asking foolish questions.”
His heated voice slipped through the slight gap between our lips.
“So I decided to stop you here. Do you dislike it?”
“N-no, it’s not that I dislike it…”
“Then do you like it?”
“Well… I’m not sure…”
“If you’re unsure, trying it will tell you.”
“Oh!”
His persistent kiss melted my resistance entirely.
What had begun as a light kiss slowly deepened.
Rinel’s hand lingered on my neck for a long while before gliding down to my collarbone.
His fingers hovered near my wildly pounding heart.
Knock knock knock—
Just then, a crisp knock echoed through the entire office.
Startled, I shoved Rinel’s chest firmly away.
Huh? Did I use more strength than I realized?
Seeing him sprawled backward over the sofa, I realized I’d completely misjudged my force.
He stared at me with a dazed, wide-eyed expression.
Before that bewildered look could twist into anger, I quickly responded to the knock.
“C-come in!”
His eyes remained fixed on my face until the very moment the office door opened.
I hastily grabbed his hand and helped him sit properly back on the sofa.
He followed my lead but still looked shell-shocked.
“Zelda, if you ever reject my kiss again from now on…”
Rinel whispered into my ear, his gaze fixed on the slowly opening office door.
“Know this—you won’t be the only one falling backward.”
His threat was far too suggestive.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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