The Stand-In Empress's Wedding Night (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 3
Haah, this is absolutely unbearable.
My thoughts are getting complicated.
“By the way, Empress.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Hmmm, that’s strange.”
Emperor Rinel paused as if about to say something.
He dropped the phrase “That’s strange,” and seemed to be waiting for me to ask, “What is?”
Since I wasn’t curious at all, I remained silent.
If he had something to say, he’d say it without being asked.
“Other women go to such lengths to catch my eye that I thought my face must be quite pleasing?”
As expected, the Emperor, tired of waiting, began speaking on his own.
To describe his face as merely “pleasing” would be an understatement—it’s beyond any embellishment.
He really has a low opinion of himself.
I lifted my gaze to look up at him.
“But now I see, it’s not just my face—my other parts seem quite pleasing too?”
I was uncertain how to respond to the fleeting, playful glint in his serious eyes.
“If you like my instep more than my face, I still expect you to look at my face when you speak.”
“Oh, yes, Your Majesty.”
Only then did I realize I’d been staring intently at his instep.
Fine, I’d answered—yet as my gaze drifted back down to his instep, he swiftly lifted my chin.
“There are countless people who bow their heads before me. I don’t need you to join them.”
His tone was indeterminate—command or plea, I couldn’t tell.
I stared directly into his eyes, as he wished.
“Much better. I want the Empress’s eyes to linger on my face. I know my instep is more appealing than my face, but still.”
“Oh my…”
Without meaning to, an exclamation slipped out, sounding almost like a rebuke to his humor.
He seemed aware his joke had been a bit too much—his lips curled slightly upward, and he looked embarrassed.
His contrite expression made me laugh involuntarily.
“Pff!”
Had I finally lost my composure?
To openly laugh like that before the Emperor?
He fixed me with a blank stare, then raised one hand and swiftly wiped his cheek.
My saliva had splattered on his face.
“I-I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
I lightly tapped my lips with my hand, begging forgiveness.
He let out a hollow chuckle.
In my dazed state, his sharply sculpted upper body suddenly loomed toward me.
The force caused my rigidly upright posture to tilt backward onto the bed.
Just before I collapsed fully onto the bed, I quickly braced both hands on the mattress to hold myself up.
“If you must have an answer to your question: the clergy do not witness the first night of a remarried Empress. Is your curiosity satisfied now?”
Damn. Princess Resilia must have it easy.
“Yes.”
I nodded stiffly.
Then, staring directly at the faintly twitching muscles of the Emperor’s chest before me, our eyes met.
Under the dim light, his finely divided abdominal muscles looked even more sensual.
Even at a glance, his firm abs were marked with numerous small and large scars.
Like memories etched by honor, they bore the traces of battles won.
Sensing my heated gaze, Emperor Rinel swept his hand across his abdomen.
“They were weak opponents.”
He pointed to the largest scar, just above his navel.
“Huh?”
“The one who gave me this scar.”
“Oh, but why would a weak opponent inflict the biggest scar?”
“It’s a secret. Since today is our first night as husband and wife, I’ll tell you only you.”
His voice suddenly dropped to a whisper.
A secret? He was telling me alone?
Whether for good or ill, the words “special” and “secret” made me widen my eyes and lean in attentively.
“I mean…”
“Yes…”
“With weak opponents, I strangely let my guard down.”
What?
“…That’s really a big secret?”
I pretended to empathize with his words, yet spoke with a teasing tone.
I worried he might sense my sarcasm, but thankfully, he nodded and replied, “Exactly!”
Our faces, suddenly drawn close, swiftly pulled apart.
“You’ll be tense, but there’s no need to worry.”
“What do you mean?”
“The clergy are incompetent fools with no real divine power—they won’t even know whether we’re truly consummating or not. So I plan to just fake it and be done with it.”
“Fake it…?”
“Yes. I have no intention of letting the clergy freely admire my abilities.”
I wanted to ask what abilities he meant, but my heart had already understood and begun racing rapidly.
Heart, calm down. This isn’t something you should be excited about.
“I don’t intend to enjoy it like this either.”
Emperor Rinel murmured seriously.
I mentally arranged his words and analyzed their meaning.
When he said “like this,” was he referring to me?
Or was he referring to the situation with the clergy watching?
And what did he mean by “fake it”?
His expression was utterly blank, offering no clue.
“Shall we begin?”
“…Yes?”
Seeing my startled face, Emperor Rinel chuckled softly, then called out in a distinctly businesslike tone toward the bedroom door:
“Come in!”
[This is the timeline separator]Before the clergy entered, the attendants arrived first.
They swiftly lowered the black sheer curtains tied to the bedposts on all three sides.
Only then did I realize that the Emperor’s claim of “just faking it” was actually feasible.
As the Emperor and I sat side by side on the bed, the attendants exited the room, and moments later, the clergy entered like silent ghosts.
The clergy visible beyond the sheer curtains appeared solemn.
Each held a holy scripture in hand.
I wondered why they’d brought scriptures into the chamber for the Emperor’s wedding night.
The clergy took positions around the bed, forming a circle at a distance, and began reciting prayers before the ceremony.
Emperor Rinel gently nudged my arm.
I had been staring blankly at the silhouettes of the clergy beyond the sheer curtains, but when I turned to him, he whispered softly into my ear:
“As you see, the clergy only see our outlines. They can’t see anything detailed. And even that much will end once they finish singing their blessings and leave the room—just bear with it a little longer.”
“Huh? So you mean…”
They won’t actually be witnessing the wedding night?
“The Empress is lucky.”
“Me?”
I was lucky? I blinked in confusion at his utterly incomprehensible statement.
He nodded.
“In previous emperors’ time, the clergy entered the chamber to directly witness the consummation. But things have changed now.”
Really?
“…Since when?”
“Since me.”
He said he had abolished the old tradition.
“We reached a compromise instead.”
The compromise was this:
The clergy enter the chamber before the consummation to pray. When the Emperor and Empress share a kiss, they exit and wait outside. After the consummation, they return to sing blessings, thus completing their duty.
“Why that expression? Should I have changed it for the next reign?”
“No, no. You’ve done something truly remarkable, Your Majesty.”
Then why didn’t you say so from the beginning…?
I was so nervous!
“But we’ll have to deceive the clergy’s eyes.”
“How? What should I do?”
Just tell me.
I’m already deceiving the Emperor himself—what’s a few clergy?
“Seeing how eager you are, I’m sure you’ll manage the acting. It’s just a kiss…”
A kiss?
“I’ll pretend to move. You just cooperate.”
“What kind of cooperation…?”
“You just stay still. That’s enough.”
In short, the kiss served as the signal for consummation.
Still, it was a relief that the tradition had changed and the clergy would withdraw at this point.
Even though, instead of coordinating movements, we’d actually have to kiss.
“Really… I just have to stay still?”
“What, do you want to take the lead? Then do so.”
“Oh, no, Your Majesty! I shall obey your command!”
I whispered hastily.
“Good.”
Emperor Rinel let out a long sigh.
Now I could see—he was tense too.
“Other things don’t need to be visible to the clergy, but the kiss—there’s no choice.”
His voice, pleading for my understanding, somehow sounded sorrowful.
May a hint of sweetness accompany this poor Emperor.
What crime have I committed?
Yet my heart, oblivious to my situation, pounded violently as it beheld Emperor Rinel’s lips.
In any case, I must endure until Princess Resilia arrives at the Lapion Imperial Palace.
It won’t be easy, but my survival game has already begun.
I must not be discovered.
Not for Princess Resilia, nor for Prince Tessler—but solely for myself.
To obtain the magic potion that will erase my burn scars and live as my true self.
“The ceremony begins.”
Emperor Rinel’s voice, directed at the clergy, was as dry as someone attending a tedious meeting.
At the Emperor’s words, the clergy ceased their prayers and began murmuring something new.
Mysterious incantations, rhythmic and arcane, flowed from their lips.
Was this background music for the consummation?
Though I couldn’t make out the words clearly, voices occasionally rose and fell, repeating phrases invoking “the Divine.”
I thought I might even learn to sing along soon.
I was utterly lost—what was I supposed to do?
Well, Emperor Rinel, who looked experienced, would surely lead.
Listening to the clergy’s chants, I began to feel slightly drowsy, as if hypnotized.
Emperor Rinel glanced at me and whispered softly:
“Are you responding to the clergy’s incantations?”
What? Do their chants actually have divine power that alters one’s feelings?
Now that I thought about it, our lips hadn’t even touched yet, and my body was already tingling.
Worse still, a heat was rising within me.
Ever since I was seven and suffered facial burns, this sensation had occurred several times a month.
This heat was a sensation only I could feel.
No one else, even if they looked at me or touched my skin, could ever know my body was burning.
When the pain of my burn scars flared as if my skin were boiling, I had to soak in a cold bath for long periods.
Winter was slightly better, but in every other season, cooling myself in cold water was my only option.
But even cold water grew lukewarm after a few minutes.
When the heat was severe, the water would steam within ten minutes.
Why now? Of all times, this heat had to appear.
I wanted to throw myself into cold water immediately.
Though the magic potion had concealed my burn scars, the agony of my skin burning remained.
It felt as if someone were holding a flame to my eyeballs.
I couldn’t even see Emperor Rinel’s face clearly.
“Don’t frown.”
He cupped my burning cheek with his cold hand and whispered.
He thought I was annoyed.
“My body is too hot… It feels like I’m burning up…”
I barely managed to speak.
Emperor Rinel raised his eyebrows.
His cool blue eyes darkened, and a flicker of alarm crossed his face.
Ah, he must have misunderstood my words.
“Excellent. That’s perfect acting.”
Emperor Rinel pressed his lips gently against mine and murmured softly.
“No, wait—!”
His noble, magnificent lips suddenly pressed between my parted lips.
Good heavens.
And as his soft, skillful kiss followed, my eyes slipped shut.
My rigid lips, in contrast, floundered foolishly, swept helplessly by his.
Unexpectedly, the kiss with Emperor Rinel felt like an oasis.
My parched mouth instantly cooled, as if I’d chewed a handful of mint leaves.
The burning pain eased considerably.
How could this happen?
I placed both hands on his noble face and eagerly embraced his movement.
First, survive.
After quenching this thirst for a while, the heat noticeably subsided.
Slowly opening my eyes, I saw Emperor Rinel wearing a look as if he’d stolen something.
His wandering gaze questioned me silently:
“Didn’t I say you didn’t need to be this enthusiastic?”
I hastily pulled away.
“Haah…”
Emperor Rinel exhaled a long breath and cast a sidelong glance at me.
Looking beyond the black sheer curtains, I saw no trace of the ghostly clergy.
“W-When did they all leave? They didn’t even say goodbye?”
“They’ve been gone for quite some time. While we were passionately kissing.”
He wiped his glistening lips with the back of his hand.
“I’m sorry.”
For kissing so passionately on my own.
Emperor Rinel, who had been silently staring at me, slowly wore an expression of deep contemplation.
“That shouldn’t be possible… What is it?”
He muttered to himself, then placed his hands on my shoulders and gently pushed me down onto the bed.
“Y-Your Majesty, the clergy have already left!”
I cried out as I found myself sprawled helplessly on the bed.
“I know.”
“Then why…?”
“Just a moment. Stay still. I need to check something.”
The space between us narrowed further.
Male lead says he’s pregnant — and it’s female lead’s child
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.
__________
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