The Stand-In Empress's Wedding Night (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5
Last night.
When I opened the carriage window, the evening air, already cloaked in darkness, brushed against my face.
I had traveled for days and nights by carriage from the Shattonil Kingdom to the Lapion Empire.
Outside the window, endless fertile farmlands stretched out.
This must be evidence that we are nearing the imperial capital of the Lapion Empire.
Emperor Rinel Gadion Edpa.
What sort of man is he?
Will he be as handsome as Prince Tessler from the Shattonil Kingdom, where I lived?
What if I’m recognized? Please, let him not be overly perceptive.
Lost in such thoughts, I suddenly caught sight of the sharp spires of the Lapion Imperial Palace rising far in the distance.
If my identity as the regent empress is discovered, perhaps I’ll end up hanging from one of those spires…
“My neck might be on the line.”
I clasped both hands around my throat and swallowed hard.
After solemnly praying to curse Prince Tessler with both hands folded, I closed the carriage window again.
I pulled out a single baggage bag from beneath the carriage seat—something I had carefully packed the day I departed for the Lapion Empire, despite being pressed for time.
From the bag, I took out a mirror and examined my face, gently touching the burn scar on the right side.
“There’s really a magic potion that can make this disappear?”
According to Grand Duke Martines, who had been assigned to escort me, I would spend one night at a hotel in the imperial capital and enter the palace early the next day.
Before heading to the hotel tonight, I decided to visit the clinic run by the mage mentioned by Prince Tessler.
Excitement made it hard to calm my expectations.
About an hour later, the carriage came to a stop.
A knock echoed, followed by Grand Duke Martines’ voice.
“We’ve arrived. Please step down.”
I stepped out of the carriage wearing a hat with a veil that hung down to my nose.
Immediately upon exiting, I was startled.
I hadn’t expected such a grand clinic, but I certainly hadn’t imagined it would be tucked away in such a dark alley.
Even the clinic’s sign was strangely peculiar.
[The Daring Night]Moreover, the sign depicted a man standing with legs spread, hands on hips, in a posture that could only be described as utterly bold.
“…Is this the right place?”
I glanced at Grand Duke Martines’ sharp, emotionless face and pointed at the clinic sign with my finger.
“Yes, this is the place Prince Tessler mentioned.”
“Really…?”
My foot refused to move forward.
As I hesitated before the clinic door, Grand Duke Martines added:
“Mage Vic is known among Lapion Empire nobles for his expertise in vitality treatments.”
“Vitality?”
Ah, so that’s why the clinic is called ‘The Daring Night’?
I looked up at the sign again.
“On the surface, yes. But very few know his true ability—such as creating a magic potion that removes burn scars, like the one Princess Zelda received.”
“So the nobles who usually come here are seeking treatment for vitality issues?”
“Probably. But not everyone who comes here buys it for functional problems. I’ve heard even those with diminished physical strength, regardless of age or gender, purchase it.”
“But most of them come because they can’t be ‘daring’ at night, right?”
“Well, statistically speaking, yes—unless they’re in a special case like Princess Zelda.”
Grand Duke Martines nodded as if agreeing, then reached into his coat and pulled out a small pouch, handing it to me.
“What’s this?”
“Show this inside, and Vic will know to give you the potion.”
I took the pouch and checked its contents.
“I understand.”
Inside the small pouch was a pink diamond—rare even in the Shattonil Kingdom, the world’s largest diamond producer.
“Won’t you come in with me?”
“No, I will wait here.”
Grand Duke Martines replied, his entire face showing exhaustion.
“How about coming in and buying a vitality potion yourself?”
“…No, I have no problems whatsoever!”
Grand Duke Martines bristled unnecessarily.
Hadn’t he just said moments ago that not everyone who comes here buys it for functional issues?
I turned away from Grand Duke Martines and, heart trembling, opened the clinic door.
Inside, the clinic had a dim, secretive atmosphere, like a salon frequented by noble men.
Perhaps they deliberately kept it dim to protect the privacy of clients seeking vitality potions.
“No customers yet? Oh, my.”
In a corner of the waiting room sat a man in a black robe, his hood pulled low over his head, like a ghost.
“How did you get here?”
At that moment, a woman who looked like Mage Vic’s assistant approached me.
“I came like this.”
I quickly opened the pouch and showed her the pink diamond.
“Oh, follow me.”
She seemed to know what was expected and led me straight to the examination room.
[This is the timeline separator]The moment I sat down in the examination room, Mage Vic was already there, holding out a magic potion.
“Please drink it first.”
I downed it in one gulp.
I could distinctly feel the potion sliding down my throat.
A few seconds later, something impossible happened.
“It’s gone… gone? Really, truly gone? Master! The burn scar that was just here—am I the only one who can’t see it now? Right? Tell me!”
My burn scar vanished in an instant, so completely it was unbelievable.
Was it really this simple? And all these long years, I had…
I choked up.
I kept gazing into the mirror, overcome with emotion at my restored face.
Then Mage Vic spoke coldly.
“As you know, this is only a temporary effect.”
“I know.”
“I’ve prepared a month’s supply as requested. Wait outside, and my assistant will hand it to you.”
Prince Tessler, you stingy little brat.
Just a month?
“A month’s supply? I’d like to buy more.”
“I can’t make it on demand. This batch was already produced under extreme difficulty.”
“Then I’ll reserve next month’s dose before I leave!”
“Well… I’ll note the reservation. Do you have anything else to say? Please wait outside.”
Mage Vic scribbled something on his chart with an unmistakably unimpressed expression.
“Excuse me—besides this temporary potion that removes the scar, do you also make a cure that permanently heals such scars? I heard such a remedy exists.”
“Hmm… that’s beyond my abilities.”
“I see… I understand.”
It seemed the permanent cure Prince Tessler mentioned wasn’t something I could request from him.
Trying to soothe my disappointment, I left the examination room and sat on the waiting room sofa.
Wait… something feels off?
“Oh, I forgot.”
I picked up the hat with the veil that I’d taken off in the examination room and put it back on.
The scar was gone, but I still couldn’t afford to expose my face—I was to marry the emperor of this country. Especially in a place like ‘The Daring Night.’
While waiting for my potion, I noticed the Lapion Empire newspaper on the table.
To pass the time, I reached out and picked it up, idly reading.
“All women of the empire wonder what kind of woman the Emperor’s ideal bride would be. What qualities does His Imperial Majesty seek in a wife? Will the empress from the Shattonil Kingdom, soon to marry His Majesty, truly match his ideal?”
How childish.
If I had a quill on me, I’d have written my own reply beneath the article.
I, who will marry the emperor, have a 100% chance of NOT being his ideal!
I continued reading the article.
“According to his secretary, Emperor Rinel prefers women who…”
As I read the front-page article, I snorted and flipped to the next page.
“What? Why is the next page missing? Ha, it’s torn?”
I tossed the newspaper onto the table.
“Ugh.”
The article’s flow had been abruptly cut—not because I was curious about the emperor’s ideal, but because the journalist’s incompetence irritated me.
“What’s the point of writing about the emperor’s ideal? There are countless such articles already. Why not write about what the empress herself desires? That would be fresher.”
“Do you already know the emperor’s ideal?”
A mocking voice came from somewhere.
There was no one in front of me—where was that voice coming from?
“Oh, my!”
I turned my eyes to the right corner—and saw a dark object.
Closer inspection revealed the same man in the black robe I’d seen when I first entered the clinic.
Still here?
Is he waiting for something too, like me?
“Most men’s ideals are predictable: beautiful, slender, kind. Would the emperor be any different? But why are you speaking so casually to a stranger?”
“Because you’re a stranger.”
“!”
What kind of noble would casually use casual speech right away?
“Isn’t it too presumptuous to define the emperor’s ideal? The emperor isn’t an ordinary man.”
The man continued speaking casually without pause.
“You seem to know the emperor very well.”
“I’m quite close to him. But… did you just speak to me casually?”
The man glanced around, looking incredulous.
“Didn’t you? I’m a stranger to you, so I assumed it’s customary here to speak informally to strangers. Why not?”
“Aha, you’re not from around here? Well, this clinic is known for vitality potions even outside these lands.”
“I didn’t come here for vitality potions.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Why should I tell you?”
I snapped back at him, irritated.
You must raise your voice to rude people.
“Judging by your appearance, you look like someone who came because you can’t be ‘daring’ at night—hunched in the corner like a criminal, hood pulled over your head?”
“…That’s ridiculous.”
“Come on, you look as weak and pathetic as someone who came for a vitality potion. What’s the problem?”
“…That’s nonsense.”
The man kept scoffing.
“Your words make more sense than claiming to be close to the emperor.”
“…I really am.”
His voice rumbled like a growl.
“Oh? Really? Close, you say? Then what is the emperor’s ideal?”
“You’re not it.”
“…”
I felt as if I’d been struck in the bones.
Oh no—I’m the one about to marry this emperor, and I can’t say a word!
I shot up from the sofa in sudden anger.
Who does this guy think he is? Not only did he speak casually from the start—he has zero tact?
Should I just rip off his hood?
“The reserved treatment you requested.”
At that moment, Vic’s assistant brought me a velvet pouch.
“Thank you.”
Yes, let’s just leave.
I won’t speak another word to that lowborn fool who spoke casually to me on first meeting.
Still, leaving felt unjust. As I walked toward the clinic door, I glared at him and muttered under my breath:
“The emperor should be nothing like that rude man. Otherwise, only the empress from afar will suffer. I really hate rudeness…”
“Hah, you sound just as familiar with the empress. Your tone suggests you know her ideal, don’t you?”
The man, having overheard my muttering, mocked me.
“I know. I know very well.”
“What is it?”
“You’re not it.”
“!”
“Definitely not it.”
I repeated his own words back to him, driving the point home.
I felt wonderfully satisfied.
As I opened the clinic door, I caught a glimpse of the man removing his hood.
I subtly twisted my waist to see his face.
Oh my—what did I just see?
Inside the hood was a face beyond imagination.
I was so startled I hastily shut the clinic door and fled.
Though he had been impolite by speaking casually from the very first moment, he was, without doubt, the most stunningly handsome man I’d ever seen in my life.
Good heavens—I had been standing right in front of my ideal, and I hadn’t realized it!
[This is the timeline separator]“So you remember now?”
Emperor Rinel crossed his arms, interrogating me.
“Yes… yesterday, I failed to recognize Your Majesty and committed a grave offense…”
I held back the words: “You were the one who started speaking casually!”
Instead, I remained silent.
“Fine, I’ll accept you’re not his ideal. But tell me again—wasn’t today your first night together as husband and wife?”
I quickly shook my head.
“No! Your Majesty is exactly my ideal—and I, too, am Your Majesty’s first…”
I let the sentence hang, deliberately letting heat rise to my cheeks.
I could easily control how much I blushed.
I’m not sure if I should call it a skill, but it’s one of the side effects I developed after the burn scar formed on my right cheek.
Emperor Rinel’s expression softened slightly.
“By the way, I heard that in your kingdom, people begin freely engaging in relationships at age twenty. Is that true?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. We have dazzlingly splendid encounters. Ah, but my own life was the opposite—pathetically dull. Ahahaha.”
I laughed openly.
In truth, since my debut, I’d been completely ignored by suitors because of my scar.
The speaker herself was laughing so freely, yet the emperor’s expression grew increasingly displeased.
He twitched occasionally, as if about to express some emotion, but showed no sign of smiling.
“Hmph… should I consider that fortunate?”
His hand reached toward my right cheek.
The burn scar was invisible to him, yet I reflexively flinched away from his hand.
Though my action was clearly disrespectful, he said nothing.
A moment of silence passed.
Wanting to break the awkwardness, I blurted out whatever came to mind.
“I heard you have a grand duke who is much older than you.”
The emperor’s expression darkened sharply—I clearly chose a poor topic.
“Come to think of it, it’s been a very long time since I last spoke with that fellow.”
“Where is the grand duke now?”
I didn’t recall seeing anyone who looked like a grand duke at the wedding ceremony.
“He’s far away—in the cold. You won’t meet him. It’s better not to see my troublesome younger brother.”
He smiled, but his eyes looked sad.
“He’s somewhere I can’t reach. If I go to him, he freezes even more. So I can’t… go.”
“What place is it exactly…?”
I asked, astonished.
“Joseph received the same curse as I did. I can use magic, so at least my body doesn’t lose all its warmth to the magic spell’s effect. But Joseph… was different.”
I wanted to ask what had happened to the grand duke, but I dared not.
Watching me hesitate, he added something unbelievable.
“Joseph is now trapped inside ice.”
Good heavens.
“Is he… inside the palace?”
I asked cautiously. He neither confirmed nor denied, simply lying back on the bed.
“Enough. Rest now. Tomorrow, empress, you’ll have much to do.”
It was clear he didn’t want me to ask more.
“Yes, Your Majesty…”
Why should I care about the details? I’m only here temporarily anyway.
Still, the sorrow on his face unsettled me.
“And yesterday—I went to the clinic.”
“Oh, yes.”
“I went to buy a potion that raises body temperature. Since only my close aides knew about the low-temperature curse, I had no choice but to wear my hood like a criminal.”
Just as I was about to lie down, he chuckled.
“Fortunate, then.”
I glanced down briefly and replied.
“The empress already knows.”
“Knows what?”
“That the place you just looked at has no problem at all.”
“!”
“You don’t look weak, do you?”
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
Most Commented This Week
The Villain Has Gone Mad For Me (Completed Main Story)
I’m The Lowest-Ranking Daughter Of A Martial Arts Villain (2 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Became the Assassin Family’s Foster Daughter (Completed Main Story)
The Duke Only Needs My Child (Completed Main Story)
Men of the Harem (137 Chapters Left to Complete)
At the End of Ruin, There You Are (56 Chapters Left to Complete)
She’s a Villainess but her Husband is Handsome (Completed Main Story)
People Aren’t Meant to Be Fixed! (4 Chapters Left to Complete)
My Discarded Fiancé Returned (Completed Main Story)
Summer Must Die (16 Chapters Left to Complete)
Regret With All Your Might (Completed Main Story)
I Received The First Time Of My Extraordinary Superior (9 Chapters Left to Complete)