The Stand-In Empress's Wedding Night (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 7
I don’t understand why I don’t feel you’re cold at all? On the contrary, Your Majesty… Ah!
As soon as I stepped away from the bed, I grabbed my lower abdomen with both hands, staggered, and sat back down on the bed.
“Your Imperial Majesty!”
“What is wrong?”
“Are you alright?”
Everyone startled and twitched as if to rush toward me.
I quickly raised one hand to signal them to stop.
At my command, they all halted, unable to move closer.
“Where… are you unwell?”
Only Lady Melanie defied my order, stepping forward alone to ask.
“Haa… My body simply couldn’t handle your Majesty’s passion through the night. I’m fine now, so please don’t worry.”
“…Huh? Is that really true?”
Lady Melanie raised her voice, her eyes expressing disbelief.
The other ladies were equally astonished.
“Oh, how can I explain this feeling? It’s so frustrating I can’t find the words.”
The ladies’ eyes widened as they scanned me up and down.
“When you all experience your own nights later, you’ll understand exactly how I feel now.”
I pulled up the slipped strap of my nightgown with one shoulder and offered an overly shy smile.
“Could you all leave now? I’d like to prepare this morning with my own attendants.”
“But now we are appointed as Your Imperial Majesty’s personal maids…”
“That has not yet been approved by me. It requires consultation with Your Majesty.”
Whether or not you will become my maids.
“Then, please leave the bedroom…”
I let my words trail off and gestured gracefully toward the bedroom door.
Everyone, get out!
I swallowed the words I truly wanted to say and softened my final request.
“Please leave now.”
Lady Melanie remained rooted in place, despite my words.
The other ladies glanced back and forth between me and Lady Melanie, visibly unsettled.
They seemed unsure whose command to follow.
I slightly furrowed my brow and gestured again toward the bedroom door. Only then did the ladies simultaneously lift their dresses, bow, and withdraw.
Following them, Lady Melanie left with a disgruntled expression.
No sooner had the ladies departed than murmurs echoed from outside the bedroom.
They must have thought I, a foreign-born Empress, would be timid and cowed before them.
“Why me?”
Until now, I had always turned my face away from others to hide my facial burn scar—but I had never, not once, bowed my head without reason to anyone.
The flustered expressions of these ladies, who had misjudged me so profoundly, lingered long in my memory.
I put on my robe and flung open the terrace door.
The beautifully landscaped, lavish garden of the Empress’s palace came into full view.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock sounded, and a steward entered.
One of the maids who had helped prepare yesterday’s wedding.
“I offer my greetings. I am Sharon, who will serve you from now on.”
Sharon bowed respectfully and explained why she entered the bedroom.
“I apologize, but while waiting outside, I saw the ladies leaving.”
“I told them all to leave.”
“Your Imperial Majesty, may I ask the reason?”
“Not necessary.”
“…Huh? Oh, yes…”
“Will the ladies now return to their respective residences?”
“No, not at all. By tradition, on the first day after becoming the Empress’s maids, all remain overnight in the Empress’s palace.”
“I see… By the way, during yesterday’s wedding preparations, I was very nervous and unfamiliar with everything—thank you for helping me.”
“I am deeply honored, Your Imperial Majesty! I merely did what was expected of me.”
As I expressed my gratitude warmly, Sharon’s face lit up with a bright smile.
“Sharon, I have a question.”
“Please ask.”
“Do you know who selected the maids?”
“I don’t know the exact procedure, but I understand the list of ladies was recommended by the ministers and submitted to Your Majesty.”
“So the maids were chosen by imperial decree?”
“I believe so.”
In the Shattonil Kingdom, selecting maids to serve the Empress is entirely the Empress’s prerogative unless a special recommendation is made.
But is the Lapion Imperial Family different?
In any case, it meant I needed Your Majesty’s permission to appoint new maids.
“I… Your Imperial Majesty, when you wake, His Majesty said he would like to speak with you.”
As I was admiring the Empress’s garden again, I turned to Sharon at her words.
“What did he say?”
“He suggested that you join him for breakfast in the main palace today.”
Sharon delivered the message with a cheerful smile.
Suddenly, I recalled the way Emperor Rinel had gazed down at me last night and his harsh breathing, and I took a deep breath.
“Then I have time before breakfast—perhaps I should tour the Empress’s palace first. I’d like to bathe, at least.”
“Very well, I shall have it prepared immediately. What about the dress and jewelry you will wear today?”
Since I had dismissed all the ladies, she asked because there was no one left to choose my attire.
“Sharon, could you pick out something that suits me?”
I smiled as I spoke.
Sharon’s lips trembled in obvious shock.
“What? Do you have something to say?”
“The tradition is for noble ladies serving as maids to select the Empress’s dress—but dare I choose Your Imperial Majesty’s gown myself…?”
I looked Sharon up and down, taking in her neat attire.
“I’ll trust your judgment. Please.”
Sometimes, a simple, warm word from a superior can ignite deep loyalty in a servant’s heart.
And if it comes from sincerity, the effect doubles.
“R-Really, Your Imperial Majesty?”
Sharon’s voice rang out joyfully.
“Yeah, somehow I feel you know exactly which dress will suit me.”
With my gaze filled with trust, Sharon nodded firmly.
“I will do my utmost to select the most beautiful dress for you!”
“No—not the most beautiful. The one that suits me best. That’s all I need.”
I calmly instructed the slightly excited Sharon with a smiling face.
“And tell the bath attendants they don’t need to heat the water.”
“…Huh? But even in summer, bathing in cold water might give you a cold!”
Sharon exclaimed in alarm.
“It’s fine. I’ve bathed in cold water since childhood—it doesn’t bother me. In fact, warm water leaves me feeling stuffy.”
With my kind yet firm tone, Sharon’s worried expression remained, but she no longer argued.
When I bathe in cold water, its temperature gradually rises. By the time I finish, it remains pleasantly warm.
In contrast, starting with warm water makes it grow hotter and hotter until my skin turns bright red.
Sometimes, the water warms so slowly it begins to steam like hot spring water. That’s why I have to drain and mix in cold water intermittently.
This phenomenon began after I suffered the burn on my right face.
I was curious why this happened, but I never told anyone—I feared the consequences.
Even my own family, who never cared for me, and Bonice, my only friend and fellow bath attendant during my palace life, never knew.
When heat rises in my body, even if others touch my skin, they don’t notice—but why does water trigger this reaction? I have no idea.
“Oh, and when I’m done bathing, call me. Wait outside until then.”
“…Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.”
After Sharon left, I immediately headed to the attached bathroom.
[This is the timeline separator]The water temperature in the Lapion Empire was far colder than the water in the Shattonil Kingdom where I lived.
As I immersed myself in the tub filled with cold water by the attendants, I felt refreshed.
As expected, the water gradually warmed over time.
I caressed my body with both hands, and memories from last night rose like steam.
My first night with Emperor Rinel.
The expression on his face when I first felt that unfamiliar sensation spreading through me.
The low voice whispered between his slightly trembling lips.
The feel of his firm muscles against me.
The unreadable gaze he fixed upon me.
His harsh breaths, barely held back, came back to me—and a shiver ran through my body.
My heart pounded.
Soon, tiny bubbles began to rise in the tub.
Afraid my skin would scorch if I stayed any longer, I hurriedly rose from the tub.
For a moment, standing naked before the full-length mirror to cool down,
“Can I really sit across from him and eat breakfast?”
Just the thought of facing Emperor Rinel made my heart uneasy.
I wiped the fogged mirror with my palm and stared at my flushed face.
I touched the spot where my right facial burn scar had vanished.
I still couldn’t believe the scar was truly gone.
The pain of having my right face seared as if by a midsummer sun first struck me when I was seven.
I never told anyone what happened that day.
It was due to Prince Tessler’s earnest request.
That incident became a secret known only to me, Prince Tessler, Princess Resilia, and the palace mage Logan.
‘Zelda, listen carefully. Endure this pain that feels like your flesh is burning. If you cannot overcome it, you will die. But if you survive, one day you could possess the entire continent! This, you must never, under any circumstance, tell anyone. Do you understand?’
On the night I was burned, Logan secretly entered my room through the window and repeatedly warned me.
Though I was suffering from high fever then, I remembered Logan’s words clearly.
Logan vanished the next day, abandoning even his only beloved daughter, Bonice.
In any case, I endured the searing pain.
And I survived.
Moreover, the burn scar, originally unremarkable, gradually began to take on a strange, emblematic shape.
People whispered that my burn scar meant I was cursed.
“It’s not a curse.”
I murmured to myself every time I looked in the mirror.
But those weren’t my own words.
They were whispered by another presence within me—the Divine Entity.
Whenever I endured the pain of my flesh burning, the Divine Entity spoke to me.
I must master this flame myself.
It cannot be helped even by it.
Ever since I became aware of that inexplicable presence, my life became one unending sequence of unexpected events.
At seventeen, through Prince Tessler’s recommendation, I was allowed to live in the royal court as a bath attendant.
Leaving behind the cruel treatment of the Trova family, I found mental peace and tranquility—thanks to Prince Tessler.
Perhaps he treated me kindly because of the incident involving his younger sister, Princess Resilia.
But…
The fact that he sent me as the Lapion Empire’s Regent Empress suggests Prince Tessler needed my sacrifice once again.
“I will endure. I won’t be discovered. And I will obtain the cure that will completely erase this burn scar.”
I vowed again as I stared into the mirror.
After my bath, I emerged to find attendants waiting to assist with my grooming.
First, I changed into the dress Sharon had selected.
To my astonishment, Sharon’s taste was far superior to my expectations.
After completing my entire adornment, I stepped out of the bedroom, and the palace guards stationed before my chamber bowed respectfully to me.
As I walked halfway down the long corridor, a steward hurried toward me from the opposite end.
“I have the honor to see Your Imperial Majesty! An hour ago, a visitor requested an audience with Your Imperial Majesty. He is now waiting in the audience hall.”
“Who is it?”
I asked, though I already knew who it must be.
In the unfamiliar Lapion Imperial Court, there was only one person likely to come seeking me.
“What is his name?”
I asked the steward again, pretending ignorance.
“It is Grand Duke Martines Rohain, Your Imperial Majesty’s homeland, the Shattonil Kingdom.”
“Then I must meet him.”
Grand Duke Martines was the man Prince Tessler assigned to accompany me when I departed for the Lapion Empire.
Prince Tessler claimed Grand Duke Martines would serve as my protector, acting as Foreign Minister alongside me in the Lapion court—but I did not believe him.
Protection? Nonsense.
Grand Duke Martines was clearly a spy, sent to report my every move to Prince Tessler and monitor whether I was fulfilling my duties as Regent Empress—or engaging in any foolish behavior.
He and I were bound to fulfill our respective roles, watching each other closely.
We were not outright enemies, but neither could we be trusted allies—our relationship was riddled with holes.
[This is the timeline separator]Under Sharon’s guidance, I entered the audience hall one floor below my bedroom.
Grand Duke Martines stood with his hands behind his back near the arched window, turning to face me as I entered.
I consciously straightened my spine and approached him.
He knelt on one knee and kissed the back of my hand.
“I have the honor to meet Your Imperial Majesty, Empress of the Lapion Empire.”
“Today marks the beginning of a new fate for both the Shattonil Kingdom and me.”
I looked down calmly at Grand Duke Martines as I spoke.
He offered a faint smile, then rose to meet my gaze.
His sharp features seemed to pierce through me.
“Please include my own fate among those you are responsible for, Your Imperial Majesty.”
He’s joking.
“I have far too many fates to bear. I am certain you can manage yours alone.”
“…Yes.”
“Please sit.”
I pretended not to notice Grand Duke Martines’s surprise.
I sat on the high sofa reserved exclusively for the Empress and gestured to the seat opposite me.
Even I was slightly surprised by how naturally my actions flowed—as if I had always been the mistress of this Empress’s palace.
“Your Imperial Majesty, since it is before breakfast, shall I serve milk tea?”
At Sharon’s suggestion, I nodded.
“Yes. That would be good.”
“I shall have it prepared immediately.”
Sharon tactfully withdrew from the audience hall.
I turned directly to Grand Duke Martines.
“Do you have any urgent matters to discuss with me?”
There must be a reason he came to see me.
For instance, the whereabouts of Princess Resilia…
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
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