“Will you lift your face a little?”

My husband, whom I met for the first time today, said.

Speaking of my husband, Rinel Gardion Edfa.

He happens to be the Emperor of the Laphion Empire, the most powerful country in the northern continent.

As soon as I confirmed Emperor Rinel’s face for the first time inside the grand temple where the wedding ceremony was held today, I wanted to flip my wedding dress skirt over my head and run away.

Actually, we met last night at a secret location outside the imperial palace.

But thankfully, he didn’t seem to remember me.

Please, I hope he continues not to remember…

Still, I was able to relax a little during the wedding ceremony.

Thanks to the makeup close to a disguise that even I could hardly recognize myself and the fancy wedding dress.

However, as night fell and the makeup was completely wiped off, I started to feel nervous again.

I wasn’t looking down because I found the marble floor of the bedroom interesting.

As time passed, my heart shrank more and more.

In fact, there was an even bigger problem than meeting him last night.

A really important issue that my life depended on.

I am not the Emperor’s real wife.

In short, I’m a proxy empress.

What if this fact is discovered?

Ah, it’s terrifying just to think about it.

I can assure you, that man sitting in front of me like a splendid portrait would mercilessly cut off my head and send it flying towards my home country, the Kingdom of Shattonil.

Looking at his cold, blue eyes, he seemed like someone who would do that and more.

But unfairly, the Emperor had looks that would make him appear beautiful even when committing such cruel acts.

“Did you commit a crime?”

“!”

Following the unexpected question.

“You look like you’re hiding something from me?”

And a question that pricked my conscience.

I was sitting precariously on the edge of the bed in a thin slip when I was startled by his words and almost fell to the floor.

Yes!

I immediately confessed in my mind, but my lips remained tightly sealed.

Only my deeply bowed head revealed the truth.

Proxy empress. My very existence is a crime right now.

How did I end up involved in such an enormous matter?

Until a few days ago, I was just a bathing maid of the Shattonil royal family.

Damn, this is all because of Princess Resilia who ran away with a mercenary knight right before the royal marriage!

As I closed my eyes tightly from tension, I remembered the day I left the Kingdom of Shattonil.

.

.

.

.

5 days ago, the royal palace of the Kingdom of Shattonil.

“Become a proxy empress?”

What did I just hear?

At first, I laughed at Prince Tessler’s absurd words.

After laughing for a while, I closed my mouth again due to the unusual atmosphere.

“Are you… serious?”

“Zelda von Trova. I have no one else to trust but you!”

If he has no one else to trust in this situation, wouldn’t it be better to just give up on the situation?

Prince Tessler spoke as if he was the person who trusted me the most in the world.

Then he grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips.

I quickly pulled my hand away, feeling creeped out.

“Zelda, please.”

His tone was closer to an order than a request.

“Just be in the position of Empress of the Laphion Empire for a little while.”

“Isn’t that the country Princess Resilia is about to have a royal marriage with?”

“That’s right. But that damned… I mean, Resilia disappeared a week ago.”

…Gasp, how could such a thing happen?

No wonder. I thought the royal palace had been unusually quiet lately.

Normally, Princess Resilia’s complaints in high pitch should be heard from all over the palace every other day.

“What should we do? It’s almost time to leave for the Laphion Empire, isn’t it?”

“Almost? We should have left already.”

So you’re telling me to go instead?

I was dumbfounded.

Three months ago, the young Emperor of the Laphion Empire requested a royal marriage to the Kingdom of Shattonil, citing a strong alliance as the reason.

The letter sent by Emperor Rinel specified that the status of the future empress did not necessarily have to be a princess of Shattonil.

From the standpoint of the Shattonil royal family, there was no reason to pass the position of Empress of the Laphion Empire to another noble family, unless there was no princess.

However, the only princess, Princess Resilia, disappeared after hearing the news that the royal marriage was moved up from the original schedule.

“Where could the princess have gone alone?”

“Alone? She ran away with that mercenary knight who was in the royal palace!”

“Oh my goodness…”

“Damn it! We shouldn’t have called the mercenary knight order to the royal palace in the first place.”

From a year ago, monsters started appearing frequently in the diamond mine, which was the main source of national treasury for the Kingdom of Shattonil. Because of this, the royal family hired a professional mercenary knight order to hunt monsters and allowed them to stay in the palace.

That was the root of the problem.

The old saying that bringing strangers into the family leads to ruin seems to apply to the royal family as well.

So now, Princess Resilia fell in love with one of the mercenary knights staying in the royal palace and eloped?

“That mercenary knight of unknown origin didn’t catch the monsters he was supposed to, but instead caught Resilia and ran away!”

The veins on Prince Tessler’s neck bulged. His voice was filled with anger mixed with anxiety.

As he vented his fury, he began to explain how urgent the current situation was.

While the royal knight order was chasing Princess Resilia’s whereabouts day and night, to make matters worse, the Laphion Empire moved up the date of the royal marriage even further.

From the standpoint of the Kingdom of Shattonil, which was treated as a vassal state, they couldn’t postpone the royal marriage schedule.

“No matter how much I think about it, there’s no other way. So you…”

“Prince, I’m just a royal bathing maid!”

I desperately expressed my refusal, waving my hands with soap in one hand and a towel in the other.

Prince Tessler snatched the soap and towel from my hands and threw them into the corner of his office.

It wasn’t just the soap and towel that flew away.

It felt like my future flew away with them.

“Zelda von Trova. I have no one else to trust but you!”

Prince Tessler spoke as if he was the person who trusted me the most in the world.

Then he grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips.

I quickly pulled my hand away, feeling creeped out.

“Zelda, please.”

His tone was closer to an order than a request.

“Just be in the position of Empress of the Laphion Empire for a little while. The royal knight order will find Resilia soon. Until then, I need you to play the role of empress. If we don’t send a bride on time from our kingdom, the position of Empress of the Laphion Empire will go to the Ekiya Empire! We absolutely can’t let that happen!”

Prince Tessler shouted as he put down the scabbard he was wearing at his waist on the office floor with a thud.

It was a clear threat disguised as desperation.

“Zelda, you know how important this royal marriage is for our Kingdom of Shattonil to form a close alliance with the Laphion Empire, right?”

“Prince, you know very well that I have a burn scar on my face, don’t you? If someone like me goes as the empress, it might worsen the relationship with the Laphion Empire!”

I raised my voice, pointing at the burn scar on the right side of my face.

Prince Tessler smiled as if he had expected me to say that.

“Zelda, that’s why…”

He came to me with a secret deal to persuade me.

It was something I could never refuse.

“On the night you arrive at the Laphion Imperial Palace, Duke Martins will guide you to a place that sells a magic potion to remove that burn scar. How about it? This way, you won’t lose anything, right?”

“…R-really?!”

“Yes. But the disappearance of the scar is only temporary, and you need to keep taking that magic potion to maintain it.”

My heart was racing.

I couldn’t hide my excitement.

Even if it was temporary, it was fine.

I wanted to live even for just one day in my life with my whole face without the burn scar.

“Of course, I’m willing to keep providing the magic potion on the condition that you faithfully play the role of proxy empress until we find Resilia.”

“But am I qualified to be a proxy empress?”

“The proposal letter sent from the Laphion Empire states that the status of the empress doesn’t necessarily have to be a princess. So you, a daughter of a count family, are more than qualified to be an empress. Moreover, no matter how I think about it, you’re the perfect candidate.”

Perfect candidate?

“How so?”

Listen, Prince Tessler added the conditions for the proxy empress in a confident tone:

A noble lady with a clear difference in beauty from Princess Resilia, enough for Emperor Rinel to decide on divorce immediately after seeing the princess’s beauty in the future.

And a noble lady from a family with weak power who would have no choice but to accept the divorce willingly.

He added that it would be even better if she was an illegitimate child like me.

The conditions were surprisingly simple, and surprisingly offensive.

As I listened to Prince Tessler’s words, I wanted to find something to refute, saying ‘I don’t match the conditions’, but… there was nothing.

How could the conditions be so tailored for me?

Prince Tessler was confident that even if my burn scar disappeared, I would never match Princess Resilia’s beauty.

That was what irritated me the most.

“Zelda, this is just a word of caution. If you suddenly change your mind and refuse to step down from the position of empress after Resilia returns, that burn scar will appear again.”

Oh, so that magic potion that removes my burn scar is both the carrot and the stick to make me move?

“Is that magic potion meant for blackmail?”

“Why do you say such hurtful things? It’s not blackmail, it’s negotiation.”

Prince Tessler pretended to be surprised with the most innocent look in his eyes.

“It’s not because I don’t trust you, okay? You know, people’s hearts can change without them even realizing it.”

“?”

There was no reason for me to hold onto that position and not let it go.

Moreover, it was an unwanted position of empress.

“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”

I replied confidently.

The future of the Kingdom of Shattonil rests on my shoulders.

…That’s what Prince Tessler said in a serious voice as he placed his hand on my shoulder before I left the Shattonil Palace.

While my expression grew darker, a relieved smile began to appear on the prince’s face.

“If you play the role of proxy empress well until the end, I’ll give you a cure that can completely remove the scar.”

“You mean there’s a cure that can completely heal it, not just temporarily cover it?”

I approached Prince Tessler, who had been deliberately keeping his distance, and asked with wide eyes.

“Yes. But if things go wrong in the middle… you know?”

Over Prince Tessler’s face, which seemed despicable, a question suddenly arose.

“If there was such a medicine, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“Oh, my Zelda. Don’t misunderstand. I only recently found out about the magic potion that can remove your burn scar.”

“I see…”

Of course, I didn’t believe Prince Tessler’s words.

My mind was spinning in complexity, but the conclusion had been the same from the beginning.

There was no way to escape this situation anyway.

Even if I refused the position of proxy empress, I would be forcibly put in the carriage heading to the Laphion Empire.

If that was the case, it would be wisest to quietly get on the carriage on the condition of receiving the magic potion that could cure my burn scar.

As Prince Tessler said, it wasn’t a losing deal.

Only if I could survive without my identity being discovered by Emperor Rinel, that is.

“It’s much better to do this than to give up on the royal marriage and fall out of favor with the Laphion Empire.”

Prince Tessler said with determined eyes.

“You don’t know how precious you are to me right now…”

Prince Tessler placed my hands on his chest again and spoke affectionately.

Anyone watching would think this was a love confession.

“Hmm, what should I do?”

I asked, thinking only of the magic potion that would remove my burn scar.

Prince Tessler’s dark expression brightened in an instant, and he quickly spoke.

“It’s simple. When Resilia arrives at the Laphion Imperial Palace, around that time, you divorce the Emperor. Not difficult, right?”

“It’s not difficult, but my life might be in danger. But, will he grant a divorce so easily?”

I realized as soon as I spoke that it was really a stupid question.

There would be no man who wouldn’t be captivated by Princess Resilia’s beauty.

I worried for nothing.

“If Emperor Rinel sees Resilia, he’ll easily divorce you then.”

Prince Tessler stared at my face and subtly confirmed, ‘You know what I mean, right?’

Outwardly, I nodded calmly, but inwardly, I felt bitter.

‘I get it, so shut up now!’

Those words rose to my throat, but I exercised patience to the end.

“Come to think of it, divorce won’t be difficult. Anyway, please find Princess Resilia as soon as possible.”

I spoke briefly and coolly, like someone given a simple task.

“Yes! Thank you so much, Zelda…”

Prince Tessler tried to caress my cheek but stopped his hand. He unconsciously raised his left hand, then switched to his right hand and brought it to my left cheek where there was no burn scar.

Then he tilted his head to the side as if he was going to kiss me and whispered near my lips.

“You’re my benefactor. I’ll never forget this.”

‘You are my misfortune. I’ll never forget this either.’

It was a pity that my inner thoughts couldn’t be conveyed through my eyes alone.

There was no kiss.

In fact, I hadn’t expected one.

“Hmm, then when should I leave?”

“Today.”

This is insane!

I calmly asked again.

“Today, when?”

“Right now.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“The carriage is waiting outside.”

“…”

“A dress suitable for the occasion is prepared, so you just need to change clothes and leave right away.”

“…Alright.”

Not wanting to face Prince Tessler any longer, I hurriedly bowed and turned around.

“Ah, and Zelda. There’s something I need to tell you in advance.”

He grabbed my wrist.

“When Resilia arrives at the Laphion Imperial Palace, rumors will spread quickly.”

“What rumors?”

“Rumors that you’re secretly enjoying trysts with another man.”

“What did you say?”

“Yes, of course it’s a ridiculous false rumor. But it’s necessary to justify the divorce.”

“Do we really need to spread such rumors?”

I asked Prince Tessler with an unpleasant expression.

“It’s dishonorable, but it’s the way for you to get out of the Laphion Imperial Palace as soon as possible, so it’s good for you in the end.”

“Is that really the best way?”

“It is for now.”

“Who would believe that I’m enjoying trysts with another man behind the Emperor’s back?”

“Even if it’s hard to believe, Emperor Rinel will be displeased, and that’s enough.”

What about my displeasure right now?

I cursed Prince Tessler inwardly.

“It’s also easy to present as grounds for the Chief Minister to approve the divorce.”

“…Yes. I’ll be going now.”

I replied in a tone of resignation.

“Hey, have I ever told you this? That you’re beautiful too.”

Prince Tessler hurriedly spoke as if he had forgotten to say something he had prepared in advance.

“Do you really think I’m beautiful, Prince?”

“…Of course.”

A delayed answer.

“If the scar is covered.”

He even added words that didn’t need to be said.

“And Zelda, when you come back, I’m thinking of making you my concubine.”

Prince Tessler said as if he was doing charity.

The moment I heard those words, my face scrunched up.

Although Prince Tessler is the object of admiration for all women in the Kingdom of Shattonil, I had never wished to become his woman.

But

“What? What on earth are you saying?”

“I have information that the Emperor has never brought a woman into his bedchamber. Do you know what that means?”

“I suppose he has high standards and hasn’t found a woman to his liking until now.”

“That’s partly true. But Zelda, he’s at a vigorous age. And he’s the Emperor.”

“Then, could it be that he…”

I mouthed a word that suddenly came to my mind.

“Probably.”

Prince Tessler nodded, recognizing the shape of my lips.

“So you don’t have to worry about sharing a bed with the Emperor while you’re in the position of proxy empress. How about that, doesn’t it put your mind at ease? Instead, when you return, I’ll cherish you twice as much.”

He rambled on while brushing the line of my shoulder with the back of his hand.

“I’ll pass.”

“Does that mean you want to become my princess? Zelda, that would be a bit difficult…”

Ha, your misunderstanding is more troublesome, you know?

“No, I just don’t want to.”

“Think again. I’m not broken like Emperor Rinel. Besides, do you think this handsome face is common?”

At Prince Tessler’s boasting, my small feet, capable of breaking marble, twitched towards his center.

Suppressing my anger, I spoke firmly to Prince Tessler with a serious expression.

“Enough. I really hate handsome men!”

.

.

.

.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

A very handsome man said.

When I opened my tightly closed eyes again, a beautiful face incomparable to Prince Tessler’s was looking down at me.

“Ah… Your Majesty.”

Suddenly, realization dawned on me.

I… really like handsome men.

“I told you to lift your head, but you closed your eyes instead? Now that you’ve opened your eyes, you’re lowering your head again. What’s with this constant guilty expression?”

His disapproving voice struck my chin once more.

“We’re about to consummate our marriage, shouldn’t we at least look at each other properly?”

Emperor Rinel murmured in a low voice as he lifted my chin himself.

“Gasp-!”

Surprised by the mention of consummating the marriage, I took a big breath and accidentally fell backwards onto the bed.

As if he had been waiting for this.

He was momentarily flustered, then looked down at me intently and said,

“You have a… passionate personality. Anyone watching would think you’ve been waiting for this day.”

“!”

What? That bastard Prince Tessler, did he lie to me?

Saying Emperor Rinel was all show and no substance!

That he was impotent!