“F-First night… you say?”

“That’s right.”

Emperor Rinel’s voice wasn’t irritated, but it wasn’t particularly affectionate either.

A deep, low voice that was difficult to gauge the mood of.

I straightened up again, tightly grasping the hem of my slip skirt with both hands.

“Is the first night… possible?”

Damn, the thoughts I was having inside slipped out.

“I know you don’t like me.”

Emperor Rinel wrinkled his nose for a moment before making an unexpected remark.

That statement felt so absurd that I unconsciously tilted my head and looked up at his face.

How could anyone not like that face?

Your self-evaluation of your appearance is too harsh.

“I, too, don’t particularly…”

“?”

Particularly what?

Why did you stop mid-sentence?

The Emperor, who had been speaking, stopped, perhaps because of my gaze.

Our eyes awkwardly met.

The longer I faced him, the more at ease my heart became.

It’s strange.

Does one find peace of mind when a face is unrealistically handsome?

He had told me to raise my head earlier, but now that I was looking at him, he quickly turned his head away.

And he spoke as if making an excuse.

“So what I mean is. You’re not a wife that I, very, extremely, that is… like to the point where my heart is about to burst. Not yet.”

…What did I say?

I didn’t say anything.

This is unfair.

I was just concluding to myself, ‘Is being handsome everything? Ah, it seems so,’ and I swear I was listening to his words intently without furrowing my brow even once.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and then opened his mouth again.

“Even if we don’t like each other, we’re already husband and wife.”

Ah, I shouldn’t be doing this right now.

I nodded seriously at Emperor Rinel’s words, but suddenly a yawn came out.

‘Yaaaawn-‘

Feeling that I shouldn’t show such a disloyal appearance to him, I turned my head away out of courtesy and yawned secretly.

“Are you listening to me?”

Emperor Rinel, perhaps seeing this as an attitude of disrespect towards him, tapped his fingers to refocus my attention on him.

“Yes, of course. I’m deeply taking in every word you say.”

“…Could you speak without that expression that looks like you’re about to cry?”

It was because tears had formed in my eyes from yawning secretly.

“I’m sorry.”

I just let him misunderstand.

Because I felt like I might yawn again if I tried to explain.

“I don’t know what God was thinking when He paired you and me, but anyway, we’ve made vows to God.”

He muttered with a tone of dissatisfaction before sitting in a chair about three steps away from the bed.

“Damn it. I don’t know if we’re serving God or those priest bastards, but traditionally, the Emperor’s first night is with that monster-like…”

I opened my eyes wide at his words.

I reacted to a word that stung a bit.

The word ‘monster’ was something I had heard a lot since childhood in the Kingdom of Chatonille.

More precisely, after the burn scar appeared on the right side of my face.

But after last night, the burn scar had disappeared completely.

Of course, it had disappeared temporarily due to consuming a magic potion.

Even though the burn scar was gone, my hand still habitually touched that area often.

“I didn’t call you a monster. That was just me talking to myself, about those priest bastards.”

He spoke while slightly glancing at me, perhaps thinking I had misunderstood his words.

“Then you should have kept it to yourself.”

“What?”

“I’ve already heard it all.”

“…”

I spoke jokingly without realizing it.

He pondered my words for a moment before chuckling.

“Now you’re finally speaking at length.”

He said with a subtle smile.

“I can’t stand women who just keep their mouths shut and make people’s blood boil, so I’m glad you’re not like that.”

“That’s… because Your Majesty hasn’t met someone who makes people’s blood boil every time they open their mouth.”

I said to him, gritting my molars while inwardly thinking of Prince Tessler.

“Well. I think I met someone like that last night…”

Emperor Rinel muttered to himself while messing up his well-groomed hair, then stared at me intently.

“!”

Last night?

Could it be that he remembers our meeting and is talking about that?

For a moment, I almost stopped breathing.

But judging by the lack of follow-up, fortunately, it didn’t seem to be about me.

Phew… that was scary.

Once again, an awkward silence fell between us.

This time too, he spoke first.

“I know that I’m not an affectionate man.”

I glanced at Emperor Rinel, who was suddenly engaging in self-reflection.

He put down the wine glass he was holding on the mahogany table and rose from his chair.

Why is he suddenly standing up again?

“You have an extremely displeased expression.”

He said, furrowing his brow.

“Th-There’s no way.”

I quickly stretched my mouth to the side and forced a smile.

“Anyway, I intend to fulfill my duties as a husband.”

I almost glared at him as he spoke as if making a firm resolution.

Not fulfilling your duties would be helping me, you know?

“Tonight will be the start of fulfilling my first duty.”

Emperor Rinel pulled down the tie of his robe.

It felt like the string of my reason was loosening along with it.

Oh my, goodness!

His tantalizing chest muscles were revealed between his robe as if heaven was opening up in the sky.

I gazed at heaven in a daze.

Get a hold of yourself!

I tried to gather my scattered reason.

Once Princess Resilia arrives at the Rapion Imperial Palace, my mission will be over anyway.

Then I can return to the Kingdom of Chatonille and receive the treatment to completely remove the burn scar from Prince Tessler as promised.

If I could just stay quietly in the Rapion Imperial Palace until then, it would be as good as half a success.

It seemed there wouldn’t be any difficulties since even the cold-looking Emperor Rinel didn’t seem to think favorably of me, but what’s this talk about a husband’s duty!

“Empress, do you believe in God?”

He asked seriously.

I wanted to shout to him, ‘Your Majesty’s chest muscles are much more believable than God!’ but I just opened and closed my mouth.

I’m not really the Empress, and I don’t believe in God either.

I pondered for a moment how I should answer him.

As if urging me to answer quickly, his eyes gave me a look, and unintentionally, words like those of a loyal subject came out.

“From now on, I intend to believe in and follow Your Majesty more than God!”

It certainly wasn’t a prepared answer.

“Ha, hahaha! Why don’t you say the same thing to the priests when they arrive shortly? That you believe in me more than God.”

Emperor Rinel burst into laughter.

“I will keep my mouth shut to the priests. I am a woman who dreams of a long and healthy life…”

I talked back without realizing it again.

I bit my lower lip while simultaneously pressing my fingernails into my thigh.

Zelda von Trova, are you crazy?

You decided to just keep your mouth shut quietly, didn’t you!

Why, why.

Why do you keep talking back to the Emperor?

“Interesting.”

He said, raising his exquisite eyebrows.

But wait?

There was something in his recent words that caught my attention.

“Your Majesty, what do you mean by the priests arriving… What are you talking about?”

Knock knock knock−.

At that moment, a knocking sound from outside the bedroom overlapped with my voice.

An ominous feeling, like a snake, began to wrap around my body.

“Looks like they’ve arrived. Let’s continue our conversation after the priests leave.”

He took a deep breath and spoke solemnly.

“Empress. That’s enough talking, now it’s time to share something else.”

Emperor Rinel’s robe fell to the floor.

“Wh-What are we sharing…?”

I heard that Your Majesty’s… part to be shared is lacking!

Without realizing it, I stretched out both hands to stop him from approaching.

How dare I make such a gesture to the Emperor!

I pointlessly scanned the marble floor, looking for my lost sense of fear that I didn’t know when I had lost.

“It’s time to prove that we’ve become husband and wife in front of the priests.”

Emperor Rinel replied, looking down at my hands blocking him as if they were insignificant.

“What do you mean by witnesses, and what do you mean by proving it in front of them?”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t know?”

“Was there something I should have known?”

“The tradition of the Rapion Imperial Family.”

“?”

“On the Emperor’s first night, the priests enter and we show them proof that we’ve become true husband and wife.”

Hey, actually I’m just a substitute Empress, you know?!

“Whaaaat?”

At my near-shriek, Emperor Rinel’s sculpture-like features crumbled.

The trap is that he still looks handsome.

“I’m sure we sent the traditions and major customs of the Rapion Imperial Family to the Kingdom of Chatonille in advance.”

“Th-That…”

I didn’t have the luxury to listen to such things!

I bit my lower lip and swallowed my words.

Emperor Rinel stared at me intently with sharp eyes, as if observing me.

−”Your Majesty! It’s time to begin now.”

The voice of the head servant Stian was heard from outside the bedroom door.

“Wait a moment!”

−”Yes, Your Majesty.”

As he shouted towards the door, head servant Stian’s reply came along with the murmuring noise also quieting down.

His sharp gaze flew back and pierced me again.

“Any last words?”

It sounded like asking a prisoner kneeling on the guillotine right before execution.

My spine had been chilled since earlier, and now my mind was starting to feel chilled too.

I habitually raised my hand to the burn scar on the right side of my face again.

“Are you… in pain somewhere?”

Emperor Rinel asked, grabbing my hand.

“N-No, Your Majesty.”

Despite my words that I was fine, he stared intently at the right side of my face.

The area of the burn scar burned under his gaze.

‘Prince Tessler, you bastard!’

You should have told me in advance about the priests entering on the first night. Then I would have at least been mentally prepared!

***

At the same time, in the Royal Palace of Chatonille.

“Will Emperor Rinel, who they say doesn’t even glance at ordinary women, spend the first night with Zelda?”

Prince Tessler asked his guard knight, Sir Ken, while taking a sip of liquor in his office.

“It’s a royal marriage, so he probably will.”

“I assured Zelda that Emperor Rinel is practically impotent. Heh, she must be cursing me right now. Calling me a bastard.”

Prince Tessler said with a sinister smile, downing the rest of his liquor in one gulp.

“I can just imagine it.”

“Still, wouldn’t it have been better to tell Lady Zelda about the first night tradition of the Rapion Imperial Family in advance?”

Sir Ken carefully voiced his opinion.

“If I had, would she have gone willingly? It couldn’t be helped.”

“That’s true.”

Prince Tessler’s obsession with the royal marriage to the Rapion Empire, even going so far as to use a substitute Empress, was largely for political reasons.

Three years ago, there was a war between the two continents for possession of the baby wyverns.

There are six countries in total, three each on the North and South Continents.

On the North Continent, the Kingdom of Chatonille is closest to the Death Gorge, the Ekaya Empire is rich in resources, and the Rapion Empire has the largest territory and the strongest military power. These three countries share borders.

The countries of the South Continent don’t have military power concentrated in one country like the North Continent, but all three countries have almost equal military strength.

Originally, the two continents were one, but 300 years ago, lightning struck from the sky for three days, splitting the continent.

A sea route formed between the split gorge, and as it was eroded by wind and waves, it has now widened to the point where one must travel by ship.

People call it the ‘Death Gorge’.

And the wyverns began to settle on both sides of this ‘Death Gorge’.

From then on, fierce wars between the two continents to possess the wyverns began.

While it’s difficult to tame fully grown wyverns, baby wyverns can be easily tamed by magicians or high-ranking knights.

For this reason, the countries of both continents have shed countless blood in the Death Gorge to possess the baby wyverns.

Currently, the war is in a temporary ceasefire due to the wyverns’ habit of moving to a different area every three years and then returning.

“Your Highness. The time for the wyverns to return to the Death Gorge is approaching soon.”

When that time comes, war will begin again between the two continents.

“The only way for our kingdom, which is closest to the Death Gorge, to minimize damage is to receive protection from the Rapion Empire.”

“That’s right.”

“That’s why this royal marriage is important. Even though that sacrificial lamb has some flaws, we need to keep her on the Empress’s throne until we find Resilia.”

Prince Tessler tapped the right side of his face with his finger, recalling Zelda’s burn scar.

“What do you plan to do next?”

“Well, what should I do… with our Zelda.”

Prince Tessler trailed off, bursting into laughter.

***

“Are you alright? Your face seems to be hot.”

Emperor Rinel’s hand moved towards the right side of my face.

I was inwardly cursing Prince Tessler when I was startled by his concerned voice.

“Ah, no. I’m just nervous.”

I unconsciously turned my head to the side, avoiding his touch.

He narrowed his eyes and looked at me with a piercing gaze, as if trying to see through me, before lowering his hand obediently.

“You don’t need to worry about the priests.”

He said in a nonchalant tone as he turned around to pick up the wine glass he had put on the table.

I glared at his calm back.

How can I not worry when the priests have eyes too?

No matter how I looked at the composed Emperor Rinel, he didn’t seem like someone about to consummate the first night.

Moreover, he appeared to have no feelings for me whatsoever.

The same goes for me.

But I don’t know why my heart has been acting up on its own since earlier.

First, I felt we needed to have a proper conversation before engaging in a bodily conversation.

We can’t suddenly share each other’s intimate sounds like this, can we?

Even if exchanging a few more words right now won’t be of much help in this awkward situation, still.

“Your Majesty, I have a question!”

I rolled my eyes around before gently raising my hand.

“I’m looking forward to it. What the Empress is curious about in this situation…”

Emperor Rinel tilted his body towards me and cocked his head.

His beautiful body suddenly filled my vision without warning.

“Go ahead.”

His baritone voice had a tendency to make my nervousness grow rapidly.

I was already out of breath due to the tension rising from my lower abdomen.

“Um… Later, when you take concubines or welcome a new Empress, do the priests also enter on the first night?”

“…”

The Emperor’s expression gradually twisted as he listened to my words.

I had asked the question to have a proper conversation, but somehow, an atmosphere stranger than silence was created.

“Is that what the Empress is curious about right now?”

No.

“You’re wondering if the situation will be the same when I welcome a new Empress?”

I just… wanted to buy some time, but of all things, those words came out.

“I-I misspoke.”

“You misspoke… why.”

“Pardon?”

“Why would you make such a slip? For the words ‘new Empress’ to come so easily from the mouth of an Empress who just married today.”

Looking at Emperor Rinel’s face full of suspicion, I was at a loss for what expression to show.

“Listen carefully.”

He continued speaking in a tone of resolve, exhaling a long breath.

“Even though God hasn’t been much help in my life, I still made vows before Him in our marriage ceremony today. So the matter of me welcoming a new Empress-”

“…”

“Will not happen.”

Boom!

It felt like lightning was striking my head repeatedly.

Your Majesty, please show some flexibility regarding divorce and remarriage!

“There are only two occasions when I would remarry.”

He lightly tapped my nose bridge with his index finger,

“Either when you die, or if you were to have an affair.”

With a gaze that drove the point home,

“Only then.”

He said very firmly.