The Evil Empress Adores Me - Chapter 101

Currently, the Crown Prince has been glorified as a war hero.

Why then, would the Crown Prince take a maid from common origins as his fiancee?

Among the people of the Winsor empire, there was not a single soul who was not curious as to why. 

Charlize spoke with a calm mien. 

“His Highness, the Crown Prince, knows that the empire is comprised mostly of commoners.”

What drivel is this? 

Lady Bennett stared at Lady Charlize with a puzzled expression. 

“His Highness is also deeply concerned about the discord between the two classes, that of the aristocrats and the common citizenry.”

“….what on earth are you talking about?”

“See that? Even now, Lady Bennett, who’s right in front of me, is ignoring me.”

Lady Bennett stiffened her shoulders. 

Lilac-colored eyes met Lady Bennett’s eyes. 

It was a quiet gaze that neither trembled nor faltered. 

“It’s just that, the fact that I am a commoner.”

Her surroundings turned cold, as if iced water had been doused on everyone present. 

Sure enough, there were only a handful of people in the ballroom who didn’t act the way Lady Bennet did. 

The only difference was those that outwardly expressed themselves and those that didn’t. 

Charlize shook her head in silence. 

“But His Highness, the Crown Prince, is not held captive by such prejudices.”

Charlize smirked. 

“That’s why he chose me.”

“…you were chosen on purpose?”

“Yes. For the sake of harmony between classes.”

Charlize nodded her head proudly. 

“Besides, His Majesty, the Emperor also allowed me to become the Crown Prince’s fiancee.”

Got her. 

Lady Bennett clenched her teeth. 

Charlize went beyond the Crown Prince, cleverly entwining the Emperor as well into the mix. 

“Do you not think that His Majesty’s approval was given in recognition of the noble will of the Crown Prince?”

The ballroom was silent. 

Charlize straightened her back and looked at those around her. 

The people who had previously ridiculed her and paid no attention to her, had their lips zipped tight and bent on avoiding her gaze. 

“If I’m not good enough to be the Crown Prince’s fiancee, then you’re welcome to point it out without hesitation.”

In the deafening silence, only Charlize’s calm voice would occasionally interrupt. 

“However, suspecting that I don’t meet the qualifications as His Highness’s fiancee….”

Charlize’s mockery of Lady Bennett became a little intense. 

“I wonder if you’re also ignoring the noble intentions of the Crown Prince and His Majesty, the Emperor.”

Lady Bennett bit her lip till it bled, but she couldn’t find the words to retort what Charlize said. 

If she makes a slip of the tongue, ‘She’ll not only be affronting the Crown Prince but the Emperor as well.’

‘Damned woman,’ said Lady Bennet in her thoughts.  

Lady Bennett, who was beaten in an argument for a second time, stared at Charlize with a sharp glint in her eyes. 

But then. 

A voice spoke. 

“I feel the same way as my fiancee.”

Huh?

Damian? 

Charlize, with a startled expression, tried to look back. 

But the first thing Damian did was wrap his strong arms around her shoulders, holding her in place. 

“Ahh, your Highness!”

“You’re here!”

People rushed to welcome Damian. 

Damian spoke in a collected manner. 

“As you all know…Charlize is my precious fiancee of choice.”

‘His precious fiancee of choice.’

At his declaration, the guests murmured to themselves. 

People of higher status usually refrain from expressing affection in public where there would be many onlookers. 

Charlize thought he would be much more dignified. 

However, Damian wasn’t shy about expressing his affection for his fiancee in public. 

‘The two of them are that close in their relationship?’

‘If that’s so, you shouldn’t be rude to Lady Charlize….’

‘I’ll be a little careful from now on.’

The guests exchanged looks with each other. 

Damian showed a ferocious smile. 

“So when treating my fiancee, you’ll treat her the same way you treat me.”

With those words, people were struck with apprehensive faces. 

Even though the language Damian used was mild…

‘The Crown Prince was giving commands now, not suggestions.’

It was a warning that if anyone treated Charlize carelessly before him, it wouldn’t go unanswered. 

The guests instinctively hardened their shoulders and avoided Damian’s gaze. 

It was because they felt a sense of dread, as if they were faced with a beast that could snap their necks in a heartbeat. 

Incidentally.  

“I have something to say with all due respect.”

A calm voice interjected itself into the scene. 

The voice belonged to Sienna. 

“Some of you seem to be disputing that I didn’t dance the first dance with the Crown Prince…”

Sienna considered her words for a moment, looking over to Charlize with a friendly gaze. 

“I, for one, am very grateful to Charlize for making up for my shortcomings.”

Wait, what? 

Charlize’s eyes widened slightly. 

Sienna continued, chuckling as she did so. 

“Actually, I’ve never been to a ball like this, I’m not good at dancing.”

Sienna concluded on a high note. 

“That said, I don’t want to hear any more commotion about this.”

There was nothing else for anyone to dispute after Sienna herself said so. 

The guests looked at each other awkwardly. 

****

The ball party that seemed to last forever finally ended. 

I set foot into the Crown Prince’s palace alongside Damian. 

“Wow…”

Admiration left my lips. 

Yes, the palace of the Crown Prince had been renovated and spruced up. 

All the decrepit and shabby areas of the palace were repaired and renovated. 

Additionally, all of the garden’s dead trees were uprooted and replaced with new ones. 

I was briefly overcome with emotion. 

“It reminds me of the past.”

“The past?”

“Yes. When I first arrived at the Crown Prince’s palace, I thought there would be a ghost.”

I looked back at Damian and smiled broadly. 

“It’s so pristine and glamorous now, isn’t it?”

“Do you like it?”

“Absolutely! But…I’m a little sad, that’s all.”

“You’re sad?”

A puzzled Damian asked. 

“Well, after his Highness had left, I would visit the Crown Prince’s palace from time to time.”

“You did?”

“Yes. I would wipe and sweep, waiting for his Highness to return…”

I gazed at the panoramic view of the Crown Prince’s palace. 

“Now, all that was of that time, has disappeared without a trace.”

“Instead, I’ll always be by your side from now on.”

“What?”

“From now on, we can make new memories.”

Damian looked at me warmly. 

I suppose. 

Damian won’t be leaving now. 

I’ll be in the Crown Prince’s palace forever…

For some reason, I felt my heart pounding as I nodded my head slightly. 

“You’re right, your Highness.”

“Right? It’s getting cold, let’s head inside.”

I followed Damian’s stride. 

Suddenly. 

“OH!”

Tripping, I reflexively grabbed onto Damian’s arm. 

“Lize! Are you okay?”

“Ah, yes. I didn’t fall, so I’m okay.”

I responded to Damian’s urgent call with an assuring smile and nodded. 

However….

‘Well, I think it’s better for us to get inside sooner.’

It was my first time wearing heels and my feet were killing me. 

When I was at the ball party, I was so nervous I didn’t even notice the constant aching. 

‘It hurts a lot right now.’

I limped rather than walked. 

But then. 

“Really? Can’t you tell me if you’re not feeling well?”

Hearing that worried voice, my eye level all of a sudden rose sharply. 

Damian narrowed his brow and had effortlessly picked me up in his arms. 

I was shocked and feebly said to Damian. 

“Your Highness, I told you I’m fine…”

“No, you’re not,” Damian replied emphatically. 

Then I saw it. 

The maids, who followed behind us, looked at each other meaningfully. 

I look like a laughing stock right now, don’t I?!

‘What do I do, I’m going to die from embarrassment!’

I closed my eyes tightly and laid my head against Damian’s chest. 

By the way. 

‘…..his chest.’

It’s so incredibly tough?

Seriously, how do I describe it! His chest is like a utopia of chiseled abs…

I gulped my saliva without realizing it. 

‘I-I want to touch it. Can’t I?’

No, I shouldn’t think any more about this!

I used every ounce of willpower in me to stop myself. 

At the same time, Damian laid me down on the sofa. 

The way he looked at me was weird. 

“…Lize.”

“Y-Yes?!”

I came to my senses and met Damian’s gaze, trying to act as naturally as possible. 

Damian squinted his eyes. 

“What was that very weird expression you had just now?”

“W-What are you talking about!”

“You were smiling while I carried you, and that smile was… to put it bluntly…resembled a pervert’s?”

“I’d never do that!”

AHHH, I don’t know!

I raised my voice. 

Damian shrugged his shoulders. 

“Well, if you say so…”

Then he suddenly bent down and took off my shoes.

“I, your Highness!! What are you doing?!”

“What do you think I’m doing? I’m removing your shoes.”

Damian replied sullenly.  

Then he sighed deeply.