The Evil Empress Adores Me - Chapter 30

It’s not like I’m some broken faucet.

So what is it that is causing my tears to flow uncontrollably?

The empress reached me, caressed my tear-stained cheeks and wiped them away.

I could see the feeling of regret in those emerald eyes.

“Don’t cry, Lize.”

“Your majesty, I’m sorry.”

“Oh my. You already apologized earlier.”

The empress furrowed her brows and chuckled.

I sniffled and clung on to the empress.

What should I do? I’m so upset.

“This time… did I disappoint you?”

“What?”

“I’ll behave myself from now on, empress. I will listen carefully to what you say. I will also work diligently.”

I pleaded with all my heart.

The empress’ eyes widened in surprise.

But what I would like to say the most is…….

“So… please don’t throw me away.”

“… You’re worried about that?”

The empress pursed her lips.

Then, she placed her hand on my shoulder and locked her gaze on me.

“Lize. Look at me.”

“… Your Majesty.”

“I will never abandon you.”

You will never abandon me?

I looked up at the empress with glistening eyes.

She said that even though I caused such a big trouble?

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Re-really?”

“Yes. I can’t believe you’ve been thinking like that all this time… I’m sorry.”

The empress was right.

… I think this is the first time I have seen such a serious expression on her face throughout my time spent with the empress.

I don’t have to worry?

My eyes welled up with tears once more as my emotions surged.

Oh no, I can’t show her such expression.

When I rubbed my eyes roughly, the empress gently clasped my wrists.

Then, she gently shook her head.

“You shouldn’t rub your eyes like that, else tomorrow your eyes will swell.”

Her voice that comforted me was so gentle.

I struggled to hold back my tears.

“Here, Lize. Come here.”

The empress spread her arms.

Can I hug the empress?

Is it okay for me to be forgiven so easily?

When I hesitated and looked into her eyes, the empress nodded with a gentle expression on her face.

“It’s okay, hurry up.”

… But I like the Empress so much.

I finally buried my head in the empress’s arms.

It was very warm.

* * *

After crying for a long time, Charlize finally fell asleep.

The empress left the room only after Charlize was asleep.

Maid Hayden, who was waiting for the empress outside the room, asked a question carefully.

“Is it okay for Your Majesty to do this?”

Her voice was filled with concern, however, the empress merely smiled in response.

She dismissed her concerns with a wave of her hand.

“I know, the emperor will not be pleased.”

“…Your majesty.”

“How can I pretend not to notice when Charlize has such a dejected expression on her face?”

At those words, the maid nodded her head with a perplexed expression.

Charlize.

The maid knew how much the empress cared for the child.

The child even changed the complicated sentiments that the empress had for the crown prince

“I heard the prince’s voice for the first time earlier.”

“… Pardon?”

“I went after Charlize to the crown prince’s palace, and we happened to converse.”

Damian’s voice came back to the empress’s mind.

His voice was not that of a typically upbeat eight-years-old, but rather a somber one.

Also,

“Even though it must have been difficult as the emperor to keep him in check, he tried to protect Lize.”

The empress cast her gaze downwards.

The maid bit her lower lip with a strong sense of remorse in her heart.

“Although I am an adult and the empress of this country… I continued to turn a blind eye to the crown prince.”

The crown prince was treated like a ghost in the imperial palace.

Anyone who knows of his existence avoided him so as to not stir up trouble.

No one had ever embraced the little boy.

Even the empress herself.

The empress continued.

“In any case, I’m the one who is responsible for how the crown prince is currently acting….”

“Oh my goodness, please don’t say that.”

“Well, isn’t it true?”

The empress let out a remorseful laugh.

After the late emperor’s death, two people decided to imprison the young Crown Prince and usurp the throne.

The empress’s father, the Duke of Rochester, and Vincent, the late emperor’s brother, who was still a Marquis at the time.

After Marquis Vincent took the throne, the Duke of Rochester elevated his daughter’s status by marrying her to the emperor.

“Anyway, it’s alright. His Majesty is more wary of Duke Rochester than me.”

The emperor and the empress had a very complicated relationship.

The emperor’s attention was focused not on the empress, but on the Duke of Rochester.

In other words, as long as the duke’s influence remains strong, the emperor cannot give her up.

And now, the Duke of Rochester stood at the top of the pyramid among nobles.

“Even if I offended the emperor, he can’t let go of me, since I’m the only link he has to the Duke family, right?”

“Your Majesty…”

“Besides, my father, who was kind to His Majesty, is now… no longer in this world.”

As a result, he has no choice but to keep her close by his side even more closely.

The empress let out a sigh.

Her older brother inherited the title and became the new Duke of Rochester, succeeding her father.

Her older brother also shared the same guilt as the empress.

They both felt guilty towards the late emperor and empress, as well as the crown prince.

The empress closed her eyes briefly and opened them again.

A firm voice came out of her.

“Charlize will take care of the crown prince for the time being. So please take good care of them.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

Head maid Hayden bowed her head.

The empress kept staring into the room where Charlize was in.

***

The next day.

Maybe because I skipped dinner and went to bed early, I woke up earlier than usual.

So I went to the kitchen to eat something, also taking some food to bring with me when I go to meet Damian…

What?

I was taken aback.

“Good morning, Lize.”

“D- did you have a good night’s sleep?”

The head maid, Hayden, was also in the kitchen this early.

What’s going on?

“Charlize. Take this first.”

What she handed into my arms was a heavy cloth bag.

It emitted a delicious smell that filled the room.

“This… … Isn’t this food?”

“It is. Aren’t you planning to visit the crown prince’s palace today?”

The head maid inquired politely.

Ah.

I blinked and my heart was thumping with excitement.

Can I really go to the crown prince’s palace with confidence now?

The head maid patted me on the head affectionately.

“Don’t take only slices of bread every time, but take something more nutritious.”

“W-would that be fine?”

“Of course. Her Majesty gave you her permission.”

In response, my cheeks flushed red.

That’s right, the empress had forgiven me.

She assured me that everything was fine.

While I was stunned, the maid burst into laughter.

“Oh my, your eyes are swollen. Let the swelling subside a bit before you go out.”

“Thank you.”

…. My eyes were swollen from crying yesterday.

The maid gave me an ice bag for my eyes.

Wow, this is so refreshing.

The maid continued to explain.

“If you head to the crown palace today, the gate will be open.”

“Fo- for real?”

“Yes. If you say that you’re from the empress’ palace, they’ll let you in.”

I nodded my head happily.

My heart fluttered because my relationship with Damian seemed to have been acknowledged a little.

After a while, I grabbed the cloth bag and ran outside.

The fresh air of early summer tickled my cheeks.

I was walking slowly at first, but soon, I found myself walking faster unconsciously.

‘I want to see Damian.’

Damian.

His voice lingered in my ears.

That voice filled with dread when he begged for forgiveness and said that everything was his fault.

Damian may have felt lonely and betrayed again as a result of the incident.

And it was because of me.

Before I knew it, I was dashing towards his palace.

***

Damian had gotten up early today.

Perhaps because he had been awake all night, a dark circle had formed beneath his eyes.

“… Is Lize okay?”

A hoarse voice came out from him.

Charlize.

To him, the little girl who arrived at his palace was something out of a fantasy.

When he first saw the child, he couldn’t tell her how surprised he was.

He was never close to anyone, and now he had been abandoned by everyone……

He believed that he would die alone.

Damian bit his lower lip as a wave of melancholy washed over him.

He could feel the taste of blood in his mouth.

“She taught me so many things…”.

It was the first time he enjoyed spending time with someone and bursting into laughter.

Charlize was the first person who made him feel warm inside.

Even though Charlize gave him so much, Damian couldn’t do anything in return. He curled up into a ball.

“Now we will never see each other again.”