The Evil Empress Adores Me - Chapter 31

He understood that it must have been a miracle that they had such a relationship in the first place.

He only hopes that Charlize does not face any repercussions for his actions.

Please forget that you met me…….

Damian took a deep breath.

No, 

“… The truth is, I hope you don’t forget me.”

The room was deafeningly quiet, and naturally, no one responded to Damian.

Damian cried out in despair in the room.

“I miss you. I want to meet you, Lize.”

It got increasingly difficult to take a breath.

Despite the piercing pain he was experiencing as a result of his long nails that had not been properly trimmed, Damian kept clenching his fist.

The longing that tore his heart, on the other hand, was far more excruciating than the physical pain itself.

“Now, I’m alone again…”

Even though he doesn’t want to.

Damian rose from his seat as soon as he finished speaking.

He naturally came to the wall where Charlize came in and out.

He didn’t want to look forward to it because he knew he’d be disappointed no matter how much he anticipated it.

But he couldn’t resist coming there.

When Damian regained his composure, he stood in front of the wall, his gaze fixed on the wall in silence.

It wasn’t because he thought she would show up.

He just… he just couldn’t take his eyes off the wall.

Damian remained still for some time, as if he were rooted to the spot.

But then,

“Cr- crown prince.”

He could hear a shaky voice.

Damian bit his bottom lip and sank his head even further.

It’s nothing more than an auditory hallucination.

It’s because he has been missing Charlize a lot.

He is certain that it is nothing more than a hallucination created by his mind.

The thought of raising his head and confirming that she wasn’t there made him feel sad all over again.

‘… This feeling is overwhelming.’

At that moment, a clear and distinct voice called out to him.

“Your Highness, It’s me, Charlize.”

Hearing the sound of grass being trampled behind him, Damian raised his head slightly and frowned.

“… …Will I end up seeing nothing again?”

Damian, who had a dejected expression on his face, mumbled softly.

Charlize, on the other hand, remained right in front of him.

Hearing no response, she asked Damian again in an astonished voice.

“What are you talking about?”

“T- that’s right. There’s no way Charlize can come here…”

Damian’s voice trembled, as if he was trying to persuade himself.

“You won’t.”

Charlize, who had noticed him trembling, encouraged him.

Damian remained in place.

He licked his dry lips, but he couldn’t utter a sound.

Rather, he stared at Charlize with frantic eyes.

He acted as though he was terrified that Charlize would vanish from his eyes at any moment if he made even the slightest movement.

“Your Highness, aren’t you happy to see me?”

Charlize, who patiently waited for Damian’s response, said with a smile.

“I’m really glad to see you. But I’m afraid we’ll never meet again.”

It took only a split second for his eyes that had been fixed on Charlize to suddenly become bright, similar to the sun rising amidst the darkness.

“Lize?!”

“Yes, it’s me.”

Charlize nodded her head enthusiastically.

Damian inquired, his voice filled with anxiety.

“This isn’t a lie, is it?”

“It’s not.”

“It’s not even a dream?”

“Yes, it’s not a dream.”

Having said that, Charlize approached Damian with great enthusiasm.

She smiled as brightly as she possibly could when she glanced up at him.

“I’m right here.”

Hearing that friendly voice, Damian covered his face as if he was about to shed tears.

She finally arrived.

Charlize, the girl who for the first time in his life, made him feel warmth.

* * *

Damian walked up to me and had a bright smile on his face.

As he nearly reached me, I tilted my head.

Hm? Why is his face so pale?

There was blood on his lips too!

“You didn’t sleep last night?”

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong with your lips, they’re bleeding!?”

“Ah, about that…”

Damian raised his hand to his lips then shook his head, as if nothing it was nothing much.

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing! There’s blood on it!”

Isn’t he treating his body too carelessly?

I didn’t realize I was raising my voice.

At that time, he burst into laughter.

“Now you’re standing in front of me.”

“Pardon?”

“When compared to that, it doesn’t matter if my lips are bruised.”

When I heard those words, I felt my heart flutter.

I was surprised that Damian could speak in such a soft voice.

More than that, I’m glad he values me.

He asked me a question.

“How did you get in here?”

“Her Majesty has done me a favor.”

I went into detail about how I was able to come here.

Of course, there was plenty of praise for the empress.

Damian listened intently to my story and nodded calmly.

“Really? Her Majesty……”

“Yes, that’s what happened.”

Damian was quiet for a long time after that.

When Damian was deep in thought, I left him alone so that he could sort his feelings out on his own.

After a while, Damian said mischievously.

“Your eyes are very swollen. You look like a carp.”

“Crown Prince, I hate you…”

Why did you say such a mean thing as soon as we met again!

While rebuking him, I realized that the corners of his eyes were slightly wet.

What?

My eyes narrowed.

“… Crown Prince, are you crying?”

“No, I’m not!”

Damian shouted in annoyance.

Hehe, I’ve already seen that.

I teased him playfully.

“If you cry like that, you’ll be like me. An ugly carp.”

“I didn’t cry!”

“Yes, yes.”

After that, Damian reached out to me.

He tidied up my messy hair and gently stroked my cheek.

He looked at me and let out a sigh of relief.

“……I’m so glad to see you again.”

“Me too.”

His smile grew as a result of my response.

He had a bright and clear smile, like a lake in broad daylight when the sun shone upon it.

***

The emotional reunion was over, and now it was time to eat.

The dinner we got to enjoy today was very luxurious.

“The head maid prepared for it this time.”

I said with confidence.

At that, Damian smiled affectionately at me, as if he were looking at his little sister.

Hey, my mental age is older than yours….

With a gloomy look on my face, I laid the cloth on the ground first.

I placed my bag down and took out everything in it, one by one.

Then, I opened my eyes wide.

Wow, the maid put in a lot of effort.

“This is my favorite meat dish, crown prince.”

I picked up some containers containing meat dishes.

Damian looked at me with a puzzled expression for some reason.

“… Why are you staring at me like that? Did I say something wrong?”

“Come to think of it, you always try to take care of me.”

Huh? Do I?

I tilted my head.

Well, from my point of view, of course I have to do that in order to get on Damian’s good side.

However, the sensitive crown prince looked dissatisfied.

“Every time, we only talk about my food preferences, we don’t talk much about yours.”

“Really?”

“Yes, we do.”

Damian responded firmly.

But what’s wrong with that?

I was a little perplexed.

Does Damian dislike me for taking care of him?

“So today, I’ll take care of you,” Damian told me after getting the container from my hands.

“…What?”

The abrupt remark took me completely by surprise.

Damian, on the other hand, was serious.

When I saw him removing the containers from the bag, I panicked.

“I- I will do it!”

“No, you just stay still.”

I hurriedly tried to dissuade him, but Damian was already opening the lid of the containers.

There was a lot of colorful food.

Damian, who firmly grabbed the fork, asked me a question.

“Do you like meat or vegetables?”

“Meat!”

I shouted in excitement.

Of course, meat is an absolute favorite for many people!

Damian simply shook his head.

“You can’t eat only that. You have to eat vegetables too.”

… If the answer is already decided, why did you even ask?

Damian stuck a fork into the well-seasoned steamed cabbage.

After that, he smiled as he placed the steaming cabbage directly in front of my mouth.

“Say ah, Charlize.”

I said I like meat. Why isn’t he listening to me?

I tried to get the fork in his hand with tears in my eyes.

“I-I’ll eat the cabbage myself.”

“No, I want to feed you.”

Is it my imagination, or does Damian’s expression appear to be mischievous?