The Evil Empress Adores Me - Chapter 40

After a while.

 

The Empress got up.

 

“Get some rest, prince.”

 

“Your Majesty!”

 

Damian urgently called the Empress.

 

The Empress, who was about to exit the last room, glanced back at him.

 

However, Damian couldn’t get his words out easily.

 

With a frown, the Empress was about to say a word until –

 

“… … Thank you.”

 

It came out like a squeak.

 

Oh?

 

The Empress looked at Damian with a surprised expression before resuming her typical expressionless face. 

 

“Hmm, okay.”

 

The Empress smiled brightly and closed the door.

 

Click.

 

At the same time, Charlize smiled wickedly.

 

“Crown Prince.”

 

“What?”

 

“Did you fall to the charm of her Majesty, the Empress?”

 

“… … It’s not like that.”

 

Damian muttered to himself quietly, still bearing the brunt of his embarrassing ‘thank you.’

 

Charlize clung to Damian.

 

“Oh, come here already! The soup is getting cold!”

 

“Just leave it there, I’ll eat it later.”

 

“You’re not upset because I asked if you were charmed by Her Majesty, were you?”

 

“No!”

 

A fierce shout was heard.

 

“What, that’s crazy!”

 

Charlize struggled to contain her laughter, grinning at Damian’s response.

 

 

 

 

 

Three days passed by.

 

Damian was completely cured.

 

Despite his speedy recovery, Damian murmured to himself, mystified.

 

“It’s a little strange.”

 

“What?”

 

“Somehow, the duration of illness seems to have been shortened by a lot.”

 

“Huh? What’s wrong with that?”

 

I glanced back at Damian.

 

Damian’s forehead was deeply wrinkled.

 

“In the past, I was down for almost two weeks, I couldn’t have imagined I’d be cured this quickly……”

 

“Well, isn’t it good to get better after only a short while?”

 

Despite being young, Damian was a person with a constant stream of worries.

 

After patting Damian’s shoulder a couple of times, I returned to the Empress’s Palace.

 

The Empress welcomed me.

 

“Lize, I’m glad you’re here.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

I tilted my head.

 

Then, without a moment’s notice, the Empress handed me a yellow, fluffy doll in my arms.

 

“… … A duck?”

 

“Chick.”

 

Oh wait, why is the Empress so pale? This couldn’t be my fault, could it?!

 

Cold sweats ran down my back.

 

I hugged the doll in my arms.

 

Shouting out as loudly as I could.

 

“Wow, wow. What a lovely chick!”

 

“Really? Lize, do you really like it?”

 

“I really like it!”

 

Really.

 

It doesn’t matter if it’s a duck or a chick.

 

It’s important because the empress gave me this doll as a gift!

 

“Really? Do you like what I made more than what the Crown Prince gave you?”

 

“… …Did you make it yourself?”

 

My eyes trembled at the Empress’s question.

 

Erm, did she make this doll herself? Doesn’t the Empress not know how to sew?

 

Such a question was answered in a short amount of time.

 

Exactly when I noticed the Empress’s finger with a band-aid wrapped around it.

 

Shocked, I instantly reached out, holding her hand, examining it for any cuts.

 

“Ah, your Majesty, the Empress! Your fingers… … !”

 

“Hey, it’s fine.”

 

However, I looked at the Empress’s fingers with tears in my eyes as if she must have been sick.

 

Also, just what kind of battle did she go through to make this chick doll… … how are her fingers covered in scars?!

 

The Empress stroked my hair with a soft smile.

 

“Lize, it was unavoidable.”

 

“Huh? What is that supposed to mean?”

 

“The Crown Prince gave a relic belonging to the Empress Sun as a gift, can I just stay still and take that?”

 

Yes?

 

I was about to open my mouth but then-

 

Well, Empress. I think it would be much better if you just stayed still because your hands look like that.….

 

I wanted to say that I couldn’t bear to, so I smiled awkwardly and kept my mouth shut.

 

The Empress asked me in a contented manner, pleased with her hard work.

 

“I put all the effort I could into it. Don’t you think so?”

 

… … It seems that the Empress’s competitive spirit is on fire.

 

But why all of a sudden?

 

I gulped down my saliva.

 

“Listen to me, Lize. This doll has so many uses.”

 

“Uses?”

 

“Yes. You can hug him in your arms and sleep, or you can punch him when you’re angry!”

 

The Empress passionately emphasized the merits of the chick doll, and I nodded along.

 

I see.

 

You can tie it to your hair, decorate it on your clothes, or attach a ribbon to something like a bag as an addition.

 

In that sense, isn’t it the same as the gift I received from Damian?

 

But instead of saying that, I didn’t want to interrupt the Empress so I responded with a broad smile.

 

I buried my face in the doll.

 

“This doll is amazing!” I exclaimed.

 

Whoa, it’s fluffy! I love it!

 

Raising my head brightly, I gave a thumbs up to the Empress.

 

“Her Majesty is the best!”

 

“No, my Lize is the best!”

 

Then, the Empress hugged me tightly.

 

I absolutely enjoyed being in the Empress’s arms.

 

Oh, I’m so happy!

 

I went to Damian again.

 

I wanted to show off the chick doll given to me by the Empress as a gift.

 

“What do you think?”

 

I took out my chick doll in front of Damian, holding it proudly.

 

At first, Damian was baffled at what he was looking at, then he realized it was a doll of some sort……what was it supposed to be?

 

 “… … A duck?”

 

“It’s a chick!” exclaimed Damian.

 

Despite Damian’s first questionable answer, he.was correct so I congratulated him.

 

“Hey, I thought it was a duck too! But you recognized it easily like it was a piece of cake!”

 

Damian protested with a surprised expression.

 

“No, how can anyone easily see this as a chick?!”

 

“It’s a chick!” Her Majesty made this for me!”

 

“… … What? The Empress made this doll herself?”

 

Damian gave a mysterious expression.

 

“Why are you making that face?”

 

“I see you really like this doll but you’ve had other dolls before right?”

 

I looked at my doll, appreciating all the effort the empress put into it. I held it closely before answering.

 

“Yes! Actually, it’s my first time having a doll!”

 

It really was.

 

A doll is usually something that children play with, right?

 

But since I’m a maid, I thought I wouldn’t play with things like dolls in my life.

 

I stroked the soft fur of the chick doll with a pleased face.

 

Damian, who was looking at me, asked me in a serious tone.

 

“Then, what about the ribbon?”

 

“What?”

 

“How many times have you ever received a ribbon as a gift?”

 

“Well, that’s my first time, too.”

 

I answered but was puzzled, just what point was Damian trying to make?

 

In that moment, Damian made a satisfied expression.

 

“… … I don’t know why you’re satisfied just from asking me that.” Damian wasn’t telling me something but I chose to ignore it.

 

I shrugged and pulled out the ribbon he gave me as a gift.

 

“Anyway, here’s the ribbon you gave me, Crown Prince.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I’ve decided I’m going to use it to decorate Pippi.”

 

“… … You’ve already named it Pippi?”

 

Damian was obnoxious, so what if I named him Pippi, he’s precious to me.

 

But Damian didn’t care and made fun of my doll.

 

Who cares? It’s my doll, I’m going to name it.

 

I tied the ribbon around the doll’s neck and held the doll towards him.

 

Look at this, it’s pretty!

 

“Like this!”

 

“That ribbon, I gave it to you, for you.”

 

“If you add the both of them together, it’s even better!”

 

See how great the two are together? I asked rhetorically.

 

I didn’t hate Damian.

 

Damian had a face with a lot to say but this time, he kept quiet and said nothing.

 

That’s odd. Normally, he would have said a few mean things by now.

 

I handed the doll to Damian.

 

He suddenly took the doll and hugged it.

 

“… … It’s soft.”

 

“Okay?”

 

I smiled at him as he hugged the doll.

 

Damian, who was stroking the doll’s fur, eventually smiled after me.

 

I left Damian afterwards to continue with the day. It was early in the morning and the sun was shining brightly.

 

That said, walking down the hallway early in the morning, I was full of ambition to change all the cloth-related items in the Crown Palace. I’m doing this just for Damian.

 

Of course, I’m well aware the reason why Damian had been seriously ill recently was because of ‘the fever’.

 

However… ….

 

‘ Damian could still be affected by some parts of the Crown Prince’s palace that haven’t been cleaned yet.’

 

Of course. Dust is the source of all evil.

 

Besides, who else would be able to take care of Damian’s health?

 

Agreeing with myself, I nodded my head and proceeded to move quickly.

 

Then, a familiar face caught my eye from the other side of the hallway.

 

It was Maid Hayden.

 

“Oh my, Lize.”

 

Maid Hayden spoke to me in a soft, delicate voice.

 

“Are you headed to the Crown Palace this morning as well?”

 

“Oh, no! I’m not going to the Crown Prince’s palace, I’m off to go to the laundromat at the Imperial palace!”

 

“Oh, the laundry room at the Imperial Household? Why are you headed there?”

 

“Is it already that time again to wash the drapes and blankets in preparation for winter in the Crown Prince’s palace?”

 

I nodded my head repeatedly.

 

Maid Hayden lightly patted my head with a beautiful smile on her face.

 

“Oh my, I’m proud of you.”

 

“Hehehe, even though it’ll be summer soon, it’s good to prepare beforehand.”

 

“Right. Now it’s time to change the bedding and curtains.”

 

I clenched both fists, eager and excited!

 

Alright, we need to put a soft summer blanket on Damian too!

 

We’ll even replace all the curtains with new ones!

 

“But Lize, don’t overdo it. Because you’re still young, okay?”

 

“Yes, I won’t!”

 

After sharing one last friendly smile, Maid Hayden left to perform other chores and tasks.

 

Watching her depart, I made up my mind once more.

 

“Because everyone is so nice to me…… I have to do my best, too.”