The Evil Empress Adores Me - Chapter 44

I jumped up from the spot and started walking.

 

Confused, senior Wember asked me.

 

“Lize, where are you going?”

 

“I’m going to clean up!”

 

I then ran out with fierce momentum, grabbing my broom and dustpan with me.

 

As I was carrying my broom and dustpan, Wember had a baffled look on her face as she followed me.

 

Why are you cleaning all of a sudden?”

 

“Shouldn’t a maid be doing her duty?” I replied quickly.

 

Holding the broom in my hand, I strengthened my grip and began to sweep, beginning at the corner of the garden.

 

Wember, who followed me closely at a slow pace, squinted her eyes and said.

 

“At times, I noticed you tend to focus on your work whenever you worry about something.”

 

The friendliness in her voice reached my ears, catching me off guard.

 

“I don’t know what you’re worried about, but please don’t overdo it.”

 

“…senior maid.”

 

“Is that okay with you? You’re still young, Lize. Please don’t overwork yourself.”

 

Because I’m still young.

 

When I heard that, I bit my molars tightly.

 

I was well aware that Wember said those words with good intentions, but her words stung as I remembered the yellow cat, the maids in the laundromat, and what the Duke said about me.

 

Yes, I’m still young.

 

I know that I only have a bit of time left until I become an adult.

 

However… ….

 

“…someday, I won’t be so young,” I muttered.

 

“Huh? What is that supposed to mean?” asked Wember.

 

“So… … We have to be prepared for that.”

 

‘Um, what’s going on with her?’ thought Wember.

 

With a clear-eyed look, Wember gazed down at me.

 

Either way, I devoted myself once again to tending the garden.

 

Meanwhile.

 

‘Huh?’

 

Raising my head, I could see the Empress walking over in the distance.

 

Acting on reflex, I backed up swiftly and hurried back to Wember.

 

“Um, I’m going to the Crown Prince’s palace!”

 

What? Why all of a sudden?”

 

“Well, I’m off to see the Crown Prince! I’m even bringing snacks!”

 

As I came up with excuses and blurted them out on the spot, I found myself quickly running as the Empress drew closer with each second.

 

Well, by how I’m acting now…ugh. It’s so obvious that I’m trying to avoid the Empress.

 

‘But for now, I just can’t bear to look the Empress in the face. It feels weird, like something’s off.’

 

As if swallowing a large piece of ice, the depths of my heart felt cold for avoiding the Empress.

 

I’ll become a maid who does her part perfectly.

 

So, ‘even when I’m no longer young,’ I’ll have earned the Empress’s trust….

 

‘Then will I not have to feel this way anymore?’

 

After running for a while, I glanced back.

 

In the distance, I saw the Empress and Wember having a conversation.

 

Somehow, my heart was pounding, and I let out a deep sigh.

 

“Senior maid Wember.”

 

Wember, who was staring off into the direction Charlize had disappeared, was roused from her daze by the Empress’s voice calling her.

 

“Your Majesty.”

 

“Yes.”

 

The Empress, who nodded her head slightly, narrowed her brows and asked a question.

 

“That’s odd; wasn’t Charlize here just now?”

 

“Yes, she was.”

 

At her answer, the Empress’s expression became concerned.

 

The way Charlize scurried away like a surprised animal, it was like…

 

‘She ran as soon as she saw me,’ contemplated the Empress.

 

Realizing that the Empress was uncomfortable, Wember added a word urgently.

 

“She said she was going to the Crown Prince’s palace.”

 

“Really?”

 

It’s strange for Charlize to not say anything to me before leaving.

 

Why is she being like this?

 

In an unpleasant mood, the Empress squinted her eyes.

 

 

****

 

 

I poured the snacks I brought with me onto the table in the Crown Prince’s Palace, sighing once again, so much so that I lost count.

 

If the ground had a hole for every time I sighed, the path I took would be filled with potholes. 

 

“I’m so confused,” muttered Charlize, having mixed feelings after running away from the Empress.

 

Well, if you want to change your mood when you’re feeling down…

 

‘The best cure is to make something spick and span.’

 

So I grabbed a mop and started standing on a window sill in one of the living rooms.

 

Since I’m here, I’m going to make all the windows clean!

 

Seeing the dust being wiped clean and hearing the squeaking sounds made me feel a little better.

 

As if in a trance, I kept my hands moving without a thought, functioning solely on muscle memory.

 

Then.

 

“…by any chance, is your plan today to punch a hole in the window?”

 

“What?”

 

The sudden voice was like a wake-up-call, snapping me out of my trance as I came to my senses.

 

Damian, who was beside me before I even knew it, was looking at me with a concerned mien.

 

“You’ve been wiping that window for a while.”

 

“I’m removing all the dust!” I exclaimed.

 

“What dust? There isn’t any dust on the window sill.”

 

Damian, who wiped the window sill with his index finger, held out his finger in front of my nose to further prove his point.

 

To my dismay, Damian’s fingers were very clean.

 

“Look, there’s nothing.”

 

“…um.”

 

I puffed up both cheeks and put down the mop.

 

When I glanced back, the windows I had spent time cleaning were already sparkling from top to bottom.

 

‘What? It’s clean…’

 

Damian, who was observing my unusual behavior, asked me a question.

 

“Is something wrong? You don’t seem like yourself today.”

 

“What? No, it’s nothing.”

 

Shaking my head reflexively, I slowly looked into Damian’s eyes.

 

Apparently, Damian was also looking at me just as our eyes met.

 

Damian’s forehead scrunched up in an instant, he knew something was up.

 

“What? If you have something to say, say it, don’t look at me like that.”

 

“But.”

 

I licked my lips for a moment, unsure of how or where to begin.

 

How can I explain this strange feeling I feel?

 

After hesitating for such a long time, Damian teased me with a frustrated face.

 

“What are you trying to say? Speak up, Lize, it’s fine.”

 

“Uh, erm. I’ll try.”

 

Whew.

 

Damian nodded.

 

Encouraged, I spoke mindfully.

 

“If someone were to care for another person because they had a characteristic the person liked…”

 

“Characteristic? What exactly?”

 

“There are many things. Like whether you’re good at work or you’re young.…something like that.”

 

I sighed and shrugged my shoulders.

 

I wanted to relate my explanation to an analogy where if a female blacksmith could create knives, she should be able to cut vegetables too, but she just chose not to.

 

I then looked at Damian with a determined face and continued.

 

“However…these characteristics won’t last forever and will fade.”

 

“And then?”

 

“What would you think of the person afterwards?”

 

I gulped my saliva while waiting for Damian’s answer.

 

However, Damian’s reaction was bland, unlike what I had expected.

 

He asked me back as he tilted his head.

 

“Well?”

 

“Hey, I’m serious!” I exclaimed.

 

Realizing my outburst, I quickly regained control of my emotions.

 

Damian shrugged his shoulders lightly, as it couldn’t be helped, and continued.

 

“Well, if the reason I had someone by my side was only because he or she has that ‘characteristic’…”

 

“Then what?” I asked.

 

“Then that characteristic disappeared; wouldn’t I naturally become distant from that person?”

 

Thud.

 

The mop fell from my hand, rolling on the floor before coming to a halt in a terribly loud way.

 

I stiffened on the spot as my heart sank.

 

Damian freaked out.

 

“Lize, your face, it’s pale all of a sudden?!”

 

“Oh, it’s okay. Please continue with your explanation,” I said with a straight face.

 

“No, the explanation is not important…!”

 

“The explanation is important.”

 

I guess my eyes were quite imposing, seeing how Damian reacted.

 

Damian’s shoulders flinched.

 

“Well, um, anyway.”

 

“If there is only one characteristic, it’s rare or unlikely to become attached to that person, right?”

 

“Really?”

 

Damian, who seemed to ponder for a moment, asked me.

 

“But is that always so?”

 

I blinked my eyes.

 

Damian spoke calmly.

 

“Only you yourself can know for certain, as you’ve spent time with this person.”

 

I looked at Damian with a doubtful look.

 

Then Damian returned my gaze with a surprised but slightly irritated face.

 

“I told you what I thought; why are you looking at me like that?”

 

“My way of thinking was partially correct, however…”

 

‘In my situation, the other person is the mother of the Great Empire of Winsor, Her Majesty, the Empress.’

 

I guess at the very least, I could set my mind on ‘the time spent together and the relationship we built during that time.’

 

After all, it’s more comfortable to think of at least one good time we had together.

 

“In that situation, if you want to be with said person no matter what, it’s okay,” said Damian.

 

I licked my dry lips and asked a question.

 

“Then what should I do?”

 

“Well, why not develop new, attractive characteristics?”

 

Damian answered lightly.

 

“You’re right.”

 

I was relieved a little.

 

Yes, I wasn’t approaching it the wrong way at all!

 

It seemed like a good idea in the long run.

 

I’ll continue to work hard and become a competent maid in the future.

 

Even if I’m no longer a child, the Empress may consider me a useful person!

 

For a brief moment, I was drenched in such a proud feeling.

 

“Hey, Lize. This is my opinion, though.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

I looked back at Damian.

 

It was unusual to see a serious expression on his face.

 

“I don’t know how to explain it, but this kind of relationship…”

 

Damian narrowed his brow and asked me back.

 

“Isn’t it rather strange?”