The Evil Empress Adores Me - Chapter 60

Although tea time didn’t end well, it was….

‘Because the Emperor’s brash and conceited.’

The Duke’s eyes narrowed. 

Even if I regard the first dinner as a coincidence, I can’t say the same for the second. 

In the end, it would be more accurate to say that the little kid overcame difficulty through her own abilities. 

‘……If she continues to improve well into the future, she might become quite helpful to Rose.’

Thus the Duke raised his evaluation of Charlize by just a bit. 

But then, the Empress spoke to the Duke with a soft voice. 

“Come on, brother. You can be honest with me.”

“….What are you talking about?”

The Empress poked the Duke’s side with her elbow, smiling mischievously.

“Brother, you’ve fallen for Charlize’s charms, haven’t you? 

“Pardon?”

The Duke stopped in his tracks, his face now bearing a grimace. 

The Empress, who was already engrossed in her affection for Charlize, looked past that and continued. 

“Well, it’s about time you admit it.” 

“What?”

The Empress looked back at the Duke with a sheer look of determination in her eyes and exclaimed. 

“Charlize is the cutest child in the world!”

The Duke remained silent, appearing unfazed. 

But the Empress was undaunted by the Duke’s silence, she wasn’t going to back down without an answer from her brother. 

Finally, the Duke responded with a reluctant expression. 

“Well….she is cute.”

“Right? Isn’t she so cute? She’s so adorable that you just want to gobble her up!”

“……Not to that extent.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with that?!”

Watching his younger sister fuss on and on, the Duke thought about Charlize.

In her bleak imperial palace life, Charlize is the only girl who can make Rose happy. 

A smile crept across the Duke’s face. 

It was a small but obvious smile. 

 

****

 

“Charlize.”

“Yes?”

I was cleaning beneath a table when I heard a call and raised my head. 

“Go inside. Her Majesty, the Empress dowager is waiting for you.”

“Huh, me?”

My eyes were wide open. 

Why me all of a sudden?

The handmaiden, however, only pulled me up from under the table and told me I would hear the details from the Empress dowager herself. 

‘Oh, no.’

I swallowed my saliva.

It’s probably because the tea time didn’t end fairly well and I had problems of my own. 

With faltering steps, I made my way to the living room where Her Majesty currently resided in. 

“Your Majesty, you called for me?” I announced before entering.

“Come here, Charlize.”

Her Majesty with a light gesture, beckoned me to enter.

She offered me a seat. 

“Sit across from me.”

I faltered to my seat, hesitantly sitting down. 

Unlike the time we had baked a cake together, I felt nauseous from the prevailing tension.

‘I feel like throwing up.’

After a while, her Majesty spoke. 

“The juice earlier.”

“J-Juice?”

My entire body stiffened.

……Are you going to reprimand me for provoking the Emperor’s wrath earlier during tea time?

‘She going to, isn’t she?’

However, the Empress dowager who had been staring at me for a long time asked a question, completely different from what I had expected. 

“You prepared it because you knew my teeth were weak. Correct?”

“…..yes, that’s right.”

I said so with a timid voice while nodding. 

I glanced at the Empress dowager’s countenance.

She sat across from me in a casual way, it was neither imposing nor threatening. 

Her soft gaze should have made me feel at ease but I just couldn’t shake off how I felt and so-

“I-I’m sorry for being so presumptuous.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I made the juice but you didn’t ask for it, tea time was ruined because of me….”

Because of me, the Emperor got angry. Because of me, the Empress had to intervene. Because of me….I-I wasn’t of any help to her Majesty. 

I felt so bad, I blurted out what was on my mind without control. 

But just then.

“No, why would you say that?”

Huh?

The Empress dowager was truly genuine when she asked that. 

I was taken aback.  

“I just wanted to say thank you to you.”

Her wrinkled hand gently wrapped around my little hand. 

A bitter voice reached me.  

“Rather, I’m the reason you got into trouble. If anything, I should be the one saying ‘sorry.’”

“What? No, what are you talking about?” Charlize said, denying Her Majesty to be at fault. 

“No, we…I have to be aware of our relationship, set boundaries, that’s what-” 

Her Majesty, the Empress dowager shook her head and held my hand. She placed one hand on top of my hand and the other cupping mine. 

“Listen Charlize. It’s not your fault at all that the Emperor was so angry.”

“But Your Majesty, Empress dowager…..”

“His Majesty can’t be angry with me, he saw an opportunity and so took it all out on you.”

Her voice was unusually firm. 

After a while, the Empress dowager strengthened her voice and reassured me by repeating what she had said.

“So there is nothing to apologize for. Understand?” said Her Majesty as she caressed my head. 

Her warm explanation made me feel better, I stretched out my shrunken shoulders a bit. 

“Above all, I’m very grateful to you.”

“…….to me?”

“Yes, to you. By the way, how did you know that my teeth were uncomfortable, moreover, do something so considerate? I’ll be honest I was very touched by what you did.”

“You’ve been of great help to me Charlize. Don’t forget that.” 

Her Majesty said so with a kind face.

Then she looked at me with a sad look. 

“I wish you had been a maid of the Empress dowager’s palace.”

…..Well, wouldn’t the Empress be furious if that happened?

Our Empress has a lot more personality than she lets on. 

I smiled slightly. 

“Thank you for caring about me.”

After hearing my answer, Her Majesty smiled a brilliant smile. 

She then handed me a beautifully wrapped cake box. 

“By the way, that’s the cake we made earlier.”

I felt a bit emotional and examined the box. 

She must have packaged this box herself. 

I fiddled with the ribbon bow loosely tied in the shape of a butterfly. 

From the rather clumsily done packaging, I was reminded of Damian. It’s his birthday. 

“I’m counting on you.”

“Of course. I’ll make sure this cake gets to the crown prince!” 

Her Majesty with water eyes, nodded her head as I waved goodbye.

Carrying the heavy cake box, I took off from the palace of the Empress dowager. 

 

****

 

The following day. 

I arrived at the crown palace just in time for lunch. 

Normally it was to supervise the provision of supplies to the crown palace but…..

“Hey, what is going on here?”

Damian was staring vacantly at the sumptuous food spread out in front of him, with a face that seemed as if he was about to faint.

Some of the maids had come in, covered the table with a tablecloth, and laid out the food in a single line.  

The aroma of delicious food filled the entire palace.

My eyes twinkled when I got a whiff of the banquet. 

Ooh, it smells like freshly grilled chicken, right?

The chefs sure know their stuff!

I sneaked over to Damian’s side, concealing the sound of my footsteps. 

“Surprise, crown prince!’

“Huh, who? Lize!”

Damian who had been lost in food paradise came back to his senses and looked at me. 

Hehe, he was surprised, wasn’t he? 

This is what makes planning surprise parties so worthwhile!

I laughed happily. 

“Happy Birthday, Your Highness!”

“What? My birthday?”

Damian seemed puzzled for a moment. 

“Really, you prepared all this for my birthday?”

“Yes, of course!” 

“……why?”

Why? I wasn’t expecting that response. 

Confused, I stared at him. 

Those scarlet-colored eyes of his shined with an indescribable light. 

Ah, that look on his face…. I remember seeing it before. 

‘It was when I came to see him again after the Empress had discovered my relation with Damian.’

At the time Damian made such a face. 

The ‘I’m overwhelmed, I don’t know what to say’…..kind of face.

I took a deep breath and opened my mouth. 

“Is it not the birthday of his Highness who will someday become the sun of the empire? It’s only natural to celebrate.” 

Damian’s eyes flickered briefly at my answer. 

“So, you’re celebrating my birthday because I’m the crown prince?”

“Well, that’s for external reasons.”

After thinking for a while, I opened my mouth again. 

“It’s just because I value your Highness.”

“……you value me?”

“I do. So, I want to congratulate you on being born, your Highness.”

While nodding my head, I oddly felt bitter.

To actually be able to celebrate a birthday like this…..

‘Once Sienna appears, everyone will have to let her have her way.’

So whenever we’re together, I want to be together unconditionally. 

“By the way, your Highness.”

I glanced at him but not in an overbearing manner. 

“Since I’m your exclusive maid, why didn’t you tell me it was your birthday?”

“Huh? No, that’s….”

“I was disappointed when I had to hear from someone else that it was his Highness’s birthday.”

Hearing what I said, Damian’s face once again became expressionless.

“So from now on, please tell me anything, your Highness. Okay?”

“……okay.”

Damian’s ears became red as he nodded. 

I gave a big smile to Damian, only to hear footsteps from behind. I quickly turned around. 

Her Majesty, the Empress had just arrived. 

“Lize!”

“Oh, Your Majesty. Is it just you?”

“It’s not just me, I brought one more to tag along.”

Having said that, the Empress pulled on the sleeve of the tall gentleman behind her to bring forth-

Eek! That guy?!

I was shocked to see who it was. 

“Why, Your Majesty……”

The one who came forth with a groan was none other than the Duke of Rochester!

“Didn’t I say that the more fun things you share, the better it gets?”

The Empress said as she stretched out her arms in triumph. 

While that was happening, I glanced sideways, Damian looked my way with a slightly baffled and concerned look.

Yeah, I’m surprised too but what can we do? 

Regardless, the Empress looked at me with a sparkle in her eyes. 

“Give me a compliment, Lize.”