The Evil Empress Adores Me - Chapter 65

And maybe…

‘Damian realized the bigger picture behind the Empress’s consideration.’

I gave him a sidelong glance. 

‘Damian has never had the chance to meet aristocrats his age.’

He looks so thrilled.

Well, what did I expect? He’s been isolated the whole time. 

It’s a grand opportunity for him to socialize. 

“Thank you very much, your Majesty.”

Damian politely gave a bow before the Empress. 

In return, the Empress smiled brilliantly. 

“Thank you but I think it’d be better to thank the Empress dowager instead of me.”

“….The Empress dowager?”

Damian stared at the Empress with eyes that of a startled rabbit.

“I asked the Empress dowager at first about who to take with me.”

“Oh……I see,” replied Damian with a despondent voice. 

“Yes. But her Majesty, the Empress dowager, told me to give you a chance.”

Instead of answering, Damian nodded with a grim expression. 

When I saw the look on his face, I felt sorry for Damian. 

Damian and the Empress dowager still haven’t seen each other in person.

It’s already been five years since I started going back and forth to the Imperial palace and the Empress’s palace. 

At times, I thought to myself when will the Emperor let the two of them meet?

Just when I grumbled inwardly at the situation they were in. 

The Empress addressed me. 

“Also, Lize.”

Huh? Who?

I looked at the Empress with a puzzled face. 

When the Empress at the same time, decided to drop a bombshell. 

“Charlize, you’ll be attending too as a maid of honor.”

“What? What? Me? How-?”

Why me all of a sudden?!

I just started freaking out on the inside. 

The Empress paid no attention whatsoever, she merely continued as if it were the natural order of things. 

“Oh, it’s been a while. There’s just no way I can attend teatime without you, Charlize. Right?”

“Um, but…..”

Can I really be a maid of honor? It’s such an important position. 

Shouldn’t this position be reserved for those with life-long career experience? Someone like head maid Hayden or senior maid Weber. 

Though I have to admit, this could be an important stepping stone in my career as a maid. 

I was bewildered. 

The Empress looked at me with eyes half-lidded as she leaned in closer. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t leave everything to you.”

“Well, then…..”

“I’m planning to put together two other maids so that you won’t feel overwhelmed.”

Hearing those words made a corner of my heart warm up. It clicked. 

It seemed the Empress wanted to give me an opportunity to get acquainted with nobles my age through this event. 

Not only for Damian but me as well. 

‘I won’t be making a debut of any sort but…..’

There’s nothing wrong with meeting a few nobles, right?

Not to mention, the ordinary woman would never get to see the face of aristocrats or even get to know them. 

I-I’m grateful. 

Just when I finished that train of thought and nodded my head- 

“On second thought, it would be nice if Charlize could instead attend the tea party not as a maid but as a lady…..”

The Empress’s sincere tone as she said that, almost made me faint. 

No, no, no, no. I know the Empress cares for me but…..isn’t this too much? 

“I told you before, your Majesty. I want to be recognized by other members of the Empress’s family, as a competent maid. 

I spoke my mind. 

The Empress then pouted her lips. 

“However….”

“I’m delighted that you’ve allowed me to accompany you, your Majesty.”

Seeing how resolute I was in my statement, the Empress nodded with a pouty face. 

I smiled broadly at the Empress. 

“Thank you. Thank you very much, your Majesty.”

“Thank you as well. Be prepared for when that day comes, I’ll need you to the fullest.”

The Empress, who answered with a hint of mischief in her demeanor, stroked my hair several times.

Her touch was very delicate. 

***

Finally, the day for the tea party had arrived. 

The Empress had selected children who she deemed as worthy and directly invited them to the palace. 

According to rumors, nobles scrambled to get an invite to the Empress’s tea party. 

All to have their son or daughter get a seat and attend the party. 

It’s understandable when I think about it.  

A chance to make friends with the Empress, the mother of the empire. Who would skip such an opportunity? 

And if you’re lucky, you might even win favor with the Duke of Rochester. 

‘A lot is happening and this is the first time the Empress has personally hosted an event, isn’t it?’

Up until now, the Empress had refrained from any political activity as much as possible. 

Previously, she never had any personal contact with nobles, so Damian and I have to make use of today’s occasion. 

“Lize!”

Then, I heard Head maid Hayden calling me. 

I quickly made my way to her. 

“Are you ready with the flowers to decorate the table?”

“Yes, the flowers here.”

I gave a big nod.

“Then can you check with the maids if the food is ready?”

“Yes, mam!”

I walked across the hall. 

Hah, I’m so busy. 

To prepare for today’s tea party, maids and maids of the Empress’s palace have been moving non-stop since morning. 

But if I can be of any help to the Empress…..

“Ouch!”

Thwack!

Falling to the floor and landing on my bottom, I lifted my head despite a sharp pang I felt. 

Argh, what?

What did I bump into? Wait, there was someone who popped out of nowhere. 

“You hit me!” 

Just then, a girl who had bumped into me, looked down at me with her arms folded. 

“Who are you?” she asked. 

She was a cute-looking girl who looked about 12 years old. 

She had reddish-brown hair which was curled up and wore an expensive-looking dove-colored dress. 

However, her eyes in contrast were different. The stare she gave me was venomous. 

“You should watch where you’re going!” the girl exclaimed. 

“No, shouldn’t you be doing that?!” screamed my inner thoughts. 

…the desire to shoot back at her was almost through the roof but I got up and bowed my head. 

At first glance, she seems to be a young lady from a noble family. 

“I’m so sorry, miss.”

“Don’t you know who I am?!”

Hey, what did I ever do to you?

Aren’t you the one who ran and bumped into me?

I’m the one who fell to the floor, not you!

And what a great noble lady you are. How would I know who you are when I’ve just met you? 

…..I wanted to say all these things but I’m not allowed to.  

As I stared at her, I wanted to pound my chest in frustration. 

“My name is Leona Bennett, the only daughter of Baron Bennett!”

Baron Bennett?

Hmm, I’ve heard that name somewhere. 

After thinking for a long time, I remembered Baron Bennett. 

It was while working with Senior maid Weber, she mentioned his name. 

‘However….I don’t want Baron Bennett’s young lady to come.’

‘May I ask why?’

‘Um, that’s……’

After hesitating for a while, Senior maid Weber opened up to me. 

Baron Bennett was a distant family relative of the Duke of Rochester. 

The Bennetts are a family that has a level of influence similar to the Viscount of Weber’s family. They also happen to live in a neighboring estate so there have been some interactions in the past. 

However, as the Rochesters helped us a great deal in usurping the throne and then establishing themselves as the head of all aristocratic families……

‘Huh? Why is she trying to hide her face?’

Senior maid Weber had tried to conceal her bitter face with her shoulders. 

‘Like my own family…..I don’t want to get entangled anymore. That’s it.’

‘Oh, really?’

‘Well, it can’t be helped. In fact, it’s because of that family that I became a maid…..’

Senior maid Weber blurted out that last bit.

Things seemed complicated, so I didn’t pry any further. 

It’s not something I can solve just by listening but I am worried that Senior maid Weber will be upset. 

‘You will see the young lady of Baron Bennett at the tea party,’ said Senior maid Weber. 

Come to think of it, the reddish-brown hair kinda reminds me of the Empress. 

Back to the present.

Young lady Bennett stared at me fiercely for quite a while. 

Then she blurted out…..

“Is it you?”

“Pardon?”

“I heard a claim that these days a lowly maidservant has monopolized the love of the Empress.”

Young lady Bennett spoke with ridicule in her tone. 

What? That’s not true!

I choked up a little. 

“She was a probationary maid at the education center, correct?” 

“Yes, that’s right,” I answered.

“I don’t know what the Empress saw in her or how she caught the eyes of the Empress, but don’t be presumptuous. ”

Young Lady Bennett who said so, folded her fan and poked me in the chest with it. 

“That lowly maidservant won’t outdo me. From this moment on, I, Leona Bennett will be favored by the Empress.”

For a split second, my heart froze as if I swallowed a large chunk of ice.

Of course, I’m lucky now as I have the Empress’s affection. 

However…..

‘Truthfully, no matter who the Empress chooses, that’s up to her, isn’t it?’

I held my breath. 

But what if the Empress likes another child more than me?

And it could happen because she’s actually related to the Empress…..

‘If that’s so……I’ll be heartbroken.’

No matter how hard I might try, I can’t be as close as family, right?

With a wry smile, I stopped thinking at that point.