The Evil Empress Adores Me - Chapter 80

“I’ve never heard any of this…”

 

…maybe, this is how the Emperor gets back at the Empress dowager. 

 

I couldn’t be insensitive to the Empress dowager’s feelings, so I had to tread carefully. 

 

“If this goes on, her Majesty won’t be able to see his face until his Highness, the crown prince returns.”

 

Because there’s no way the Emperor would ever allow it. 

 

I didn’t say it openly but her Majesty was promptly aware of the fact. 

 

The Empress dowager widened her eyes. 

 

“It’s not even Margrave Antes’s lands but the Kier plains…” 

 

Her voice quivered in anger.  

 

“This…it’s like he…h-he’s sending my grandson to his death!”

 

“Hold on, your Majesty.”

 

“How does one even rectify such a situation?! A land where only beasts roam, how would a boy survive!”

 

The Empress dowager has always been so calm, I have never seen her raise her voice like this. 

 

I knew firsthand how furious and devastated she was about this. 

 

I took a deep breath and presented her with an offer. 

 

“Then, how about doing this?”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

Just like that, a week passed by without a moment’s notice. 

 

Damian has been busy ever since and of course, barely has time to meet with Charlize. 

 

It was the day before he would embark per the Emperor’s order. 

 

“The Kier plains, you don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

 

The Empress who summoned Damian to sit in front of her suddenly said so. 

 

Damian was wide-eyed.  

 

“What? What do you mean?”

 

“I don’t know any other way to tell you this, but my family had a lot of influence.”

 

At the Empress’s bombshell, Damian couldn’t conceal his surprise. 

 

It was true. 

 

The Duchess of Rochester, the Empress’s mother was the noblest family in the empire. 

 

The Rochester family who served as the head of the council of nobles, helped the current emperor usurp the throne. 

 

Without the help of the former Duke of Rochester, the Empress’s father…

 

The current emperor would have never been in the position he is now. 

 

The Empress continued with a straight face. 

 

“With the help of my family, I can pressure the Emperor to protect your Highness.”

 

“Your Majesty. It’s…”

 

“Also, arrangements have been made to ensure his Highness gets out of this situation.”  

 

The Empress’s voice remained calm. 

 

“Naturally, you must be quite surprised to hear this news a day before departure. I can understand that.”

 

Those cold dark green eyes looked straight at Damian. 

 

“However, I need time to prepare too.”

 

“Why…I don’t get this.”

 

“As long as his Highness says ‘Yes.’”

 

The Empress spoke firmly. 

 

“No matter what happens, I’ll get his Highness out of this clear-cut order meant to subjugate you.”

 

‘What?’ thought Damian internally. 

 

Dumbstruck, his eyes popped wide open. 

 

The Empress continued. 

 

“I’d like to add one more thing, you don’t have to feel pressured by my proposal.”

 

The Empress’s beautiful face was as calm as a tranquil lake. 

 

Damian, who still had the Empress in his sight, asked abruptly. 

 

“Why?”

 

A deep crease had formed over Damian’s brow. 

 

“Did Charlize by any chance ask Her Majesty for this?”

 

“No, Charlize has nothing to do with this.”

 

“Then, why do this?” Damian asked. 

 

“Up to this point, as an adult and an empress….I’ve never taken responsibility for you, your Highness.”

 

No one has ever treated Damian as a child. 

 

In response to that unexpected answer, Damian blinked blankly.  

 

He was forced to grow up to survive, and that’s still the case today….

 

“If your Highness, who isn’t even an adult yet, is sent to the forefront to all those beasts…”

 

The Empress dropped her shoulders slightly. 

 

“Needless to say, my conscience will be bothered, and I won’t be able to sleep at night.”

 

….is this why Charlize admires her Majesty so much?

 

Damian was convinced by a familiar but painful feeling of defeat. 

 

For Charlize, the Empress was the only adult she could count on. 

 

Her Majesty’s kindness must have been the only joy she had in her arduous imperial life. 

 

Just as the Empress means much to Charlize, so too is Charlize the same to Damian. 

 

“Also, my brother thinks the same way.”

 

The Empress’s eyes narrowed. 

 

Word spread that her brother had recently gotten into a big argument with the Emperor. 

 

It was due to the problem of the crown prince’s emperor-ordained task.

 

‘Your Majesty, are you mad?!’

 

‘Rochester, are you finished talking?!’

 

‘I’m not done yet!’

 

The Duke who was usually composed, raised his voice, something seldom seen by others. 

 

‘What is this? Crown prince Damian has yet to even reach the age of maturity!’

 

‘He still can’t control the power of the divine beast, can’t he? His body alone won’t be enough to protect him!’

 

‘Having the power of the divine beast is not a reason to drive his Highness into lands fraught with perilous danger!!”

 

‘No.’

 

The Emperor twisted the tips of his lips into a scowl. 

 

‘It may not be enough for the Duke, but I have enough reason to send the crown prince to Margrave Antes’s lands.’

 

Seeing the stubbornness of the Emperor that was akin to an impregnable fortress, the Duke was at a loss for words. 

 

The Empress shook his head, clicking his tongue. 

 

‘There’s just no seeing eye to eye with you Duke. A shame, I got along very well with the previous duke…’

 

….shocking.

 

Who would have thought conversing with the Emperor wouldn’t produce any results, huh?

 

The Duke clenched his teeth. 

 

In the end, the differences between the Emperor and the Duke were not settled, not even in the slightest bit. 

 

The voices arguing going back and forth were chilling. 

 

Throughout the national assembly, the officials were caught up in witnessing the exchange between the Duke and the Emperor. 

 

The Empress paused for a moment, muttering to herself. 

 

“Alas, if the crown prince leaves…Charlize will be heartbroken.”

 

There was bitterness in the Empress’s voice. 

 

The Empress thought of Charlize and her puffy eyes. 

 

After Damian’s decision to leave, Charlize cried all day long. 

 

Charlize couldn’t hold back as she muttered the words ‘don’t leave,’ continuously all while trying to suppress her sadness to no avail. 

 

‘It’s better for me to make a move than continue watching Charlize cry her eyes out.’

 

The Empress sincerely thought so.

 

But right then. 

 

Damian spoke in a calm voice. 

 

“I’m very grateful her Majesty has given me such an offer.”

 

The Empress’s eyes widened a bit. 

 

It was because Damian’s tone implied rejection. 

 

A childlike but collected voice followed. 

 

“Buf if the Empress were to do that, there’s going to be a lot of trouble for the Duke of Rochester.”

 

“The crown prince doesn’t need to worry about that.”

 

“No, I have to be worried.”

 

Damian faced the Empress, his head upright. 

 

Those scarlet eyes were unwavering, undeterred as they gazed back at the Empress.

 

“Charlize is her Majesty’s official maid.”

 

For a split second, the Empress was caught off guard. 

 

“She’s not an ordinary maid either.”

 

“….your Highness.”

 

“It’s clear Charlize is now favored by both her Majesty and the Duke of Rochester.”

 

Favored to the point of receiving an adoption offer from the Duke.

 

Saying that Damian’s smile widened. 

 

It was a smile that revealed how his heart was set on this. 

 

“But me, I’m a prince who’s worse than a scarecrow. I don’t have that support base.”

 

“But your Highness, that’s…”

 

“Your Majesty is supported by the Duke of Rochester. So rather than me….Her Majesty and the Duke of Rochester should….”

 

Damian’s smile became somewhat pained when mentioning the Duke again. 

 

The Empress clenched her fists. 

 

Damian concluded with a request. 

 

“…please keep Charlize safe.”

 

The Empress was silent for a long time. 

 

Damian whom no one ever had ever believed in until now, was breaking down all walls and boundaries for the first time by speaking candidly. 

 

All that honesty was to protect Charlize. 

 

His sigh rang out. 

 

“Instead of opposing his Majesty, the Emperor by telling him I’m not going…”

 

“It may be better to leave the imperial palace for a while,” expressed Damian

 

Realizing the crown prince had truly made up his mind, the Empress bit her lip. 

 

She couldn’t say anything. 

 

Moments later, the Empress spoke in a voice that was emotionally crushed. 

 

“….it may be far more dangerous than the crown prince anticipates.”

 

“It’s all right.”

 

“It’s not something you can so easily brush off.” 

 

The Empress stared at Damian. 

 

“You do know what you’re getting yourself into, yes? The Kier plains are infested with demonic beasts.”

 

“I do. I’m also someone who hasn’t fully awakened the power of the divine beast.”

 

Damian gave a mischievous smile. 

 

“But this is a wake-up call for me. And because I’ve partially awakened the power within me, I’m not going to all of a sudden fall over and die.”

 

“But, that’s…”

 

“So your Majesty shouldn’t worry excessively over me,” added Damian with courtesy. 

 

Unable to overcome the mix of complicated emotions, the Empress bit her lips. 

 

After a while. 

 

The Empress offered an apology.

 

“I’m so sorry, your Highness.”

 

“What? What are you sorry about…”

 

“Didn’t I tell you? As an adult and empress, protecting the crown prince is my responsibility.”

 

The Empress’s face was guilt-ridden. 

 

She really did mean it. 

 

For Charlize, the Empress was determined to do what she could to protect the crown prince. But in the end, there was nothing the Empress could do. 

 

“Let’s face the facts, I can’t stop you from going. I just wished I had done more for you.”

 

“No. I know that her Majesty has already done so much to help me.”

 

Damian answered with a solemn tone. 

 

He remembered the times when he slowly suffocated in the darkness, shunned by everyone in the palace.

 

Charlize was the first one to approach him. 

 

And though there was Charlize…the Empress was also there to show him how to be ‘mature’ with responsibility. 

 

They were the ones who showed him kindness and rekindled the warmth in him. 

 

“When I become someone who Charlize can lean on, I’ll come back.”