The Evil Empress Adores Me - Chapter 84

The Empress clenched her fists. 

 

“She’s just become an adult. She’s still so young,” said the Empress, turning to me. 

 

“Is that so?” asked the Empress dowager. 

 

“Yes. When I think about all the knights and servants who were chattering on and on even before Charlize came of age…”

 

The Empress was almost giddy in her tone, openly expressing her excitement. 

 

Um, well…

 

I rolled my eyes. 

 

It’s true that even before becoming of age, I had received dating offers several times. 

 

Of course, every time I get an offer….

 

‘The Empress would glare with such intensity at the other person, we couldn’t even get the chance to talk.’

 

*Sigh* After a scenario like that, I think I’ll never get to know any man’s name, let alone have a husband for the rest of my life. 

 

I continued to muse about it when-

 

“Anyways, Charlize is eighteen years old now,” said Her Majesty to the Empress dowager with a chuckle. 

 

“At such a young age, you should try dating. Would you like me to arrange for you?” offered the Empress dowager. 

 

“Oh, I’m fine,” I replied. 

 

I smiled and shook my head.

 

To be honest, I’m not interested in dating. 

 

Besides, I already have the Empress.

 

“I just want to live by her Majesty’s side.”

 

“Did you hear that? My Charlize is one of a kind!” bragged the Empress as she raised her chin proudly. 

 

Then she looked at the Empress dowager with an unusual look.

 

“Besides, is it all right to rush in arranging a man for Charlize?”

 

“What?”

 

“If the crown prince gets angry, how will we deal with him?”

 

“Aha,” I tittered uncomfortably. 

 

In an instant, the Empress dowager’s eyes lit up with amusement. 

 

“Well, you’re not wrong there.”

 

“Hahahahaha!”

 

“Ahahaha!”

 

The Empress and the Empress dowager laughed to their heart’s content, disregarding everything else. 

 

What, why are you laughing like that?

 

I couldn’t hide my flustered expression. 

 

The Empress, who laughed for a while, wiped the tears from her eyes and spoke again. 

 

“By the way, your Majesty.”

 

“Go ahead.”

 

“Actually, this time I invited the Empress dowager here to deliver a message.”

 

The Empress delivering a message? What is it?

 

Her Majesty, the Empress dowager, and I both tilted our heads to the side. To which, the Empress revealed the bombastic news.

 

“The crown prince is returning.”

 

“…..I-Is that true?!”

 

The Empress dowager abandoned her usual calm demeanor, raising her voice. 

 

I was no different from her Majesty. 

 

The two of us seemed to just forget our surroundings, focusing solely on the Empress and what she had to say next with our eyes wide open. 

 

The Empress explained calmly. 

 

“It is. There will be a welcoming ceremony soon.”

 

“A welcoming ceremony? Did his Majesty, the Emperor, allow it?”

 

“Well, for this situation one doesn’t need permission, even from his Majesty.”

 

The Empress shrugged in annoyance upon mentioning his Majesty before continuing. 

 

“The achievements tallied by the crown prince are impressive, aren’t they?”

 

In response, a proud smile appeared over the Empress dowager’s wrinkled countenance. 

 

Honestly, it’s a monumental and awe-inspiring feat. 

 

I felt so proud. 

 

In the eight years Damian spent in the north, the number of beasts has dropped to nearly one-fifth of their original numbers. 

 

At least for a few years, we don’t need to worry about beasts invading, right? 

 

“Objectively speaking, no one currently has as much support from the people as the crown prince.”

 

“Goodness gracious, is that so?”

 

“Of course it is. I wouldn’t lie to the Empress dowager.”

 

The Empress kindly reassured her Majesty. 

 

“The whole empire is watching how the Emperor will receive the crown prince.”

 

“That means…”

 

“It means that the Emperor must unconditionally hold a ceremony to welcome back the prince.”

 

I glanced at the Empress’s visage. 

 

Umm, somehow….it seems like the Empress is satiated.  

 

As if to prove my conjecture, the Empress with a smug look, closed her eyes. 

 

“If the hero of the empire is shown neglect, not only will the North but the entire empire will be in an uproar.”

 

At those words, the Empress dowager’s face brightened like a lamp that had been lit. 

 

So did I. 

 

Oh, my dear Damian. 

 

You’ve grown so well!

 

Placing my hand on my beating chest, I inquired, thinking it prudent to ask. 

 

“Then, who will be representing this triumphant return?”

 

“I heard the crown prince and Countess Antes will do so if I presume correctly.”

 

My heart sank in an instant. 

 

“….if it’s Lady Antes.”

 

“I mean Sienna Antes. She’s coming as a representative for Antes’s lands.”

 

The Empress kindly clarified for us. 

 

“In the past, she was a young Lady, but recently she was designated as heir to her family and received the title of Countess.”

 

“I-I see.”

 

Swallowing my saliva, I asked again conscientiously. 

 

“By the way….why didn’t Margrave Antes come himself?”

 

“Well, there’s no better time or place than the welcoming ceremony to introduce ‘Sienna Antes’ to the empire, right?”

 

The Empress answered as if it was a no-brainer.  

 

“To gain acquaintances at the heart of the empire’s political sphere and to quickly solidify her position as Countess. I would do the same in her shoes.”

 

I nodded slightly, quickly grabbing my tea, holding it ever so closely to cover my face. 

 

….I get it. 

 

As a representative for the welcoming ceremony, Damian and Sienna will be standing side by side. 

 

Am I finally going to meet the heroine?

 

I put down my teacup, trying to get a hold of myself. 

 

I need to support both of them, even if I think otherwise….

 

The aftertaste of tea was somehow bitter. 

 

Time passed quickly, and soon it was the day of the welcoming ceremony. 

 

The weather was sunny, not a cloud in sight as if nature itself came to commemorate Damian’s triumph. 

 

All kinds of colored petals and colorful streamers fluttered splendidly in the air, contrasting with the deep blue sky. 

 

The sound of merry music and loud trumpets blaring intermixed with the roaring crowd. 

 

The applause from the crowds was thunderous, shaking the whole world. 

 

The people of the empire voluntarily jumped out into the streets, cheering and proclaiming. 

 

“Long live Winsor!”

 

“Hooray, Crown Prince!”

 

“Hooray, hooray!”

 

All the people were ecstatic. 

 

The Emperor and the Empress dowager stood in front of the Imperial palace, waiting for the procession of knights to enter the square. 

 

I followed behind the Empress as her attendant. 

 

While everyone was shouting with joy, only the Emperor had a bleak expression. 

 

‘Wow, you look like you chewed on a rock. Does your stomach hurt seeing Damian come back safe and sound?’

 

Glancing sideways at the Emperor, I grumbled a bit inwardly. 

 

But then. 

 

“WHOO!!”

 

A great cheer resounded. 

 

The Emperor who furrowed his brow looked towards the side where the cheering erupted. 

 

“Here comes the Crown Prince!”

 

“The hero of the empire, cleanser of beasts!”

 

“Hooray! Hooray!”

 

I lifted my head slightly. 

 

The knights were marching into the square of the Imperial palace in an orderly fashion. 

 

It was truly a magnificent scene. 

 

And among them, there was one person in particular who stood out from the rest. 

 

They’re right….

 

‘Damian!’

 

My eyes popped wide open at the sight of him. 

 

There he was, riding upon a large black steed, alive and well. 

 

Without leaving the spot where I was, I stood before a charming and strong presence. 

 

Gone was the boy, in his place, the stature of a young man.

 

A young man with dark blue hair gently fluttering over his forehead. 

 

His scarlet eyes resembled a rising sun at the break of dawn, staring straight ahead without breaking focus. 

 

‘….he’s grown so much.’

 

I used to imagine what a grown-up Damian would look like. 

 

I thought Damian would look cool as an adult. 

 

But Damian in front of me was something else, he was utterly beyond my imagination. 

 

Indescribable emotions washed over me like a wave, I was standing there, as if stuck in time, completely blown away. 

 

Also. 

 

‘Oh?’

 

At the same time, a woman riding upon a white steed approached Damian. 

 

Riding next to him, she spoke with a faint but visible smile. 

 

For a brief moment, my expression became disarrayed. 

 

An instinctive realization struck the heart. 

 

‘It’s Sienna Antes.’

 

Sienna Antes. 

 

The heroine of this world, someone who monopolizes Damian’s love. 

 

Unlike the slender women of the isles, Sienna was a stunningly beautiful woman as well as tall and slender-bodied.

 

Her ash gray hair, cut short to the point her ears were visible, caught my eye. 

 

‘….maybe, she cuts it short because it gets in the way during battle.’

 

I remembered the original novel where Damian, seeing Sienna’s furious determination, fell in love with her even more. 

 

I observed the two of them. Damian and Sienna confidently led with their horses, they were a match made in heaven. 

 

As I live now and till the day I die, I’ll never be like Sienna. 

 

‘Somehow, I feel a little weird.’

 

It felt like I had a tiny splinter in my finger. 

 

It doesn’t hurt much but every time I use my hand, it causes an irritating sting. 

 

I don’t know this feeling.

 

It seemed or rather felt like the only friend I had, had grown further apart from me. Is that why? Will we no longer be as close as we were before?

 

Feeling somewhat shabby, I involuntarily shrugged my shoulders. 

 

Damian looked around with a strange expression. 

 

His visage looked completely different from when he left for the North. 

 

All around him, people were heaping praises upon Damian as the ‘Hero of the North.’

 

Seeing the enthusiastic response from the crowds, Damian seemed neither proud nor happy. 

 

Instead, the atmosphere meant to welcome him…felt unfamiliar, almost alien. 

 

‘…..before I made my mark, no one paid attention to me.’

 

The times he slowly suffocated in the deepest and darkest reaches of the Imperial palace remained vivid.

 

Of course, it wasn’t the people’s fault. 

 

Only the Emperor was blameworthy. 

 

Even though he was well aware of that fact, he couldn’t help but feel a great disillusionment. 

 

Damian narrowed his brow at that moment without realizing it.