The Evil Empress Adores Me - Chapter 96

Senior maid Weber poked her head out the door and announced loudly. 

‘Madame Rosita sent the dress!’ 

“It’s here? Let’s go, Charlize!”

The empress’s eyes lit up, she took my hand and pulled me along. 

….really, it’s the first time I’ve seen her so zestful. 

Madame Rosita whom I met today, looked at me while exuding an air of professionalism. 

‘What a relief. Time was running out, I was worried if the proportions didn’t match….’ 

‘It’s a perfect fit. Thank you.’

….And finally, the time-consuming process of getting ready for the celebration ball was over. 

I looked at the clock and it was six in the evening. 

My mouth was agape. 

No, I can’t believe I spent the whole day just getting ready. 

Does this even make sense? 

The empress had a proud smile. 

“Charlize, I promise you. Today, you’ll be the prettiest lady in the world.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“Don’t say that. Shall I show you the mirror?”

After saying that, the empress gave me a hand mirror. 

A brightly dressed lady came into view. 

‘It’s a little strange. I look….different.’

My fingers brushed my braids that ran past my shoulders as I gradually adjusted to my unfamiliar look.

I stared at the light pink dress I was wearing that resembled petals and the pink pearl accessories given to me by the empress dowager. 

I looked like a blooming spring flower. 

When I think about it, I also looked similar to those children whose aristocratic parents wouldn’t be embarrassed to take them anywhere they went. 

“…..thank God.”

I was talking to myself without realizing it. 

“What are you thankful about?”

“Well….at least I don’t have to be ashamed when I’m with the Crown Prince, right?” 

The empress widened her eyes. 

“Excuse me? Why would you think that?”

“What?”

“On the contrary, the Crown Prince should be thanking you for the rest of his life. Understand?!”

“He’ll thank me?”

“Yes! He’ll thank you for being his fiancee!”

The empress’s arms were crossed and her forehead crumpled.

“Where else would he find someone so beautiful, intelligent, lovely, and cute?”

“I, your Majesty?”

“Really, if I could, I’d want to keep living with you….”

“Well, that’s…..” 

I smiled awkwardly, unsure of how to deal with the empress’s passionate outburst. 

At the time, a maid, who was looking at me, spoke to me. 

“According to her Majesty’s words, you’re very pretty today.”

Then she covered her mouth and asked me, “Pardon me. Should I call you Lady Charlize now?”

“No, don’t call me that!”

“Still….you are the Crown Prince’s fiancee now.”

I shook my head repeatedly. 

“Please treat us like before even if we are together.”

I wasn’t the crown prince’s wife, I only had the status of fiancee.  

Seeing how repelled I was to that title, the maid smiled softly. 

“….yes, if that’s what you wish.”

Just then. 

Another maid came in. 

“The Crown Prince has arrived.”

Damian? 

I jumped up from my seat. 

The empress had an annoyed expression on her face. 

“He’s too punctual for comfort. We still have some time on our hands before the ball, don’t we?”

As the empress grumbled, Damian stepped into the room. 

“Lize, I’m here to escort you.”

“Oh, your Highness.”

I looked at Damian for just a moment, and I had forgotten how to breathe. 

Although he held the title of ‘The World’s Most Beautiful Man,’ today he embodied it in every sense. 

Damian was immaculately dressed in his suit that fits his figure like a glove, not to mention the neatly combed hair….

‘…..really, he’s like the male lead of a romance novel.’

I felt a bit defeated. 

Do I have to feel this way for a kid I’ve been caring for since childhood?!

However….

I glanced sideways at Damian. 

Well, I mean, I put a lot of effort into dressing up for today. 

So isn’t a compliment in order? It is courtesy after all. 

But Damian on the other hand, stared at me as if entranced. 

Why, why isn’t he saying anything?

Unable to overcome this frustrating silence between us, I opened up first. 

“Your Highness?”

At that moment, Damian responded in a daze. 

“Hmm, did you call me?”

….something’s peculiar. 

I squinted my eyes. 

And then it hit me, Damian’s face looked slightly red….

Ah! Does he have a fever?

He can’t! Damian’s the star of today’s ball!

“Your Highness, are you sick?”

I asked him in a worried voice. 

But Damian just stared at me vacantly. 

I approached briskly, reached out, and touched his forehead. 

“That’s weird, there’s no fever…”

Then, Damian took a step backward, his shoulders taut. 

“I-It’s not like that.”

“Then why do you keep blanking out?”

“That’s….:”

“Hey, Crown Prince. There’s no need to be flustered.”

The empress who couldn’t wait any longer, threw Damian a bone as he was struggling.

“You’re so pretty that I couldn’t think straight, is that what you wanted to say?” teased the empress. 

What?

My eyes flickered in embarrassment. 

The empress had a proud look on her face. 

“Isn’t Charlize pretty? Isn’t she cute? I prepped her myself.”

I came to a standstill. 

No, it’s….I’ve never seen the empress goofing off like this….

“So, are you grateful to me?”

“This time……*sigh*, yes,” replied Damian with eyes closed. 

Damian kept his mouth shut for a while but when he spoke, he spoke with the likeness of a general defeated by his enemy even if it was for three words. 

The empress had a victorious expression. 

Turning away from the empress, Damian asked me in a friendly voice. 

“Did you get those earrings and necklace from grandma?”

“Oh, right. You knew?”

I fiddled with one of the earrings for no particular reason. 

The accessories the empress dowager herself gave were pink pearls. 

‘It’s a bit quaint since I had seen one when I was younger, but the quality wasn’t bad and had a charm to it.’

Damian, who was quietly looking at me with a beaming smile. 

“You look so pretty today.”

“Ah…..thank you.”

Normally I would say ‘Are you complimenting me now?’ as a joke and brush it off. 

Only this time, I felt a little embarrassed for some reason and bowed my head just for the sake of it. 

Was it because this was the first time I’m going out to a large social gathering as his ‘fiancee’?

Damian was still looking at me. 

Just in time, the empress waved her hand in disgust. 

“Stop squinting your eyes, go out already.”

Then she rolled her eyes and added another word. 

“You’ll be escorting my Charlize, so do well. Got it?”

“Got it.”

Damian answered bluntly but his expression softened when he turned to look at me. It was different from when he spoke with the empress. 

“Let’s go, Lize.”

“Ah, yes. Until then, your Majesty, I’ll see you later at the ball.”

“All right, see you later, Charlize.”

The empress gently waved goodbye. 

Damian and I headed to our destination of the night. 

Beyond the wide open door, was a grand ballroom with scintillating chandeliers visible from a distance. 

It was beautiful, like a dream. 

‘But I’m sure….it’s going to be like a silent warzone.’ 

I tensed up. 

Damian glanced down at me when that happened. 

“Something wrong, Lize?” He said with a voice full of concern. 

I smiled brightly at him. 

“No, I’m fine.”

This was going to happen eventually, I might as well get it over with sooner than later.  

I entered the ballroom with determination. 

“Presenting, the Crown Prince, and his fiancee, Lady Charlize!”

The booming voice announcing our titles reverberated across the hall. 

My eyes turned to Damian in an instant. 

My shoulders stiffened too.  

At the same time, all the nobles who had arrived at the hall beforehand bowed before us. 

‘….in all my eighteen years, I never imagined I would see something like this.’

I pretended to be as relaxed as possible by smiling. 

Then, I heard whispers. 

“My God, Lady Charlize?”

“They mean to tell me she’s the commoner who became the Crown Prince’s fiancee?”

“Oh, that maid?”

From their tone and despite what they said becoming blurred at the end, I could feel the contempt they had for me. 

Damian looked at them with a sharp expression. 

Oh, we’re going to get into trouble!

I hurriedly try to get Damian’s mind off of their remarks. 

“Your Highness, I’m fine.”

“But they’re talking about you.”

“Well, didn’t I myself say I’m a commoner and a maid?”

Of course, I don’t know how much they’re talking behind my back. 

I shrugged my shoulders. 

Before I knew it, Damian was squeezing my hand ever so gently as if to comfort me. 

“Really, I’m fine, don’t mind me.”

Damian looked at me with a profound look in his eyes, like he wanted to say something but decided against it as he pursed his lips. 

Oh my, I told you I was fine. 

Why are you the one getting angry? If anyone has the right to be angry, it should be me. 

Shaking my head, I pressed my finger onto Damian’s lips. 

“If you bite your lips like that, you’ll hurt those pretty lips.”

I said so sternly as I narrowed my eyes. 

“Your Highness.”

“….okay, I got it.”

Damian’s temper began to subside. 

Phew, this isn’t as easy as soothing a child. 

I shook my head again but noticed something off, the ballroom had become perturbingly quiet. 

‘What?’

I slowly looked around. 

People were looking in our direction with wide-open eyes. 

However, as soon as I made eye contact with those staring, I quickly averted my gaze.