The Evil Empress Adores Me - Side Story 14

Silence pervaded the air.

 

The Empress had her doubts, evident in her expression.

 

Charlize felt the same way.

 

The Empress Dowager observed the Empress with great interest, her face brimming with anticipation.

 

Her demeanor at the moment was reminiscent of someone holding a bucket of popcorn in their arms.

 

Meanwhile, Wember had a face that was so flushed it seemed it would burst if poked by a needle. 

 

“I… It’s my unrequited love.”

 

“Unrequited love?”

 

The Empress repeated those words with a questioning tone as if hearing them for the first time.

 

Wember tried to hide her dejected expression and lowered her head deeply.

 

“Yes, His Grace has shown no interest in me whatsoever.”

 

“…My brother? Interest in you? How dare he, even in the presence of my handmaiden?”

 

The Empress spat out each word with disdain.

 

“Yes… I apologize for daring to have unrequited love for him, Your Majesty, without any understanding of the subject matter… I am sorry…”

 

Wember shrugged her shoulders helplessly.

 

Simultaneously, the Empress’s voice rang out sharply.

 

“You know nothing about the subject matter! Straighten your shoulders!”

 

“Is…?”

 

“If my handmaiden shows the favor of unrequited love to Matthias, he should have quickly noticed it and expressed his gratitude!”

 

The Empress was now addressing her brother by name.

 

“How dare he show no interest in you!”

 

“Your… Your Majesty!”

 

“Just forget about Matthias altogether!”

 

The Empress exhaled heavily.

 

Wember’s eyes widened, unsure of what to do. 

 

The Empress, now slightly calmer, relayed her question in a composed voice.

 

“So, when did you start this unrequited love?”

 

“About ten years ago…”

 

“What? Ten years?!”

 

Her calm façade lasted only briefly.

 

The Empress was truly astonished.

 

“It’s absurd. My brother is not someone of such value?!”

 

‘…Well, honestly, he seems to be someone of that value.’

 

Charlize couldn’t bring herself to say it aloud, even to her beloved Empress, and kept it to herself.

 

The head of the noble Rochester family, the highest-ranking noble in the empire, and the chairman of the noble council.

 

And like the Empress, he boasted a radiant beauty akin to that of a single rose.

 

Even now, she knew that many noble ladies secretly admired the duke.

 

“No, there’s something else.”

 

Just at that moment, the Empress opened her mouth, looking disgusted.

 

“Is he shortsighted? Should I have glasses made for him?”

 

“Your…Your Majesty?”

 

“My maids, every one of them, must marry impeccable men!”

 

The Empress exclaimed resolutely.

 

Her voice conveyed that the mere notion of an entanglement between Matthias and Lisa was a tremendous sin.

 

“How dare you, Mathias, lay eyes on my handmaiden!”

 

……Hey.

 

Weren’t you worried about the Duke’s marriage just a moment ago?

 

And precisely speaking, it’s not the duke, but Wember, who has an unrequited love…

 

Charlotte inwardly stiffened.

 

‘Hmph. Hmph.’

 

The Empress, after taking a deep breath several times, gestured for Wember to come forward.

 

“First, sit there.”

 

“I, I cannot dare to sit next to Your Majesty…”

 

“Stop with your nonsense and sit down.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Wember sat down immediately.

 

The Empress looked at her with fiery eyes.

 

“So, what exactly happened?”

 

“W-Well…”

 

Wember, observing the situation for a while, cautiously opened her lips.

 

“The first time I thought the Duke was splendid was during the tea time held in the Empress’s palace…”

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

Lisa still vividly remembers the day.

 

The day she’d hosted a tea party for the Empress, the candidates, and the Crown Prince.

 

That day was incredibly difficult for her.

 

“My, who is this? Isn’t it Lisa?”

 

She ended up facing Lady Bennett, who was connected to the Wember family through bad ties.

 

Lady Bennett openly showed her displeasure towards Lisa.

 

“I heard that the Wember family is struggling a lot these days, but I never thought I would meet you here like this.”

 

“Lisa, you have truly suffered so much.”

 

The innocent malice of a child is sometimes much sharper than the malice of an adult.

 

“But if you do this, Viscount Wember will repay all the debt he owes our family. Isn’t that right?”

 

Since she was attending as the Empress’s senior maid, she had to stay there somehow.

 

Eventually, Lisa couldn’t hold back and retorted at Lady Bennett.

 

“After this month, won’t all the remaining debts be settled?”

 

“But this month hasn’t ended yet, has it? Isn’t that right?”

 

“……”

 

Lisa bit her lip.

 

In a moment of emotional turmoil, she lost her composed demeanor as the senior maid.

 

“As a guest of the empress, you have no right to disrespect the palace maids.”

 

The person who instilled comfort in her by uttering those words was Charlize, at the time a young maid who was barely ten years old.

 

Soon after, Lady Bennett was promptly soaked head to toe in black tea.

 

Suddenly, the Crown Prince’s eyes lit up.

 

“Your Highness, what is this?”

 

“What’s happened is that I’ve returned the favor, Lady Bennet.”

 

The Crown Prince rose from his seat and repaid Lady Bennet in the same fashion she treated Charlize.

 

As Lisa stood there, unsure what to do, her gaze fixed on the chaotic tea party.

 

“It seems that we might have to hold the Bennett family accountable.”

 

The Duke of Rochester, who had barged into the Tea Party, had cleared up the situation without batting an eye.

 

Lisa understood this rationally.

 

Matthias cherished Charlize quite dearly, and it was understandable that he would act in such a way when she was insulted.

 

However, despite her rationality, her heart couldn’t help but beat faster.

 

Because…

 

‘…It’s the first time.’

 

Most noble gentlemen disregarded palace maids, even more so as objects of their desire.

 

Of course, if they were afraid of the maids’ masters, they wouldn’t treat them disrespectfully outwardly.

 

However, deep down, they perceive maidservants as inferior—lesser than nobles.

 

With that mindset, they wouldn’t go so far as to protect the maids and shield them from the scrutiny of noble households.

 

But Matthias was different.

 

That moment was precisely when Lisa fell into unrequited love for the first time.

 

****

 

“Yes, so that’s what happened,” the Empress appeared outwardly composed upon hearing Lisa’s story.

 

Of course, contrary to her appearance, her hand rested clenched beneath the table, but she maintained a serene smile.

 

‘If the Duke had been present, she would have struck him right then and there.’

 

Charlize stifled a laugh.

 

“But Lisa.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

“Is it truly necessary to harbor such feelings for that wretched creature… no, I mean, for Matthias?”

 

The Empress vigorously shook her head as a compassionate smile graced her features.

 

“You see, there are far better men in this world.”

 

The Empress, without hesitation, firmly held Lisa’s hand.

 

“I, for one, do not wish to send my precious maid to that insolent man, Matthias.”

 

“But, Your Majesty…”

 

“However, if you cannot let go of your feelings for my brother, then I will find a way to help you, no matter what…”

 

The Empress let out a deep sigh.

 

But Lisa seemingly misunderstood the Empress’s words to some extent.

 

“I see.”

 

Lisa, with widened eyes, nodded with a bittersweet smile.

 

“I understand as well, Your Majesty, the Empress.”

 

“Hmm? What is it?” The Empress narrowed her eyes and looked at Lisa.

 

And then.

 

Tears began to well up in the corners of Lisa’s eyes.

 

The Empress couldn’t help but gasp.

 

“Oh my, Lisa? Why are you crying?!”

 

“Oh, no. It’s just…

 

In truth, the most surprised person was Lisa herself.

 

Quickly pulling her hand away from the Empress’s, Lisa took out a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes.

 

“P-Please don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”

 

“How can I not worry when my maid is crying right in front of me?!”

 

“I-I am… Well, you see…”

 

Lisa bit her lip gently.

 

Indeed, she had realized her excessive desires.

 

Straightening her posture, Lisa smiled faintly.

 

“I am well aware that I am being too greedy, Your Majesty, the Empress.”

 

“..Oh?” The Empress’s eyes widened.

 

“I will comport myself so as not to become a burden to Your Majesty. So please don’t concern yourself…”

 

“Just a moment, speaking of comportment. What exactly are you saying?”

 

The Empress waved her hand and opened her mouth.

 

Lisa cautiously observed the Empress’s reaction for a moment before answering.

 

“I… I am not of noble birth.”

 

“Well, that may be true. But why does that matter?”

 

“The Duke, for the sake of his family, should marry a fine lady from a distinguished lineage.”

 

Lisa lowered her head, her shoulders drooping.

 

“For a lowly woman like me to dare harbor feelings for the Duke is simply absurd. Therefore…”

 

In response to Lisa’s trembling voice, the Empress, who had been scrutinizing Lisa for some time, spoke up.

 

“Then, do you have any grievances about our Charlize becoming the Empress?”

 

“N-No, how could that be?!”

 

Surprised, Lisa jumped up from her seat.

 

“You, Your Majesty, are more than qualified. There is no one more suitable for the position of Empress than Charlize…!”

 

“I also think so.”

 

“What?”

 

With a bewildered expression from Lisa, the Empress gently closed her eyes.

 

“I also think that Lisa is the perfect match to be the Duchess of Rochester.”