The Evil Empress Adores Me - Side Story 3

The view of the Empress’s palace was visible in the distance. 

The roses were in full bloom, brightening up the view.

The Empress and the Empress Dowager, who were enjoying tea time in the garden, were reinvigorated at the sight of them. 

“Charlize, what brings you here?’

“Come over. Duke, hurry up and sit over here,” said the Empress Dowager as she quickly offered a seat.

Meanwhile, the Empress stared at her brother, her eyes narrowed.

“Come to think of it, what are you doing her brother?”

“Am I not allowed here?”

“No, it’s not like that.”

As she answered, the Empress couldn’t conceal her displeasement.

‘It’s my precious moment to have tea time with Charlize…’

I had to share her with Her Majesty, the Empress Dowager, now I have to share her with my brother too?

Can’t I have time alone with her?

 The Empress suppressed the injustice she felt and put on a forced smile.

“You’re a bit late, I thought you were coming here from the Crown Prince’s palace?” 

“Oh, I went to bring a meal for His Highness first.”

“…did you?”

The Empress’s face was slightly contorted.

No, she even went to see the Crown Prince?

Charlize used to only be mine!

However, Charlize, completely oblivious to the Empress’s inner turmoil, asked, “Have you two eaten?”

“We have.”

Unlike the Empress, the Empress Dowager nodded with a satisfied expression.

Since the future emperor and his wife had such an affinity for each other, it delighted the Empress Dowager.

‘It would be even better if I had grandchildren now…’ she thought. 

The Empress Dowager put on a bright smile after informing her they had eaten. 

Just in time, maids brought in teacups for both the Duke and Charlize. 

“Here you go,” said the Empress, spotting an opportunity to care for Charlize with hawkish eyes, quickly pouring her tea. 

“Our Charlize likes milk tea.”

Following up that statement, was milk and sugar cubes.

“Oh, thank you.”

After thanking her, Charlize picked up the sugar cubes using a small tong.

As the Empress closely watched her placed the sugar cubes in her tea, her nose scrunched up as she spoke. 

“Oh, you didn’t put in six.”

There were only 2 sugar cubes in her tea.

Charlize smiled bashfully. 

“Ah, I’m all grown up now. I don’t drink anything that sweet.”

“Oh, is that so?”

As the Empress and Charlize were having a friendly exchange, the Duke responded in groggy voice, “ Your Majesty, the Empress.”

“What is it, brother?”

The Duke, wearing a sour expression, gestured toward his teacup with his chin.

“My cup is empty.”

“Aha,” replied the Empress, raising her eyebrows and proceeding to place the teapot down in front of him.

“Why, pour it yourself now.”

The Duke was visibly astonished.

Yet, the Empress met his gaze without batting a single eye.

‘W-What?’ the Duke thought. 

But then.

“Oh, I’ll pour it for you.” 

Charlize held the teapot with a radiant face.

Clear teawater filled the teacup.

Simultaneously, there were mixed expressions of joy and regret on the Empress’s and the Duke’s faces. 

‘How does it feel? To have the kid pour tea for me herself? See this?’ the Duke thought.

‘No, why is Charlize…’ thought the Empress. 

In contrast, Charlize was oblivious to war of nerves going on between the two.

That was the case, as only one thought occupied her mind or rather, one person. 

“Come to think of it, it’s hard to see Damian these days,” said Charlize in a dispirited tone. 

The siblings flinched involuntarily. 

“He always returns late, and as soon as he enters the palace, he almost always falls asleep,” Charlize confided, fiddling with her teacup and wearing a sullen look. 

“Is Damian that busy?” she asked before letting out a deep sigh.

“Of course, so much has happened and I won’t interfere, but I do feel sorry for him…”

At the sight before them, the Empress, the Duke, and the Empress Dowager exchanged secret glances with one another.

To be precise, the Empress looked at the Empress Dowager, and the Duke narrowed his eyes.

And-

“Ahem, Ahem!”

The Duke cleared his throat and looked away.

Then the Empress…

“Cough, Cough!”

She hurriedly tried to down her tea and attempted to hid her expression, but Charlize heard her coughing. 

Startled, Charlize looked at the Empress. 

“Oh my God! Your Majesty, the Empress! Are you all right?”

“Yes, cough! I’m okay, I’m okay….cough! Cough!”

The Empress coughed incessantly. 

Charlize offered her some water and patted her back, all the while being worried.

After some time passed. 

The Empress raised her head with a moderately embarrassed expression. 

“Oh, don’t mind me.”

It was abundantly clear that the Empress wanted to end the embarrassing incident. 

Fortunately for the Empress, she had just the news to take everyones’ minds off of what had happened. 

“After finishing this coronation, I won’t be staying at the palace anymore.”

At the bombshell, not only was the Empress Dowager taken aback, but Charlize was most affected out of all.

“Empress, is this true?” asked the Empress Dowager quickly.

“Yes, I intend to,” the Empress nodded her head gently.

At the same time, “….Charlize?” the Empress called as looked back. 

Charlize had reached out instinctively, gently holding onto the sleeve of the Empress’s dress.

“I can’t imagine it….don’t tell me you’re stepping down from the position of Empress…”

“Think of it this way,” answered the Empress as she straightened her face.

“Even if I step down as Empress, will my interactions with you end, Charlize?”

After the coronation, Charlize will be empress.

In other words, it meant that even if the Empress abdicated her former status, they would still be part of the same imperial family. 

“It’s a chance for me and Charlize to be family, and there’s no way I’m missing that, no?”

After hearing the Empress affirmation did Charlize seemed a little relieved. 

“However, I don’t want to live tied to the Winsor family anymore.”

“….Your Majesty, the Empress.”

“Haven’t I as Empress worked hard enough until now?” asked the Empress rhetorically as she looked at Charlize with a affectionate gaze while shrugging her shoulders. 

“So from now onwards, I plan to take a good break and ponder on what I want to do,” stated the Empress before smiling.

“Naturally, we will thoroughly prepare your coronation, Charlize,” she said and added, “Don’t worry too much.”

The Empress lightly patted her on the back.

It seemed as if Charlize was about to cry as she hurriedly asked, “…Still, will you come see me often?”

“Of course.”

It was only after the Empress confidently answered that, did Charlize settle down as the tension she had, loosened. 

The Duke then looked at his sister. 

****

As the sun began to set.

Charlize and the Empress Dowager went back to their respective palaces. 

The Rochester siblings were alone for the first time in a long time. 

“Rose.”

With an unusually heavy voice, the Empress looked at the Duke. 

“Yes, brother?”

“Are you sure you’re well?”

“Why? Is there no reason not to be well?” replied the Empress as she shrugged her shoulders. 

With his sister in front of him, the Duke was silent. 

He didn’t seemed surprised. 

His expression though….was bittersweet.

“I know the time you’ve spent in this palace was a lonely one.”

“And that you overcame the loneliness by relying on the kid.”

“You’re right,” said the Empress in a soft voice.

“If Charlize hadn’t been by my side, I would have ran away from the palace ages ago.”

“Rose,” the Duke called again.

“After neglecting even the responsibilities I had to shoulder as empress, I would have been eventually ousted by everyone.”

A sigh broke out as the sun soon turned scarlet.

“….just like the late Emperor.”

The Duke sighed as well.

“But Charlize being there supported me,” the Empress stated with a broad smile. 

Around them, were the Empress’s roses that glowed red in the dusk’s light. 

The Empress reached out and plucked one of her roses. 

‘A long time ago, I thought my life was like this rose.’

‘A life spent growing up just to be sold to others, a life of slowly withering away all the while being confined to a beautifully decorated garden.’

But not anymore. 

She decided to help Charlize, who was still young, and rebelling against the late emperor, one step at a time. 

‘I was able to live an independent life, not as a rose in a garden.’

“Since I owe Charlize a great deal, I think it’s my turn to pay her back, even just by a bit.”

“…I see,” voiced the Duke. 

“Yes. The reality is that by remaining in the palace itself, I’ll end up causing an even greater burden on Charlize.”

It was true.

No matter how much the Rochester family assisted Damian in triumphing over the Emperor, the Empress was once the Emperor’s wife. 

Whenever people saw her, they would inevitably be reminded of the late emperor.

And the fact that she remained by Charlize’s side….that would become detrimental to Charlize.

“I’m not parting with Charlize, it’s just that it’s time that all remnants of the late Emperor, vanish too,’ declared the Empress in a firm tone.

She took a deep breath.

“I want to live as ‘Eloise’ rather than as ‘Empress’.”

“Well, if that’s what you want….do so then,” replied the Duke as he gave a light nod.

The Empress, no, Eloise gently closed her eyes.

She put on a very light-hearted smile.