The Evil Empress Adores Me - Side Story 9

Clink!

 

The spoon fell out of the knight’s loosened grip and clattered to the floor.

 

The other knight’s jaw dropped, and his mouth hung open.

 

“What did I just witness?”

 

“Is that… truly our esteemed Emperor as we know him?”

 

The knights were plunged into immense confusion.

 

The stark contrast between the Damian they had known thus far and the Damian before their eyes was jarring.

 

“Is this what he’s capable of? Why has he never shown this side of him at all?”

 

The bone-cutting words were joined by the perplexity of the knights and their inability to comprehend the scene before them. 

 

Not to mention the overwhelming aura of someone who could make it all make sense before them but most likely wouldn’t.

 

Throughout their stay in the north, he had never shown a smile to anyone, but this was the Damian they called the “Ice Prince.”

 

And now he was willingly accepting the treat offered by his wife, wearing a blissful expression?

 

A bitter silence fell among the knights.

 

But then Damian, sensing their gazes, coolly delivered his menacing words.

 

“What are you looking at? Can’t you lower your eyes?”

 

No, because they might think he’s mentally unstable…

 

The knights hurriedly lowered their gaze, inwardly muttering with frustration.

 

Only then did Damian smile brightly.

 

“By the way, why aren’t you eating, Charlize?”

 

“Well, um, I will eat.”

 

Charlize, with a knife, cut a piece of crepe, and with a pitiful gaze, she looked at the knights.

 

The way she hesitated between eating and not eating the crepe, only paying attention to the atmosphere here…

 

‘The room feels like rabbits cornered by a predator.’

 

I can’t believe the knights are acting this way.

 

Charlize barely suppressed the sigh that was about to burst out.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

As soon as the crepes were finished.

 

“Now that you’ve finished eating, get out immediately and don’t disturb our date.”

 

The knights, unable to withstand Damian’s fierce gaze, hastily returned to their guard duties.

 

Finally, Damian turned to Charlize with a refreshed expression.

 

“Well, now that we’ve had our snack, shall we go for a stroll?”

 

Charlize narrowed her eyes and looked at Damian.

 

Just now, she had witnessed Damian effortlessly subdue the knights with a single glance.

 

In response, Damian shrugged his shoulders and met her with a gloomy gaze.

 

“Why don’t you want to? Did I do something wrong?”

 

“You didn’t do anything wrong.”

 

“Then you don’t want to go out? Are you tired? Should we just call it a day?”

 

Facing Damian bombarding her with endless questions, Charlize couldn’t hide her subtle unease.

 

Um, how should I express this feeling?

 

It’s like the feeling of a puppy that I believed was gentle suddenly revealing itself as a fierce beast…

 

For a moment, Charlize stiffened her shoulders.

 

The knights, who had been waiting outside the shop, were looking at her with desperate gazes.

 

“Could it be… His Majesty, perhaps he’s in a bad mood?”

 

“If that’s the case, we’re truly doomed.”

 

‘Please save us!’

 

Even with just a fleeting gaze, the desperate pleas echoed in their ears.

 

Indeed, it is difficult for the knights to make ends meet…

 

Charlize’s eyes were no longer wistful.

 

“Oh no, let’s go sightseeing in the city.”

 

In order to save the knights as well, Charlize reached out and held hands with Damian, her head slightly lowered.

 

Damian blushed like a young boy who had fallen in love for the first time.

 

The knights, who had been watching their lord’s behavior, finally let out a relieved sigh.

 

At least for now, it seemed that their lord wouldn’t handle them like prey.

 

The Emperor and Empress walked side by side, holding hands, strolling through the well-maintained streets.

 

“Indeed, it gives the feeling of being the second-largest city after the capital.”

 

Charlize’s eyes sparkled like those of a young child.

 

The Duchy of Rochester.

 

With its vast and fertile plains, it was the land that yielded the empire’s highest revenue.

 

The current Duke of Rochester, was quite attentive to the lives of the people in his territory, unlike the extravagant former dukes.

 

As evidence…

 

“The expressions of the people in the territory are incredibly bright.”

 

Charlize couldn’t help but marvel.

 

The shops were filled with goods, and the streets were immaculately clean.

 

There was no trace of distress on the faces of the people walking along the streets.

 

“The citizens of Lebane, who suffered greatly because of the former tyrant, had such sorrowful expressions…

 

At the end of her words, Charlize’s expression turned puzzled, and she turned to Damian.

 

“…Damian? Are you listening to me?”

 

“Yes, I am listening.”

 

“But why aren’t you responding?”

 

“I’m just realizing the fact that the Duke has done so well.”

 

Damian mumbled with a chubby face.

 

Though he didn’t want to admit it honestly, the Duke was one of the most outstanding talents in the empire.

 

According to hearsay, the people in the territory had suffered quite a lot under the previous Duke.

 

But as soon as he inherited the ducal position, the territory quickly stabilized.

 

Damian silently took in the cityscape, lost in his own thoughts.

 

Then he murmured to himself softly.

 

“Well, I should make an effort too.”

 

“What kind of effort?”

 

“I mean, I pulled the former tyrant out of power with the pretext of wanting to improve the empire, right?”

 

Damian shrugged lightly and flashed a mischievous smile.

 

“So at least, I should govern the country better than the tyrant, shouldn’t I?”

 

“…Damian.”

 

“At the end of my reign, I hope that the entire empire can enjoy the standard of living found in the Rochester territory.”

 

Damian’s statement carried a resolute tone.

 

Charlize responded with a bright smile.

 

“Surely, that will come to pass.”

 

“Thank you. Well, for now…”

 

Damian gestured playfully with a flick of his chin.

 

“We’ve come to have fun, so let’s enjoy ourselves to the fullest.”

 

That day, Charlize and Damian roamed the streets as if in a joyous frenzy.

 

They sampled the snacks sold on the street, and whenever something caught their interest, they eagerly turned their heads to get a better look.

 

Amidst their wanderings, a particular shop caught Charlize’s attention.

 

“Damian, look over there.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

Damian, whose steps were momentarily delayed by the touch on his sleeve, looked over with a busy stride.

 

It was a general store selling various trinkets and small items.

 

“I was planning to buy a gift anyway, so this works out well.”

 

“…A gift?”

 

“Yes. We must also prepare something for Their Majesties, the Empress and the Empress Dowager, as well as the Duke. Oh, and the maids…”

 

As Charlize rambled on with her meticulous responses, Damian looked down at her with a cool gaze.

 

“Charlize.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“You haven’t forgotten that today is our first day of our honeymoon, have you?”

 

“Of course not.”

 

Charlize nodded, her expression seeming to say, ‘Why would you ask such an obvious question?’

 

But Damian was already firmly entrenched in a state of exasperation.

 

“However, at that crepe shop earlier, they seemed to be treating the knights even better than me!”

 

“…Damian, really?”

 

“Are you already thinking about gifts for other people before me?”

 

At that blunt question, Charlize glared at her husband with a dumbfounded expression.

 

“What’s this? Don’t act like a child.”

 

“Even if I were a child, what can I do? How can I not be concerned?”

 

Sighing deeply, Charlize opened her mouth in a motherly tone, as if soothing a crying child.

 

“Then, Damian, stay here. I’ll go and see by myself.”

 

“What? Wait, Charlize…!”

 

Startled, Damian tried to grab hold of Charlize, but it was already too late.

 

Evading his touch with a cold composure, Charlize disappeared into the shop.

 

Damian was left behind with a truly forlorn expression.

 

The knights, who were discreetly guarding from a distance, barely suppressed their bursting laughter.

 

Damian, perceiving their demeanor as if he were a ghost, expressed his irritation towards the knights.

 

“What’s this? Have you been entertained?”

 

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

 

The knights hastily averted their gaze from Damian, trying to conceal their uncontrollable, innocent smiles.

 

To think that our majestic Emperor is in such a state of distress is quite amusing!

 

Long live the Empress!

 

***

 

At that moment, inside the shop, Charlize, who was engrossed in examining the items, unknowingly glanced towards the shop’s entrance.

 

“Hmm, have I been too harsh?”

 

Honestly, him acting like a child and complaining to her wasn’t a separate occurrence.

 

Moreover, from Damian’s perspective, it could be expected for him to focus more on himself during this hard-earned honeymoon.

 

‘…Should I go out for a bit now?’

 

Just as Charlize was hesitating about stepping out of the shop, a gentle inquiry reached her ears.

 

“Do you happen to be looking for something?”

 

Huh?

 

Charlize turned her gaze towards the source of the voice.

 

There stood a young man with a neat appearance, wearing a friendly smile.

 

“I noticed you’ve been looking at the items for a while but haven’t made a decision yet.”

 

“Oh, well…

 

Charlize responded with a somewhat ambiguous smile on her face.

 

‘Actually, I came on a honeymoon, but my husband is sulking and staying outside alone.’

 

So, I can’t choose anything because I’m concerned about him…

 

“I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine.”

 

“No, it’s because I want to help in any way I can.”

 

However, the other person was surprisingly persistent.

 

The young man, who had been rambling on for a while, tightly closed his eyes and spoke.

 

“To be honest… I’ve been watching you since earlier.”

 

“Me?”

 

“Yes. Well, if I say it like this, I might seem very strange, but I am definitely not a suspicious person.”

 

The young man hurriedly added, with a hint of urgency, “If I let you like this, I will continue to regret it, so I hastily spoke up.”

 

“…Pardon?”

 

The young man shyly smiled at Charlize, who blinked her eyes dazedly.

 

“Would you allow me the honor of inviting you to a meal or something?”

 

“No!”

 

At that moment, Damian burst into the shop.