The Evil Empress Adores Me-Chapter 15

"Ugh."

For the first time, a sound of air escaping came from the Empress, who had always been so composed.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

"H-how does the head maid know about that?"

"She's been following you around so obviously, how could she not know?"

"That's not true. I've been hiding it as much as I can..."

A deep crease formed on the Empress's beautiful forehead.

After a brief pause, the Empress asked in a cautious voice.

"Does... does Charles know too?"

"Well, it’s possible, since she’s a quick-witted child."

"Oh no. This can’t happen."

At the head maid’s firm response, the Empress’s face fell, her shoulders slumping.

The head maid sighed heavily.

"If Your Majesty keeps hiding like this, it will interfere with the servants' work."

"I know, it’s unbecoming of an Empress. But..."

The Empress bit her lip, her voice wavering.

"I... I’ve upset Charles."

"Charles is upset with you?"

"Yes."

She avoided my gaze.

The weight in my chest felt suffocating, as if a stone had been placed there.

"I want to apologize, but I don't know how."

"Is Charles really that important to you?"

"Of course."

Her voice was firm.

Lifting her head, the Empress looked directly at the head maid.

Her deep green eyes were steady.

"Charles is one of the few who has sincerely cared for me."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Even though she didn’t know I was the Empress, she smiled brightly at me."

A cute girl, like one made of pure white and lilac.

When I saw her smile, I felt like I could lay down all my worries and troubles.

The Empress gave a slight smile.

"You know, don’t you? The reason everyone follows me is because I am the Empress of this empire."

A short laugh mixed with her words.

The Empress, the matriarch of the empire, Windsor’s first lady.

In truth, the Empress never once desired those brilliant titles. Because in front of those names, 'Eloise' as an individual meant nothing.

But Charles... she saw her as 'Rose,' as an individual.

"If Charles weighs so heavily on your mind, why not have a serious conversation with her?"

"...A conversation?"

"Yes. She’s a bright child, she’ll understand Your Majesty's words well."

At the head maid’s advice, the Empress fell silent.

It was a long while before she spoke again, her voice heavy.

"What if Charles rejects me? What if she says she has no intention of forgiving me...?"

"It would still be better than not saying anything at all."

The Empress looked up at the head maid, as though waiting for an answer.

The head maid smiled gently.

"You said Charles is important, didn’t you?"

"..."

"If you let this pass without saying anything, Your Majesty will lose Charles forever."

The Empress nodded.

Right, I couldn’t just watch Charles drift away from me.

The next morning.

After a quick wash and changing clothes, I was about to start my day when I opened the door.

Or rather, I tried to open it.

Without thinking, when I opened the door, I screamed loudly.

"Ah!"

Because, right in front of my door, the Empress was crouching!

Who could not be startled in such a situation?

When did she even get here?

I approached the Empress in shock.

"Y-your Majesty!!"

Then, the Empress slowly raised her head and looked at me.

I, flustered, opened my mouth.

"The... the floor is cold. You shouldn’t be sitting like this...!"

Instead of answering, the Empress locked eyes with me.

Her gaze was so intense that I shrunk, feeling like my heart would stop.

Did I do something wrong?

Please, just say something! My heart is pounding!

"Charles."

"Y-yes!"

"Let’s talk."

...If you wanted to talk to me, couldn't you just have called me to your office?

I barely suppressed the urge to ask.

Also, that phrase, "Let’s talk," is so scary!

The Empress silently led the way.

We walked for a while, and a familiar sight came into view.

'W-where is this?'

I couldn’t help but widen my eyes.

A quiet, secluded palace with no one in sight.

The rose bushes in full bloom cast red shadows in the area, a place where Rose Unni and I had once shared our secrets.

So many memories had been made in this garden...

A wave of emotion filled my chest.

At that moment, the Empress spoke.

"Charles."

I flinched and looked at the Empress.

She adjusted her shawl and met my gaze.

"You know, this is actually a part of the Empress’s palace."

"...What?"

I swallowed hard at hearing those words for the first time.

It was in this garden where Rose Unni and I had first met, after all.

Had I unknowingly approached the Empress first?

"Come sit."

"..."

The Empress spread a handkerchief on the ground and gestured for me to sit.

My eyes trembled slightly.

The good times spent with the Empress came rushing back.

Sitting together under the rose shade, chatting away as I spilled my thoughts, with Rose Unni quietly listening...

...No, with the Empress.

I hesitated before sitting down on the handkerchief.

The Empress sat closely beside me.

The warmth of her body against mine made me feel as if my heart would overflow.

"At first, I just noticed you."

Her deep green eyes softly gazed at me.

The Empress continued in a calm tone.

"Isn’t that right? The palace is full of people, but there are very few children."

I nodded slightly.

To be more precise, it wasn’t just that they were rare—it was that I was the only one, really.

Maids typically leave the palace when they marry.

Though it’s common for them to return after raising children...

And according to the original story, the Empress had never had a child.

"That a child was a maid was surprising, but that you were hiding in a corner of my palace, crying... that was unexpected."

The Empress’s gaze became wistful as she recalled that time.

After a moment, she smiled faintly.

"...So, impulsively, I spoke to you. Would you ask me ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) what I meant?"

"Ah, about...?"

"About the lady who visited the palace."

Right, back then, I was so naive.

I took a moment to reflect.

But, wasn’t this all so confusing?

Meeting the Empress in the corner of the palace by chance... a coincidence like that, even a novel wouldn’t be this contrived!

"When people find out I’m the Empress, they avoid me. They respect me, but they also fear me."

"Well, since you are the Empress... it’s only natural for people to both respect and fear you, isn’t it?"

"But that reverence is given to 'Eloise,' not to the Empress of Windsor."

I felt my voice falter.

The Empress’s smile deepened.

It was a smile tinged with weariness.

"So, I hoped that at least one person would treat me as 'Eloise,' not as the Empress."

"...Your Majesty."

"It might sound like an excuse, but that’s why I lied about being a maid."

Hearing her honest words, I didn’t know how to respond.

Until now, I had been caught between 'Rose Unni' and 'The Empress,' two contradictory names.

Was I just confused?

...Maybe not.

To be honest...

'I think I felt betrayed.'

The fact that the Empress had deceived me hurt more than I could say.

I had loved 'Rose Unni.'

As sincere as I had been with her, all the memories we had shared up until now... they all felt like lies.

"I thought it would be easier to talk to you like this, and that it wouldn’t be strange to see you often in the palace."

But hearing the Empress’s true feelings, I asked myself a question.

If the Empress had revealed she was the Empress from the beginning, would I have treated her sincerely?

No, I wouldn’t have.

Until now, my only goal had been to avoid the Empress.

Because 'the original Empress' had killed 'the original Charlize.'

But...

I’m no longer 'the original Charlize,' and the Empress might not be the same either.

Perhaps the one who couldn’t see past her own biases...

Was me.

I pressed my lips together.

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"Spending time with you, I kept being reminded of you."

"Why?"

"Because your gaze was so unlike that of a child."

Her words, which had been flowing gently, stopped.

After a pause, the Empress answered with a deep sigh.

"Your gaze seemed like you had given up on everything, and it reminded me of myself."

"..."

"And that made me care about you more."

The look that seemed to have given up on everything.

I think I know what the Empress meant.

It was when I was desperately trying to avoid the original story.

Just trying to survive, I endured the bullying from the trainee maids.

And the Empress must have seen herself in me.