The Evil Empress Adores Me-Chapter 3

Rose Unni and I usually meet twice a week: Tuesdays and Saturdays.

These two days were actually scheduled solely for me.

Since trainee maids have a busy schedule, it was always Rose Unni who adjusted her plans to accommodate me.

‘...But Rose Unni, we couldn’t meet this Tuesday, either.’

And now, it seems we won’t be able to meet today, Saturday.

I drooped my shoulders, feeling downcast.

Sometimes, because of how busy work piles up, there are situations where we can’t meet.

Of course, even if Rose Unni breaks the appointment, she would never be angry, but I’m sure she wouldn’t like waiting around for someone who doesn’t show up.

So, I once asked her about the palace and her position.

I wanted to be able to contact her in advance if I were running late or couldn’t make it...

‘It’s okay, Charles. I enjoy the time spent waiting for you, just waiting for you to come.’

Rose Unni smiled brightly, like a flower in full bloom, as she answered me like that.

Unni, if you keep smiling like that, it makes me so flustered...!

I blanked out from her radiant smile, but then quickly snapped back to reality.

‘But what if I keep waiting and still can’t come...’

‘That wouldn’t be bad. I’d get to think about you all day long, wouldn’t I?’

‘Huh? What do you mean by that?’

‘It means I don’t mind waiting at all. You don’t have to worry about it.’

With that, Rose Unni squinted her eyes playfully.

Her wink made me forget all about my original purpose, and I simply nodded.

But now, in this situation where I can’t go today either, I regret not asking her more back then.

I hugged the large broom, almost the same size as me, and got lost in thought.

‘What should I do? Unni must be waiting for me again today.’

I really wanted to throw the broom aside and rush into her arms right now.

...but I can’t do that. I’m still just a trainee maid, not yet officially a full maid.

I can’t afford to get on anyone’s bad side.

And also, the other trainee maids don’t really like me either.

‘Now that I think about it... why doesn’t she tell me her real position?’

It would be nice if she did, right?

That way, if something like this happens again, we wouldn’t miss each other.

While I was mulling this over, a sudden ominous thought crossed my mind, and I froze.

Now that I think about it, high-ranking maids often get a lot of requests, right?

Could it be?

Is Rose Unni hiding her real identity because she’s worried I might beg her to work at the same palace as her?

Is she keeping it a secret so I don’t bother her?

No, that’s not it. I’m sure I would never put her in a difficult situation!!

Just as I pouted my lips in frustration, I heard a voice.

“Hey, Charles!”

Thud!

A dirty rag was suddenly thrown at the floor in front of me.

Wh-what’s going on? Why did she throw a rag at me?!

“...Becky, trainee maid?”

Becky, standing in front of me with a crooked posture, glared at me.

I sensed something was off today. She didn’t seem to be in a good mood at all.

The problem is that, when Becky’s in a bad mood, she always takes it out on me.

“Why are you standing there like that? What’s with the broom you’re hugging?”

See, she’s already picking a fight with me!

I felt my temper rising.

I’m cleaning here, can’t you see the piles of dust in front of me?

...I really wanted to snap back like that! Really!

But instead, I lowered my gaze and avoided her eyes.

“What’s with the sluggishness? Do you think you can get rid of the trainee maid tag like this?”

Becky scolded me while kicking the dust piles I had swept up with her toes.

Why did she scatter the dust I had already swept up?! And we’re both just trainee maids, aren’t we?!

“Anyway, I didn’t come here for nothing.”

...This doesn’t sound good.

Whenever Becky came to find me, it was always to pass off her work to me.

And sure enough, my instincts were right.

“The head maid told me to clean the stains in the main hall corridor.”

“...What?”

So, what do you want me to do? The main hall corridor is your responsibility, isn’t it?

I tried to express this in my gaze, but Becky just grinned unpleasantly.

With a shameless smile, Becky said, “I’m too busy to deal with the little things like cleaning the corridor.”

“B-but, that’s...”

“What? Are you saying you can’t do it?”

Becky’s eyes turned cold.

Scary.

I forced myself to hide the fear on my face and clamped my lips shut.

Honestly, no matter how much I claim, “Isn’t that your job?” I’ll be lucky if she doesn’t slap me.

There’s such a big difference in our rank, both in age and position!

Even though I’m an adult mentally, how is it fair for me to be treated like this by someone who looks like a five-year-old?!

“Make sure you wipe it thoroughly with a wet cloth, the head maid is coming to inspect.”

“...”

“Make sure to sweep up the dust too. You’ll be busy, won’t you?”

With that, Becky passed me by.

I stared at her retreating figure with burning eyes.

‘Ah, I’m really so annoyed!’

But instead of showing my anger, I sighed and picked up the damp rag.

To solve this petty harassment, I should tell the head maid about it.

But what if I get on her bad side?

‘The head maid has the power to assign trainee maids to various departments in the palace.’

That means, if I want to avoid being placed in the Emperor’s or Empress’s palace, I need to make sure I stay on the head maid’s good side.

In that situation, I can’t afford to bother her. It’s easier just to endure this one more time.

‘Yeah, but I’ve been enduring this well so far, right?’

I tried to think positively.

First, I gathered the scattered dust again, and then...

“...Ah!”

Crash!

I was hit by the broom, which was taller than me, and fell on my bottom.

The broom hit the ground with a thud. My small body made it hard to even sweep properly.

I felt a wave of frustration rise to my chest, and I unconsciously bit my lip.

I just want to grow up quickly! I don’t want to deal with these things anymore!

Struggling with a bucket full of water and the rag, I walked into the next scene and was taken aback.

“...Wow. Oh my.”

I had expected just a few muddy stains to clean, but the corridor was completely covered in shoeprints.

What the heck happened here? Were they dancing in the hallway?

‘I think I’ll need at least six hours to clean this up.’

Ugh, isn’t this a bit much for a five-year-old?

Hey, people of this world.

This is child labor exploitation!

“Ugh... fine, whatever. What’s the use of complaining?”

I shook my head and knelt down, flattening myself against the floor.

Even if I get upset, it’s not going to change anything. All it will do is delay my sleep.

I began focusing on cleaning.

I splashed some soapy water, scraped off the dried dirt, wiped away the moisture with the rag, and scrubbed until the surface was shiny...

“Ouch!”

In the middle of all this, I lost hold of the rag.

The sharp pain surged through my hands.

From all the soapy water I had been using all day, my hands were red and swollen.

I curled my fingers into a fist and whimpered.

“Ugh... it hurts.”

This isn’t good. I haven’t finished cleaning yet...

I gazed at the corridor, still covered in soapy water, with a dazed expression.

On top of that, my back, which had been bent all day, was aching badly.

I quickly wiped my hands on my apron and gave my back a few pats.

Ugh, will I even be able to sleep tonight?

“Charles?”

Just then, I heard someone calling my name.

Huh, whose voice is that?

I widened my eyes and turned around.

Could it be? Is this a hallucination? There’s no way Rose Unni would be here at this hour.

“R-Rose Unni!”

I jumped up from my spot.

The sight of Rose Unni, as beautiful as a single rose, standing in the corridor covered in soapy water was so mismatched it hurt my eyes.

Rose Unni looked around the area, and then her face hardened.

“I was worried, so I came to check. You didn’t come out last time, and there was no news again today...”

“Unni.”

I ran toward her, wide-eyed.

But I froze. This was the first °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° time I had seen Rose Unni with such a serious expression.

“Charles, why are you here alone?”

“Huh? Well...”

“...Don’t tell me you’re cleaning this entire corridor by yourself?”

Why does her voice sound colder than a north wind?

It’s just my imagination, right?

“Umm, well... um...”

I hesitated for a moment, feeling guilty (even though I’ve complained so much before, but still!).

Rose Unni gave me a stern look.

After a moment, she spoke firmly.

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“If you feel guilty about telling me, don’t worry about it.”

“Huh?”

I flinched.

Unni, do you have some kind of superpower that lets you see right through me?

“For whatever reason, it’s absolutely unreasonable to make a child like you clean this entire corridor.”

“B-but...”

I chewed on my lips.

Even though Rose Unni told me not to feel guilty about telling her, my real concern was...

‘...It’s more about worrying about Unni.’