The Evil Empress Adores Me-Chapter 39

"아니에요, 솔직히 예쁘잖아요."

The Empress stared at Charlize with a look of utter shock.

With a trembling voice, she spoke.

"Sha, Charl... Surely, you're not taking the Crown Prince’s side over mine...?"

"This ribbon, I heard it’s a keepsake from the late Empress."

"Is... is that so?"

The Empress glanced at Diamid with an 'ah, I see' expression.

Then, after clearing her throat with a small cough, she spoke again.

"Now that I look at it again, it’s quite a beautiful ribbon."

"Right?"

Even as the Empress changed her stance as easily as flipping her palm, Charlize simply gazed up at her with sparkling eyes.

As if to say, ‘As expected, our Empress is the best!’ with her entire being.

Diamid suddenly felt a pang of sorrow at the difference in how Charlize treated him versus how she treated the Empress.

At that moment, Charlize turned to him.

"Ah, by the way. You're hungry, aren't you?"

"Huh?"

"The soup Her Majesty sent earlier, there’s still some left. I’ll bring it for you!"

And with that, before Diamid could even respond, she dashed out of the room.

Left alone, Diamid and the Empress exchanged awkward glances.

Diamid’s pupils trembled as if an earthquake had struck them.

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What should he do? He should at least say something. At the very least, he should thank her...

"Crown Prince."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The Empress suddenly called out to him.

Slightly tense, Diamid looked up at her.

"I did not come all the way to the Crown Prince’s quarters to devour you."

"...Pardon?"

"I came because I worried you might feel burdened by the situation."

The Empress, with her usual unreadable expression, continued without even raising an eyebrow.

Diamid looked at her with a surprised expression.

Come to think of it, the Empress was someone who rarely showed emotion.

The only time she ever smiled brightly was when Charlize was by her side.

With an indifferent voice, the Empress continued.

"I told you before, didn’t I? Protecting the Crown Prince is my duty."

"I remember."

"I am merely fulfilling that duty. And also—"

Also?

Diamid tilted his head.

After pausing for a moment, the Empress casually threw out a rare, long-winded remark.

"Since Charl is very concerned about the Crown Prince, I thought I should help as well."

Wait a moment.

When she said, 'Charl is very concerned about the Crown Prince,' didn't her expression show the faintest trace of irritation...?

Was he imagining it?

As Diamid hesitated in confusion, he unknowingly let out a small smile.

‘If Charl is really that concerned about me...’

Just thinking about it made his mouth taste as sweet as if he had just sucked on a candy.

‘What is this feeling?’

It had been so long since someone had cared for him so attentively.

Was that why?

...Whatever the case, it wasn’t a bad feeling.

The Empress narrowed her eyes.

"You seem to be in quite a good mood."

"Ah, well."

Was it that obvious?

Diamid rubbed the corner of his lips.

The edges of his mouth had curled up far more than he had realized.

Ah, this is bad.

He quickly adjusted his expression.

Only then did the Empress’s gaze soften slightly.

"At any rate, I also want to thank the Crown Prince for getting along with Charlize."

Her voice had eased a little.

Diamid quietly observed her.

The Empress let out a small sigh.

"Charlize has no friends her age, after all."

"Friends her age?"

"Yes. Charl has only ever lived among people older than her."

At those words, Diamid fell silent.

He had heard that Charlize had been abandoned at the palace as soon as she was born and raised as a trainee maid under strict discipline.

Her maturity was likely a means of survival.

"There were times when she seemed too grown-up for her age, and it always made me feel sorry for her."

"...Your Majesty."

"But when she’s with you, at least then... Charl finally looks her age."

As the Empress said that, a soft smile unknowingly formed on her lips.

Diamid asked a question.

"...Your Majesty seems very fond of Charlize."

"Of course. That child is the only joy in my life at the imperial palace."

The Empress spoke without even a flicker of hesitation.

Diamid suddenly felt a wave of guilt.

If he hadn't been involved, the two of them could have continued their peaceful life.

Unexpectedly, he opened his mouth.

"I’m always sorry, Your Majesty."

At his sudden apology, the Empress narrowed her eyes and looked at him.

Diamid continued.

"I know very well that Your Majesty cannot like me."

"What are you talking about?"

"If I were gone, His Majesty’s position would be more secure, wouldn’t it?"

A deep wrinkle formed between the Empress’s brows.

The current Emperor was the younger brother of the late Emperor.

Naturally, his legitimacy was weak.

That was why he had claimed regency over the Crown Prince, as a way to reinforce his claim.

Which meant, once the Crown Prince grew up, he would have to return the throne.

"If I die, it would be a blow to the legitimacy of the throne, so he neither kills me nor lets me live freely. I understand that position."

"Crown Prince."

"But despite that, Your Majesty is taking care of me, whom His Majesty sees as a thorn in his side."

The Empress’s eyes narrowed.

To see an eight-year-old child analyze the situation so clearly and apologize for being a burden—she found it unpleasant.

Children should be children.

Yet seeing him forced to grow up too quickly just to survive...

"...You’re strangely similar to Charl."

Because it reminded her of Charlize, who had once pleaded, ‘Please don’t throw me away.’

Diamid looked puzzled.

"Excuse me?"

"It’s nothing."

The Empress turned away indifferently.

Diamid, watching her profile, gave a bitter smile.

‘Similar to Charlize,’ she said.

That statement stung more than expected.

Even ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ though he was currently confined, he was still the Crown Prince of the empire.

And yet, to be compared to a mere five-year-old maid...

‘It just means I’m that powerless.’

In fact, wasn’t he even more helpless than Charlize?

Unlike him, who remained stuck in the Crown Prince’s quarters without daring to leave, Charlize had taken action.

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She had come to find him, nursed him when he was sick, and even asked the Empress for help.

Meanwhile, all Diamid had done was receive her help.

‘...But I can’t stay like this forever.’

Diamid clenched his fist.

His bony knuckles stood out against his pale skin.

He had to become stronger.

Not just for himself, but to protect those who stayed by his side.

Diamid spoke.

"I understand that I must be a burden to Your Majesty right now."

"Crown Prince, that’s..."

"But."

Huh?

The Empress blinked at him.

A firm voice filled the air.

"From now on, I will do my best to ensure I am no longer a burden."

"...You will do your best, you say."

"Yes. Right now, I lack the power to protect those around me."

His crimson eyes shone with newfound determination.

"But at the very least, I don’t want to cause them harm."

"...Crown Prince."

"And one day... I want to protect them."

"Who?"

"The person who reached out to me when I was at my lowest."

The girl who suddenly appeared in the Crown Prince’s quarters one day.

Who reminded him how to smile.

Who shared warmth with him.

Who cried with him when he was in pain.

Charlize.

The Empress quietly took him in with her gaze, then shook her head slightly.

"It seems you’re misunderstanding something, Crown Prince."

Her deep green eyes met his directly.

"I never wanted the position of Empress. So I hold no grudge against you."

"...What do you mean?"

Diamid’s eyes widened in shock.

But the Empress wasn’t finished.

"And instead of hearing apologies from you."

"..."

"I’d rather hear you say thank you."

She said it with unwavering resolve.

Diamid’s eyes trembled.

"And rather than seeing you wallow in self-pity..."

The Empress gave a small, playful smile.

"I prefer seeing you like this—full of spirit."