The Evil Empress Adores Me-Chapter 4
I glanced at Rose Unni from the corner of my eye.
If I were to tell her all my trivial problems, I’m sure Rose Unni would rush to help me, solving everything for me.
...But isn’t that something that could burden her?
What if these little things keep piling up, and eventually, I become an annoying little bother to her...?
“Charles.”
Just then, Rose Unni, who had bent her knee, looked straight into my eyes.
She asked me carefully,
“Is it possible that I haven’t been able to earn your trust so far?”
“Huh? No, that’s not it...!”
“Of course, you must have your own reasons for not wanting to speak about certain things....”
Rose Unni paused for a moment, and with a soft sigh, she continued,
“But still... I wish you would lean on me if you have any difficulties.”
“Unni...”
“Of course, I don’t want to force you, but... okay?”
As she spoke, Rose Unni gently lowered her gaze.
Her emerald-like eyes glimmered sadly under the long lashes.
I froze. How could I stay silent when my angel-like Rose Unni looked at me like that?
“...Alright, I understand.”
In the end, I nodded slightly.
To hear her say something like that really touched me.
With my eyes welling up, I began to complain about everything that had happened so far.
“So, Becky, the trainee maid, you see...”
“Mm-hmm.”
“She kicked the dust I had swept up and told me to clean everything here...”
Ugh, just talking about it made me feel even worse.
Before I knew it, I was sniffling.
“...That happened?”
“Mm-hmm... it did...”
I glanced at Rose Unni, who was listening attentively.
She was such a good listener.
The atmosphere felt like I could share everything, and I ended up spilling all that had happened.
Rose Unni’s eyes sharpened.
“Becky... that trainee maid, huh?”
She repeated the name a couple of times before standing up.
She then glared fiercely down the wide corridor, as if deep in thought.
What could she be thinking so seriously about?
I tilted my head in curiosity.
“...How should I deal with this?”
Huh? Did she just say that?
Surprised, I looked back at her.
Rose Unni’s eyes were now narrowed with intensity.
“No, not now. If I’m not careful, Charles will find out...”
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Her voice was so soft that I couldn’t make out exactly what she said.
But she definitely said “Charles”!
“Unni, did I say something wrong?”
I looked up at her with fearful eyes.
Unni, why are you muttering my name so threateningly?
At the sound of my voice, she flinched and turned back to me.
With a clean smile, she shook her head.
“It’s nothing. More importantly, Charles.”
“Huh?”
“If this keeps up, you won’t get any sleep tonight.”
At her firm words, I slumped my shoulders.
True, I had been cleaning the corridor for the past four hours.
But since I hadn’t even finished wiping up the moisture, it would take all night to finish...
“Let’s clean together.”
Huh?
I was startled.
I couldn’t imagine Rose Unni’s fair hands holding a rag to clean.
“Unni, it’s fine. I can do it on my own!”
I clenched my fists tightly and shook my head.
Even though I may not have the strength, I still have my conscience.
I can’t drag my precious Rose Unni into this! I’ll do it myself!
“No, Charles.”
But Rose Unni shook her head firmly.
She bent down and looked me in the eyes, speaking earnestly.
“When I see you cleaning alone, it breaks my heart.”
“B-but... this isn’t even your palace...”
“It’s fine. I’ll make sure the head maid won’t have a problem with it. Don’t worry.”
...Something about her saying that made me feel like it would be okay?
I was slightly tempted.
Though I didn’t know her exact rank, seeing her so confident made me think she was probably a high-ranking maid.
If that’s the case, I’m sure the head maid would let it slide.
I hesitated for a moment before nodding.
“Okay, thank you, Unni!”
I shouldn’t let my Rose Unni do anything rough!
I’ll do all the cleaning, and Unni can just pretend to help!
...Five hours later.
Rose Unni, slumped on the floor, stared at the ground dejectedly.
“It’s fine, Unni.”
I patted her gently on the shoulder as she sat there.
She looked up at me with a pout.
Even now, I couldn’t help thinking her sad expression was cute... Maybe I was just a little too infatuated?
“You’re good at other things, Unni, so it’s okay if you’re not good at cleaning.”
I spoke seriously.
Hmm, I really do love Rose Unni with all my heart, but when it comes to cleaning, she’s hopeless.
Rose Unni pouted as she spoke softly,
“Thanks for the encouragement, Charles...”
Wait, I’m not sure I helped much with that...
I swallowed dryly, then stepped closer to her.
“B-but Unni...”
She raised her head slightly.
I started listing her qualities, counting them on my fingers.
“You’re great at setting the table, and you sing really well!”
That was a fact I could confirm!
I could be a witness to that!
We had met a few times in secret, and the roses she arranged always looked like fresh flowers, and when I heard her lullaby, I’d fall asleep immediately!
Plus, Unni has something no one else can compare to.
“And Unni is the most beautiful person in the world!”
At my firm declaration, her emerald eyes grew wide.
A moment later, she burst out laughing.
“Charles, you really made me happy saying that.”
“You’re right! Unni is the most beautiful in the world!”
“Okay, okay.”
Rose Unni spread her arms wide.
I almost rushed to hug her out of habit, but then stopped.
I stepped back.
“...Charles, what’s wrong?”
Unni immediately looked hurt.
I looked between her clean clothes and my dirty ones, then carefully spoke up.
“My clothes are dirty...”
That’s right. After cleaning the corridor all day, my maid outfit was covered in dust and mud.
I didn’t want to hug her and get her clothes dirty too.
But at that moment.
“You don’t need to worry about that, Charles.”
With a sweet voice, Unni closed the distance between us.
She gently reached out, wrapping her arms around me so I couldn’t pull away.
Rose Unni’s graceful and sweet scent tickled my nose.
“Let’s rest for a bit, and then we can finish cleaning. Okay?”
“Mm!”
I squeezed her neck tightly, smiling brightly.
Rose Unni, you’re the light and salt of my palace life!
After about two hours, we finally finished cleaning.
While I was wiping the floor, Rose Unni kept muttering things I couldn’t understand with a serious expression...
“...How should I deal with this?”
“Huh, Unni?”
“Huh? Why are you calling me, Charles?”
...When she turned to me, her face was all smiles, so I couldn’t figure out what she had been mumbling about.
“Phew, finally done.”
“Mm-hmm, all done!”
After a short while, Unni and I looked at the gleaming, cleaned main hall corridor, feeling proud.
Hah, so it really is done.
Rose Unni, who had been sitting on the floor, placed her hand on my head gently and said kindly.
“You did great, Charles.”
“You too, Unni!”
Then I noticed Unni sitting on the floor.
Huh, our Unni is sitting on the bare floor!
“This is the first time I’ve seen you sit on the floor...”
“Ah, so it is?”
Unni, who had opened her eyes wide, burst into laughter.
It made sense, though. Rose Unni had always been somewhat refined.
She would never sit on the floor without at least a handkerchief underneath, but there she was, laughing with dust on her clothes.
I glanced at her from the corner of my eye.
Could she be a maid who came from a noble family?
After all, Rose Unni did look like someone from a noble family, head to toe.
‘Come to think of it, maids from noble families usually...’
...Get assigned to the Empress’s Palace, probably?
Suddenly, my face went pale.
The Empress, the empress of the empire, was once the only daughter of the empire's greatest noble family, even when she was unmarried.
It’s rumored that the Empress’s Palace only accepts maids from /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ noble families...
But why?
I swallowed nervously.
Why am I thinking about the Empress now?
No, Rose Unni and the Empress are probably not connected in any way!
“Charles, are you really that tired? Your face is so pale.”
Just then, I snapped back to reality at her concerned voice.
