The Evil Empress Adores Me-Chapter 40

A moment later.

The Empress rose to her feet.

"Then rest well, Crown Prince."

"Uh, Your Majesty!"

Diamid called out urgently.

Just as she was about to step out of the room, the Empress glanced back at him.

But Diamid couldn’t find the words easily.

The Empress furrowed her brows, about to say something when—

"...Thank you."

A very small voice escaped him.

Oh my.

The Empress stared at Diamid, clearly surprised.

"Hmm, I see."

With a soft smile, she gently shut the door behind her.

Click.

At that moment, Charlize grinned mischievously.

"Crown Prince, by the way."

"What."

"Have you, perhaps, fallen for Her Majesty’s charm too?"

"...That’s not it."

Diamid muttered sullenly and pulled the blanket over his head.

Charlize immediately pounced on him.

"Ah, get up! The soup is getting cold!"

"Just leave it there. I’ll eat it later."

"Don’t tell me, you’re sulking because I asked if you fell for Her Majesty’s charm?"

"I am not!"

An indignant shout rang out.

What’s this? So he is sulking!

Charlize struggled to suppress the laughter bubbling up inside her.

Three days passed.

Diamid had completely recovered.

With a puzzled look, he muttered,

"This is kind of strange."

"What is?"

"It feels like the time I was sick was much shorter than usual."

Huh? Why is that a problem?

I glanced at Diamid.

There was a deep crease between his brows.

"Before, I would be bedridden for nearly two weeks, but this time I recovered so quickly..."

Well, isn’t it a good thing to recover quickly?

Seriously, this {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} kid thinks way too much for his age.

I patted his shoulder a couple of times and then returned to the Empress’s palace.

Her Majesty greeted me warmly.

"Charl, perfect timing."

"Huh?"

I tilted my head.

Then, the Empress placed a soft, yellow plush toy into my arms.

"...A duck?"

"It’s a chick."

Ah, wait—why does Her Majesty look so dejected? Is it just my imagination?!

I felt a cold sweat run down my back.

Hurriedly, I hugged the plush tightly to my chest.

With the brightest voice I could muster, I exclaimed,

"Wow, woooow! It’s such a cute little chick!"

"Really? Do you like it?"

"I love it so much!"

And I meant it.

Duck or chick, who cares?

What mattered was that Her Majesty gave it to me!

"I see. So, do you like it more than the ribbon the Crown Prince gave you?"

"...You made this yourself?"

My eyes widened in shock.

Wait, did she actually make this? But Her Majesty is terrible at sewing!

My surprise didn’t last long.

That’s when I noticed the bandages wrapped all over her fingers.

I gasped in horror and clung to her hand.

"Your Majesty! Your fingers...!"

"Oh, it’s nothing."

"But it must have hurt..."

I looked up at her, teary-eyed.

What kind of battle did she fight with this chick plush for her hands to end up like this?!

The Empress only smiled gently and patted my head.

"Charl, it was something I had to do."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"The Crown Prince gave you the late Empress’s keepsake as a gift. I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing."

Huh?!

I gaped at her.

Your Majesty... It really would’ve been better if you had just done nothing...

But I couldn’t bring myself to say that, so I simply smiled awkwardly and pressed my lips shut.

The Empress, in a refreshingly bright voice, asked,

"I had to put as much sincerity into it as I could, don’t you think?"

...It really felt like her competitive spirit had been ignited.

But why, all of a sudden?

I gulped.

"Listen carefully, Charl. This plush has many uses."

"Uses?"

"Yes. You can hug it when you sleep, and when you’re angry, you can punch it as much as you like!"

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

The Empress enthusiastically listed its benefits, and I absentmindedly nodded.

O-oh... okay.

But if that’s the case, doesn’t the ribbon from Diamid work the same way?

I could tie it in my hair, use it as an accessory, or even attach it to my bag.

Instead of saying that, I just smiled.

Burying my face into the plush, I murmured,

"I really love this plush!"

Ahh, it’s so soft! I love it!

Lifting my head, I gave the Empress a thumbs-up.

"Her Majesty is the best!"

"No, our Charl is the best!"

Then, she pulled me into a hug.

I melted into her embrace.

Ah, I’m so happy!

I went to see Diamid again.

This time, I had to show off the chick plush the Empress had given me.

"What do you think? Look at this!"

I thrust the plush toward him.

Diamid fell into deep thought.

"...A duck?"

"It’s a chick!"

At his doubtful answer, I couldn’t help but get fired up.

Hey, I might’ve mistaken it for a duck too at first, but you should know better!

Diamid looked completely exasperated.

"No, in what world does this look like a chick?!"

"It is a chick! Her Majesty made it herself!"

"...Wait, Her Majesty made this plush?"

Diamid’s expression became rather complicated.

Why is he looking at me like that?

Puffing up my chest, I hugged the plush tightly.

"Yes! Actually, this is my first time owning a plush toy!"

It was true.

Plush toys were things normal kids played with.

But I was a maid. I never thought I would ever own something like this.

With a pleased smile, I gently stroked the soft fluff of the chick plush.

Diamid, watching me quietly, suddenly asked in a gruff voice,

"Then what about the ribbon?"

"Huh?"

"How many times have you received a ribbon as a gift?"

"...Um, that’s also a first."

I answered, a little confused.

Only then did Diamid look satisfied.

...Why exactly that satisfied him, I had no idea.

I shrugged and pulled out the ribbon he had given me.

"Anyway, about the ribbon you gave me."

"Hm?"

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"I decided to use it to decorate Pipi."

"...You already named it Pipi?"

Diamid looked appalled.

But I didn’t care and busied my hands.

So what? My plush, my rules.

I tied the ribbon around Pipi’s neck and lifted it toward him.

Look! Isn’t it pretty?

"Like this!"

"That ribbon... I gave it to you."

"When you combine good things, they become even better!"

How do you not get that?

I shot him a playful glare.

Diamid looked like he had a lot to say, but for once, he held his tongue.

Huh? That’s odd. Normally, he’d have some snarky remark ready.

I shoved the plush into his arms.

He instinctively caught it.

"...It’s soft."

"Right?"

I grinned at him.

Diamid, stroking the plush’s fur, eventually smiled back at me.