The Evil Empress Adores Me-Chapter 44

I shot up from my seat.

Startled, the senior maid called out to me.

“Charl, where are you going?”

“I—I’m going to clean!”

I dashed outside with determination.

As I grabbed a broom and dustpan, Senior Maid Weber followed me with a puzzled expression.

“What’s with the sudden urge to clean?”

“Well, isn’t it a maid’s duty?”

Gripping the broom tightly, I began sweeping the corners of the garden.

Senior Maid Weber, who had been trailing behind me, narrowed her eyes.

“I’ve noticed... whenever you have something on your mind, you tend to throw yourself into work.”

Her gentle voice reached my ears.

“I don’t know what’s troubling you, but you don’t have to push yourself so hard.”

“Senior Maid...”

“You’re still a child, after all.”

“......”

You’re still young.

I clenched my teeth at those words.

I knew that Weber meant well.

Yes, I was still young.

I still had plenty of time before I became an adult.

But...

“Someday... I won’t be young anymore.”

“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”

“So... I have to prepare for that time.”

What’s with this girl?

Weber looked down at me with an expression that clearly conveyed that thought.

But I ignored it and focused on sweeping again.

Then—

‘Huh?’

Lifting my head, I spotted the Empress strolling toward me from afar.

Reflexively, I took a step back, then quickly turned to Weber.

“I—I’ll be heading to the Crown Prince’s Palace!”

“What? All of a sudden?”

“I just... wanted to check on His Highness! And, um, bring him some snacks!”

Muttering a hasty excuse, I bolted.

It probably looked like I was avoiding the Empress.

‘But... something just feels strange about facing her right now.’

It was like swallowing a large chunk of ice—an unsettling chill settled deep in my chest.

If I could become a fully capable maid, someone who could stand on her own...

If I could gain the Empress’s trust without being ‘just a child’...

‘Then... maybe I won’t have to feel this way anymore.’

As I ran, I glanced back.

In the distance, the Empress was speaking with Senior Maid Weber.

My heart stirred uneasily, and I let out °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° a soft sigh.

“Senior Maid Weber.”

Lisa Weber, who had been staring absentmindedly in the direction Charlize had run off, snapped back to attention at the voice calling her.

“I greet Your Majesty the Empress.”

“Mm.”

The Empress gave a slight nod, then frowned.

“Was Charl here just now?”

“Yes, she was.”

Hearing that, the Empress’s expression darkened even further.

The way Charlize had bolted away like a startled rabbit...

‘It looked like she was running away from me.’

Noticing the Empress’s displeasure, Weber quickly added,

“S-She said she was heading to the Crown Prince’s Palace.”

“Is that so?”

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Something about Charlize was off.

But what exactly was wrong... the Empress couldn’t quite pinpoint.

With a vague sense of unease, she narrowed her eyes.

After dumping a pile of snacks onto the dining table at the Crown Prince’s Palace, I let out another sigh.

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If the ground sank every time I sighed, the path I walked would be covered in craters by now.

My thoughts were a mess.

Hmm, when I feel like this, the best way to clear my mind is...

‘Making something clean and shiny!’

So, I grabbed a cloth and started scrubbing the windows of the sitting room.

Might as well clean all of them while I’m at it!

Hearing the squeaky sound of the glass becoming spotless, I started to feel a little better.

I became completely absorbed in the task, moving my hands diligently.

Then—

“...Is your goal today to rub a hole into the window?”

“Huh?”

A bored voice snapped me out of my trance.

I turned to see Diamid standing beside me, looking at me with a blank expression.

“You’ve been scrubbing that window nonstop for a while now.”

“I—I was just getting rid of the dust!”

“What dust?”

Diamid wiped his finger along the window frame and then held it up to my face.

To my frustration, his fingertip was completely clean.

“See? There’s nothing there.”

“...Tch.”

Pouting, I put the cloth down.

When I turned around, I noticed the windows I had cleaned were gleaming.

Well... at least they were spotless.

Diamid, observing my sulky expression, asked nonchalantly,

“Something on your mind?”

“Huh? No, it’s nothing.”

I shook my head instinctively, then hesitantly glanced at him.

Unfortunately, he was also looking at me at that exact moment.

Our eyes met.

Diamid’s brows furrowed immediately.

“What? If you have something to say, just say it instead of acting all hesitant.”

“Well, um...”

I chewed on my lip for a moment.

How was I supposed to explain this strange feeling?

As I hesitated, Diamid impatiently urged me.

“What are you trying to say? Just spit it out.”

“Well... Your Highness.”

“Yeah.”

Diamid nodded.

Encouraged, I cautiously continued.

“If Your Highness kept someone around because of a particular trait of theirs...”

“A trait? What kind?”

“There are all sorts of things. Maybe they’re skilled at something, or maybe... they’re young...”

Feeling a bit dispirited, I slumped my shoulders.

But I was already halfway in—I had to finish what I started.

Resolutely, I looked Diamid in the eye.

“But what if that trait disappeared?”

“And then?”

“...What would Your Highness do?”

Holding my breath, I waited for his answer.

But his reaction was underwhelming.

He simply tilted his head and replied,

“Dunno?”

“I’m being serious, Your Highness!”

I couldn’t help but snap.

Diamid shrugged.

“Well, if the only reason I kept someone around was because of that specific ‘trait’...”

“T-Then?”

“Then if that trait disappeared, I’d probably just drift away from them.”

Thud.

The cloth slipped from my hands and crumpled onto the floor.

My heart sank.

I froze in place.

Diamid blinked in alarm.

“Charl, you’ve gone completely pale!”

“I-I’m fine. Just keep explaining.”

“That’s not the issue—”

“It is the issue.”

I must’ve looked desperate because Diamid flinched.

“W-Well, I mean...”

“Well?”

“...It’s rare for someone to build a relationship based on a single trait alone, isn’t it?”

Diamid seemed to consider his words carefully before speaking.

Really?

I blinked.

Diamid continued calmly.

“And if you’ve spent time with someone, you’d naturally develop some attachment to them.”

Hmm... that made sense, but...

I remained skeptical.

Diamid gave me an exasperated look.

“I just shared my thoughts, so why are you making that face?”

“No, I get what you’re saying, but...”

But the person I was talking about was Her Majesty the Empress.

Could I really rely on ‘time spent together’ and ‘fondness built over that time’?

‘She’s someone who stands far beyond my reach.’

I needed something more solid—something I could rely on.

“In that kind of situation... if someone wanted to stay by that person’s side no matter what...”

I licked my dry lips and asked,

“What would be the best thing to do?”

“Well, wouldn’t it be safest to develop another appealing quality?”

Diamid answered lightly.

“That way, the person would have a reason to keep them around.”

“T-That makes sense, right?”

I finally felt a little relieved.

Yeah, I wasn’t completely off-track!

For once, I had a decent idea.

I just had to keep working hard and become a truly capable maid.

Even if I wasn’t a child anymore, the Empress would still see me as someone useful!

Just as I was basking in my own sense of accomplishment—

“Hey, Charl. This is just my opinion, but...”

“Yes?”

I turned to him.

Diamid, unusually serious, frowned slightly and said,

“I don’t know how to put this exactly, but...”

He hesitated before finally asking,

“Isn’t that kind of relationship... a little strange?”