The Evil Empress Adores Me-Chapter 45

"......Is that strange?"

"Yeah. Liking someone because they have certain qualities—where does «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» that even come from?"

Is that so?

Now that I think about it, it does seem that way...

I felt a little dispirited.

"Liking someone isn't about having conditions attached...."

Diamid tilted his head slightly, meeting my gaze.

His striking crimson eyes, as always, were unwavering.

"Shouldn't you like someone simply because they're that person?"

Diamid’s calm voice felt like it pierced the deepest part of my chest.

Instead of answering, I forced a smile.

I desperately hoped my smile looked the same as usual.

The Empress, Eloise, was in a foul mood all day.

Her expression was so terrifying that even the maids, who usually followed her faithfully, were discreetly avoiding her.

And the reason was...

"Head Maid Hayden."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Charles has been avoiding me lately... Do you know why?"

The Empress looked at Head Maid Hayden with an irritated expression.

"Every time I try to get close to her, she scurries away."

The Empress thought back to Charles' recent behavior.

Whenever she invited her to have a snack together, Charles would suddenly exclaim, 'Ah, I’m sorry! I just remembered I have to clean something!' and run off.

Whenever they were in the same space, she would quietly get up and start wiping the table.

The Empress could feel her frustration boiling.

"Is the Empress’s Palace so busy these days?!"

"Huh? No, it's the same as always."

"Then why is Charles so busy?"

The Empress uncharacteristically questioned Hayden in a sharp tone.

The Head Maid blinked.

"Well... She has been working harder than usual, taking the initiative on tasks."

"Could it be that the new maids are giving her a hard time even after we replaced them...?"

"That wouldn’t be possible. I’ve been keeping an eye on things."

Hayden spoke reassuringly.

But even she found Charles' behavior strange.

"Working hard isn't a bad thing, so I let it go, but..."

A deep wrinkle formed between Hayden's brows.

"It does seem a little unusual."

"Right? What on earth is going on?"

The Empress slumped into her chair.

Her fiery red hair covered her face as a weary voice slipped through.

"Charles isn’t clinging to me... I feel drained."

Your Majesty...

Hayden let out an awkward chuckle.

And then, after a brief silence—

"This won’t do."

"Excuse me?"

The Empress suddenly lifted her head.

"I need to talk to Charles."

"My goodness, what a wonderful idea."

Hayden nodded enthusiastically.

Rather than dealing with the Empress' mood swings twelve times a day, this seemed like the better alternative.

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That evening.

I returned to the Empress's Palace a little later than usual.

Because I had dinner with Diamid.

'Isn't the Empress going to scold me for coming back late?'

Diamid had grumbled about it, but I could tell he didn't actually mind me staying longer.

...The Empress isn’t here, right?

I looked around cautiously before sneaking back to my room.

Maybe it was because I had been cleaning all day to keep my mind off things, but my body felt as heavy as wet cotton.

After quickly washing up and changing into my nightgown, I crawled onto my bed.

Only after hugging Pippi tightly did I finally feel a sense of comfort.

I can’t keep avoiding the Empress forever...

I looked down at Pippi with a complicated expression.

Come to think of it, the Empress' fingers had been covered in tiny wounds after making Pippi for me.

Lost in thought, I suddenly heard—

Knock, knock.

The short knocking sound made me lift my head.

Huh? Who could it be at this hour?

"Who is it—huh?"

I opened the door absentmindedly, then widened my eyes in shock.

The person standing there, looking down at me with a determined expression, was...

"Your Majesty?!"

The Empress.

Wait, why is she here all of a sudden?

I stared at her in confusion before blurting out,

"Um... Is something wrong?"

At my question, the Empress' expression immediately turned crestfallen.

"Why? Do I need a reason to come see you?"

Her voice, laced with dejection, rang in my ears.

Flustered, I quickly shook my head.

"N-No, that’s not what I meant...!"

"I just wanted to see my Charles."

Huh?

What does she mean, she wanted to see me?

I stared at her in disbelief.

"Um... But you’ve already seen me a lot today..."

"Just because we were in the same space doesn’t mean I really saw you."

The Empress spoke firmly.

Oh.

Feeling slightly awkward, I stared down at my toes.

Then, the Empress' hand gently landed on my head.

Her touch was warm and affectionate.

"Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I last saw you in your nightgown."

"A-Ah, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t be dressed like this in front of Your Majesty...!"

Panicked, I took a step back.

At my reaction, the Empress' eyes darkened.

"No, I wasn’t expecting an apology..."

She let out a deep sigh before suddenly wrapping her arms around me and lifting me up.

W-What is happening?!

My body stiffened involuntarily.

Seeing this, the Empress' expression hardened slightly.

"Why are you so tense?"

"T-This isn’t appropriate... I’m just a maid..."

I murmured in a tiny voice, trying to stop her.

But my words trailed off.

Looking back, maybe I had been too bold before, allowing myself to be held by the Empress so easily.

What had I been thinking?

"......"

The Empress pressed her lips together and stared at me intently.

I suddenly felt guilty, so I turned my head away, avoiding her gaze.

"Charles, you..."

The Empress' expression darkened even more.

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She seemed like she wanted to say something but ended up shaking her head in frustration.

"I think we need to have a talk."

T-Talk?

For some reason, the Empress seemed deeply troubled.

Feeling a lump form in my throat, I swallowed dryly.

Still held in her arms, I was carried out to the veranda overlooking the garden.

The refreshing summer night breeze gently swept over me.

The table was filled with all my favorite snacks.

I felt an unexpected tightness in my chest.

The Empress had probably gone through the trouble of preparing all this just to make me feel comfortable.

So that I wouldn’t feel out of place here.

"Come, sit."

After seating me at the table, the Empress pushed a plate of madeleines in front of me.

Normally, I would have grabbed one right away, but...

...But.

My heart felt too heavy, and I couldn’t bring myself to move.

Seeing this, the Empress quietly pulled her chair closer and sat across from me.

Then, out of nowhere, she asked,

"Why are you avoiding me?"

"W-What?!"

She hit the nail on the head.

Startled, I looked up at her.

The Empress continued in a sulky voice.

"Isn’t it obvious? Whenever we’re in the same place, you keep finding excuses to leave."

"T-That’s not it! I just wanted to... work harder...!"

"Did the other maids say you were slacking off?"

"What?! No! Not at all!"

I yelped in horror.

The Empress rested her chin on her hand and locked eyes with me.

"Then why?"

"I, um..."

"Don’t say it’s because you need to work harder. You’re already doing plenty."

She cut off my excuse before I could even say it.

I swallowed the words I had been about to say.

Could I really say this out loud?

A heavy tension settled over me, and my heart pounded wildly.

"I... won’t always be a child."

I barely managed to get the words out.

My heart kept hammering uncontrollably.

I sneaked a glance at the Empress, who looked utterly bewildered.

"Charles, I don’t quite understand what you mean."

After a long pause, she spoke carefully.

I clenched my fists.

Of course, it must have sounded sudden to her.

I hesitantly continued.

"You said I was like a younger sibling to you."

"Yes, I did."

"That’s because I’m still young. So maybe... you care about me more because of that."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.

"...Maybe that’s why you’re so affectionate toward me."

I wanted to sound composed and logical.

But my words came out jumbled.

The Empress listened patiently.

And then—

"Charles."

"Yes?"

I cautiously looked up at her.

And immediately froze.

Because the Empress was staring at me with an utterly flabbergasted expression.