The Evil Empress Adores Me-Chapter 11

"Oh, my. Is it already this time?"

Before I knew it, the sun was setting.

The senior maid gently pulled me and spoke.

"Most likely, the Head Maid will be attending to Her Majesty's meal, so let's eat first."

"Is that alright?"

"Of course. Here in the Empress's Palace, we don't starve anyone, nor do we give looks to those eating first."

With a playful reply, the senior maid flashed a mischievous grin.

The hand that patted my shoulder was very soft.

"By the way, you can look forward to today's meal."

"Really?"

"Well, the food here at the Empress's Palace is renowned for being even better than the Imperial Palace’s."

...Wow.

If she's saying that, it must be incredibly delicious, right?

I couldn't hide my excitement and my eyes lit up.

"Are you hungry? Let's go quickly."

"Yes!!"

With a brief laugh, the senior maid elegantly walked ahead.

I quickly followed her.

At the same time Charles was heading to the dining room...

In the large dining room, only the Empress was sitting idly.

She showed no interest in the neatly arranged food before her.

Instead, she asked a question.

"How is Charles doing?"

"Huh?"

The sudden question made Head Maid Hayden tilt her head in confusion.

The Empress asked again.

"On her first day here at the Empress's Palace, do you think she's adjusting well?"

"Yes, she seemed to be doing fine."

"Good..."

After hearing that answer, the Empress seemed a little relieved.

Head Maid Hayden smiled and spoke up.

"She's such a cute child. She's sweet, quick-witted, and perceptive."

"...That's right, Charles is really cute."

For the first time, a faint smile appeared on the Empress's face.

As she observed the smile, Head Maid Hayden cautiously spoke up.

"However... it seems like the child's speech is a little delayed."

At those words, the Empress's expression darkened.

Typically, children over five years old can speak clearly unless there's a developmental issue.

Especially girls tend to develop their language skills quickly.

But Charles was still clumsy in conversation.

"Her vocabulary and reasoning skills seem much more advanced than her peers, but..."

The Head Maid spoke in a suspicious tone.

"I don’t understand why her speech is like this. Could something be wrong?"

"...Well, at least she's improved a lot compared to before."

The Empress sighed deeply.

"When I first met Charles, she was much worse at speaking than she is now."

"What do you mean?"

"Apparently, she has been neglected at the academy up until now."

The Empress's eyes darkened deeply.

At first, the Empress hadn't paid much attention to Charles.

There was just a young maid there, interesting enough to take note of.

That was the extent of her interest.

But then one day, Charles timidly approached her, and whispered softly.

"I really like being with Unni."

"Why?"

"Because when I talk, you don’t get angry at me."

The way Charles smiled faintly like that broke the Empress's heart.

After that day, the Empress decided to investigate Charles.

The results were as follows:

Since Charles’s mother, a former maid of the Imperial Palace, abandoned her, Charles had been a target for mistreatment at the academy.

The staff at the academy were too busy with their own work to care for a young child like her.

Whenever Charles tried to speak, she was often scolded harshly.

"Useless mute, you little glutton!"

After hearing such verbal abuse, Charles eventually chose to remain silent.

As days passed without her speaking even once, her language skills began to deteriorate.

And it was in this condition that she met the Empress.

"Charles seems to fear talking to anyone."

"...Your Majesty."

"Once, I chased away the trainee maids who were bullying her..."

The Empress squinted her eyes.

'They kept asking me to carry laundry...'

When Charles cried and complained like that, the Empress completely lost her composure.

So she acted directly.

She sent the Head Maid to transfer the trainee maids who were bullying Charles.

However, despite all this effort, Charles's expression didn't improve much.

"That was my mistake."

"What do you mean?"

"After I used my influence, they started tormenting Charles more secretly."

The Empress could stop the obvious bullying right in front of her.

But she couldn’t prevent all the subtle and hidden bullying.

"Moreover, it seems that Charles... doesn't want anyone to interfere with her life."

So, the Empress decided to change her approach.

She would bring Charles into her own space, the Empress's Palace.

After making sure Charles wouldn't be startled, she revealed her true identity to her.

The Empress sighed deeply again.

The image of Charles, pale with shock, was still vivid in her mind.

"I never wanted to see Charles disappointed."

What if she had approached from the start with her identity revealed?

Her desire to have an unreserved relationship with Charles had caused her to destroy their connection.

The Empress, who had been nervously biting her lips, turned to the Head Maid with a question.

"...By the way. Does she seem to like the Empress's Palace?"

"It seems so. When she came into the palace earlier, she was mesmerized by everything."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Relief was evident in the Empress's deep green eyes.

She muttered in a low voice.

"After all, Charles has lived her whole life in that academy..."

When I think about how Charles survived for five years in that terrible environment, it feels like my heart is being ripped apart.

The Empress shook her head, clearing her thoughts, and asked again.

"How's the room I assigned to Charles?"

"As you requested, it's the best room."

"Are all the furniture and bedding new?"

"Of course."

Head Maid Hayden nodded.

The Empress hesitated for a moment.

The truth is, there was something else the Empress wanted to ask.

But just bringing it up felt... somehow like she was deceiving Charles by trying to win her favor with material things.

"So... did she seem happy?"

The Empress asked the question she had been holding back.

"Yes, she seemed very pleased."

The Head Maid answered casually, without thinking much about it.

Only then did the Empress's expression soften a little.

Without thinking, the Head Maid added.

"Seeing her smile really made me happy too."

"Did it?"

"Yes. As you said, she’s probably never received care like that before."

The Head Maid continued with a slightly furrowed brow.

"It made me feel sorry for her... She’s such a poor thing."

At that moment, the Head Maid suddenly realized she had said too much.

She lowered her head in apology.

"I’m sorry, I talked too much."

"No, it’s fine. You can say anything about Charles."

The Empress waved her hand dismissively.

The Head Maid glanced at her out of the corner of her eye.

It felt strange.

"It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Her Majesty show such a range of expressions..."

The Head Maid remembered the time when the Empress was still an ordinary young girl.

Because she had been the one who raised her from childhood.

Her precious young lady, since entering the Imperial Palace, had restrained her emotions to an extreme degree.

Part of it was due to her responsibilities as the Empress, and part was because she had no love for her husband.

"But... it seems like after getting to know Charles, Her Majesty has become a little better."

Even though the Empress seemed heartbroken now, this side of her felt positive.

She seemed worried, joyful, and her eyes sparkled with curiosity about someone.

The Empress asked another question.

"What about her clothing and boots, the supplies?"

"Don’t worry, I’ll make sure everything is prepared."

"Good... Alright. And what about her dinner?"

"She’ll probably eat with Senior Maid Weber first."

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At those words, the Empress pouted slightly.

She stirred her salad with her fork and muttered softly.

"I wanted to eat with Charles too."

"...Huh?"

"Oh, never mind."

The Empress turned her head away, pretending not to have said anything.

After a moment, she spoke again.

"I’ll let the Head Maid handle it, but there’s one thing you must remember."

"What part are you referring to?"

"Charles... she’s very cute, kind, and angelic."

Huh?

The Head Maid was speechless at those words that made the Empress sound like an overbearing parent.

The Empress's voice was resolute.

"So never upset her. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I will remember."

The Head Maid answered, watching the Empress with concern.

The Empress still hadn’t touched her meal.

"Then, Your Majesty, you should eat too."

"I’m fine. I’m not hungry."

"If you don’t eat, Charles will definitely be upset."

At those words, the Empress, who had been pouting, stiffened her shoulders.

She slowly lifted her head.

"...Do you think so?"