The Evil Empress Adores Me-Chapter 14

The sudden realization hit me as I, along with the head maid, quickly bowed my head.

"Your Majesty, the Empress."

"Your Majesty, the Empress."

It was Rose Unni—no, it was the Empress herself.

The Empress waved her hand as if she had just heard an annoying comment.

"Enough with the formalities. I’m asking you something, aren’t I?"

Her deep green eyes were fixed only on me.

The Empress desperately asked.

"Charlize, did you clean the chimneys?"

"Y-Yes, I did..."

Well, I was a maid, so cleaning such things was only natural, right?

I looked up at the Empress, bewildered.

"Why didn’t you tell me...! No, never mind."

The Empress shook her head fiercely, then sighed deeply after a moment.

In a firm voice, she spoke to me.

"You don’t need to do such things here."

"But...!"

"Until you’re at least fifteen, you’re never to do something so dangerous, understood?"

At the Empress’s stern expression, I couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

The Empress stared at my face with a complicated look, her lips moving as if to say more, but... she simply turned her body away.

‘If you have something to say, then just say it.’

Watching the Empress walk away, that was what I thought.

Suddenly, the ointment the Empress had given me came to mind.

I never ended up using it.

I had simply placed it carefully in the drawer.

‘Every ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) time she does things like that, I feel like I’m going to keep confusing the Empress with Rose Unni.’

From that ointment to the way she always takes care of me in little ways.

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I barely held back a sigh.

At the same time, the head maid, who had rarely shown such a strict expression, turned to me.

"You heard what Her Majesty said, right?"

"Yes?"

"Until you grow up a bit more, you are never to do such things."

What on earth had they made me do?

The head maid sighed deeply.

Despite that, she gently patted my head.

Feeling the warmth of her hand, I couldn't help but flush slightly.

Every time they treated me like a child, it made me feel a bit warm inside.

Then, I noticed something strange.

...How did the Empress manage to interrupt the conversation at such a perfect timing?

I had to admit, after surviving five years in the training center by staying sharp and aware, I had become quite good at reading situations.

Sure, it was a survival instinct... but still, it’s better than having no instinct at all, right?

Because of that, I had figured out something about the maids in the Empress’s Palace.

One thing they all had in common was that they seemed to hold a personal fondness for the Empress.

As we walked through the corridor, carrying laundry, the head maid spoke up.

"Actually, Her Majesty helped me a lot."

"Helped you?"

"Yeah. Honestly, even if I tried my best, the Weber family was dirt poor."

The head maid chuckled playfully.

As she adjusted the laundry, she continued.

"That’s why Her Majesty specifically made me the head maid."

"Being head maid... does that have any benefits?"

"Of course. You become the closest person to Her Majesty."

The closest to the Empress.

That seemed like a distant concept to me.

The head maid smiled brightly.

"It’s an honorable position for a lady. You can marry into a good family, and the salary’s pretty decent too."

"Really...?"

"Don’t worry. One day, you’ll become the head maid too."

I laughed awkwardly.

Hmm, I wonder if such an opportunity will ever come my way.

For now, the Empress was being kind to me, but who knows what will happen in the future?

Most importantly... I still don’t know how to treat the Empress.

‘Rose Unni’ and ‘Her Majesty the Empress.’

"...."

Thinking of these two contradictory names, my heart naturally became heavy.

‘Huh?’

At that moment, I turned around.

I had a feeling that someone was staring at me intently.

"Charlize, what’s wrong?"

"Uh..."

This was strange. I felt the gaze again?

I narrowed my eyes and quickly scanned the surroundings.

Am I being paranoid?

"...It’s nothing."

It was probably just my imagination.

I tried to shake off the thought and walked faster.

But that strange feeling didn’t end with just one glance.

The second time I felt it was when I was with the head maid, Hayden.

"Her Majesty the Empress has been famous for her intelligence and beauty since she was in her family."

"Wow, really?"

"Of course. Whenever she went out, all the men from the territories would come rushing to see her."

The head maid’s eyes softened as she seemed to reminisce.

From what I had heard, the head maid had served the Empress for a long time.

She had been Her Majesty’s nurse even when she was in her family.

I nodded.

"That’s right, Her Majesty is the most beautiful person in the world."

That wasn’t a lie, so I didn’t need to exaggerate it.

And there was no reason to say anything unpleasant in front of someone who clearly cares for the Empress.

...Actually, it’s not like I hate the Empress that much.

It’s just that I’m a little uncomfortable.

To score some points with the head maid, I continued praising the Empress for a while.

But then...

I suddenly tensed up.

‘Huh?’

I felt that gaze again!

When I quickly looked up, the head maid asked in confusion.

"Is something wrong, Charlize?"

"Well...!"

Someone’s been watching me from the moment I stepped in here!

I was about to answer reflexively, but then I stopped.

From behind a potted plant with lush leaves in the corner of the hallway, the edge of a dress peeked out.

‘No way...!’

I stared wide-eyed at the plant.

Between the green leaves, I could just barely see bright red hair.

That was when I realized.

The reason the Empress had been able to interrupt the conversation so perfectly earlier...

The one who had been persistently watching me from behind? It was the Empress herself?!

‘No, my eyes must be playing tricks on me.’

I couldn’t trust my eyes, and I turned my body stiffly.

To deny the reality, I intentionally asked a question.

"Um, Head Maid Hayden."

"What’s wrong?"

"Her Majesty... what do you think she’s doing right now?"

"Right now?"

The head maid seemed to think for a moment, then smiled and patted my shoulder.

"At 3 p.m., she’ll probably be going over some documents."

"Documents?"

"Yes. You might not know this yet, but the Empress is very busy."

Well, I could see that.

When I had heard about Her Majesty’s daily schedule before, I felt like no one person could manage it all.

"Even a housewife has a lot to do. How much busier do you think the Empress is as the Queen?"

"Yeah, that’s true..."

"Exactly. And Her Majesty is not only responsible but incredibly diligent..."

The head maid continued with another long praise of the Empress.

I tried my best to not look back at the plant.

No, then what’s the deal with that beautiful lady I saw through the leaves?

At that moment, the head maid asked me.

"By the way, why are you asking all this?"

‘Why? Because I’m pretty sure Her Majesty, the responsible and diligent Empress, is currently hiding behind a potted plant.’

I couldn’t bring myself to say that out loud, so I quickly forced a smile.

"Well, I’m Her Majesty’s maid, after all."

"Yes, that’s true..."

"So, of course, I should know everything about my mistress, right?"

A maid and her mistress.

I turned my back to the plant, drawing a clear line in my mind.

At the same time, I could distinctly feel the Empress’s sorrowful gaze.

Hmm, maybe I was being too cold.

As I tried to calm my heart, I reminded myself.

If I didn’t consciously remember that "Her Majesty is the Empress, and I’m just a maid,"...

‘...I might cross the line again.’

To avoid mistaking the Empress for ‘Rose Unni,’ it was better to keep this boundary in mind.

I can’t go back to how things were before.

Even though my heart ached like a needle was stabbing it, I ignored that pain.

That night, as Head Maid Hayden was brushing the Empress’s hair, she suddenly spoke up, as if making up her mind.

"Your Majesty."

At the call, the Empress turned to face the head maid.

The head maid narrowed her eyes and asked her a question.

"How long do you plan on following Charlize around?"