The Evil Empress Adores Me

….well, I ended up falling for it. 

When I came to my senses, I was already crossing the street, holding hands with Damian. 

Come to think of it, even though I’ve been going out for a while now because of work, this is the first time I’ve gone out just for the sake of it. 

The whole street was in a festive mood.

Every branch was adorned with autumn leaves and colorful lanterns. 

Beneath those branches, were families and lovers smiling to themselves as they enjoyed the festivity.  

Everyone seemed happy in their own various ways.

‘Ah.’

In the meantime, something else caught my eye. Whipped cream crepes. 

The crepes looked mouth watering as the crepe maker rolled up the thin flour dough and garnished them with various toppings. 

But…

‘I have nothing on me.’

I clicked my tongue at my improvidence. 

I should have brought some money when I changed my clothes earlier. 

But then.

Damian strode towards the crepe vendor.

“Your High-, no, Damian?”

There’s no need for me to draw attention by calling him ‘Your Highness’ in a place like this.

Swallowing my words hastily, I trotted after Damian. 

He glanced back at me.

“Didn’t you want these?”

“…that’s right.”

“What toppings?”

“Bananas and strawberries on top. Oh, and be sure to drizzle chocolate syrup on the whipped cream. And…” 

What else can I add?

As I was ruminating, Damian burst into laughter. 

“Charlize, are you more ravenous than I thought?”

“No, it’s called prudence. Besides, doesn’t the taste differ a lot depending on the combinations you choose?”

“Well, you’re not wrong.” 

Giving a brief answer, Damian took the freshly made crepe and placed it in my hand. 

“Eat it however you want.”

“Aren’t you acting pretentious?”

I quipped in a mischievous voice.

“Anymore wisecracks, and you just might lose your purse.” (i.e. Damian.) 

“Gladly.”

Damian answered wittily, so I followed his example.

He ended up buying all the snacks nearby. 

“…How are you going to eat all of that?”

Looking at the sweets in my hand, Damian was put off by it. 

“Look at all the sugar.” 

“If you’re going to eat that all, eat it slowly.” 

What kind of silly remark is that? 

I shrugged my shoulders and began to nibble on the snack in my hand.

“Oh, Charlize.”

“Mmm-hmm?”

“You got whipped cream on your cheek.”

Oh, dear.

I hurriedly raised my hand and tried to wipe my cheek…unfortunately-

‘Oops, I don’t have any free hands.’

Perhaps in my greed for sweets, my hands were left all but full of whipped cream crepes and fruit skewers. 

Damian smiled as he drew closer. 

Damian licked my cheek at that point. 

‘Huh?!’

I was frozen stiff in place by that unexpected physical contact. 

Licking his lips slightly, Damian gave a light shrug. 

“Done.”

What did he just do? 

And just when I was enjoying myself eating these sweets. 

…eee! No!

“You, just, just!”

My face burned red. 

No, he just, ahh!

“Why did you lick my cheek?”

In contrast to my now red countenance, Damian calmly gave a simple response. 

“Am I not your fiance?”

“And who doesn’t know that? Seriously, think of the people watching!”  

I was about to say more to Damian, but the thought vanished from my mind as I widened my eyes. 

“Oh, Damian! There, there!”

“Huh?”

“Look at that performance!” 

In the distance, I saw a man spewing fire from his mouth.

Wow, how is that even possible?

My eyes glistened. 

Damian reached out to me.

“Okay, let’s go.”

***

“Wow!”

That exclamation of hers was like that of a child’s. 

Damian glanced at her.

She stared, mesmerized by a brilliantly moving torch while bringing her hands close to her chest. 

The red flames slashed across the night sky, leaving behind a dazzling array of patterns. 

In order to not miss one bit of the performance, Charlize kept her eyes fixated on the performer from start to end. 

“Oh, my God!”

The squeal came from Charlize’s lips as the torch was tossed high into the air and caught in the nick of time. 

When seeing that, those lilac-colored eyes of her popped with life, shining like stars as they looked back at Damian. 

“Damian, did you see that!!” 

Pointing at the performer, Charlize burst into joyous laughter.

“Wasn’t that amazing? How can they move that swiftly?”

Hearing her shower praises, a thought appeared in Damian’s mind. 

‘I could do that too if I wanted.’

Of course, he knew that Charlize would scold him for being “childishly petty,” so he kept the thought locked up. 

Instead, he chose to smile brightly. 

“How is it? Are you having fun?”

“I am! I’ve never seen anything like that before!”

Charlize nodded vigorously. 

She then pulled on Damian’s sleeve and concentrated on the performance again. 

“To think there’s so many amazing people in the world to the point that someone can give such a performance with just a torch.”

“Uh-huh, really?”

“Yes, Damian. Look at that, tell me that isn’t cool?”

Sadly, Damian couldn’t fulfill that request. 

He was too captivated by someone else. Charlize. 

Cheeks as rosy as ripe apples. 

Her wavy, silver hair that resembles moonlight. 

Those round, upturned, pinkish-purple eyes. 

Her fair and smooth skin. 

Whenever I’d open my arms to hug her tightly, her small figure would just fit snugly in my embrace. 

That distinctively sweet voice.

The expression she makes when she’s upset.

When she cries, her tears flow down like pearls. 

Her eyes when she glares at me. 

She’s as beautiful as a blooming flower, and I love that lustrous smile she makes. 

And, and….

Damian held his breath.

All of the qualities that made Charlize so special were just lovely. 

My mind just goes crazy when I think about her. 

…I can’t stand it any longer.

***

A few hours later. 

Damian and I were sitting side by side by the river, talking about the trick we saw earlier.

“Have you ever seen something like that before? Hah! The way he spewed fire out of his mouth!”

I clenched my fists and opened my mouth.

“I could never have imagined that a torch could be used so spectacularly!”

“Was it that amazing?”

“Of course! Wasn’t it amazing to you?”

As I said that, I abruptly came to my senses. 

Oh, am I getting overexcited right now?

Being slightly embarrassed for speaking so rambunctiously, I turned my head slightly and cleared my throat. 

Damian spoke at the same time. 

“Well, actually, I couldn’t afford to be amazed.” 

Huh? Why is that? 

To my bewilderment, Damian laughed. 

“Because it was already amazing enjoying the festival with you.” 

“…Damian.”

“You remember all those years ago? That time when Her Majesty told us about the harvest festival when we were younger?”

Ah.

I slowly blinked my eyes.

Of course, I remembered.

For me, the conversation we had was very precious to me.

‘At night, people would float paper boats along the river and make wishes. I’d often go to see it.’

‘Did you float paper boats down the river?’

‘Yes. If you overlook the scenery from afar, it’s breathtaking. Like a milky way flowing across the ground.’

I also remember that Damian looked at me with a relaxed expression as the Empress gently caressed my cheek. 

It was a treasured moment between the two most precious people in my life. 

‘Someday, both Charlize and the Crown Prince will be able to go to the festival.’

…yes, that’s what the Empress said. 

I quietly lifted my gaze and watched the river streaming before me. 

White paper boats floated one after the other along the river. 

These paper boats must have been for wishes, as small candles were placed on top of each one. 

‘Wow, it’s exactly like the Empress said, isn’t it?’

I looked at the backdrop with a delighted expression. 

A Milky Way formed, made from sparkling candles sailing atop paper boats along the river. 

At the best moment, Damian continued.

“I made up my mind then.”

“What?”

“That someday definitely…I would come see the harvest festival with you.”

Damian kept his eyes fixed on the river while he continued speaking in a low voice. 

“I want you to be able to experience everything else that everyone is experiencing.”

“…Damian.”

“I’m sorry you didn’t get to experience more because I wasn’t good enough.” 

There was a hint of bitterness in Damian’s voice.

But how is that his fault? 

It was the Emperor’s fault that Damian couldn’t enjoy the privileges he should have. 

I sprung up from my spot and looked down at Damian. 

“Shall we also float a paper boat?”

“Huh?”

“You said you wanted me to experience everything everyone else has?”

To get rid of the melancholic atmosphere, I tried speaking cheerfully. 

“Everyone’s floating paper boats. Let’s try it too.”

Damian looked at me, widening his eyes before smiling.

“All right.”

So we each floated a paper boat.

There were a few structural problems with the corner of my paper boat. Some dents caused by my clumsiness inevitably sank the boat in water…

Still, I was able to make a wish in the end.

‘Please make the people precious to me happy in the future.’

I put my hands together, bowed my head, and made the wish. 

Both Damian’s and my paper boats drifted further and further away, carrying our wishes. 

I quietly watched them and whispered to Damian. 

“So, what did you wish for?”

“Me?”

When I asked this question, to be wholly honest, I never expected Damian to give me the answer he did. 

Damian opened his mouth without hesitation.

“I wished I could be by your side forever.”