The Evil Empress Adores Me

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The Empress’s expression was no different from ours. 

“…Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, there’s no need to be doubtful. I’m quite serious.” 

The Emperor even smiled and waved his hand in an attempt to reassure us. 

He even went to say hello to the Duke. 

“Duke of Rochester, you’ve done a fantastic job.”

“Not at all, Your Majesty.”

For a moment, a deep-seated suspicion passed over the Duke of Rochester’s eyes.

He then shook his head and artfully readjusted his facial expression in no time. 

Wow, as expected of someone serving as the head of the aristocracy. One has to be proficient in having a poker face. 

Impressed by his skillful handling, I spoke to Damian, who was standing next to me.

“By the way, it’s a pity that Sienna couldn’t come.”

Sienna returned to the north after the harvest festival ball.

I promised several times that I’d write her letters because I wouldn’t be able to visit for the foreseeable future. 

*Sigh*

I want to see Sienna.

Unlike my saddened self, Damian kept smiling, which made me wonder what was making him happy. 

“Is that so? I don’t feel bad at all.”

I glanced at Damian.

Some people just don’t have any empathy!

…also.

Why is that grin still stuck to his face?

I asked Damian in a confused voice.

“What is it, Your Highness? Why do you look so happy?”

“Obviously, that’s one less competitor for me.”

“Competition?”

“Yes. Didn’t I have to give you up to Her Majesty and Sienna every time?”

Damian grumbled a bit as he held onto my hand. 

“There’s no Sienna this time.” 

“Really, You’re not a child anymore…” 

I couldn’t hide my astonished expression.

However, I didn’t realize I was half-smiling. 

No, I can’t believe Damian’s childish words sound endearing. 

Have I lost it?

At the same time, children and guests began to enter the library.

Prolonged exclamations did not stop coming from the children’s mouths.

“Wooooow, I’ve never seen so many books!”

“Look at this, it’s the frog and the princess! I wanted to read this!”

“I heard you have to be quiet in the library, right?”

Parents, nannies, and caretakers were busy dissuading the excited children.

However, the sight of happy children could make anyone feel warm inside. 

A hearty smile appeared on the lips of the caretakers.

Meanwhile, the adults looking inside the library couldn’t hide their surprise.

“Not only is the exterior polished, the interior’s superb.”  

“I never thought the collection would be this extensive.” 

“It’d be nice if adults could use a library like this.” 

“The Imperial palace library, unfortunately, limits their access to people…”

Whoo-hoo! There’s the good feedback I was looking for!

We’ll be able to do more library work in the future.

I was brimming with pride when-

From afar, a young child ran towards me with a face as bright as the sun on a spring day.

It was Ellen.

“Sister!”

“Oh my gosh, Ellen. You’re here?”

Behind Ellen, a couple more children run up and down.

The way they ran reminded me of squirrels. 

The children, who stopped in front of Damian and me, side by side and bowed. 

“Sister Charles, hello! Greetings, Your Highness, the Crown Prince!”

“Nice to meet you, children.”

“Um, yes.”

Damian, in contrast to my bright smile, had a slightly awkward expression.

I couldn’t watch how sad that response was and whispered to Damian. 

“You treated the kids so well during the puppet show. What happened?” 

“I was wearing a mask back then. Kids are cute but I’m unsure how to be around them…” 

I rarely saw Damian as stumped as he was now. 

The children exchanged secret glances with each other. 

“You say it!”

“No, you say it!”

“You’re the closest to Sister Charlize!”

“What, why does that matter?!”

While they went on arguing, Ellen walked up, having been irritated by the others. 

“Um, Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”

“Hmm?”

“Uh, is it okay if later you…”

After some hesitation, Ellen spoke to Damian with a determined face.

“Can you show the others a puppet show one more time?”

“A puppet show?”

“Yes. The one you did in spring. I bragged about it to the other kids, and they said they wanted to see it too.” 

“… I see.”

Damian nodded, his expression a mix of fulfillment and embarrassment. 

“Okay, I’ll make sure to visit you when I have the time.”

“Yes, I’ll wait!”

Ellen pumped her fists and nodded.

Difficult to overcome the adorable look she gave him, Damian awkwardly coughed and avoided her gaze. 

Meanwhile, my eyes lit up.

Aww, you seem really shy when it comes to children. 

Hey! Does this mean this is Damian’s weakness?

I struck while the iron was hot, opening my mouth without a second thought, only wanting to jest with him….

“Wait, Damian.”

“What?”

“Will you be like that even if I have a child later?”

…Woe is me. Why do people come to their senses after they say something carelessly?

A heavy silence passed.

Damian stared blankly at me, taking a moment to register what I said. 

And.

Damian, who always had a smirk across his face, looked at me, his face as red as a ripe tomato.

Why are you so shy?

“Well, you don’t have to blush that much!”

“I know! Our child, that’s-!”

Damian was speechless, jerking his head away and pursing his lips. 

His face was so red, it could melt water at the slightest contact. 

No, really!

I said it without thinking, but when Damian didn’t dismiss it, I felt more ashamed!

In an effort to somehow sort things out, I quickly whispered in Damian’s ear. 

“Um, since we spent the night together anyway-!”

….and that seemed to tremendously backfire. 

“W-What?”

Damian couldn’t form words, his lips were just vocalizing sounds at this point. 

His face grew redder and redder, and it looked like he could explode from a single prick of the finger!

Oh, this is insanity!

Just in time, Her Majesty, the Empress Dowager saved us from this catastrophe I had gotten us in.

“Damian.”

“Oh, no.” 

Damian acted calm and collected as he tried to look normal when he turned to see Her Majesty. 

Her Majesty, however, was less than pleased. His expression instead came off as a little disrespectful…

Her gaze alternated between me and Damian. 

“What’s all the fuss between you two? 

“Ah, about that…” 

“Damian, I don’t think it’s a bad thing to be able to see my great-grandchildren as soon as possible.”

Aha–Her Majesty heard everything…

At this point, my mouth is getting me into more trouble than I can handle…I feel like I want to crawl up and die. 

Why am I here? What is living?

What exactly is life?

While I was utterly absorbed in self-reflection, Damian’s face was burning red. 

He clung to Her Majesty, desperately redirecting her attention elsewhere. 

“Aha, well, Grandma hasn’t looked around the entire library yet, have you?”

“Well, not entirely.”

“I’ll show you around.”

“You? Hmm, actually I’d like to talk to Charlize a bit more…” 

“Grandma mama!”

Damian called out to Her Majesty, pleading with her. 

The Empress Dowager burst into laughter and waved her hand.

“I get it. Let’s go.” 

Once Her Majesty gave her consent, I thought they’d leave immediately. 

Damian instead came up to me. 

I was a little bewildered.

What? Was there anything left to say?

“Charlize.”

“Yes?”

“I’m saying this in case there’s any misunderstanding.” 

Damian spoke unwaveringly, like a general facing a multitude of enemies. 

“I was a bit embarrassed earlier, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want children with you.” 

Damian made me blush with that one sentence. He then lowered his head, giving my forehead a quick, audible kiss. 

“Muahh.”

“I’ll be back.”

“Oh? Okay.” 

After leaving a smile on her face, Damian escorted Her Majesty. 

As I watched the backs of the two walking away, I unconsciously rubbed my forehead.

Meanwhile, Ellen grabbed the hem of my dress and shook it.

“Sister Charlize.”

“Yes?”

Ugh, I keep spacing out in front of the kids. 

I rapidly put a smile on my face.

Ellen looked up at me with an innocent face.

“Is Sister going to have a baby with the Crown Prince?”

“I-It’s not like that.”

I’m dying of sheer embarrassment. I regrettably understand now why you should watch what you say in front of children. 

I felt like I could cry as I began getting the children in order. 

“Shall we head to the reading room? I think it’d be fun to read a storybook together.”

“I want to go, I want to go!”

Fortunately, the children were happy to do so.

I held their hands as I hid my red face. 

Ellen clung to me like a chick following a mother hen.

On my way to the reading room, a woman walking from the opposite side stopped as if frozen.

‘Huh?’

I was flabbergasted.