The Evil Empress Adores Me

I jumped up from the spot and started walking.

Confused, chief maid Weber asked me.

Lize, where are you going?

Im going to clean up!

I then ran out with fierce momentum, grabbing my broom and dustpan with me.

As I was carrying my broom and dustpan, chief maid Weber had a baffled look on her face as she followed me.

Why are you cleaning all of a sudden?

Shouldnt a maid be doing her duty? I replied quickly.

Holding the broom in my hand, I strengthened my grip and began to sweep, beginning from the corner of the garden.

Chief maid Weber who followed me closely at a slow pace, squinted her eyes and said.

At times, I noticed you tend to focus on your work whenever you worry about something.

The friendliness in her voice reached my ears, catching me off guard.

I dont know what youre worried about but please dont overdo it.

Chief maid.

Is that okay with you? Youre still young, Lize. Please dont overwork yourself.

Because Im still young.

When I heard that, I bit my molars tightly.

I was well aware that chief maid Weber said those words with good intentions but her words stung as I remembered the yellow cat, the maids in the laundromat, and what the Duke said about me.

Yes, Im still young.

I know that I only have a bit of time left until I become an adult.

However .

Someday, I wont be so young, I muttered.

Huh? What is that supposed to mean? asked chief maid Weber.

So We have to be prepared for that.

Um, whats going on with her? thought chief maid Weber.

With a clear-eyed look, chief maid Weber gazed down at me.

Either way, I devoted myself once again to tending the garden.

Meanwhile.

Huh?

Raising my head, I could see the Empress walking over in the distance.

Acting on reflex, I backed up swiftly and hurried back to chief maid Weber.

Um, Im going to the Crown Palace!

What? Why all of a sudden?

Well, Im off to see the Crown Prince! Im even bringing snacks!

As I came up with excuses and blurted them out on the spot, I found myself quickly running as the Empress drew closer with each second.

Well, by how Im acting now ugh. Its so obvious that Im trying to avoid the Empress.

But for now, I just cant bear to look the Empress in the faceit feels weird, like somethings off.

As if swallowing a large piece of ice, the depths of my heart felt cold for not wanting to see the Empress.

Ill become a maid who does her part perfectly.

So, even when Im no longer young, I will have earned the empresss trust.

Then will I not have to feel this way anymore?

After running for a while, I glanced back.

In the distance, I saw the Empress and chief maid Weber having a conversation.

Somehow, my heart was pounding, and I let out a deep sigh.

Chief maid Weber.

Chief maid Weber, who was staring off into the direction Charlize had disappeared into just a moment ago, was roused from her daze by the Empresss voice calling her.

I see you, your Majesty.

Okay.

The Empress, who nodded her head slightly, narrowed her brows and asked a question.

Thats odd, wasnt Charlize here just now?

Yes, she was.

At her answer, the empresss face became even more wrinkled.

The way Charlize was running, was like a surprised rabbit, it was like.

She ran away as soon as she saw me. contemplated the Empress.

Realizing that the empress was uncomfortable, chief maid Weber added a word urgently.

She said she was going to the Crown Palace.

Really?

Its strange for Charlize not to talk with me before leaving.

But, which part is strange I couldnt pinpoint it clearly.

In a vague and unpleasant mood, the Empress squinted her eyes.

I poured the snacks I had brought on the table in the Crown Princes Palace, sighing once again, so much so I lost count.

If the ground had a hole for everytime I sighed, the road I walked would have been hollowed out.

Im so confused, whispered Charlize to herself as she had mixed feelings after running from the Empress.

Well, if you want to change your mood when youre feeling down.

It works best to make something clean and shiny.

So I grabbed a mop and started standing on the window sill in the living room of the Crown Princes Palace.

Since Im here, Im going to make all the windows clean!

Hearing the dust being wiped clean and popping sounds made me feel a little better.

As if in a trance, I kept moving my hands without thought, functioning through muscle memory.

Then.

By any chance, is your goal today to make a hole in the window?

What?

The sudden voice was like a wake-up-call, snapping me out of my trance as I came to my senses.

Damian, who was at my side before I even knew it, was looking at me with a concerned look.

Youve been wiping the window for a while.

Im removing all the dust! I exclaimed.

What dust? There isnt any dust on the window sill.

Damian, who wiped the window sill with his index finger, held out his finger in front of my nose to further prove his point.

To my dismay, Damians fingers were very clean.

Look, theres nothing.

um.

I puffed up both cheeks and put down the mop.

When I glanced back, the windows I had spent cleaning were already sparkling from top to bottom.

What its clean

Damian, who was observing my unusual demeanor, asked me a question.

Is something wrong? You dont seem like yourself today.

What? No, its nothing.

Shaking my head reflexively, I slowly looked into Damians eyes.

Apparently, Damian was also looking at me just in time as our eyes met.

Damians forehead wrinkled in an instant, he knew something was up.

What? If you have something to say, say it, dont look at me like that.

But.

I licked my lips for a moment, unsure of how or where to begin.

How can I explain this strange feeling I feel?