The Evil Empress Adores Me

Hiya! Im back from college exams and ready to pump out more chapters. Hope you enjoy reading and thank you for waiting! Btw, Happy Late New Year and Happy Chinese New Year to those celebrating! >_< I looked up at the empress with a baffled expression on my face. Well..I think weve already seen each other a lot now. Just because were in the same room now, doesnt mean weve seen each other a lot. The empress said so with a serious face. Oh, eryes. Embarrassed, I felt my face begin to turn red as I looked at my toes to avoid eye contact with the empress. Unbeknownst to me, the empresss hand brushed the top of my head. She gently stroked my hair. Come to think of it, Its been a while since Ive seen you in pajamas, Lize. Oh, Im sorry. How could I wear pajamas in front of her Majesty, the empress.. Now more embarrassed, I almost took a step back until I saw the empresss face. Her eyes sank deeply at my reaction. No, I didnt mean to hurt Her Majestys feelings, sorry isnt what I meant to say The empress took a deep breath and stretched her arms to hug me. Come on, why are you acting like this all of a sudden? pleaded the empress. My body stiffened in her warm embrace. Then the empresss face darkened a little. Charlize didnt say anything or reciprocate her hug like she would usually. Whats wrong? asked the empress. Dwnt, dont do twis, Im a maid. I tried to dissuade the Empress with an anguished voice, but I ended up blurring my words. If I think about it, it may have been a shameful thing to have been openly embraced by the Empress in the past. Ugh, what on earth was I thinking? The empress clenched her lips and stared at me. I felt like I had committed a crime, so I turned my head and avoided the eyes of the Empress. Lize, you.. The empresss expression darkened even more. The empress who was on the verge of saying something, shook her head as if frustrated. I think we need to have a conversation, said the empress. A conversation? The empress seemed to not be in the mood to answer that, so I swallowed my saliva and kept quiet. Embraced in the empresss arms, I was taken to the veranda overlooking the garden. I felt the fresh air of summer night breeze across my neck. Not far from me was a table with my favorite snacks lined up on it. My heart was touched. The empress had gone to great lengths to take care of me so meticulously. So that I can be here comfortably. Okay, lets sit. The empress, who seated me in front of the table, pushed a plate of madeleines in front of me. Normally, I would have grabbed one. However. Maybe it was because my heart was heavy, I just couldnt bring myself to take the plate. I drooped my shoulders. At that moment, the empress, who was looking down at me, calmly pulled up a chair and sat across from me. Then, she asked me a question. Why do you keep avoiding me? What!? How? I shouted in my thoughts. She hit the nail on the head with her question. Stunned, I looked at the empress. The empress continued in a grumpy manner. Im right, arent I? Whenever we happen to see each other, you make up various reasons to avoid me. Oh, thats not it. Im trying to work a little harder The empresss eyes sharpened. Did the other maids say that you were neglecting your work? What?! Its not like that! I covered my mouth in disbelief, I had just unintentionally raised my voice at the empress. The empress held her chin as she gazed intently at me before asking. Then why are you doing this? Uh, I, thats Dont say that you have to work harder, youre already doing great as it is. As those words left her mouth, any excuses that I had were shut down completely. I swallowed all the excuses that were on the tip of my tongue. Can I really say this? Should I tell her? Im Im going to tell her! Im going to tell her the truth. With the tension rushing in, my heart was beating wildly. Ill..one day I wont be young. I barely managed to get the words out. My strong heartbeats showed no sign of abating. Peeking at the empress with a sideways glance, I noticed the empress couldnt hide her confusion. Well, Lize. What you just said. Im not sure what you meant by that. I contemplated for quite some time before carefully voicing my words to the empress. I grabbed the hem of my clothes tightly, ready to speak once again. Well, I wonder how this will turn out. I stuttered continuously. The empress said that I was like a little sister. Yes, I did. I wanted to calm my mind a bit, so I took a deep breath. So, since Im young, the empress. The empress could probably feel, does feel, might only feel affection for me because..becausebecause Im young. I wanted to say it again and more coherently. Unfortunately, the only words from my mouth were rambling. But the empress did listen to me patiently for a long time. And. Charlize. Yes. I replied. I glanced up at the empress with my eyes squinted. Only to flinch in surprise, the moment I looked at her. It was because the empress had the most astonishing expression on her face.