The Evil Empress Adores Me-Chapter 33

The Empress gazed at the man before her.

Vincent de Windsor.

Once the Marquis of Maud, now the Emperor of the empire.

A man who viewed her not as Eloise, an individual, but rather as a link to Rochester.

The Emperor's eyes curved as he smiled.

The Empress stiffened slightly.

He was the husband she had promised to spend her life with, yet the composed face staring at her felt utterly unfamiliar.

"It has been a while, Empress."

"I am honored to be in Your Majesty's presence."

The Empress gracefully bowed her head as she spoke.

"I did not expect Your Majesty, with all the burdens of state, to visit the Empress’s Palace. It is truly a delight."

She carefully crafted her voice to sound warm and welcoming.

It is truly a delight.

The words felt like thorns lodged on the tip of her tongue.

She knew it, and so did he.

There had never been a single moment when they enjoyed each other’s company.

The Emperor, meanwhile, merely chuckled slyly.

"No matter how busy I am, as a husband, I cannot simply live without seeing my wife’s face, can I?"

...And yet, until now, you have never sought me out unless there was a particular reason.

The Empress barely managed to smooth out her frowning brows.

There had only ever been one reason why the Emperor visited her.

To ask something of the Duke of Rochester, or to take something from them.

Nothing else.

So why now?

"I heard that recently, the Empress has found herself a new pastime, so I decided to stop by."

"A pastime?"

"Yes. I hear you have taken an interest in the Crown Prince as of late?"

...As expected.

The Empress swallowed.

The Emperor's smile deepened.

But it was not a friendly one.

"Truthfully, I considered it excessive to interfere in the Empress’s affairs, so I planned to ignore it."

"......"

"But there has been quite a bit of talk about it."

The Emperor slightly raised his chin, meeting the Empress’s gaze.

The Empress, with an expressionless face, met his eyes head-on.

"You seem to be taking an interest in the Crown Prince, who has been kept in confinement. May I ask why?"

"For Your Majesty’s sake."

She answered without so much as blinking.

The Emperor let out a hollow laugh.

A moment later, his eyes sharpened.

"For my sake?"

"Yes. Your Majesty is neglecting the Crown Prince, are you not?"

At the Empress's composed response, the Emperor’s laughter abruptly ceased.

His voice turned icy as he questioned her.

"...Are you chastising me?"

"Of course not."

The Empress gave a faint smile.

The Emperor’s expression subtly shifted as he observed her unwavering composure.

"I am merely pointing out that if one wields only the whip, the backlash will only grow stronger."

"He is but a child. No matter how much he resists—"

"A child will eventually grow into an adult."

The Empress’s reply was firm.

The Emperor fell silent for a moment.

The Empress continued in a calm voice.

"And resentment from childhood lingers long in one’s memory."

"...Resentment lingers, you say."

"Yes. So if Your Majesty continues to push the Crown Prince away..."

The Empress tilted her head slightly, watching the Emperor carefully.

Her lips curled upward in a delicate, almost dangerous smile.

"...Should I not extend a hand to him instead?"

"Even so, there is no reason for you to personally care for the Crown Prince."

"No, there is. He is still the Crown Prince of Windsor. If someone of proper stature does not care for him, his pride will surely suffer."

Her deep green eyes glowed faintly.

She smiled, her eyes forming delicate crescents.

To ease the Emperor’s suspicions as much as possible.

"If we ensure now that he harbors no ill will toward Your Majesty, there will be no repercussions in the future."

The Emperor remained silent.

Repercussions.

Given how he had treated the Crown Prince so far, it was a word worth worrying over.

The Empress subtly fanned the flames of his concern.

She asked softly, her voice gentle yet pointed.

"If we simply let the Crown Prince stray down a twisted path, what will happen then?"

"...Empress."

"Would it not lead to severe headaches when the time for succession arrives?"

The Empress deliberately struck at the Emperor’s most sensitive nerve.

The possibility that the Crown Prince, once grown, might demand the throne back—this was the Emperor’s greatest concern.

The Emperor gave a small nod.

"Yes, that... does make sense."

"I am honored that Your Majesty recognizes my sincerity."

The Empress inclined her head slightly.

The Emperor had once again put on his signature, sly smile.

"Then I can trust you to oversee the Crown Prince?"

"Of course. I will do my utmost."

"Very well. I must return to my duties now."

Duties, my foot.

The Empress scoffed inwardly.

Everyone in the palace knew that the Emperor dumped all his work onto his ministers and idled about like a libertine.

She escorted him outside the Empress’s Palace.

As she watched his figure grow distant, the Head Lady-in-Waiting approached her.

"Your Majesty, Charlize has returned."

"Oh? Tell her to come in at once."

The Empress’s face instantly brightened.

I’m so glad Charlize is here.

Even the Head Lady-in-Waiting thought so from the bottom of her heart.

On my way back to the Empress’s Palace, I ran into a man.

A man with neatly cut dark brown hair and gray eyes, his appearance refined and composed.

Oh, no way?

I widened my eyes.

Is that the Emperor?

In the novel, he was described as "a man whose sinister intentions belied his benevolent appearance."

And that description fit him exactly.

"Charlize of the Empress’s Palace greets His Majesty the Emperor."

I lowered my head slightly in greeting.

But the Emperor didn’t even look at me.

He simply passed me by without a second glance.

Hah. So, he doesn’t care about little kids, huh?

I narrowed my eyes.

Honestly, I was relieved.

Because if he had shown any interest in me...

Ugh. That would have been absolutely disgusting.

Shuddering, I hurried inside the Empress’s Palace.

"My dear Charlize, you’re back?"

The Empress greeted me with a radiant smile.

She was in the middle of tea, the air filled with a sharp yet slightly bitter aroma.

Huh?

I sniffed the air absentmindedly.

This wasn’t the tea she usually drank.

"This tea... I don’t think I’ve seen it before."

"You’re right."

The Empress traced the rim of her teacup with her fingers, smiling faintly.

"I hesitated for a long time, but I finally decided to drink it."

"Decided?"

I blinked in confusion.

Did she really need to decide to drink tea?

Was it something ridiculously expensive?

"What kind of tea is it?"

"Well..."

For once, the Empress looked hesitant.

Then she shook her head.

"It’s something you don’t need to know about, Charlize."

"Huh?"

"I’ll tell you when you’re older, alright?"

"Okay..."

I answered automatically, sensing an unusual firmness in her voice.

The Empress added one last ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) thing.

"And Charlize, you must never drink this tea."

"Why? Does it taste bad?"

"That’s..."

I narrowed my eyes.

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Normally, she would have given me a straight answer.

But this time, she seemed... reluctant.

"If it’s difficult to answer, it’s okay."

"...Alright."

The Empress gave a vague smile.

At the time, I had no idea.

That from this day forward, she had begun drinking tea with contraceptive effects—to ensure she bore no more heirs.

Back then, my only concern was that she had met that man earlier.