The Evil Empress Adores Me-Chapter 57
"You stay here. I'll go alone."
With that, Head Maid Weber strode out without another word.
I toddled over to the Empress.
"The Dowager Empress is a proud woman, so if I tell her I'm giving this to her myself, she'll surely refuse."
"Y-Your Majesty, the Empress..."
"So for now, just accept it, and later, find the right moment to pass the message along."
Hearing the Empress’s thoughtful words, the Head Maid nodded, her face overflowing with emotion.
Heh, isn’t our Empress amazing?
"That aside, I didn’t see a single maid on the way to and from the Dowager Empress’s palace. Where did they all go?"
"Ah, well."
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The Head Maid spoke in a satisfied tone.
"They've all been dismissed."
For a moment, the Empress's eyes gleamed sharply.
Then, a few seconds later, she flashed a gentle smile.
"...I see."
Her voice carried an unmistakable sense of satisfaction.
"Without maids, things must be a little difficult. I'll send some of my maids from the Empress’s palace for now."
"What? No, Your Majesty, you’ve already helped more than enough. I couldn't possibly accept any more of your kindness—"
"Don’t be mistaken."
The Empress folded her arms nonchalantly.
"I'm sending them because I don’t want Charles to suffer."
"Y-Your Majesty, the Empress..."
The Head Maid looked as if she were about to drown in a wave of overwhelming emotion.
And I probably looked the same.
Our Empress is the best!
"In any case, I hope this helps a little."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The Head Maid bowed deeply once again.
Before leaving, the Empress turned to me and gently ruffled my hair.
"Charles, I’ll be going now. Help the Head Maid, and I’ll see you later."
"Yes! I’ll do my best!"
I nodded with a bright smile.
...I thought everything was going smoothly.
But then, we ran into an unexpected problem.
"It's not ideal to open up the Dowager Empress’s palace, but is there no suitable place for the tea gathering?"
The Head Maid, deep in thought, muttered with a sigh.
'We can’t let the Emperor have his way...'
Both the Head Maid and I were doing our best to avoid showing the guests anything too shabby.
But the Dowager Empress’s palace itself was the issue.
No matter how thoroughly we cleaned, we couldn't magically restore the peeling wallpaper and worn-out furniture.
"Should we try tidying up just the parlor? No, that won't do either..."
The Head Maid murmured to herself in a worried voice.
I glanced out the window.
The sunlight was clear, and the gentle early summer breeze carried a pleasant warmth.
It was the perfect weather.
On days like this, I used to have lunch outside with Diamid...
Ah!
My eyes widened.
"Do we really have to hold the gathering indoors?"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"The weather is so nice right now. What if we hold the tea gathering outside?"
Yes, this is it!
I clenched my fist.
"An outdoor tea gathering?"
"Yes. The guests are coming straight from a state meeting, right?"
The Head Maid, who had been frowning, lifted her head slightly and looked at me.
"Which means they've been indoors all day."
"...That's true."
"So, as a change of pace, why not hold the tea gathering outside? What do you think?"
However, contrary to my enthusiasm, the Head Maid shook her head gloomily.
"I'm not sure. There are a lot of logistical issues to consider."
"Like what?"
"For example, the chairs and tables. They're all old."
The Head Maid slumped °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° her shoulders, looking more dejected than ever.
"Hmm. Is it a matter of not having enough?"
"No, we have plenty."
She sighed and gave me a troubled look.
"But we can’t just set out a bunch of old furniture for entertaining distinguished guests, can we?"
"Wait, then..."
I tilted my head.
"As long as they don’t look old, it should be fine, right?"
"...As long as they don’t look old?"
"Yes. If we replace the tablecloths and chair covers, they’ll look fresh. It’ll also create a sense of uniformity."
At my words, the Head Maid’s face brightened.
"Yes, that’s a great idea! Tablecloths and chair covers are easy to procure."
Emboldened, I added another suggestion.
"If we set up under the shade of a tree and use high-quality canopies, the atmosphere should be lovely."
Wouldn’t it feel like a picnic?
I shrugged my shoulders.
The Head Maid, lost in thought as she considered the tea gathering setup, let out a long sigh.
Wow, how many times has she sighed today?
At this rate, she might just sink into the ground!
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
"The only issue now is that we don’t have enough flowers or vases to decorate the tables."
"Ah..."
"Even if we gather every flower we can find, we won’t be able to make the arrangements as lush as what’s in fashion these days."
Ugh, one problem after another.
I furrowed my brows.
Since the Dowager Empress’s palace had fallen out of the Emperor’s favor, we couldn’t exactly demand fresh flowers from the Imperial Household Department.
If only we could unearth some proper vases from storage instead of all these useless chipped teacups...
I was glaring resentfully at the cracked teacups when I suddenly froze.
W-Wait.
What if we did this instead?
I slowly looked up at the Head Maid.
"...How about this?"
At last, the preparations for the tea gathering were complete.
The Head Maid and I stood side by side, waiting for the guests to arrive.
Moments later, my shoulders tensed.
‘Ah, it’s the Emperor.’
He had really brought all the nobles from the state meeting, and the number of guests was quite large.
The Emperor greeted the Dowager Empress with a gentle smile, pretending to be affectionate.
"Greetings, Mother. Have you been well?"
"Welcome. It’s been so long since I last saw my son’s face. I am overjoyed."
The Dowager Empress responded with elegant composure, not even raising an eyebrow.
Standing beside the Emperor, the Empress gave me a small nod in greeting.
‘Ah, Empress!’
I was smiling at her when I suddenly noticed Duke Rochester’s grim expression and quickly swallowed my grin.
Right then, the Head Maid respectfully lowered her head.
"I greet the Sun of the Empire, His Majesty the Emperor."
"I greet the Sun of the Empire, His Majesty the Emperor."
I quickly clasped my hands together and bowed.
Just then, a cold voice dropped down over my head.
"Wait. Isn’t this child a maid from the Empress’s palace?"
The Emperor, frowning, glanced toward the Dowager Empress.
"Why is she here?"
Uh-oh.
I swallowed dryly.
Was he going to pick a fight with the Empress just because I was helping the Dowager Empress?
Can’t you leave our Empress alone?!
At that moment, the Dowager Empress spoke.
"I personally summoned her."
"...You did, Mother?"
"Yes. As I grow older, I find that I enjoy the company of children more and more."
The Dowager Empress reached out and ruffled my hair, making sure everyone saw.
"I’ve been feeling lonely, so I asked the Empress if I could borrow this child as a companion."
"...I see."
"In the past, there were always young children to entertain me, but these days, they are difficult to find."
There was a pointed edge to her words.
The Emperor’s expression grew tense, as if he had caught her meaning.
But with so many people present, it seemed even he couldn’t openly rebuke his own mother.
Sensing her advantage, the Dowager Empress seized the moment.
"My, keeping our guests standing like this is quite improper."
Smiling brightly, she led the way.
"Come now, the weather is wonderful, so we’ve arranged for tea in the garden."
"...In the garden?"
The Emperor looked momentarily caught off guard.
Of course. He must have been expecting to humiliate the Dowager Empress by revealing the palace’s shabby state.
But did he really think things would go his way?
I sharpened my gaze.
A white canopy, stretched out over the lush green garden, billowed gently in the breeze.
The fresh scene suited the early summer weather perfectly, and the nobles looked intrigued.
Meanwhile, the Emperor’s expression darkened as he glared at the beautifully decorated tea tables.
What’s wrong? Not as miserable as you expected?
