The Evil Empress Adores Me

For a moment, Damian looked at me with a skeptical look. 

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Then he asked me. 

“And do you like her Majesty too?”

“Absolutely! Who in the world doesn’t like our Majesty, the Empress!”

I shouted as I pumped my clenched fists in the air. 

Damian wore an upset expression when he heard that. 

‘Of course,’ he muttered.

Hey! What’s wrong with that?

Either way, I continued with what I had to say. 

“I’m happy that his Highness is considerate of Her Majesty and me.
However…”

I paused for a moment. 

Whenever I encountered his thoughtful side, I felt a mixture of admiration and remorse. 

Because I knew his desperation. 

Damian was afraid we’d abandon him. 

“I, for one, don’t want to see His Highness in pain or sickness.
That includes her Majesty too.”

I placed my hand over his hand, grasping it. 

Damian didn’t take his hand away.
He just quietly closed his eyes. 

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I meant what I said. 

Damian’s been through so much, imprisonment, loneliness, sickness, and pain. 

“So I’d like you to treat your body with a little more respect.
Got it?”

“Still, what if it gets difficult because you’re close to me…”

“Hey, hey.
So what if it gets a little harder? With a heart that likes his Highness so much, I can overcome it all.”

I teased him a little. 

Damian slightly lowered his head, averting my gaze.
The redness on his cheeks however was very telling. 

Hmm, Damian’s a bit shy, isn’t he?

 I opened with a cheeky smile. 

“Your Highness.”

“Yes?”

“Do you like me that much? Your face is as red as a ripe tomato.”

Damian, who would usually crack up at my jokes, was awfully quiet for some reason. 

That’s odd. 

I lowered my head slightly, looking Damian in the eyes. 

Don’t tell me you’re gonna get mad at a joke?

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I know you’re not that sensitive. 

“…of course.”

“What?”

“I like you a lot.”

Lifting his head, Damian answered as he looked straight at me. 

With a much more determined voice than usual, I was slightly taken aback. 

Well, thank you for liking me back…but why the serious voice all of a sudden?

Damian swallowed his saliva as he continued speaking.

“And even if you can’t be with me anymore.”

…can’t be with you?

I stared at Damian with a dumbfounded expression. 

He licked his lips for a second before finishing his words with all the strength he could muster. 

“I will still like you.”

He tried to pretend he was confident but his voice was already wavering. 

Oh, no way. 

I blinked both my eyes. 

“Is…is it because I received an adoption offer from the Duke?”

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Damian jerked his head the other way instead of answering. 

After a while. 

He opened his mouth cautiously. 

“To be family with the Duke of Rochester… is a great opportunity for you.”

“Um, your Highness?”

“The Empress cares for you, the Duke of Rochester secretly adores you.”

Damian who seemed to be conflicted for a moment looked me in the eyes. 

“Let me go, Lize.”

“….what?”

“Wear nice clothes, eat delicious food, sleep in a comfortable bed, look at pretty twings…”

Damian blurred his words at the end. 

Biting his lips till they bled, Damian mumbled under his breath.

“I wish I could live like that.”

“But I’m going to turn down the offer.”

“WHATT?!”

Damian gaped at me as if he heard something extraordinary. 

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Wait, why are you so surprised?

Did I say something I couldn’t again?

I shrugged off Damian’s reaction. 

“I’ve thought it through.”

“W-What happened?”

“The Empress has the Duke, members of the Imperial palace, and me as well.”

Those desperate scarlet eyes were completely fixed on me. 

Damian before was like an abandoned, defeated puppy…

‘Now he’s like a puppy that’s hopeful its owner will return.’

Damian looks cute but so miserable at the same time.

I smiled bitterly and continued. 

“But I’m the only one you have.”

“…Lize.”

“How could I leave his Highness behind?”

I wrapped a bandage around Damian’s fingertip, smiling tenderly. 

I was sincere.