Hiya! I’m 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 we’ve already seen each other a lot now.”
“Just because we’re in the same room now, doesn’t mean we’ve seen each other a lot.”
The empress said so with a serious face.
“Oh, er…yes.”
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 empress’s hand brushed the top of my head.
She gently stroked my hair.
“Come to think of it, It’s been a while since I’ve seen you in pajamas, Lize.”
“Oh, I’m 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 empress’s face.
Her eyes sank deeply at my reaction.
“No, I didn’t mean to hurt Her Majesty’s feelings, ‘sorry’ isn’t 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 empress’s face darkened a little. Charlize didn’t say anything or reciprocate her hug like she would usually.
“What’s wrong?” asked the empress.
“Dwn’t, don’t do twis, I’m 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 empress’s 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 empress’s 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, let’s 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 couldn’t 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.