The Evil Empress Adores Me-Chapter 69

Weber, the chief lady-in-waiting, who had been standing anxiously, suddenly lifted her head.

"I heard that if something like this happens again..."

"D-Duke, that is..."

"The Empress said she would hold the Bennet family directly responsible, didn’t she?"

N-No way...

Weber's lips trembled slightly.

I couldn't hide my own shock either.

Was Duke Rochester, of all people, taking the side of the maids instead of his own family's distant relatives?

"It seems that House Rochester will have to hold House Bennet accountable as well."

"Y-Your Grace, if this is about Her Majesty...!"

"Of course, House Bennet will have to pay the price for the disrespect shown to Her Majesty as well."

Lady Bennet fumbled to offer an excuse, but the Duke simply shook his head, cutting her off.

"But what I want to address right now is..."

With those words, the Duke’s deep green eyes locked onto me.

Huh? Why is he looking at me?

I had been rolling up my soaked sleeve, still dripping with # Nоvеlight # tea, when our gazes met.

I had no idea what he was thinking, but strangely enough, he looked like he was enjoying himself.

"How do you intend to compensate for pouring tea over this child?"

"B-But she’s just a maid?!"

Though Lady Bennet seemed a bit intimidated, she still forced herself to widen her eyes and cry out.

"Just tossing her a few silver coins should be enough!"

"Setting aside the question of whether it is appropriate to treat the Empress’s favored maid as 'just a maid'..."

The Duke continued coolly.

"If this child were to become a daughter of House Rochester, this incident would turn into a dispute between the Rochester and Bennet families."

"...What?"

"Lady Bennet, you must be confident in handling the consequences of that, considering how boldly you’re standing before me right now."

And with that, the Duke dropped an absolute bomb in the middle of the gathering.

"......"

"......"

Everyone was too stunned to process his words.

A brief silence passed.

What?!

My eyes widened in shock.

W-Who’s becoming the daughter of House Rochester?!

"What do you mean, the daughter of House Rochester?!"

"Surely you’re not saying you would adopt that maid girl?!"

It wasn’t just me—every lady present was utterly horrified.

Even Diamid, usually composed, was staring at the Duke with his eyes blown wide.

His trembling, ruby-red gaze turned to me.

His eyes, desperate like a child about to be abandoned, made me feel strangely guilty.

U-Um, Diamid.

Even if you look at me like that, I have no idea what’s going on either...?

"Of course, the choice will be hers to make."

Despite throwing the entire small banquet into chaos, the Duke alone remained unruffled.

His composed voice made my eyes dart around anxiously.

I get to choose whether or not I become the daughter of Rochester?

But then.

"Charlize."

"Y-Yes!"

The Duke’s voice snapped me out of my daze.

He gestured toward me.

"For now, let’s step out."

"Huh?"

"You can’t stay in those wet clothes."

"Oh, right..."

Well, he wasn’t wrong.

Still dazed, I followed the Duke out the door.

As the door closed behind me, my gaze met Diamid’s.

"...Take care."

His voice was barely above a whisper as he turned his head away.

Looking into those resigned red eyes reminded me of a puppy left behind, one that already knew its owner would never return.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

"Y-Your Highness..."

Click.

The door shut.

Diamid never looked back at me.

What the—why is he acting like this?

I didn’t do anything wrong, but now I can’t stop thinking about it!

The Duke walked ahead with long strides.

I had to half-jog just to keep up with him.

"Um, what was all that about? Me becoming the daughter of House Rochester?"

"Exactly what it sounded like—I have the intention of adopting you."

His voice was matter-of-fact.

I furrowed my brows.

But why?

Why would the Duke make such an outrageous proposal to me...?

"I mean, that would make you my little sister."

"I’d... be Your Grace’s sister?"

I made a baffled face.

Seriously?

Even at a glance, the family's opposition would be immense.

The Duke, however, frowned and asked in return.

"What, do you think the head of House Rochester can't even adopt a single child as he pleases?"

"Oh, no! That’s not what I meant at all. I just..."

I quickly shook my head and hesitated before speaking again.

"I'm just worried that it might be too much trouble for you."

"There’s no need for concern."

The Duke firmly shook his head.

"What, do I seem so incompetent that I wouldn’t be able to handle that kind of opposition?"

"N-No, that’s not it."

"If that were the case, I would have lost my position as head of House Rochester a long time ago."

His confidence made me lower my head awkwardly.

Then, he added casually.

"And honestly, I’ve been considering adopting you for a while now."

"...Huh?"

What did he just say?

I blinked in confusion.

"Do you remember His Highness the Crown Prince’s birthday celebration? The one from years ago?"

"Uh? Oh... yes, I remember."

I nodded.

I must have been around five years old back then.

Foll𝑜w current novels on fɾēewebnσveℓ.com.

"Ever since then, I’ve been thinking about bringing you into the family."

His unexpected words made me freeze.

W-Wait, since back then?!

He had been thinking about this for so long, and yet he never said a word about it until now?!

"Back then, a little girl told me she wanted a family, didn’t she?"

"...Ah."

I felt my breath catch in my throat.

'Of course! I’ve always wanted a family.'

'If I had a family, I’d treat them really well.'

Yeah... I had definitely said that.

But it was just a childish, meaningless wish.

Yet... he had remembered it all this time?

A lump formed in my throat, and I bit my lip.

"You take care of others well, but you’re not great at taking care of yourself."

The Duke sighed, shaking his head.

"What else can I do? I suppose I have to look after you."

"D-Duke..."

"If you weren’t so hopelessly careless, I wouldn’t have to go out of my way like this, would I?"

...Honestly, if only he could phrase things a little more nicely.

I almost felt touched, but then I just ended up pouting instead.

The Duke added in an offhanded tone.

"Besides, this proposal was already discussed with Rose."

Huh? The Empress?

My eyes widened.

The Duke's face twisted slightly, as if recalling something exhausting.

"When I asked Rose if I should adopt you, she was so overjoyed she nearly fainted."

...Um, Your Grace.

Could you maybe phrase things a little more elegantly?

"She told me she wants to be closer to you but doesn’t know how."

"Oh..."

"So, I thought—why not give you the chance to become her sister?"

Ah.

He really cares about the Empress.

I looked at him fondly before speaking.

"Thank you, Your Grace."

"For what?"

"I actually thought... that you didn’t like me very much."

I mean, it's true, isn’t it?

From the very first time we met, he never seemed to think highly of me, and he always teased me.

"But to think you’ve been considering adopting me all this time—I’m really touched."

"...Kid."

"Of course, it’s probably just because Her Majesty cares about me, but even so, I’m truly happy."

I smiled warmly.

The fact that he remembered what I had said on Diamid’s birthday made me genuinely happy.

The Duke, however, looked at me in complete disbelief.

...Why is he making that face?

After a long pause, he pinched his brows and muttered.

"...Do I really have to spell it out for you?"

"Huh?"

"If I didn’t like you, why would I go through the trouble of adopting you?"

After throwing that at me, the Duke deliberately quickened his pace and walked ahead.

His ears were bright red.

I blinked in confusion.

Wait... does this mean the Duke actually likes me?

Before I could process it, we arrived at my room.

The Duke turned back to me.

"I’m leaving now. Change your clothes and return to the gathering."

"Oh, yes. Thank you for your concern."

I nodded, still dazed.

And just like that, the Duke disappeared the moment I stepped inside.