The Evil Empress Adores Me

Sienna greeted Damian.

I see you, Crown Prince.

Youre here, Viscountess Antes.

Perhaps because mindful of others watching, Damian called Sienna, Viscountess Antes.

No, why?

My shoulders drooped a bit.

I despise myself for liking how he didnt call her Sienna.

Hows the ball?

Its my first time attending a ball party of this magnitude, its insane.

Sienna smiled softly.

The two had a friendly conversation.

I was captivated by the conversation between them.

I thought about it before, but those two.

They suit each other. Theyre like peas in a pod.

In the original story, they were lovers who couldnt live without each other.

I guess I wasnt the only one who thought so too.

The two of them get along well with each other.

Youre right.

The people standing around me spoke in hushed voices so that Damian wouldnt overhear them.

Some glanced at me while some stared at me.

Come to think of it, Viscountess Antes, shes the heir to inherit the North, right?

Yes. Out of all the unmarried ladies of the empire, none are nobler than her.

There are no princesses and there arent any princesses of Rochester to boot.

Hearing those whispers, I was reminded all over again of the sheer difference between me and Sienna.

*Sigh* Hearing remarks like those.

I tried to walk away.

Actually, I thought the Crown Prince would marry Viscountess Antes.

It seems like the Crown Prince cares a great deal for that Charlize lady, but how long will that last?

Agreed, their difference in status is hard to turn a blind eye to.

.my feet stopped on their own.

Well, its only natural that everyone thinks that way.

I myself didnt understand at first. Why would Damian choose me?

Of course, I understood this was an engagement out of necessity.

The peoples chattering continued unabated.

By the way, there are rumors that Lady Charlize was able to become the Crown Princes fiancee because she charmed him with her beauty.

Well, shes definitely beautiful. Shes worth sticking around for.

She used to serve the Crown Prince as a dedicated maid, right?

Then without receiving an answer to his question, the man glanced at me.

He looked at me, his gaze went down then up like he was evaluating appetizing food.

This is very bad luck.

I furrowed my brow.

The men made a racket as they talked to each other.

If youre so curious about her, why not invite her to dance?

Ah, no. Viscountess Antes is standing there, so why bother

One of the men waved his hand to dismiss the suggestion and the rest burst into laughter.

Seriously, guys?

What makes you think I want to dance with you either?

My eyesight is perfectly normal.

Damians my fiance and not anyone elses, you guys are hideous with a capital H and will never catch my eye!

..theres no way I can snap at them like that.

I took a deep breath to calm my mind.

Because if I didnt control myself, my emotions would have gotten the better of me and I would have ended up saying more than I should.

But then.

Honestly, I havent been able to say a word to the Crown Prince

Someone spoke to herself in a downhearted voice as she strode along.

It was Lady Bennett.

The other ladies next to her attempted to reassure and comfort her.

Hey, dont beat yourself over it.

There were just too many people, the Crown Prince couldnt afford to pay attention to everyone.

Yeah, I think so too!

More than that, Lady Bennett is the relative of the Empress herself, right?

With all the consolation and warmness shown, Lady Bennett seemed to have gone back to her usual self.

.is that what it was?

Seeing her big smile was enough for me.

I hope shes found solace.

I also wouldnt want to be stressed out all my life.

But the problem was, trouble came flying at me like an arrow going in the wrong direction.

Sure, no matter how often he says he has a fianceehis fiancees status

its laughable, isnt it?

The ladies burst into laughter with no regard for a so-called fiancee.

Well, Ive got a bad feeling about this.

If I stick around her any longer, Ill find myself annoyed and in a pickle!

I tried to depart furtively.

But-

.oh, who might this be?

Ah, drats!

Theres no need for me to make eye contact with her, right?!

I was shedding tears on the inside.