I Possessed The Immoral Empress

What shall he say? It’s like wanting to cry, but only a hollow laugh comes out.

Count Hallstein, who had reported the incident at Leopold’s mansion, was sweating profusely as he watched Henry for a reaction. However, Henry seemed not even to see him.

Henry had long discarded the idea of making Valliere the Empress, but he had thought not to completely cast her aside, out of the affection he once had, as long as she remained quiet.

Yet, it seemed being labeled as the Emperor’s mistress wasn’t enough for her, as she gained a reputation as a woman who meddled with her lover’s half-brother.

Henry, holding the note Valliere had sent to the Duke of Francoise, could strip her of her title and dismiss her at any time, but he hadn’t, out of what? A sense of loyalty, perhaps.

Henry had been spreading rumors about selecting the next Empress, but he hadn’t yet come to think of anyone other than Valliere as his true companion.

First love, especially one that has lasted more than half one’s life, is almost like a habit.

No, if he was to be more precise, it’s like breathing – not noticed in its naturalness, but essential to the point of death if stopped.

Even if his affection for Valliere had faded, Henry couldn’t completely cut off his first love, which was like his own breath.

He couldn’t imagine a life without it; without it, he felt he would die.

“Just leave it.”

Count Hallstein, expecting some decree against Valliere from the serious Henry, asked in a somewhat weakened voice.

“What?”

“Just leave her be. And spread the rumor that my divorce from Ermedeline is imminent. Let’s see how the nobility with eligible daughters will react.”

“And Marchioness Belian?”

“Leave her be, I said.”

Hallstein, taken aback by Henry’s somewhat irritable response, left the Emperor’s office without further question.

Left alone, Henry leaned his arms on the large, ornate desk in his office and buried his face in them.

‘Should I just have her executed? Wouldn’t all worries disappear if she just vanished?’

For a moment, Henry entertained this terrifying thought, then laughed through his nose.

‘Such trembling at the mere thought; execution is out of the question.’

No matter how much his love had cooled, she, and the time spent with her, still held sway over him.

There was certainly a time when he would have leaped into the fire with Valliere, to turn into a handful of ashes together.

Such feelings don’t easily fade.

A deep, deep sigh flowed from Henry’s lips.

The news of Leopold and Liena dancing was a serious matter.

He should have focused on that immediately, but he was too exhausted now.

The thought crossed his mind: was this the price for becoming an Emperor, even involving witches and forsaking his humanity?

Henry recalled the faces of his half-brothers, all dead by his orders.

This couldn’t be the end.

A throne obtained like this.

A throne wrangled by cutting all blood ties and crawling like a dog to that proud former Empress.

Henry decided to stop concerning himself with Valliere’s affairs.

If he couldn’t cut ties with her directly, then he had no choice but to watch her walk down the path of her own ruin.

Henry resolved to merely observe as Valliere tightened the noose around her own neck.

‘Not yet. Who says I can’t kill you if you’re Valliere?’

Exhausted by Valliere, Henry didn’t care if Leopold’s death later sparked a war.

Of course, the Ballius Empire might obliterate the Trivian Empire, but what meaning did Trivian have if he wasn’t the Emperor?

Besides, he still had Ferdant, the only weakness of the witch.

He’d focus on gathering legal evidence to avoid war with the Ballius Empire, but if that failed, he’d have no choice but to use the witch again.

After all, destined to die bearing all responsibility, what would one more murder matter?

For that, he needed to deal with that priest, annoyingly sticking close to Ermedeline.

A sense of purpose revitalized Henry’s mind.

These days, he felt most at ease when busy with something.

Henry summoned his servant who handled unofficial matters.

“Investigate this priest named Arvian. Find out everything, anything.”

Henry suspected that Arvian, a candidate for Grand Priest, was collaborating with Ermedeline for some reason.

He was sure Arvian was either blackmailed or plotting something evil.

The idea that Ermedeline was a spirit medium and Arvian was her only ally who enjoyed stories from other worlds was beyond Henry’s imagination.

“And keep an eye on Grand Priest Noctavinus, too. Especially if he tries to contact Ermedeline, report immediately.”

“As you command.”

After the servant left, Henry slowly got up and headed out of his office.

The servants waiting outside asked him where he was headed.

Henry answered with a relaxed smile and a leisurely voice.

“It’s time to visit Ferdant, after a long while.”

* * *

“Huh.”

Leopold bit his teeth hard, trying not to laugh at Valliere sprawled on the floor.

No matter how much he despised her, he didn’t want to reveal his true feelings in such a public setting.

Even when Valliere, her face flushed, looked at him for help, Leopold coldly ignored her gaze.

He didn’t want to help, but more so, he was on the verge of bursting into laughter.

However, the moment Valliere, her exposed skin all red, struggled to stand up and mentioned something disgusting about being cousins, Leopold’s mind instantly cooled.

That such a lowly woman had pushed aside Ermedeline and played the role of the Empress all this time.

Leopold wouldn’t have cared much about any insult from Valliere directed at himself.

However, every time Valliere, unavoidably entangled with Ermedeline, displayed such behavior, he felt as though Ermedeline was being dragged down with her, which disgusted him.

But before Leopold could do anything, Liena had already trampled on Valliere’s pride, and what followed was a brawl.

Leopold, who had traveled around various countries, had never seen such a spectacle.

A finely dressed lady grabbing another’s hair – it was unheard of.

At that moment, the laughter Leopold had been suppressing finally burst out.

Unable to intervene as a man in a scuffle among ladies, he turned his head away, waiting for the maids to break up the fight, chuckling to himself.

Looking around, he noticed many others, like him, turning their heads away and snickering.

Even the relatives of the ladies who were initially angry at Valliere for grabbing Liena’s hair couldn’t help but laugh at Valliere’s one-sided defeat.

The ladies not involved in the fight also subtly sneered, hiding their mouths behind fans.

Despite rumors spread by Henry about selecting the next Empress, the fact remained that there was still an Empress.

Being considered for the next Empress in this context meant being branded as the Emperor’s mistress.

Previously, despite the stigma of being a mistress, ladies might have lined up for the chance to become the Empress, but look at this spectacle.

A mistress who, despite having made her illegitimate child a duke, couldn’t be content and acted disgracefully.

In such a situation, it would be difficult for a lady from a family eyeing the position of Empress to step forward as the next candidate.

Leopold felt both amused and grateful for Valliere, who ended up rolling on the floor again.

‘She’s not even a spy I sent, yet somehow she disrupts Henry’s plans so effectively.’

The more disgracefully Valliere behaved due to her one-sided jealousy towards him, the more Henry’s authority seemed to fall with her.

Recalling the day’s events, Leopold chuckled to himself and called Langen.

“Choose a pearl necklace for me. Something big and valuable.”

“A pearl? Why suddenly a pearl?”

“I have a gift in mind.”

“A gift? Should I prepare several?”

Langen momentarily thought Leopold intended to give gifts to the ladies who had shown interest in him.

“No, just one will do.”

“One? Who are you planning to give it to?”

“That woman. Heh, hehehehe.”

Now, just the thought of Valliere was enough to make Leopold burst into laughter.

“That woman… surely not…”

“Yes. That woman.”

After a brief moment of contemplation, Langen asked with a slightly bitter expression and a cold tone.

“You’re really without equal. Playing with a woman’s heart like this?”

“Didn’t you know I was always a villain?”

“Well, I knew, but is there really a need to provoke further in this situation?”

“Of course. She must continue to be deluded to despair even more later, right?”

“Ah, yes. Truly a chivalrous thought indeed.”

At the long-serving servant’s sarcasm, Leopold smiled lightly and stroked the head of Rio sitting beside him.

“The true essence of chivalry, you see, is to make those who hurt your lady pay the price.”

That ridiculous woman, Valliere, had caused Ermedeline, though an Empress, to be treated less than properly.

Leopold had no intention of sparing Henry or Valliere if he came to power.

Although normally a genial nobleman, Leopold showed no mercy in matters related to Ermedeline.

Leopold, with a faint smile, pulled Rio closer and embraced him.

Rio, seemingly pleased, rubbed his head against his master and purred.

But Langen knew.

Even in such peaceful moments, there was blood-red hatred and longing lurking in Leopold’s red eyes.

Not wanting to disturb his master, Langen responded indifferently and headed to the storeroom to find the pearl necklace.

Inside, countless precious jewels Leopold had collected through trade were piled carelessly.

Compared to the main country’s treasury, it wasn’t much, but his master never seemed to value these expensive items properly.

‘I could easily take a few from here without anyone noticing. How fortunate the Prince is to have a loyal servant like me.’

Praising his own loyalty, Langen examined each pearl, each one elegant and luminous in its own way.

Some were uniform but dull, others slightly flawed but radiant.

It took some time to find the most flawless and luminous pearl among the many necklaces.

“There it is.”

Finally, the perfect pearl necklace appeared.

This necklace, meant to toy with a woman’s heart, exposing her depths without filter, would ultimately aid his master in achieving his goal.

What does it matter if a woman’s heart, whom he hardly knows, is slightly hurt?

His sole purpose is to fulfill his master’s wishes.

Having found the perfect pearl necklace, Langen looped it around his finger, looking at it with satisfaction from all angles.

Then, casually as if it were nothing, he tossed the expensive necklace to a servant and commanded,

“Present this to Marchioness Belian.”