I Possessed The Immoral Empress

No one, not even Ermedeline, was allowed to visit, but Felio, using the privileges of a lawyer, was able to meet Bellest and Liena.

“How is the Empress? Is she alright?” asked the two ladies. Though they seemed not to have been treated too harshly, they were more worried about Ermedeline’s well-being than their own confinement.

“She’s resting. She went out of her way to visit His Majesty the Emperor to get you released, and now she has fallen asleep.”

“Ah, I see. That’s a relief. Earlier, she almost went back to…”

Bellest trembled, unable to finish her sentence.

“I’m planning to visit the Ilyenian Dukedom tomorrow. Your parents should be arriving soon,” Felio said.

Liena rolled her eyes with a slightly indifferent expression. “I wonder. They’ve cut off contact since we started serving the witch. Would they even come? Besides, my brother is in the capital. They probably don’t want to visit.”

Felio looked down with a bitter expression at Liena’s cynical response.

“Even so, don’t worry. Roberto and I are here. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“But the real problem is Bellest, isn’t it?”

“True.”

The Ilyenian Dukedom, being a historically deep-rooted and important family at the pinnacle of the noble faction, holds much more value as a hostage compared to Liena.

Seeing the somber faces of Felio and Liena, Bellest put on a hearty smile typical of her and spoke confidently.

“Don’t worry. Who am I? Nothing will happen, so just relax! You should be looking for the real culprit who tried to assassinate the Empress in the Imperial Palace.”

Bellest tried to force a smile, but remembering that the tutor she introduced was the assassin, she soon distorted her beautiful face.

Felio didn’t say much to Bellest’s words, just nodded slightly.

Throughout the day, he had imagined countless ways to kill the teaching criminal, debating whether to start with blackmail after finding some dirt, torture him terribly, or just dismember him immediately. These horrifying thoughts were what kept Felio sane.

On his way out of the palace after visiting Bellest and Liena, Felio was troubled by leaving Ermedeline in the increasingly unsafe palace.

He wished he could stay by her side, even if it meant disguising himself as a royal guard, but there was too much he needed to do for Ermedeline’s sake.

Felio called out Arvian, who was sitting in Ermedeline’s drawing room with his feet on the table and a sullen face.

“Why?”

At Arvian’s brusque response, Felio almost lost his temper but held back, remembering why he had come.

“I have a favor to ask.”

“What?”

“Protect the Empress.”

At Felio’s request, Arvian frowned and shook his head.

“What does it look like I’m doing sitting here?”

Given his history of being unable to stand boredom in the palace and constantly wandering around, it seemed he was now forcibly staying by Ermedeline’s side.

“Sure, I know. But I’m worried,” Felio admitted, lowering his gaze as his hands started to tremble.

Anxiety.

An emotion he had deliberately avoided thinking about all day.

He had been covering it up with anger and hatred, but Felio was too anxious.

And scared.

Ever since the moment Ermedeline collapsed coughing blood.

He had stood on countless battlefields.

In those hells where life and death were separated by a mere blade’s edge, he had never felt such fear.

He remembered thinking it would be less scary to be struck by a cursed arrow on the battlefield and die without moving.

Arvian glanced at Felio’s soul.

All day, it had been suppressing deep blue with vibrant red, but now, it seemed to struggle, shining in an almost black, deep blue color, as if it would be sucked in.

As if Felio was the only one worried about Ermedeline, Arvian was about to make a teasing remark but changed his mind seeing the deep blue bruise-like mark etched on his soul.

“Don’t worry. I swear on the name of the god Harmonium, I will protect the Empress.”

Invoking the name of a deity frivolously could lead to serious charges of irreverence.

Therefore, not only laypeople but also priestesses avoid mentioning the name of a deity for trivial matters.

But now, a candidate for the next Grand Priest had sworn in the name of a deity.

It was as if he was staking his life on his words.

However, Felio was still anxious.

Although he had saved Ermedeline in that forest with Arvian, he still harbored doubts about him.

The Order’s hatred for curse magic was not exactly a secret.

The Order, which had been at odds with the Francoise Duchy for a long time, also wanted to execute Ermedeline, the witch at its pinnacle.

But suddenly, a candidate for the next Grand Priestess had saved Ermedeline’s life and even followed her to the Imperial Palace.

It had not been long since he met Ermedeline.

Seeing Felio’s soul clouded with suspicion, Arvian clicked his tongue in displeasure.

“Hey, do you find me that unreliable?”

Felio’s head snapped up at Arvian’s sullen voice.

It seemed Arvian had noticed something was off without a word being said, as his mood was quite fierce.

“I know you’ve saved the Empress twice. But you’re a priest. It’s hard to fully trust you,” Felio said.

Arvian snorted and leaned in close to Felio’s face.

“And what about you? Aren’t you the successor to the Batistian Dukedom, the head of the Emperor’s faction? So, aren’t you, in fact, the one who should be finding incontrovertible evidence of the Empress’s misdeeds?”

Considering his history of restlessness in the palace, it was clear that he was now reluctantly staying by Ermedeline’s side.

“Yeah, I know. But it’s because I’m worried.”

Felio’s face turned grim in an instant, outraged at the doubt cast upon his sincerity.

“Exactly. I’m a priest, and the gods love all humans equally. So, I could save the Empress’s life purely out of goodwill, as she’s under threat. But why you? Why do you want to protect her so much?”

Arvian, who could see souls, or even without that ability, could have guessed the answer from Felio’s desperate actions in the forest. Yet, he feigned ignorance, annoyed by Felio’s persistent doubts.

‘Scoff, such presumption. He’s too green and naive…’

Arvian waited with a defiant look, chin raised, expecting an evasive reply from Felio. However, Felio’s response was unexpectedly honest.

“The Empress I’ve come to know… is more precious and valuable than my own life.”

Taken aback by Felio’s straightforward and sincere answer, Arvian pouted his lips and shook his head from side to side.

‘I thought he’d try to dodge the question with some lie…’

“I feel the same. I might not be as devoted as you are yet, but I’ve come to see that the Empress is not someone who deserves to be under such threats.”

But Arvian couldn’t be completely honest. He couldn’t reveal to Felio that Ermedeline’s soul was from another world.

Nevertheless, it seemed to be enough of an answer for Felio, whose expression softened slightly.

“I see. I understand. Then please, take care of the Empress.”

“Yes, I’ll watch over her all night. Don’t worry.”

As the deep blue fear passed, Felio’s soul started to glow with the green of jealousy, so intense that it was almost blinding.

‘Ugh, so transparent. It’s a wonder he hasn’t been caught out by anyone yet.’

Disgusted, Arvian waved his hand dismissively and ushered Felio out of the drawing room.

“Off you go! You have that lawyer thing to prepare for! Leave this place to me!”

With a firm wave of his hand, Arvian watched as Felio reluctantly left the palace.

* * *

“Really?”

Meanwhile, Valliere, having heard about what happened to Ermedeline, showed no particular reaction, unlike the urgent voices of the maids.

She felt no desire to pretend to be concerned.

She was only disappointed that Ermedeline hadn’t died.

‘Why can’t these assassins finish the job properly? It’s so irritating that I can’t intervene directly.’

Valliere, who had been confined to her quarters since the incident at Leopold’s house a few days ago, did not visit Ermedeline even after hearing that she had narrowly escaped death. She just stayed locked in her room all day, biting her nails and muttering to herself.

Even the maids and guards, who remembered Ermedeline’s kindness in bringing them food and water when everyone else had turned their backs on Valliere, were disgusted by her reaction.

“She’s not even human.”

“Exactly. How well the Empress took care of her when she was sick!”

“She didn’t even care when two maids caught the plague because of her.”

“Her face may be pretty, but isn’t she just an evil witch?”

“That’s why they say the Empress is a witch, but experiencing her, it’s the complete opposite.”

“You can’t trust rumors, it seems.”

This was the conversation shared in a quiet corner of the corridor, believed to be out of earshot.

Unfortunately, at that moment, Valliere left her quarters for the first time in days, heading somewhere after receiving a message from Leopold asking to meet in the garden.

‘Me, a witch? They dare call me a witch?’

Hearing the maids’ conversation, Valliere trembled with rage and fury in her eyes.

A maid following her closed her eyes tightly, anticipating trouble.

‘How dare they call me a witch? The real witch is that woman. Why should I care about her? Have they forgotten how much I suffered because of the plague? I was confined for weeks, suffering. Should I care about the death of those maids?’

Though she wanted to rush back and grab those maids by the hair, she remembered the humiliation she had faced previously because of her temper.

‘Fine. I’ll hold back for now. But soon, they’ll pay for their careless words.’

As Valliere walked to the garden, considering how she would punish the disrespectful maids, the following maid was surprised by her lack of reaction. Still, she felt an ominous aura emanating from Valliere, sending shivers down her spine.

In the garden, Langen, an aide of Leopold, stood with an elegant box in hand.

“What is it?”

Valliere, still harboring resentment towards Leopold for the recent incident, asked curtly.

“The Prince wanted to come personally but was concerned it might complicate matters for Marchioness Belian, so he sent me in his stead. He asked me to deliver this to you.”

Langen bowed deeply, offering an ornate jewel box.

Valliere was tempted to take the jewel box, but she restrained herself. After feeling so slighted that day, accepting such a transparent bribe would wound her pride.

“I don’t need such things,” she said, feigning disinterest and turning away coldly.