I Possessed The Immoral Empress

“What are you doing!”

Upon seeing Arvian holding Ermedeline’s hand, Felio, forgetting that he was in the Empress’s chambers, yelled at the top of his lungs.

Ermedeline was also startled by Felio’s sudden entrance at such an awkward moment, but she hadn’t expected his reaction to be so intense, leaving her quite flustered. Only Arvian remained unabashed, continuing to hold her hand.

After shouting, Felio, regaining a bit of his composure, trembled as he glared back and forth between Ermedeline and Arvian.

His gaze was so fierce that it reminded Ermedeline of the first time they met.

“Don’t misunderstand, Sir. My body was a bit unwell, and Priest Arvian was just helping me with healing.”

“Yes. Direct contact is most effective, so I was merely holding her hand for a moment.”

Hearing the explanations from Ermedeline and Arvian, Felio’s mind went blank.

His hand too, had held Ermedeline’s yesterday while horseback riding. The fact that he had burst out without considering the context or the priest’s healing made him wish for a mouse hole to crawl into.

People who usually have self-confidence feel the impact more when they’re unsure how to act.

Frozen in place by the living room door, Felio couldn’t move, his body stiffened.

Arvian clicked his tongue disdainfully at Felio’s reaction, while Ermedeline, barely holding back her laughter, turned her head away.

“Move aside. Don’t block the way.”

At that moment, Rooney, unfazed by the atmosphere and determined to do his duty, nudged Felio aside and entered the living room with refreshments.

Ermedeline, without even needing to instruct him, acknowledged Rooney’s thoughtful gesture of bringing aromatic coffee with a nod.

Rooney returned the gesture with a slight wink and then left the still petrified Felio by the door.

“Your Grace. Please, take a seat. The refreshments are ready. Let’s talk while we eat.”

Though the situation was amusing, Ermedeline felt pity for the utterly embarrassed Felio, so she suppressed her smile and invited him to sit.

Thanks to Rooney, Felio had managed to regain a bit of his composure but still couldn’t think of any excuse for his rude outburst.

“Sir, it’s okay. Please, sit down. In life, well, misunderstandings, um, happen.”

Ermedeline didn’t find Felio’s reaction, bursting out after seeing her and Arvian together, particularly rude.

Strangely, she didn’t feel too bad about his outburst. In fact, she was finding it hard to suppress her laughter, seeing the flustered Felio after such a long time.

“Yeah, sit down. You’re giving me a headache.”

When even Arvian joined in urging him to sit, Felio awkwardly moved one arm and leg at a time and finally settled into the chair.

Ermedeline, trying hard to suppress a laugh at his precarious demeanor, turned her head entirely the other way. Meanwhile, Felio, observing Ermedeline’s reaction, misinterpreted her actions, believing she was genuinely angry about his rudeness.

“I was rude. Please, with your generous heart, forgive my impudence.”

As soon as he sat down, Felio stood up again and deeply bowed to Ermedeline in apology.

“Huh?”

Ermedeline, somewhat taken aback by the overly formal apology, looked at Felio again. Seeing him almost touching his knees with his nose, she stood up, grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him back up.

“No need for all this! Misunderstandings happen! I’m not angry at all, so please, sit down!”

Not only did Ermedeline lift Felio, but she also firmly pushed him back into his chair.

Felio, now seated, seemed outwardly calm but was anything but on the inside. He was lost in a whirlwind of emotions, changing erratically from moment to moment.

Upon opening the door, Felio was engulfed in a massive whirlwind of jealousy, unanticipated and overwhelming.

When Ermedeline touched his shoulder, he felt an inexplicable, deep, hot surge of emotion, as if his entire being would melt away.

While Felio was trying to compose himself from these fleeting moments, the maids began to arrive one by one in Ermedeline’s living room.

Ermedeline, Felio, and Arvian decided to set aside yesterday’s events and focus on the immediate matter at hand: the opening of the orphanage.

Felio, true to his reputation as a competent lawyer, fluidly discussed legal matters. However, he was barely aware of what he was saying, as he was consciously trying hard not to stare at Ermedeline, whether she was flipping through papers or brushing away her loose strands of hair.

Arvian, without needing the ability to read souls, was increasingly irritated by Felio’s odd behavior. He knew Felio was severely overprotective of anything related to Ermedeline, but his recent actions were particularly grating.

Just like yesterday. What does it matter whom Ermedeline rides with? Strictly speaking, shouldn’t it be more appropriate for her to ride with him, a priest?

And today? Exploding over a trivial matter and then melting like butter when Ermedeline simply touched his shoulder.

‘Tsk tsk. I’d better keep an eye on this foolish man. At this rate, Ermedeline will be in danger not from someone else, but because of this guy.’

Battling an inexplicable annoyance, Arvian rationalized his feelings, trying to find a justifiable reason for his irritation.

* * *

Outside, it was bright daylight, but inside, with the heavy curtains drawn, the room was dark and gloomy.

In the room adorned with luxurious furniture, the man who seemed to be its owner sat hunched in a corner, holding something in his hand, gazing down.

In his grip was a small pendant, ornate with opal and sapphire.

Encased within the pendant was a portrait of a woman exuding a chilling aura.

The tiny face, seemingly visible even in the darkness, captured the man’s attention, leaving him motionless and absorbed for over an hour.

“El.”

After a long time, the man softly uttered the name he had long missed, waiting for an answer that would never come.

“El.”

He tried calling a bit louder this time, hoping for a response, but only the lonely silence enveloped him.

‘Well, she was never much of a talker anyway.’

He remembered climbing the big tree next to the bedroom and whispering her name cautiously, only to see the window open slightly.

Even then, she never really responded.

She would just face him, wearing a faint smile so subtle it was hard to tell if she was smiling at all.

That barely there, blurry smile made his heart race impossibly fast.

He felt like he could fly up from the tree, hold her, and soar to the ends of the sky.

After months of outright rejection, weeks of receiving cold, contemptuous stares, he longed for that faint smile, only fully known to the great deity Harmonium.

“I miss you.”

For seven years, he forcefully pushed her out of his mind and lived on.

Back then, he resented Ermedeline for cruelly abandoning him, but it didn’t ache like this.

Now, with Ermedeline breathing and alive so close by, the longing surged uncontrollably.

A father he had never seen.

A father with whom he had no connection other than the name he was given.

Leopold’s journey to Trivian was not driven by longing for this father.

It was curiosity about the man who had made the wisest, most stoic woman fall in love, only to leave her in despair.

Leopold had planned to berate this wretched man on behalf of his mother as he headed towards the capital of Trivian.

However, upon meeting his father for the first time, Leopold found himself unable to utter any harsh words.

The man shared his red hair and ocean-deep blue eyes, still retaining remnants of his youth, but in front of him was just an incredibly exhausted middle-aged man.

No, to say he was exhausted was an understatement; he looked like a lifeless body barely clinging to life.

In a world where I thought there would be a man more beautiful and splendid than anyone else, how pitiable it is to see one extinguished like a dying ember.

Leopold only later came to realize that in the capital, a vicious war of bastards was raging.

However, he had no desire to be entangled in such a tragically barbaric conflict.

The previous emperor recommended the Francoise Duchy, a house uninvolved in the war of bastards, to such a son, and Leopold, before departing his father’s country, decided to pass some time in the Brunnian Region.

It was midwinter.

In the Brunnian Region’s vast, endless plains, only frost settled in this bitterly cold season.

Leopold resolved that once this season passed, he would leave Trivian and never return to this land nor harbor any curiosity about it.

That is, had he not met her, the one who appeared like fate itself and shook his soul to its very core.

Like most areas, Trivian Empire’s winters were always harsh, but the Brunnian Region, a prominent granary, did not endure the bleakness of the season as other regions did.

This was because they distributed the grains stored in autumn throughout the winter, and various events, both grand and minor, were held to alleviate the tedium of the long winter nights.

Especially, the Duke of Francoise, the lord of the Brunnian Region, being as fond of luxury as he was of showing off, enjoyed hosting midnight balls.

Enjoying the gazes of admiration and the praises that hailed him as a generous lord, he was by no means a stingy ruler, so his castle was always bustling with people, even in winter.

Thus, the Duke of Francoise’s castle hosted not only the local nobility but also many from other regions who sought social events during the winter hiatus.

Particularly, the young ladies and gentlemen who longed for social events were regular guests at the balls of the Francoise castle.

They showed interest in the exotic prince from a foreign land, especially the young ladies, who admired his handsome appearance and impeccable lineage.

Thanks to this, Leopold was never short of company.

The gentlemen gathered around to hear his exotic tales of adventure, and the ladies to catch his glance.

Naturally affable, Leopold did not dismiss those who approached him and interacted with them, but soon found them all uniformly tedious.

Tiring of entertaining his admirers, Leopold stealthily slipped out of the hall and strolled through the dark garden.

Compared to the sweltering heat of the crowded indoor space, the outdoor chill was so biting that even one’s breath froze.

However, Leopold felt the empty yet liberating coldness suited him better than the stifling heat that bound him.

How long had he walked in the garden?

Just when he was about to bow his head to the solitary pleasure of a bitterly cold winter night.

He saw something large and black writhing in the most secluded part of the garden, a corner even the moonlight seemed to leap over.

“Wh-who’s there!”