I Possessed The Immoral Empress

After Felio and the maids had left, Ermedeline secretly began to write something on a white piece of paper.

One letter was for Felio, another for Leopold.

And in the deep dawn of night, Ermedeline made a difficult request to Rooney.

“Can you really do it?”

“Of course! I know the geography here like the back of my hand!”

Rooney nodded confidently in response to Ermedeline’s request to secretly deliver the letter to Leopold.

“The letter must be burned rather than fall into anyone else’s hands if it cannot be delivered.”

“Don’t worry! Most of the friends on the streets can’t even read. I’ll make sure it’s safely passed along.”

Seeing Rooney’s bright eyes, Ermedeline felt somewhat relieved but couldn’t shake off a certain doubt.

“But don’t you ask?”

“About what?”

“The content of the letter.”

“Why would I need to know that? It must be important if Your Majesty the Empress is sending it.”

“But isn’t the prince a figure who could threaten the imperial authority?”

At Ermedeline’s question, Rooney replied with her characteristic hearty smile.

“Didn’t you say to stab directly?”

“Huh?”

“That’s what you said. If you want to kill me, do it directly.”

“Ah, right. I did say that.”

Words spoken in court not long after she had become possessed.

Today, she kept hearing her own embarrassing statements through Rooney’s mouth.

“Rather than scheming behind the scenes, Her Majesty the Empress would confront the Emperor directly.”

“Huh, you’re right. Your words make sense.”

Despite the increasingly unfavorable situation, Ermedeline thought she had done quite well, given the number of people who believed in her.

In fact, what she had written was a will.

It wasn’t that she had given up the will to live, but rather she was preparing for the future just in case.

Now that she knew the love between Leopold and Ermedeline was real, there was no one more suitable to entrust Ferdant’s future to.

According to the records, he was someone who would willingly give up the throne for his son, so he would do whatever it took to protect Ferdant should anything happen to her.

“Better a real father than a woman wearing the shell of a mother.”

After Rooney, with her determined face, left Ermedeline’s chamber, Arvian, who had been hiding in the shadow behind the curtain, stepped out with a decisive stride.

“I trust Rooney, but follow her. Just in case…”

“I know. If I see anything suspicious, I’ll take care of the letter right away.”

“Thanks.”

Ermedeline had already shared the contents of the letter with Arvian, the only one she could inform of her situation.

As Arvian was about to follow Rooney and climb through the window of Ermedeline’s chamber, he suddenly stopped and asked.

“Are you giving up?”

His voice was monotone, carrying no emotion.

Hearing his question, Ermedeline burst into light laughter.

“In the world I lived in, there’s a saying.”

“What is it?”

“‘Giving up is a word used only when counting cabbages.'”

“Cabbages?”

If kimchi had been mentioned in this novel, the meaning would have been immediately clear, but unfortunately, kimchi does not appear in this world.

“There’s such a thing. I’ll explain it later, for now, hurry and follow Rooney.”

Urged by Ermedeline, Arvian quietly looked out the window.

The moment there was no sign of anyone’s presence around, he leaped out of the window with a lightness that seemed unbelievable.

“Wow, it’s not even an acrobatic trick. Really amazing, Arvian. You’d be the first to be scouted by something like the Circus of the Sun.”

Ermedeline watched Rooney and Arvian, who was following her, then suddenly looked up at the sky.

The moon, obscured by cloudy skies, was creating a mysterious halo.

Ermedeline, who loved to look up at the sky in her previous life, often went out to the yard on cloudy days like this to see the halo around the moon.

Although materially wealthier in this place, where her life was under constant threat, she didn’t have the luxury to look up at the sky as before.

Whenever she had time, she would reflect on her actions, checking for any oversights, or ponder the reactions of those around her to estimate her chances of survival.

‘At least I didn’t have to worry about Kyungsoo. That’s one good thing.’

Kyungsoo was a friend, lover, and family.

On the day she parted from him, Ermedeline was possessed into a strange world.

It was as if half of her soul had been ripped away, replaced by the terror of certain death.

‘This sucks. Really.’

That this was the result of months of effort.

To find herself at a disadvantage again, not because of her fault but because of the family she had so longed for.

Ermedeline suddenly looked down again at the direction where Rooney and Arvian, now out of sight, had disappeared.

‘It’s not a disadvantage.’

Though Leopold and Ferdant, not present in the original work, had appeared, and there had been acts of treason by Ermond, unlike the original Ermedeline, who was a loner, she had people who believed in her.

People who trusted her completely, without any doubts or suspicions.

Although she had prepared a will just in case, Ermedeline had no intention of giving up easily.

Family doesn’t have to be blood-related.

The people who remain on my side, unchanging, even when the whole world turns its back and condemns me.

The family that the previous Ermedeline had longed for was exactly that.

To find such a family in this strange, new world, even while wearing the shell of the worst possible fate.

‘I will live. I must live. I won’t give up here, you guys!’

With a lot of resentment now towards the gods of Trivia, Ermedeline made a blasphemous vow.

Ermedeline uttered the word “abdication.”

Though Felio was secretly preparing for Ermedeline’s escape and claimed to be without regret, he was unsure if she was truly ready to give up her status as Empress. Finally, he felt certain about his choice.

Henry would not let Ermond’s actions slide.

Due to the chaos at the border and the crisis in the Brunnian Region, a major granary area, a food shortage has arisen, causing unrest towards the royal family to surge once more. It is in these times that the ultimate scapegoat has emerged to take all the blame.

Being a lawyer, Felio knew better.

In a nation ruled by the emperor, no matter how lawful the trial is conducted, the final verdict is ultimately Henry’s to make.

Of course, as Ermedeline is royalty, it would be unacceptable to dispose of her without a trial on baseless charges, but given Ermedeline and the previous Duke of Francoise’s already tarnished reputation, and the fact that their only remaining family member, Ermond, has defected to the enemy nation of Frianton, it was clear that the trial would be highly unfavorable for Ermedeline.

Felio knew that even if he testified having witnessed Ermedeline nearly being murdered by Ermond twice, he could be counterattacked with the question of how she survived those attempts if they weren’t in collusion.

Felio wanted to fulfill Ermedeline’s wishes by any means necessary.

He wanted to grant her every desire, even if it meant she would remain by the side of another man.

He was content to play the role of a supporter, overturning her notorious reputation so she could live safely for the rest of her life.

But now, she has finally mentioned abdication, that is, divorce.

On his way to Roberto’s house, Felio couldn’t hide his trembling.

Given what is known about Ermond, Ermedeline’s time is likely running short.

Henry will blame Ermedeline for the plague, war, and food crisis, seeking to dispose of her when necessary.

Felio steeled his heart.

His goal is no longer to fulfill her wishes.

Although he verbally agreed to do so for Ermedeline’s sake in the royal court, Felio actually wished he could turn back time to prevent Ermedeline from revealing Ermond’s actions to Henry.

Why wouldn’t he know what the right thing to do was?

Had he remained the loyal servant he once was, he would have reported the matter to Henry alongside Ermedeline the moment he learned of it, in an attempt to prevent the curse and war.

But that version of himself is gone.

The person he was before meeting Ermedeline has disappeared as if he never existed.

It doesn’t matter if it goes against Ermedeline’s wishes.

It doesn’t matter if he cannot fulfill all her wishes.

Felio’s objective has narrowed down to one thing: safely extracting Ermedeline from the royal palace.

For that purpose, Felio was willing to sell his soul.

Leopold was surprised.

By an unexpected letter.

But he was also delighted.

Ermedeline, who had only avoided his gaze with an anxious expression even at the ball, had sent him a handwritten letter.

Trusting Leopold’s sincerity, Ermedeline wrote a lifetime request in it.

‘Please protect Ferdant.’

In fact, to write this one sentence, Ermedeline had to waste dozens of precious sheets of paper.

Because all the elaborate words she had laid out thinking of the original Ermedeline’s feelings felt insincere.

How could reading those letters and diaries possibly understand the relationship between the two?

How could it comprehend that joy, that despair?

So, Ermedeline decided to stake everything on the pure and true love between the two, excluding any pitiful excuses or explanations.

And it worked.

A short sentence.

Yet, Leopold understood everything Ermedeline wanted to convey, even what the original Ermedeline might have wanted to share.

The letter contained no request to protect herself, only a plea to protect her son.

Leopold was well aware of the complex situation in the Trivian Empire.

In such circumstances, Ermedeline prioritized the well-being of her son over her own safety.

When he first learned that his son was alive, Leopold had wept tears of indescribable joy, but now, Ermedeline herself had sent him a message, directly conveying her love for their child over her own life, to him, the father of her child.

Those times, which he tried to erase by traveling around the world but remained like scars, impossible to remove.

And that heartache.

There were times when he couldn’t bear it without alcohol, just recalling it filled him with emptiness.

But those moments, which he thought were just void, were all true.

It was a love that had changed his entire life, but he had thought those moments meant nothing to Ermedeline; however, they also held significant meaning for her.

Fearing it might get wet, Leopold couldn’t even hold the precious letter in his hands, placing it on the desk and just looking at it as he began to sob.

Countless letters had been exchanged.

He couldn’t even count how many times he had trembled with excitement over her responses to seemingly insignificant expressions.

Therefore, Leopold didn’t notice that the handwriting in Ermedeline’s letter, mimicking what was in the diary, was subtly different from his memories.

After crying for a while, Leopold finally stopped his tears and carefully folded the white paper, placing it in his pocket.

The emperor, the supreme being, everyone covets the ultimate power.

To obtain that position, half-brothers killed each other.

But Leopold had never harbored any greed for that position.

He was even more disinclined if it meant obtaining it by killing someone, especially his own brothers.

But not anymore.

Any inclination to deal moderately with others had completely vanished.

His primary goal had been to ascend to the throne with minimal bloodshed, taking it over from Henry, but now it was time to abandon such pacifist plans.

If necessary, he would kill everyone in his path to seize the throne.

Leopold called Langen, his attendant, with a calm voice.

“Your command?”

“How many troops have we assembled?”

“We have enough to take the capital now.”

“What’s the situation on Frianton’s border?”

“Not good. There are riots inside due to the food shortage.”

“Hmm.”

Langen felt a chill run down his spine as he saw Leopold’s sharp golden eyes piercing the air, a natural predator who had been hiding his claws, now ready to hunt, lowering his body to pounce at the optimal moment.

“I will find a way to bring the troops gathered outside the border into the country.”

Seeing his faithful attendant carry out his role without needing specific instructions, Leopold smiled a satisfied and dangerously menacing smile.