I Possessed The Immoral Empress

The secret did not stay hidden for long.

The situation worsened in the Brunnian Region, a key granary area, exacerbating the food crisis in the Trivian Empire. It was Henry who leaked the information, wanting to tie Ermedeline’s hands even further, now that she had even brought the temple under her influence.

As a result, Ermedeline’s reputation, which had been gradually improving since the end of the plague, plummeted once again.

The nobles had never ceased their hatred for her, so their opinion mattered little, but the issue was with the common people who had slowly been opening their hearts.

They, too, began to doubt Ermedeline’s sincerity, distorting even the genuine acts she had shown, believing again that a witch was always a witch.

Of course, a minority of the populace, remembering the death of the Duke of Francoise at the orphanage’s opening ceremony, sided with the Empress. However, public opinion tends to accelerate towards the worst-case scenario.

Felio felt uneasy.

All the way from Roberto’s house to the royal palace, he had to listen to the people’s doubts and accusations directed at Ermedeline.

In just a few days, the people who had been cursing the cruel mistress Valliere had changed their tune, now slandering the immoral Empress.

“A witch is a witch. Who would have thought she was pretending to end the plague while preparing a greater curse?”

“Exactly. The Duke of Francoise’s death was suspicious too. Maybe it was the Empress, not the Emperor, she tried to assassinate?”

“So, her going to the Grand Temple to pray was all to deceive the priests.”

“Acting like a witch, indeed. Tsk, tsk.”

Such cold-hearted criticisms pierced Felio’s soul, leaving deep scars one by one.

Felio felt tormented, blaming himself for not having eliminated Ermond sooner.

Moreover, the expression on his father’s face when they briefly met last night.

Felio, who had been secretly planning Ermedeline’s escape, had returned to his family home late in the evening to dispose of his personal assets, staying there.

While gathering documents and items to discreetly leave the house, he happened to run into Duke Batistian, and his father’s reaction was very different from what Felio had anticipated.

“It’s been a while. Are you doing well?”

It hadn’t been long since his father was furiously ranting about Felio being bewitched by the witch and now running away from home, but suddenly, he was asking after his son’s well-being in a gentle voice.

Given Duke Batistian’s genuinely caring expression, under normal circumstances between father and son, Felio would have politely answered his father’s inquiry.

However, Felio felt an indescribable fear upon seeing his father’s kind gaze.

His father, who had been furrowing his brow for months, now wore a peaceful expression, which felt ominously out of place.

“I am doing well.”

Felio responded as emotionlessly as possible, and Duke Batistian, after looking at his son, smiled leisurely, patted his shoulder lightly, and returned to his bedroom.

“Yes, that’s good to hear.”

Recalling his father’s chilling smile, Felio quickened his pace toward the palace, eager to find a safe hiding place for Ermedeline as soon as possible.

***

Nowadays, Ermedeline’s sitting room, devoid of maids, was generally quiet. Felio found himself with the opportunity to be alone with Ermedeline much sooner than expected.

“A trip? Suddenly, you want to go on a trip?”

Ermedeline, taken aback by Felio’s sudden proposal, widened her eyes in genuine confusion and tilted her head.

“With the current unrest among the populace, wouldn’t it be beneficial for Her Majesty to tour the provinces and encourage the people?” Felio suggested.

While it was not uncommon for emperors to inspect the public sentiment through tours across the ages, Ermedeline thought it impractical given the imminent completion of the orphanage and the start of major sewer projects.

“The orphanage will soon be completed, and the sewer projects are about to begin in earnest. There seems to be no time to leave the palace, right?”

Unaware of Felio’s intention to whisk her away, Ermedeline declined his request for very practical reasons.

But Felio was desperate.

That look in his eyes, the peace finally found in his stormy silver irises since his mother’s death, made him yearn to elope with Ermedeline if possible.

“Isn’t it beneficial to clear one’s mind, especially during busy times? To afford some leisure for the next plan?”

“But the Emperor won’t allow it. With Ermond’s situation and the unrest at the border causing public turmoil…”

Mid-sentence, Ermedeline halted, realizing something as she looked at the man before her.

The usually serene and mysterious silver irises were now tumultuously anxious.

Ermedeline, seeing that look, finally understood his intention.

“Do you think fleeing will solve this situation?”

Escape.

Indeed, Ermedeline had also contemplated it.

With ample funds, she had considered converting it to cash and disappearing into thin air.

But even if she managed to escape Trivian alive by some stroke of luck, a peaceful life was out of the question.

Ferdant’s safety would be in jeopardy, and it was certain that Helen and Heather’s mother, held by Ermond, would be killed.

Moreover, the likelihood of a successful escape under Henry’s sharp surveillance was almost nil.

Felio internally winced, realizing Ermedeline had grasped his intent, but he couldn’t back down now.

“Escape? I never said such a thing! I merely suggested that if Her Majesty personally toured the provinces and distributed grain to the areas suffering from food shortages, it would be a more effective relief effort. Aren’t the orphanage and sewer projects benefits that only the capital’s residents can enjoy?”

Ermedeline gave a faint smile at Felio’s fervent, yet transparently obvious, attempt to persuade her.

“I understand your intention, Your Grace. However, now is not the right time. Once the orphanage is completed and the sewer projects are somewhat concluded, I will personally request His Majesty’s permission.

It was a better response than an outright refusal, but not satisfactory enough for the anxious Felio.

Seeing Felio’s handsome brow furrow, Ermedeline adopted a more determined expression.

“Prince.”

“?”

“Do you not believe in my innocence?”

Ermedeline didn’t think that Felio doubted her, but she had to ask.

“What do you mean by that question? How could you ask me that…”

“You are not my lawyer. If you believe in my innocence, shouldn’t you be looking for a legitimate way to help me?”

“Of course! I am looking! I’m tracking Ermond’s whereabouts and also the Duke of Francoise…”

Felio was about to mention his investigation into Valliere, who had handed over the orphanage’s blueprints to the Duke, but he stopped himself. Henry already had evidence thanks to a note sent by Ermond, but Felio was unaware of this fact.

Thus, he was still investigating the disappearance of a maid who had handed over the blueprints to the Duke of Francoise.

“About the Duke of Francoise?”

Ermedeline asked innocently as Felio suddenly stopped speaking.

She was still unaware that Valliere had conspired with the Duke of Francoise to remove her.

Felio knew that Ermedeline’s body and soul were already at their limits due to the repeated assassination attempts.

He didn’t want to add the malice of someone living under the same roof to her burdens, especially now that Valliere was under Henry’s strict surveillance, which made her situation somewhat less dangerous than before.

“We are also tracking the culprit who conspired with the Duke of Francoise at the orphanage’s foundation ceremony.”

“I see. So, you were collecting evidence without me having to say anything. Please continue to do so. I am innocent, so I won’t resort to fleeing. If necessary, I will prove my innocence in court. Naturally, with the help of Trivian’s most capable you, right?”

Despite his urgency, Felio’s heart eased at Ermedeline’s playfully reassuring smile.

Felio inwardly scoffed at his own weakness, bowing his head politely to show his acceptance of the command.

What could he do about his weakness?

In front of this woman, he was nothing.

He was just a fragile mirror, ready to smile when she smiled, laugh when she cried, and shatter completely if broken.

As the public opinion against Ermedeline worsened, the nobility were pleased.

Already tired of Henry’s ambiguous stance, the nobles scoffed at the commoners who adored Ermedeline for merely building an orphanage and acting like a saint, deeming them no better than livestock.

They despised the ignorance of the populace, who cursed the witch as the cause of the plague but now reversed their judgment, preferring the Empress over the mistress.

However, the easily swayed public opinion wasn’t entirely bad.

As rumors of Ermond’s defection to the enemy spread, the sinister whispers in the Brunnian Region, and even the previously concluded plague, were dredged up again, rapidly deteriorating Ermedeline’s reputation.

Duke Batistian seized this atmosphere.

Henry had indeed promised to depose the witch and make her pay for her crimes.

But it had been three years since Ermedeline became the Empress.

Despite waiting, it seemed unlikely Henry would fulfill his promise.

Even the nobles, once staunch supporters and accomplices of Henry, began to doubt the Emperor’s promise.

The news of Ermond’s actions ignited the nobility’s hatred, which had been anxiously wavering due to Ermedeline’s sudden attempts at reputation rehabilitation, like a fuse ready to explode.

Hadn’t there been an attempt to assassinate the Empress within the palace not so long ago?

Duke Batistian had merely hinted at it.

He had just breathed a whisper of discord into the already burning flames.

But the hatred, once fueled with oxygen, spread uncontrollably like wildfire in a drought.

However, their target was the continent’s greatest mage, the heir to the Francoise Duchy’s Merciful Eyes.

They had not forgotten how her lineage caused numerous assassination attempts to fail.

This time, they did not want to repeat the mistakes of clumsy assassins; they wanted to cut off Ermedeline’s breath completely and perfectly.

To do this, they needed to move carefully and surely.

A perfect trap had to be laid, one from which the witch could not escape.

The stage and time were finally set.

The witch would be vanquished.