I Possessed The Immoral Empress

In a tense situation, time flowed at its usual pace.

Ermedeline, who had been slowly reading through the history of corruption, suddenly stopped reading the diary altogether.

The reason was the fear that continuing to read the records of such vile deeds, intertwined with hatred and despair, might erode her own confidence.

Ermedeline in the original story was Ermedeline, and she is hers.

Now, she needed something to maintain her identity without wavering, even amidst the pouring criticism.

For Ermedeline, that something was a sense of duty.

The more she thought of it as a struggle to live, the more she wondered:

‘Can I bear the sins I have committed and live on? Can I live as if I know nothing?’

Therefore, she decided to focus on her duties as the Empress.

Trying her best in the tasks at hand to protect her crumbling self, hoping that someday people would recognize her sincerity amidst the vague and anxious expectations.

“Wow, the completion ceremony is really just around the corner now!”

While checking the details of the orphanage, which was still under construction, Ermedeline was suddenly brought back to the present by Rooney’s words.

“That’s right! The day has really come. Your Highness, you’ve been through a lot!”

Hearing Rooney’s words, Ermedeline remembered the moment she first became possessed.

The time she had to ask the prosecutor who had indicted Ermedeline in the original story for help because finding a lawyer was not feasible.

“That’s right. Just diligently manage the orphanage and complete the sewer construction thoroughly. And also rescue the Brunnian Region! And work harder on magic research to neutralize Ermond’s curse!”

Even as public opinion rapidly worsened against her, Ermedeline focused on the tasks at hand, thinking of those who believed in her.

However, there was someone who was very displeased with her actions.

Valliere was furious.

While she, innocent, was left to fight loneliness in isolation, the witch seemed to be dedicating herself to her tasks without caring about public opinion.

Moreover, while she had only a middle-aged woman from the countryside by her side, Ermedeline still had two young and handsome men.

And now, as if Felio wasn’t enough, Arvian, the candidate for the next Grand Priest, was following her like a dog.

As the completion ceremony of the orphanage approached, Valliere’s anger towards Ermedeline, for simply being under the same roof, became intolerable.

“Brother turned to the enemy country? Do you know what the maids in the palace call you?”

“A witch is always a witch. No matter how much she struggle to build an orphanage, that fact won’t change!”

No matter how much Valliere sat in the corner of her bedroom, gnawing at her nails and cursing Ermedeline, Ermedeline’s face always carried an unnervingly calm smile.

Valliere wanted to rush over and scratch that calm, arrogant face with her nails, but she hadn’t lost her senses to that extent yet.

Given that she was already in disfavor with Henry, she couldn’t further irritate Henry, who valued the dignity of the royal family above all else.

In an instant, Valliere’s gaze landed on the maids preparing dinner in the bedroom.

She remembered the earrings she had hidden in the maids’ rooms, one pair in each.

Originally, she planned to announce on the day of Ermedeline’s orphanage completion ceremony that the earrings gifted to her by His Majesty the Emperor had been stolen.

Of course, her plan hadn’t changed.

But at this moment, with her anxiety mounting and nowhere to release it, the idea of framing someone for theft seemed too trivial a punishment.

‘Yes. It would be too unsatisfactory to end things with just a theft incident after being called a witch by those lowly beings, as if daring to insult me, the Marchioness Valliere.’

Pleased with her newfound plan, Valliere gently stroked her wrist and smiled sinisterly.

Finally, the orphanage was completed.

The interior work was all finished, and the teachers had been hired.

Only the completion ceremony was left.

Ermedeline was looking forward to the completion ceremony just two days away but worried about the possibility of something happening just like during the groundbreaking ceremony.

‘Hey, I’m here this time. What could possibly happen? Besides, Felio has checked the orphanage site several times, right? Nothing will happen! Just trust me!’

With Arvian’s confident and reassuring presence, Ermedeline felt a bit more at ease.

‘Yes. With the candidate for Grand Priest here, what could possibly go wrong? Besides, I haven’t even reached the original’s number of murders yet… Being in the palace or going to the completion ceremony, the danger is the same…’

Moreover, Rooney and Margo.

Even Margo, who usually showed little emotion, seemed happy that the orphanage they had worked on for months was finally complete, choosing clothes for Ermedeline to wear to the ceremony with an excited expression.

“How about this one? Or this? This should be fitting for the owner of the orphanage!”

Rooney presented a flashy necklace adorned with numerous diamonds.

“But, but! I’m not the owner of the orphanage…”

“Ah! I know! It’s the orphans! But this is fine! It suits Her Majesty the Empress so well that it doesn’t even look extravagant, right?”

When Rooney sought Margo’s agreement, Margo bashfully pursed her lips and nodded vigorously.

“See! Margo agrees! Her Majesty the Empress is such a glamorous beauty that this doesn’t stand out at all. Not at all!”

“But still…”

“Ah! It suits you perfectly! Try walking in it!”

Finally, after being unable to watch the squabble any longer, Arvian chimed in, and Ermedeline reluctantly extended her neck and bowed her head to Rooney.

As she bowed her head, a brooch caught her eye.

Ermedeline had worn the brooch given by Henry for only a day before removing it.

Therefore, the sparkling object on Ermedeline’s shoulder now was a gift from Felio on the day of her title award ceremony.

“Ha.”

As soon as she thought of Felio, Ermedeline let out a deep sigh.

The conversation she had with Felio not long ago surfaced in her mind, suggesting she temporarily flee to the countryside due to the worsening public opinion in the capital because of Ermond’s issue.

The moment Felio suggested they suddenly leave the capital and go on a journey, Ermedeline thought her heart would burst from shock.

‘Could it be he’s suggesting we elope?’

Though she was past the age to believe in something like a love escape, she almost suffocated at the thought that his proposal might actually be that.

However, what he proposed was an inspection of the provinces.

Not an elopement with just the two of them but a provincial inspection with maids and attendants in tow.

‘Ha, I must be out of my mind. Why would a lord with a bright future run away with me?’

Having ended a seven-year relationship just a few months ago, Ermedeline wasn’t in a state to fully accept someone else’s feelings.

Moreover, she was the empire’s worst witch and the emperor’s wife.

Occasionally caught glimpses of desperation, the subtle tremors conveyed through fingertips, and his readiness to risk his life for her were not something she could accept as they were.

Furthermore, wasn’t Felio’s mother killed because of the curse of the original Ermedeline?

Whenever she faced Felio, a sense of guilt towards him always lingered in Ermedeline’s mind.

‘I’ve already caused a rift with his father because of me; don’t expect more. Felio is a friend who believes in me and someone I must protect.’

As Ermedeline lifted her head to look at the necklace around her neck, she stroked Rooney’s head, who was fussing about, and smiled faintly.

‘Once the orphanage is operating normally and the sewer construction is completed, I’ll personally tie up loose ends with him. And I will deal with Ermond myself.’

While Ermedeline was planning to solve problems with her own strength, Felio appeared.

Having been thinking of him, Ermedeline reluctantly forced a faint smile and bowed her head.

“How about this? Isn’t it pretty?”

As soon as Felio saw it, Rooney pointed to the necklace around Ermedeline’s neck and asked.

“You said it wouldn’t stand out before.”

“Ah, if it’s not going to stand out, why wear jewelry at all! It’s worth wearing because it’s beautiful!”

Felio, with a subtle smile, nodded to Rooney’s firm voice.

Ermedeline glanced at Felio through the maids fussing over her appearance.

Even without looking, she could guess his expression would be exactly as she imagined.

Trying to hide his smile like a shy boy.

Seeing his face made Ermedeline’s heart grow even more complicated.

The despair of a woman who has lost love was cruelly harsh.

Ermedeline found reading Ermedeline’s diary, filled with the history of corruption, painful.

Especially after discovering the maiden days of Felio’s mother with Saint Salamond in the diary, she had pushed it to an untouched corner.

Despite trying to force herself to finish reading the diary, the discovery of that name made Ermedeline refuse to continue, making up various reasons.

‘Just until the orphanage and sewer construction are finished. Until then, I have to somehow face him. So once those two are done, then…’

‘I’ll finish reading it after things with Felio are sorted out.’

Ermedeline had only vague guesses about the precise story entangled between Felio’s mother, Duchess Batistian, his father, Duke Batistian, and the husband of Louise, Count La Vienta.

But now, a diary containing detailed records of these events had emerged.

Though the specifics were unknown, it was a fact that Duchess Batistian died due to the curse of the original Ermedeline.

Curious about their story, yet considering Felio, Ermedeline found herself unable to read on.

The guilt weighing down on her whenever she saw him was simply too heavy.

The official matters she needed to settle with him were the orphanage and the sewer construction.

Ermedeline decided to postpone facing the sins of this body until then.

Finally, the day of the orphanage’s completion ceremony arrived.

Being an event entirely unrelated to the imperial palace, the atmosphere inside was calm, but Rooney and Margo made no attempt to hide their excitement.

“Today’s finally the day!”

“Yes, finally it has come.”

The death of the Duke of Francoise, the death of Helen, and even the fire at the orphanage.

There had been many obstacles even in her attempts to do something good.

The very first plan she made after being possessed to save herself.

A plan that seemed utterly impossible to realize was finally coming to fruition today.

“No matter what anyone says, the orphans who will live there will be truly grateful to Her Majesty the Empress!”

“Do you think so?”

“Of course! Don’t mind the rumors spread by those who don’t know the situation! Once people realize that the children are not only getting their basic needs met but also receiving quality education there, they will soon change their minds.”

“I really hope so.”

In truth, the one who most wished for such a miracle wasn’t Rooney but Ermedeline herself.

After all, this orphanage was part of her plan to avoid being burned at the stake.

As Ermedeline was trying to calm her fluttering heart, filled with hope, and was about to head to the orphanage, something entirely unexpected happened.

And it wasn’t just one incident, but two.