I Possessed The Immoral Empress

Nothing had gone smoothly from start to finish, but of all days, it was today that a single plan was thought to be completed, and trouble erupted.

Ermedeline, who had been looking forward to the orphanage’s completion ceremony, began to feel her heart uncontrollably shaking.

“How dare you employ a young lady from the Ilyenian Dukedom as a teacher at the orphanage?”

Beside the Ilyenian Duke, who was barely holding back his anger with veins bulging in his neck, stood Bellest and Viella, pale and restless.

The ladies had been cautious about entering and leaving the palace after the assassination attempt, but they did their best to support the completion of the orphanage from the outside.

Moreover, it seemed that it was only today that the Duke of Ilyenian had learned that Viella had decided to work as a teacher once a week, beyond just creating teaching materials.

“This is not an order from Her Majesty the Empress! It was I, I who said I would do it!”

“Step aside!”

Despite Viella’s attempts to stop him, the Duke of Ilyenian appeared unwilling to back down.

Shortly after, Henry, who was about to head to the orphanage with Ermedeline, appeared.

“What is this commotion?”

Upon Henry’s arrival, the Duke of Ilyenian glared at him with a fierce look but soon regained his composure and bowed respectfully.

“Your Imperial Majesty.”

“Why cause a commotion in the palace on such a joyous day? The contribution of the Duke’s daughters to the completion of the orphanage was significant, and I intended to specially commend them.”

“Commend? You mean to commend me by making my daughters teach orphans?”

“What are you talking about?”

Henry was also unaware that Viella was working as a teacher.

Although Felio had formally submitted the list of teachers to Henry, Henry, who had only glanced over the list, had not realized that this Viella was that Viella.

Ermedeline also did not realize that this matter would become such a big issue. She had merely granted permission out of gratitude for the voluntary offer.

“How could Her Majesty the Empress dare to employ my daughter as a teacher, disregarding our family to such an extent?”

“It’s not employment, it’s volunteer work!”

“Shut your mouth!”

The usually calm Duke of Ilyenian was overwhelmed with frustration that had built up over time.

It was outrageous enough that the marriages of his daughters of marriageable age were not approved, but to demand that his precious daughters take on a profession fit only for lowly women.

Henry, seeing Ermedeline’s dumbfounded expression, knew that there was no intention to insult the Duke of Ilyenian, but decided to observe the situation for now.

“I had no intention of disrespecting the Duke’s family. I was merely grateful for the ladies’ efforts.”

“Father! Please stop now! It was not something Her Majesty the Empress forced upon us!”

Bellest tried to pull her father away by grabbing his sleeve, but the Duke of Ilyenian did not budge.

“I have endured much! Even when the Empress blocked my daughter’s marriage, I endured because it was Her Majesty! Such treason…”

Suddenly losing his rationality and about to accuse of treason, the Duke of Ilyenian felt Henry’s cold gaze and immediately shut his mouth.

There were rumors that Ermont was turning to the enemy and preparing a curse against Trivian, but there had been no official statement from the palace linking the Empress to the incident.

Hatred is indeed a peculiar creature.

At one moment, it appeared as if the hatred had lost its power, but the moment there was prey, it bared its teeth and pounced as if it had never weakened.

The food shortage and the large-scale disappearances became excellent fuel for the barely suppressed hatred.

Seeing the cold gaze of the Duke of Ilyenian, Ermedeline realized that trying to explain her intentions any further would be meaningless.

The chaotic domestic situation and the unstable border conditions would only further incite people’s hatred.

There was an immoral Empress, referred to as a witch, in the Trivian Empire, where the hatred had to be directed.

Simply put, the historical sins accumulated by the original Ermedeline were too deep for mere explanations to redirect the hatred.

Ermedeline looked directly at the Duke of Ilyenian and smiled leisurely.

“I am not a traitor. And take your daughters with you. Their marriages as well.”

Ermedeline paused for a moment, glanced at Bellest and Viella, and continued.

“If suitable partners appear for Lady Bellest and Lady Viella, I will grant permission at any time.”

This was all she could do for those who had trusted in her.

At least while she was Empress, Ermedeline wanted to prevent them from being married off as if they were being sold.

“Go back? What do you mean by that?”

“It doesn’t make sense! How can we leave when we built the orphanage together?”

The cries of the two ladies were met with a detached and firm smile from Ermedeline as she gently shook her head.

‘It’s for the best. It could be a dangerous position. There’s no guarantee they won’t become targets of assassination. Better they don’t come at all.’

No matter how thoroughly Felio had checked, Ermedeline continued to feel uneasy.

There had always been assassination attempts, even during the groundbreaking ceremony attended by many people and the Emperor himself, and even within the fortress of the Francoise Duchy, guarded by the imperial guards.

Wasn’t there even a spy in the Grand Temple, considered the safest place in the empire?

Ermedeline thought it was for the best as she watched Bellest and Viella being led away by the Duke of Ilyenian.

“Then, let us depart.”

Henry, with an unreadable expression, watched the Duke of Ilyenian’s back and extended his hand to Ermedeline.

“?”

Faced with an unfamiliar situation, Ermedeline looked back and forth between Henry’s face and his hand, making a puzzled expression.

“I am offering an escort. Today’s protagonist is not the Empress?”

“Me?”

Indeed, the same gentleman who had quietly accepted being called a traitor just moments ago was now extending his hand kindly.

Ermedeline gave up on trying to read the unpredictable thoughts of Henry and placed her hand in his.

And at that moment, another shout echoed through the palace.

“Your Majesty!!”

Henry was aware that Valliere had hidden earrings in the maids’ room.

After all, Valliere could hardly roam freely within the palace, confined mostly to her own quarters.

In such a situation, it was clear that Valliere had orchestrated a noticeable scheme.

Henry deliberately did not call for Valliere immediately, waiting instead for her to make a move. Perhaps deep down, he harbored a naive hope that she would not actually proceed with such a despicable plan.

Theft is a grave crime, especially for those working in the palace, usually resulting in severe punishment, such as amputation of hands or expulsion.

While Henry did hide the earrings, he hoped, after observing Valliere’s quietness over the past few days, that this incident would resolve without further issue.

However, how foolish Henry’s expectations were became starkly clear to him today through Valliere’s actions.

“Gasp! Marchioness Belian!”

Hearing the news and running over, Ermedeline too covered her mouth with both hands at the sight of Bellest lying sprawled out, especially since Valliere was covered in blood.

“What has happened here?”

Shocked, Henry questioned as the maids trembled and cried, their bodies also smeared with what appeared to be Valliere’s blood.

“That, that, the earrings…”

“What about the earrings?”

“We didn’t steal them…”

Knowing well that the maids hadn’t stolen anything, Henry, frustrated, sighed heavily and looked down at Louise, who was treating Valliere.

“The wounds are deep. Fortunately, I was nearby, so the bleeding wasn’t severe, but she will need some rest to stabilize.”

‘Wounds?’

Upon hearing Louise’s words, Ermedeline looked around and noticed a bloodied dagger on the ground near Valliere’s feet.

“We didn’t do it! We just wanted to say that we hadn’t stolen the earrings…”

“Marchioness Belian suddenly pulled out a dagger.”

“Yes, yes. We really didn’t do anything!”

The two maids then knelt before Henry, bowing their heads.

“Sigh.”

It wasn’t just a case of being wrongfully accused of theft, but a dagger was involved too.

Henry, roughly piecing together the situation, sighed deeply and wiped the sweat that had by now formed on his forehead.

At that moment, Valliere regained consciousness.

Although the maids resisted more strongly than expected, making it difficult to control the force, resulting in the dagger stabbing deeper than intended, the act was not without its merits, as Henry’s expression was more serious than ever.

Before Henry arrived, Valliere had frantically pulled out the dagger, demanding the earrings and waving it at the maids in what was supposed to be an act.

The commotion attracted the attention of the imperial guards to the drawing room.

The maids, attempting to keep an overly close Valliere at bay, raised their hands, and in that moment, Valliere’s own dagger turned against her.

‘Perfect. The guards saw the maids touching the dagger, so they can’t escape now. It’s time for them to pay for calling me a witch, isn’t it?’

Valliere decided not to explain the situation herself, considering there were witnesses at the door anyway.

Meanwhile, the desperate cries of the maids grew louder.

Hadn’t the guards seen their hands gripping the dagger together with Valliere’s when she was stabbed?

Listening to the maids’ frantic excuses, Valliere felt truly at peace for the first time in a long while, the unpleasant palpitations that had plagued her heart for months finally ceased.

However, Henry, knowing the full story, showed no reaction to this tragic scene and simply turned away.

“Detain the maids for now. Priestess Louise, please take good care of Valliere.”

As Henry smoothly exited Valliere’s drawing-room, his departing figure appeared ghost-like to Valliere.

Valliere mistook his demeanor as concern for herself.

‘Yes, worry all you want. Since you don’t care, I’ll use this body as I see fit from now on.’

“Let’s go,” Henry urged Ermedeline, trying to ignore the chilling sensation that brushed his neck.

He wanted to leave this hellish scene immediately.

Reluctantly, Ermedeline began to follow Henry. But Arvian, standing behind Ermedeline and looking down at Valliere, found it hard to leave the drawing-room.

“The Marchioness will be in my care, please follow Her Majesty the Empress.”

Louise thought Arvian was shocked by the bloody scene, but such sights were not unfamiliar to Arvian.

Arvian’s face grew increasingly grave. His normally half-lax red eyes sharpened like the edge of a blade.

Praying to the gods, something he seldom did given his candidacy for High Priest and usual distance from devoutness, Arvian found himself doing so involuntarily as he looked over Valliere’s relaxed expression and the soul visible behind her.

‘Oh gods, I pray that what I’m seeing is not the truth. This cannot be real.’

But cruelly, the scene reflected in Arvian’s eyes was a true and unaltered landscape.

The soul behind Valliere, wearing a distant expression, shone with a deep and murky red, as vivid and dark as the soul of the witch Ermedeline he had seen before.

It was the moment another witch was born upon this land.