I Possessed The Immoral Empress

Through the emptied borders came not the enemy’s soldiers but large trading caravans seeking to sell grain to the starving Trivian Empire.

The desperate lords, faced with immediate food shortages in their domains, had no luxury to question the intentions or origins of these welcome traders.

Thus, through numerous border checkpoints, large caravans entered Trivian, bringing grains and necessities again and again.

Leopold, who had stationed troops in neighboring countries, found this an effortless way to infiltrate the Trivian interior.

Leopold’s trading companies sold the imported grain at exorbitant prices.

Lords, watching their people nearly starve, begrudgingly paid vast sums for the grain and tried to cover the deficit with harsh taxes.

The border areas of Trivian became utterly chaotic with people flocking to buy grain and others fleeing to escape the taxes.

Amid this turmoil, some of Leopold’s forces, disguised as refugees, brazenly crossed the borders.

Leopold not only managed to introduce his troops into Trivian but also used the profits from selling the grain to covertly stockpile military supplies.

He was even grateful to the King of Frianton for making his job so easy.

“In fact, strictly speaking, it’s thanks to your predecessor, sire. Whether a princess of the enemy nation or not, he disposed of them as he pleased, and that helped.”

“What?”

Langen’s brazen comment caused Leopold to frown and shake his head, but Langen’s face was unabashed.

As if to say, wasn’t he right, Langen looked squarely at Leopold with an expressionless face.

“Damn! You always speak the truth, but you have to make it sound so unpleasant!”

“Ha. Our naïve Prince Leopold. Reality can be bitter sometimes. You just have to accept it.”

Whether Leopold scolded him or not, Langen didn’t seem to care.

After all, Leopold himself considered his father, filled with inscrutable evil, a devil.

“Anyway, thanks to you, things have been easy.”

“That may be, but there are still many troops left in the capital.”

“True. But isn’t Henry the Emperor of Trivian? If the border battles need reinforcements, he’ll have no choice but to redeploy troops.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Huh?”

Unlike his still somewhat naive master, Langen was a complete realist.

“He might think it doesn’t matter what happens to Trivian, as long as he isn’t seen as the Emperor.”

“What? Oh, come on. He’s the ruler of this land; would he really go that far?”

Seeing his master’s naïve reaction, Langen felt more proud than frustrated.

His master believed in the sacred duty of a monarch to protect his country, even if he were no longer to be the emperor.

Unlike the previous emperor who instigated fratricide or Henry, who actually killed his brothers to become emperor, his master possessed the noble qualities truly befitting the ruler of an empire.

Usually, Langen took care not to shatter his master’s faith, but now was not the time for such considerations.

“He might go that far. Not everyone has the same priorities, after all.”

“Indeed.”

Indeed, what people value can vary greatly.

Unlike himself, who needed nothing but love, Ermedeline had left him, desiring to become the Empress.

Leopold suspected there might have been other circumstances while Ferdant was alive, but he was still curious why he had been so cruelly abandoned.

“If Henry ultimately values the throne more than his duty as a monarch, there’s no choice but to go to all-out war.”

But whatever the reason, it was now too late to turn back.

With the son Ermedeline had borne him alive and her life hanging by a thread like a candle in the wind, Leopold could no longer afford the luxury of resolving his curiosity.

Leopold touched the pendant hanging around his neck, his golden eyes sharpening for the first time in a long while.

Leopold was not fundamentally competitive.

He was a pacifist who preferred to avoid conflict whenever possible.

However, when he decided to settle a score, he was determined to subdue his opponent by any means necessary, driven by a strong will to win.

Langen, observing the razor-sharp look in his master’s eyes, smiled with satisfaction.

The look of a predator poised for a crucial battle.

Knowing this look well, Langen realized that his master was ready to stake everything on a gamble.

***

Meanwhile, Valliere’s steps as she left Henry’s office were light.

Even as Henry’s soul was crumbling to dust, Valliere’s soul, tightly bound by pride, maintained its shape.

While Valliere was not unscathed by the end of her first love, her pride was too lofty to admit it honestly.

Moreover, her first love lasted only a few months, whereas Henry’s love spanned over half his life. Naturally, the impact on them was vastly different.

Valliere lifted her head high with a proud look and left the palace without a backward glance.

When she passed the maids who had secretly hidden earrings in their quarters, she momentarily felt a pang of regret but quickly composed herself.

She would deal with these matters first when she returned as Leopold’s Empress.

Valliere, dressed as magnificently as possible, paused before leaving the palace to take one last look at what had been her home for several months.

Gazing at the grand scene that rightfully belonged to a heroine, she vowed to herself.

‘I will definitely return.’

As soon as Valliere left, a uniform smile appeared on the faces of the palace staff.

They had thoroughly enjoyed mocking the typical end of a mistress who wreaks havoc and is ultimately abandoned.

The maids, who had no desire to remember Valliere again, began to erase all traces of her from the palace at a rapid pace.

Everything in Valliere’s quarters, from the curtains to the furniture, was removed.

Though it was done at Henry’s command, who did not want to retain any lingering attachments, the maids removed Valliere’s traces with joy and without showing any sign of strain.

In Henry’s heart and in the palace, there was no longer a place left for Valliere. To preserve her crumbling pride, Valliere threw herself into preparing for a masquerade ball.

Rare plants unavailable near the capital began arriving at her mansion, and exquisite fabrics not produced domestically were draped throughout the ballroom.

Recently, Valliere had received a precious pearl necklace from Leopold, and she traversed numerous boutiques to find the perfect fabric and design to complement it. This masquerade was set to be a monumental event, the likes of which no one in the world had ever seen.

Valliere spared no expense, inviting not only costly singers and dancers but also a circus troupe and a symphony orchestra, determined to captivate everyone’s attention with the most lavish and beautiful attire in the most luxurious setting.

As Valliere admired her reflection in a mirror engraved with an ornate rose design, she smiled satisfactorily. What did it matter if she had parted ways with her first love? She was still stunningly beautiful. With a warmth that shone like the sun, her beauty was incomparable to the chilly Ermedeline. Her charming features could disarm anyone with just a smile, her petite and delicate body contrasting with her ample figure. Despite being cast aside by the Emperor, Valliere remained one of the empire’s foremost beauties.

On the eve of the ball, Count Hallstein, concerned about the implications of the nobility attending, advised Henry to prohibit their participation. However, Henry dismissed his counsel.

“Isn’t it a private event? Why should I prevent attendance?”

“But, Your Majesty, many of those attending may not have the best intentions.”

“Why are you suddenly concerned about Valliere?”

Henry, surprised, looked at Count Hallstein with wide blue eyes.

“With all due respect, I have never worried about Miss Valliere. My concern has always been for Your Majesty alone.”

Despite their recent disagreements, Hallstein’s loyalty and care still touched Henry, prompting a bitter smile.

“So it’s just you.”

“Pardon?”

“That in this world, you might be the only one truly worried about me.”

Speechless, Count Hallstein had no response to Henry’s sudden openness.

“Have there been any recent letters from my mother?”

As he contemplated being alone, Henry thought of the one person who might still be left.

While Henry, despite feeling resentment towards the world, found himself curiously longing for news of his mother whom he still cherished in a corner of his soul.

“No recent letters,” was the reply.

“Huh. Figures.”

That made sense. Given Trivian’s current state, she would likely be aware and had no intention of returning to a son whose side she had decided not to keep.

Henry scoffed at his foolish hope and sighed softly.

“Well, no news is good news with her.”

However, Henry should have paid more attention to his mother’s whereabouts.

***

Linette was indulging in luxury in the capital of the Ballius Empire, courtesy of the wealth provided by Innian, which seemed inexhaustible. Unlike the places she had to flee each time she was abandoned by a lover, here she had her own home purchased by Innian, and the wealth that never seemed to diminish.

In the opulent capital of Ballius, nobles hosted themed masquerades every day, and Innian accompanied Linette to these lavish events.

“Once touted as the most beautiful woman in the Trivian Empire. And still, isn’t she stunningly beautiful?” Innian would boast as he introduced Linette at these events.

The nobility of Ballius took an interest in Linette, showered in praises by Innian.

As Linette’s life stabilized, bringing her peace of mind, her beauty began to shine as it had during her prime.

Innian and Linette deliberately did not disclose that she was the biological mother of the Emperor of Trivian.

The nobles of the Ballius capital, drawn to the mysterious foreign beauty, began to flock around her.

A social butterfly by nature and someone who thrived on attention, Linette quickly became a member of the upper echelons of Ballius’s social scene.

It wasn’t long before she made friends of equal stature who could accompany her to balls even without Innian, and she even caught the fancy of a handsome young marquis who had been widowed by illness.

Linette began to feel that this place was truly the sanctuary she had long searched for.

She finally felt a sense of belonging that she could not find even by the side of the supreme ruler of Trivian, the Emperor.

Linette became so absorbed in her new life and the sense of belonging it brought her that she was oblivious to how it might eventually entangle her.

She had completely forgotten about Trivian and her son there, fully immersed in her new life and love.