I Possessed The Immoral Empress

In fact, both Rooney and Felio had noticed the hair-touching incident a moment ago.

Rooney saw Ermedeline’s embarrassed reaction and was about to step in and pretend there was a bug on Felio’s head.

But Ermedeline, unable to wait even a moment, blurted out a nonsensical remark out of embarrassment.

Rooney noticed Felio’s shoulders slightly shaking as he knelt.

It seemed he found the situation amusing, seeing Ermedeline so flustered and out of character.

‘Well, I guess he does find it funny, considering all he’s been through.’

Rooney, thinking her interference would only embarrass Ermedeline further, pretended not to notice.

“Darn it.”

A small curse echoed from Ermedeline’s room.

It seemed she couldn’t keep her internal conflict bottled up anymore.

‘Hehe, how cute.’

Rooney had come to appreciate these human moments from Ermedeline lately.

She admired Ermedeline as a kind and reliable Empress, but these occasional clumsy moments made her feel more like an older sister than a noble empress perched atop a high tower.

Rooney cherished both the true Empress Ermedeline, who was different from her witch-like nickname, and the more timid human side of her that was gradually growing on her.

But while Rooney found these humanizing moments endearing and welcomed them, they also made her sad and sympathetic.

As Ermedeline’s closest confidant, Rooney was well aware of Felio’s feelings.

Rooney had noticed Ermedeline’s growing affection for the steadfast Felio even before Ermedeline herself did.

However, the reasons they couldn’t be together were far too numerous.

In this perilous situation, even revealing their feelings could lead to losing everything.

So, Rooney had pretended not to notice their feelings.

She had seen it in that fleeting moment when Ermedeline reached out and a few strands of Felio’s hair slipped through her fingers.

She saw Ermedeline’s usually calm and composed face light up with golden joy.

Although Rooney, still in her late teens with no experience in love, didn’t fully understand the concept that had been sung about by bards since the dawn of human history, she knew for sure.

The face she saw was that of a woman deeply in love.

Ermedeline and Felio saw each other almost every day, working so close that they could reach out and touch each other.

Rooney knew how hard they tried to maintain a distance of at least two arms’ lengths from each other.

She understood how much they concealed their feelings for each other.

Their overflowing emotions were barely held back by an immense surface tension, and today that dam had slightly burst.

Just touching a few strands of hair had flustered Ermedeline into saying something nonsensical, something she would never normally do.

Why should they have to pretend not to see or touch those few strands of hair?

As she pondered how to comfort Ermedeline, Rooney thought of an extreme solution.

‘Next time the young lord comes, I should pretend to make a mistake and cut off a handful of his hair. Well, it’s not like I can just ask him to cut his hair for her, can I?’

As Felio walked back to Roberto’s house, he suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck and raised the collar of his jacket. The streets were filled with the cheerful bustle of people ending their day, with the deep shadows of the red sunset cast over them. Normally, Felio would have avoided the crowded main street, preferring the quieter alleyways, but today, he didn’t mind walking among the people. It felt as if everyone he passed was an ally.

At first, Felio thought it was the wind blowing.

But he soon realized that no wind could enter the reception room with all its windows closed. Kneeling, he saw a slender shadow cast before him and then disappear. In that moment, Felio understood: it wasn’t the wind but her touch he had felt.

The touch lasted only a moment.

But in that moment, Felio wanted to lift his head and bury his face in her palm.

However, his desire to protect Ermedeline overpowered any impulse.

He didn’t want to leave even the slightest blemish on the noble lady before him, so he pretended not to notice the touch.

“Puhuh.”

Felio finally let out the laughter he had been holding back since the palace.

Despite his pretense, she had been so obvious.

To Felio, Ermedeline was no longer the wicked witch or the solemn empress.

She was someone who could laugh like a girl over small things and get flustered over minor attention.

She was endlessly timid and seemed to lack confidence, making him want to protect her, yet in crucial moments, she could prioritize others over herself.

Each time Felio discovered another of Ermedeline’s human traits, it felt like uncovering the mysteries of the world, filling him with joy.

She was an enigma with no end.

Every time he thought he knew her, another new facet would emerge, making her the perfect mystery for him.

Felio felt as though he could spend his entire life searching for the truth within that beautiful enigma.

“Heh, heh heh, heh heh heh.”

Felio found it hard to suppress his laughter as he remembered how Ermedeline’s face had flushed bright red.

Ermedeline could be astonishingly mysterious at times and childlike at others, like today.

Felio found these occasional glimpses of her endearing beyond measure.

In front of Henry, Ermedeline always wore a serene smile, speaking only pleasing words to avoid displeasing him, but with Felio, she allowed herself to smile mischievously and sometimes even say spiteful things.

Felio thought it was enough that he alone knew this side of Ermedeline.

Then he remembered the way Leopold looked at Ermedeline.

Though he didn’t know the details of their past, Leopold’s gaze at Ermedeline was genuine.

His longing and desperation were so palpable that anyone who met his golden eyes at that moment couldn’t deny his sincerity.

And so, Felio felt uneasy.

Of course, Felio was upset that Arvian knew an important fact that he didn’t. However, his stronger reaction was due to the threat he felt from Leopold’s gaze.

While Felio couldn’t even touch her hair, Ermedeline and Leopold had a son together. Despite his grand words about unconditional trust, Felio’s heart was heavy with the knowledge that another man knew the human side of Ermedeline that he cherished so deeply.

Felio didn’t need a companion in his exploration of this beautiful enigma.

‘Ha! Leopold or whatever! The Empress, no, Ermedeline likes me! She likes me!’

Now, his heart felt light as a feather, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

Felio was certain. He saw her trembling touch and her face blushing like a girl, and he knew she loved him.

‘Trivian? Go ahead, take it! But Ermedeline loves me!’

He wished this day wouldn’t end, feeling that he could die happy with this certainty. But he couldn’t die now. He had a duty to protect the woman who loved him.

Raised to believe that a gentleman’s duty was to protect a lady, Felio had always held this sacred, defending even the notorious witch, Ermedeline. But now, the falsehoods meant nothing. Knowing the truth made everything else irrelevant.

For Felio, there was no higher duty than living and dying for the woman he loved.

***

Meanwhile, Valliere was in a hurry. Her grand ball had been a disaster, all because of Ermedeline’s sudden appearance.

Valliere secretly distributed pamphlets across the capital, claiming Ermond had defected to enemy Frianton and was preparing a massive curse against Trivian. She ominously hinted that the orphanage might be part of a curse magic circle.

This rumor was more damaging than any previous sabotage, as no one wanted to send children to the orphanage now. Valliere smiled triumphantly at the empty orphanage.

‘This is my place. Even your charity is shunned by everyone.’

‘Mother of the people? I can do that too. People may hate me, but they don’t fear me like they fear you with your curse magic.’

This time, Valliere decided to target the common people instead of the nobility.

She planned a grand feast for the commoners to revamp her image and show Prince Leopold, who lived nearby, that she was not on the same level as Ermedeline.

Her estate and its gardens were adorned with decorations so lavish that ordinary people could never dream of seeing them in their lifetime. The food, drinks, and band for the feast were all of the highest quality.

Valliere also wanted to prove to everyone that she was the true protagonist worthy of this story.

News of the feast Valliere was preparing quickly spread by word of mouth to every corner of the capital. The commoners who had attended the ball hosted by Ermedeline welcomed this bit of entertainment in such troubled times.

They didn’t care whether the host of the event was a witch or a mistress. As long as they were offered good food and even given grain to take home, that was enough for them.

‘A traitor trying to act like the protagonist? Pretending to be good? Well, I can do that too.’

Valliere doubled down on her preparations, imagining the adoring gazes of the common people seeing her as their mother figure.

In the midst of this growing anticipation, Langen visited her estate.

“The prince sent me.”

Valliere had planned to send an invitation to Leopold anyway, so she was thrilled that he had sent someone first, though she kept her demeanor calm.

“What you’ve given me already is more than enough.”

“Please, do not refuse. The prince sends this as an apology for any misunderstandings he may have had about you.”

Glancing outside, Valliere saw wagons loaded with grain lined up outside her estate.

“The prince merely wishes to support the good work you are doing, so please accept it without any burden.”

A familiar pattern.

Leopold always had a way of antagonizing people and then trying to win them over with generous gifts.

While Valliere crossed her arms and pondered what to do, Countess Brienta quietly approached her and whispered.

“Propose co-hosting the feast in exchange for accepting the grain.”