I Possessed The Immoral Empress

The capital was abuzz with the news of last night’s fire. Fortunately, it wasn’t a particularly dry season, so the blaze didn’t spread to neighboring buildings. However, Valliere’s luxurious mansion was completely reduced to ashes, with only a few charred beams left standing.

Rubian and several young ladies guarding the capital had left the city after watching the flames consume the mansion. The news of the fire quickly reached the palace.

Given the magnitude of the fire, which could be seen even from the Empress’s bedroom, the origin was swiftly identified, and Henry promptly dispatched the guards to extinguish the flames. The humid atmosphere and the swift actions of the guards prevented a disaster that could have turned the capital into a sea of fire. But for Valliere, nothing remained. Her residence, her clothing, and her pride had all gone up in smoke.

“She is staying at the residence of that Countess she has been associating with lately,” Hallstein reported.

“I see.”

Though their relationship had ended, Henry didn’t wish for Valliere to die a miserable death surrounded by a mob. He breathed a silent sigh of relief upon hearing Hallstein’s report.

“Shall we summon her back to the palace?”

Henry’s heart softened momentarily as he thought about his former lover’s dire situation, but he soon shook his head.

“If she has a place to stay, there’s no need for me to concern myself further. Her pension will continue as usual.”

“Understood.”

Recalling the agony of their breakup, Henry knew he had no heart left to give. The wound from their separation still festered, emitting a foul stench despite the passage of time. He had no desire to bring Valliere back and relive that painful experience.

“How goes the front?”

“As expected,” Hallstein replied.

“I see.”

Yesterday’s fire had been a catastrophe for Valliere, but it presented an opportunity for Henry. While the capital’s attention was focused on the downfall of the emperor’s forsaken mistress, the full-scale war with Frianton had begun.

“Proceed with the announcement,” Henry instructed.

Despite his reluctance, Count Hallstein nodded and stepped away to carry out Henry’s orders. The grand conference room was filled with various ministers handling the empire’s affairs, all seated in order of their rank. Among them was Duke Batistian, recently returned to the capital.

The atmosphere in the council meetings had been grim lately, but today was particularly dire. The war had broken out at dawn, leaving the room heavy with tension.

Henry surveyed the ministers with a somewhat arrogant gaze, then settled into the throne with a relaxed smile. Despite the circumstances, his natural aura of authority was unmistakable.

Hallstein glanced at Henry and then opened the sealed document that Henry had personally written.

“… In the face of the empire’s crisis, no exceptions will be allowed.”

As Count Hallstein’s lips closed, the already murmuring conference room erupted into an uproar.

“This is outrageous!”

“My mother is over seventy years old!”

“My daughter-in-law is about to give birth! I cannot send my son to the front lines!”

The content of Henry’s proclamation was this: to conscript all magicians within the empire for the war at the border. Despite the nobles’ outcry, Henry remained unperturbed. The nobles could only protest so much; refusing a royal conscription order during wartime would lead to obvious consequences. Unless they planned to join Leopold in rebellion, they had no choice but to comply.

Then, Duke Batistian, who had attended the state council for the first time in a while and was seated closest to the emperor’s left, stood up.

“Isn’t there a top magician in the imperial palace as well?”

“?”

The room fell into a heavy silence at Duke Batistian’s calm remark.

“It would be a good opportunity for Her Majesty the Empress to prove her innocence. Furthermore, with all the empire’s greatest magicians accompanying her, there would be no risk of treasonous actions.”

Henry, who had been lounging in his chair, straightened up. Duke Batistian had provided a timely suggestion while Henry was contemplating how best to handle Ermedeline. Sending a royal family member directly to the front lines would quell the nobles’ objections, and if the Empress indeed confronted Ermond, it would significantly alleviate the soldiers’ burdens. Moreover, with all the empire’s magicians accompanying her, even the formidable Ermedeline wouldn’t dare act rashly.

Henry gave a slight nod toward Duke Batistian. The nobles, who had been voicing their various objections, fell silent. None were foolish enough to complain when a member of the royal family was to be conscripted for the front lines.

In that day’s state council, it was decided that Empress Ermedeline would be deployed to the front lines to confront Ermond’s curse magic.

***

Before leaving the palace, Duke Batistian stood in a hallway, overlooking the capital. Though war had begun at the borders, the general populace was still unaware, and the city carried on its daily life as usual.

Duke Batistian once took pride in being the cornerstone of the great empire. He had never been a good husband, father, or person, but he had taken pride in being a good public servant. 

But now, what use was any of that? His son, who was supposed to inherit his duties and rights, had been enchanted by a witch and abandoned his family. The emperor, to whom he had given his loyalty, chose to save a witch over the son of a faithful servant.

Duke Batistian ground his teeth as he thought of Ermedeline. If not for that cursed witch, if only she hadn’t ensnared his son. His wife would never have requested such a dreadful curse magic.

Everything had to be perfect.

A wife of impeccable lineage, a son with powerful magical abilities due to his heritage, and himself, the greatest magician and influential minister in the Trivian Empire. The Batistian family had to be, and was, the epitome of perfection. No blemish could be tolerated.

So, Duke Batistian had steeled himself and removed obstacles directly. But then, that witch appeared. His wife was never someone who would curse another. She was like a still lake without wind, neither passionate nor wrathful.

He didn’t mind that his wife had no love for him. He had resigned himself to live with that. But then, she committed adultery and demanded a divorce. The first time he saw true human emotion on her usually doll-like face was the day she demanded the divorce, her neck veins bulging as she pointed out his inadequacies. He still vividly remembered that moment.

More than the adultery itself, it infuriated him that she showed emotions for Count La Vienta that she had never shown him. So, he did what he thought was necessary as the head of his family. 

While loyalty among friends was also a knight’s virtue, La Vienta had broken that bond first. After staging his friend’s death as a cursed accident, Duke Batistian waited for his wife’s reaction, but she showed none. She only mourned La Vienta as a good friend. After that day, she reverted to being an emotionless doll.

He was content, believing his family had returned to its perfect state. That was until his wife’s body, disfigured by a terrible curse, was discovered. He couldn’t believe the suicide note she left behind. His wife, with whom he had lived all his life, had gone to the renowned magician of the Francoise Duchy to request a curse to kill her husband. He, who had killed his friend to protect his perfect family, was betrayed by the wife who sought the help of that cursed clan to kill him.

Duke Batistian couldn’t believe the note’s contents. His wife, who was too weak-hearted to live after commissioning such a curse, couldn’t possibly have requested something so dreadful. Guilt from killing his friend and betrayal from his wife’s intentions stirred within him, pushing him closer to the precipice of rage.

But La Vienta and his wife were no longer in this world. The duke needed a convenient target for all his anger and despair.

Yes, it was all that witch’s fault. The vile witch had seduced his innocent wife with her wicked, sweet words. Now, she had turned her sights on his son.

Duke Batistian clung to Henry’s promise like a lifeline as he stood on the edge of his fury. But now, that lifeline was slipping away.

He no longer needed the witch or the emperor who sided with her.

Due to the witch’s vile curse magic, Henry ascended to the throne, but he would have to pay the price for it.

For Ermond’s curse to succeed, Ermedeline needed to leave the capital. The temples were already divided into the Grand Temple and the Central Temple, unable to cooperate effectively in the face of a large-scale curse. Without Ermedeline, the unrivaled expert in curse magic, the capital would have little chance of survival. And with the curse magic at the border already complete, even the foolish Ermond would manage to handle the witch this time.

Duke Batistian dismissed his carriage and walked back to his estate in the capital. On his way, a young girl approached him, offering a single flower. Smiling kindly, Duke Batistian patted her head and gave her an overly generous sum of money for the flower. The girl, astonished at the gold coin in her hand, bowed deeply and skipped away, disappearing around the corner.

As soon as the girl was out of sight, the delicate flower in his hand turned to ash and vanished. This familiar scene, one he had witnessed daily since becoming an administrator and leaving his territory, was once beloved to him. When he felt his family and himself were perfect, everything in these streets seemed endearing.

But now, what was the point of it all?

The perfect family shattered by a witch, and the corrupt man who became emperor through her magic, ruled the palace. What did it matter what happened to a country ruled by an emperor who couldn’t even keep his promises?

His role here was over.

Duke Batistian hoped someone else would provide a grand finish, while he headed to the front lines to witness the witch’s demise.