I Possessed The Immoral Empress

Although the mistress is pregnant with her husband’s child, Ermedeline, the main person involved, seems perfectly fine, while everyone else doesn’t know what to do.

Honestly, Ermedeline didn’t have much of a reaction upon hearing the news. After all, she was the one who could simply leave the palace and be done with it. She thought it was a good thing if Valliere felt a bit more responsible due to the child.

To be even more honest, how could any feelings arise when an unexpected child appeared between two people she personally didn’t have much interest in?

However, the moment the news spread, Rooney broke into tears, and even Margo, who rarely showed her emotions, wore a sorrowful expression. Seeing these reactions from those around her, Ermedeline felt a bit worn out.

‘I suppose it’s a good time to clearly state my position,’ she thought.

“Expanding the royal family, isn’t that a good thing, after all? I’m truly unfazed. I don’t know if you believe me, but I really am. I just have the kind of emotion that it’s just something that happened. Of course, I hope the baby is born healthy.”

There was no need for her to act; she was laying bare her true feelings.

Ermedeline’s attitude in expressing her innermost thoughts was so nonchalant and natural that it left Bellest and Liena unsure of how to react, and they exchanged glances without saying a word.

Meanwhile, Rooney and Margo wore expressions that seemed as if they had already given up, showing no interest whatsoever.

‘Unfazed?’ On the other hand, Felio found it incredibly difficult to remain calm in the face of Ermedeline’s response.

It was a well-known fact throughout the empire that Ermedeline had an obsession with Henry, but lately, there hadn’t been any signs of such from her.

But, in any case, they were a married couple.

Felio knew that his feelings were futile, but he couldn’t help feeling jealous and anxious every time he saw the two of them together. Especially when he watched Ermedeline and Henry riding in the same carriage during Foundation Day, he had the urge to intervene and separate the two several times.

‘Is she really so unfazed?’ Unable to believe it, Felio blinked his eyes a couple of times, then looked at Ermedeline again. Her face was still tranquil as ever.

Fearing that he might burst into laughter at her serene demeanor, Felio turned his head and composed his expression.

‘She has no feelings at all! Truly, she has no feelings!’

If it were Roberto’s house, Felio would have gladly expressed his joy, but they were outdoors. Felio struggled desperately to regain his composure.

“Empress is truly remarkable. She’s remarkably understanding,” Bellest finally managed to speak after a long while.

“Well, is this really considered understanding?”

“Of course. If I were in her place, and the mistress claimed my husband and even bore his child, I’d go insane with jealousy. Truly.”

Bellest nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with the horrifying and grim imagination.

“Well, I don’t have to worry about that anymore,” Bellest forced a smile as he spoke about his late husband. Ermedeline, feeling sorry for Bellest trying to smile while discussing his deceased husband, absentmindedly reached out and pushed a strand of his brown hair behind his ear.

“I’m not understanding, I’m just not interested. It doesn’t bother me at all. I think you’re much more remarkable than I am.”

Ermedeline’s compliment made Bellest smile, and she nodded slightly. Her smile appeared sorrowful but not bitter.

***

“His Grace’s opinion seems utterly foolish, doesn’t it?”

“Being called foolish is something I’m hearing for the first time in my life.”

“What are you talking about? Don’t you remember that me and my older brother used to call you foolish all the time?”

While going through the resumes of orphanage teachers, Felio, Bellest, and Liena had been arguing for a couple of hours already.

It seemed that from a young age, they had no qualms about insulting each other. In fact, Liena even referred to Felio as “you,” despite being her older brother’s friend.

Ermedeline, who was slightly older than the three of them, secretly watched them with a satisfied smile.

Hyeyoung was quite good at studying, but she had no choice but to enroll in a vocational school.

Ordinary children could choose between going to college or getting a job to pursue their dreams, but she had no such choices at that time.

For her, the idea of attending college was a luxury she couldn’t even dare to dream about.

At one point, she had worked part-time at a cafe near a university.

The sight of students gathering in the late afternoons, laughing and chatting, after their classes ended, was something she had envied deeply.

Her early twenties were a time of hard work, determined to survive in this harsh world and do things the right way.

So, Hyeyoung’s early twenties were merely a backdrop of youthful conversations with friends at a cafe in the late afternoons.

As much as she wanted to avoid the terrible ending, providing educational opportunities for children in the same situation she had once been was made her feel very proud and satisfied.

If possible, Ermedeline would have liked to join the conversation, but she knew nothing about the educational background or the names of the families listed on the resumes, so she decided to listen quietly to their discussion.

Just the fact that she belonged to this group made her heart flutter.

‘But I’m still a bit envious. I wish I could join in the conversation somehow…’

Ermedeline was making an effort to catch up with the flow of the conversation when suddenly Bellest posed an awkward question.

“Isn’t that right? Don’t you agree, Your Majesty? This guy truly has no mercy!”

Felio had just rejected a female teacher who had taken a long career break after giving birth.

“Her career break is too long. Moreover, she’ll be teaching orphans, not noble children. To do that, she should have as much experience…”

“You! What do you know about giving birth? Do you think it’s easy to come out to work right after having a baby?”

Bellest appealed to Ermedeline with his eyes.

‘But, well, Felio does have a point…’

As Ermedeline briefly struggled between the two, Felio decided to temper his anger.

“Why don’t they hire a nanny?” 

Felio’s words instantly froze everyone’s faces, even those of Rooney and Margot, who had been listening to the conversation in the back.

Felio’s comment left everyone’s faces cold, even Rooney and Margo, who had been eavesdropping from the back.

“Am I right? I told you this guy is a complete idiot.”

“Hehe, hehehehe. Seriously, that’s a truly foolish statement.”

When Bellest and Liena simultaneously mocked his own comments, Felio turned to Ermedeline with an indignant look, but her gaze was just as chilly.

“Your Grace, seriously? Are you saying this?”

“What? What did I…?”

“Certainly, I was thinking of siding with Your Grace, since you’re teaching a bunch of kids at once, many of whom have no experience in education.”

“Yes, that’s what I mean!”

“But it won’t work. I’ve reconsidered Your Grace’s intelligence.”

Despite saying all this, Felio still seemed unaware of what was wrong with his statement.

“Your Grace, most people can’t afford a nanny. If they had that money, they’d use it for food and clothing.”

Seeing Bellest and Liena ruthlessly mock Felio, Ermedeline finally pointed out his mistake. It seemed that Felio had never even considered raising a child without a nanny, and he only now began to realize his ignorance, as his face turned red.

His face turned so red in such a short time that it seemed like he might drop a drop of blood from his ear.

“Hahaha! Hahaha!”

Watching that scene, Liena laughed so hard that she eventually fell off her chair. Even after falling from her chair, she continued to roll on the floor, laughing even harder.

***

‘I have to be the most beautiful. I must shine the most. I’m the one who has to make sure everyone knows I’m truly worthy of being an empress!’

Valliere had been inspecting jewels for half a day already, but she couldn’t find anything that satisfied her.

If she liked the color, the brightness was an issue, and if she liked the brightness, there were imperfections on the surface. Upon seeing Valliere’s dissatisfied expression, Countess Elion’s distinctive, sharp voice drove the merchants away.

“Next! How can you have such a lack of taste? She’s harboring the future emperor, and you bring something like this?”

As if she had steel plates on her face, Countess Elion immediately latched onto Valliere the moment she heard the news of her pregnancy. While Valliere had been resentful of Countess Elion, who had ignored her during her confinement, she decided to keep her close for the time being, kneeling and pledging allegiance while offering the finest gems.

‘Well, whatever happens, the gems will remain.’

In any case, there was no one she could call a friend from her previous life.

Being a person of great charm, Valliere had many people around her, but she always kept her distance and doubted their sincerity. She couldn’t stand someone being better than her, so she liked to keep people with some kind of flaw close to her, and Countess Elion was similar to the kind of people Valliere liked to have around. She had a slightly plump appearance and a bat-like temperament, both in terms of appearance and personality, which allowed her to be in a superior position.

‘Yeah, I’m a hundred times better than that hypocrite. Cosplaying as a saint? Who asked for help?’

During the confinement, Valliere gratefully accepted the water offered by Ermedeline, but once the confinement was ended, she regretted her actions. She wanted to kill Ermedeline, but the innocent woman seemed to be completely unaware of this, constantly trying to leave room for Valliere to act.

Every day, as Valliere received water, she felt a slight pain in her chest. This pain was a signal from Valliere’s remaining conscience, but she chose to ignore it. She attributed the pain to that hypocrite.

“How much of a fuss will I make about that? I should have just endured it for a few more days. Using that water, am I really going insane?”

While she was excitedly looking at the splendid jewelry, in the back of her mind, she couldn’t shake off the unease about continuously accepting help from Ermedeline. However, she kept this discomfort to herself and had never even thought of thanking Ermedeline formally after the confinement had ended.

***

Late in the afternoon, Henry came looking for Ermedeline.

They met to discuss matters related to the upcoming succession ceremony.

“Lord Hallstein mentioned that you want the ceremony to be simple. Is that true?”

“Yes, there are still some lingering concerns about the epidemic in the capital, so it would be wise to proceed with caution for the time being.”

“If the empress suggests it, we will keep the ceremony simple, with only a minimum number of witnesses in the temple.”

“Thank you.”

“I heard about what the empress did for Valliere during her confinement.”

“Oh, is that so? It seems that even trivial matters can become rumors.”

Ermedeline responded with a faint smile, not attaching much importance to it.

“No big deal. I heard that no one even helped you?”

Henri, carefully concealing his true intentions, inquired with a warm tone, testing how well the empress could hide her feelings.

“What could anyone do to help? Dealing with the epidemic is a risky matter, so it is wise not to get involved.”

“But still, the maids didn’t just stand by while you were moving the water barrels, did they?”

Henri had set the stage like this, hoping to hear at least one complaint from Ermedeline about the servants.

“It is not wise to start a task expecting help, especially in a risky situation,” Ermedeline responded with a firm but gentle tone, foiling Henri’s expectations.

“That’s true.”

Henri almost stammered inwardly.

“But I did receive help. My maid, Rooney, assisted, and Princess Viella even helped me when I nearly stumbled.”

“I see. So, did you receive any thanks from Valliere herself?”

As soon as Henri had released her from confinement, he had insisted that Valliere must visit Ermedeline and greet her.

The Empress was already changing her reputation, and he didn’t want Valliere reputation to suffer even more while carrying his child.

“She hasn’t come yet.”

“Not even once?”

Ermedeline detected Henri’s momentarily stern expression and responded calmly with a forced smile.

“It was never about seeking gratitude from the beginning. I just did it for my own peace of mind. There’s no need for formal thanks.”