I Possessed The Immoral Empress

“What is this all about all of a sudden?”

“What is this? What is it? It’s you all who are being insolent…”

Valliere wanted to retort something to Felio’s words, but she couldn’t find the right words.

Viella’s comment was directed at Countess Elion, not at her.

Her annoyance was only a momentary burst of anger at Viella’s words, as she was taken aback by Ermedeline’s joyful and noisy demeanor, which was entirely different from what she had expected.

Valliere, who had tried to avoid trouble as much as possible before the child was born, finally let go of her restraint.

Only then did she recall the purpose of her visit.

“Pay attention to your actions.”

Ignoring Henri’s constant warnings to begin with, if she were to cause a problem within a day, she didn’t know how he’d react next.

Feeling very uncomfortable and uneasy, Valliere decided to express her gratitude to Ermedeline, despite having ignored Henri’s warning.

“I have come to express my gratitude to Your Majesty the Empress.”

She bowed her head after suppressing her anger, but the response remained just as cold.

Just by looking at her expression, it seemed like the thought, “Now you come?” was written all over her face.

“What I did was not to seek your gratitude. But I am grateful that you came to see me like this.”

Ermedeline was the only one who responded with a relaxed smile, gently gazing at Valliere.

‘Smiling? Go ahead, smile to your heart’s content. Once the child is born, I’ll deal with you first.’

Valliere slowly began to regain her composure, seeing Ermedeline, who showed no signs of being affected by her pregnancy.

Ermedeline, as if she had finished her business, turned her head back to focus on her work. However, Valliere continued to gaze at her without turning away.

“Why? Do you have more to say?”

In response to Ermedeline’s words, Valliere lowered her head with a somewhat uneasy expression.

“Aren’t you going to congratulate me?”

“What are you talking about? Didn’t I just do that when I saw you a moment ago?”

“I didn’t expect Your Majesty the Empress to be so indifferent to my pregnancy.”

Valliere had her head bowed with a forlorn expression, so she didn’t notice the sudden change in the faces of those around her.

Bellest was about to stand up and confront her, but Ermedeline gestured to stop her.

“I believe the Marchioness’s pregnancy is a matter for great celebration. However, I cannot personally attend to the news of every noble in this country.”

“But I am not just any noble, am I? The child I am carrying is, of course, the child of His Majesty the Emperor. Shouldn’t you naturally pay attention to it?”

By this point, Ermedeline, who had been trying to take a positive approach, was starting to get annoyed.

‘Why doesn’t she have any sense? Is it her hobby to make trouble for no reason?’

“Did the Marchioness congratulate Her Majesty the Empress on becoming a Duchess?”

While Ermedeline was pondering her response, Bellest, who had been wearing a stern expression, took the lead.

“What?”

“Her Majesty the Empress’s elevation to the duchy is a matter for the entire imperial family to celebrate, but isn’t it a personal matter that the Marchioness has become pregnant? Why should Her Majesty the Empress concern herself with such a trivial matter?”

“A trivial matter?”

Bellest’s words momentarily shattered Valliere’s composure.

“Indeed, one might think it’s trivial because you became a widow before even having a child. You too, when you become pregnant within the bounds of a living husband, will find it a matter of concern.”

Unable to find words to respond to Valliere’s cruel remarks, Bellest sat in a daze. In the meantime, Ermedeline slowly got up and approached Valliere.

With a gentle smile, she extended her delicate hand, gently brushing aside Valliere’s disheveled hair. Using a tone of kindness that she had never used before, she spoke.

“I’ll handle the matter of the ‘too…’, the child with His Majesty. Please, Marchioness, don’t concern yourself.”

In her anger, the words “a tool” almost slipped out, but Ermedeline recognized that this was a world within the pages of a book and changed her words at the last moment.

However, Valliere immediately understood the meaning of the word “tool.” If the child was not of the Empress, it would never have a right to inherit.

Even if the father was the Emperor, legally, they could not be part of the imperial family.

Didn’t Henry also use the Empress’s adoption to force his way to the throne in the midst of a war of bastard sons?

Strangely, Valliere’s extreme anger seemed to have a calming effect on her. Her entire body felt frozen, and a chilling sensation crept up her neck.

Daring to insult the protagonist as the villainess, Valliere couldn’t stand Ermedeline’s hatred.

‘No matter what it takes, I will become the Empress, and I will ensure that you face the predetermined ending!’

With a determined expression on her face, Valliere left the Empress’s residence, and an awkward silence settled in.

A tense atmosphere settled in, and no one dared to speak prematurely.

“I might have overreacted a bit. I apologize for making it uncomfortable.”

In the end, Ermedeline was the first to step forward and apologize, causing everyone to jump up and protest.

“Uncomfortable? After all, it was Marchioness Belian who started it in the first place!”

Everyone nodded in agreement, showing their support for Bellest’s words. However, Ermedeline regretted her earlier remark.

“No matter what, I shouldn’t use words like ‘tool’ to refer to people…”

“Well, Marchioness Belian should be grateful she didn’t get slapped.”

The person who boldly uttered these words with a firm gaze was Lady Grania, who had been sitting in the shadow by Viella’s side.

“Why would you congratulate a woman who has my husband’s child? It’s unthinkable for the mistress to come and ask the wife to congratulate her pregnancy. It defies common sense.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

In fact, Lady Grania’s words weren’t entirely wrong. It was certainly not a sensible situation for the mistress to approach the wife, let alone the Empress, to ask for her congratulations.

However, Ermedeline didn’t pay much attention to whatever Valliere said. From Ermedeline’s perspective, she was not Henry’s wife, and she had no intention of becoming one.

Well, if all they wanted was some congratulations, couldn’t she just let it go and not make a big deal about it? She could even tolerate being ignored or having her feelings disregarded.

But even if I’m okay with it, my people are not.

They are the precious ones I’ve chosen to trust as they navigate this wretched villainess role. If they hurt my people, I’ll repay them with an even more profound injury.

Even if I become forever separated from Valliere by an insurmountable river, it doesn’t matter. The gazes of everyone looking at Ermedeline were resolute.

All of them nodded in agreement with Lady Grania’s words.

“I appreciate you saying that. Thank you for considering me as the Emperor’s wife.”

What else was there to say? She couldn’t explain every aspect of the situation.

When Ermedeline forced a smile by lifting the corners of her mouth, Bellest grabbed her hand.

“Who would you think of as the Emperor’s wife other than Your Majesty the Empress? Even if Marchioness Belian were to consider herself the Emperor’s wife, to me, there is only Ermedeline as the Empress.”

In the original work, the Ilyenian Dukedom, along with the Batistian Dukedom, played the most significant role in dethroning the Empress, forming alliances with the Francoise Duchy and gathering the support of nobles to depose Ermedeline and execute her.

An event in the future that remained unknown. In Ermedeline’s eyes, the warm gaze of Bellest, Viella, Liena, and Lady Grania, who was holding her hand, conveyed sincerity.

According to the original work, their gazes should have been filled with contempt and hatred, just as Felio and Viella had initially shown.

It was a morbid thought, but while facing those gazes, Ermedeline had this thought:

‘Can I actually survive?’

However, regardless of practical calculations, she appreciated their sincerity. She found their concern for her feelings beautiful and heartwarming.

“Well then, let’s forget about trivial matters I will refocus on my duties as the Empress.”

Upon Ermedeline’s words, everyone, as if nothing had happened, turned their attention back to their paperwork, preparing to raise their voices again.

Even this sight felt like their graceful consideration of Ermedeline.

‘They all seemed distant and arrogant at first, but they turned out to be kind people.’

After leaving the Empress’s residence,

Felio, with his heart racing and on the brink of bursting, immediately headed to Roberto’s house.

Seeing Felio’s expression different from usual, Roberto sensed that it had to do with Ermedeline.

“What are you going to talk about today? Don’t run around like last time, and talk calmly.”

“Do you know that Valliere is pregnant?”

“Yeah, I heard.”

“At first, I was uncomfortable with the fact that the mistress has His Majesty’s child, you know?”

“Most people think that way, don’t they? Especially the high-ranking nobles. No matter how many titles they receive, the fact remains that they’re born as bastards.”

Felio furrowed his brow as if he didn’t care about Roberto’s words.

“I don’t know her background. I just felt uncomfortable at the thought of the Empress being distressed.”

“But?”

“Today, she came to the Empress’s residence, and she acted arrogantly. She claimed that the Empress didn’t congratulate her on her pregnancy…”

“What? Is that woman out of her mind? Is she sane?”

“Of course. I thought the same thing at first. But after thinking about it carefully…”

Felio paused, wearing a meaningful smile.

“What’s with that ominous expression? What are you thinking?”

“If His Majesty wishes to designate the child born to that woman as his successor, he’ll naturally try to make Valliere the Empress, right?”

“Hey, you can’t be serious…”

Roberto, who had caught on to Felio’s thoughts, glared at him with a stern face.

“It was a political marriage anyway.”

“Please, come to your senses! Do you think you can just get a divorce from the Emperor that easily? If that were the case, His Majesty would have divorced and taken a new wife a long time ago!”

That’s right. Divorce is not easy in this place.

Unless one party has made a significant and undeniable mistake that could serve as a reason for divorce, it’s extremely difficult to obtain a divorce.

The Empress, strictly speaking, is a member of the Imperial Family, and it is nearly impossible to strip the status of an Imperial Family member, even with moderate wrongdoing. In the original novel, Ermedeline’s actions were so severe that they warranted being sent to the stake, which is why she could be dethroned.

“Well, up until now, there was no suitable reason for it, that’s true. But if Her Majesty claims that His Majesty has a child with his mistress, could that be grounds for divorce? All subjects of the Imperial Temple, regardless of their status, have an obligation to be faithful to their spouses, right?”

Thwack!

Unable to take it any longer, Roberto, who had been listening, delivered a strong blow to Felio’s head.

“This guy is completely insane. He wants to break up the Emperor’s marriage just because he’s having an affair! It’s not that easy for the Grand Priest to allow a divorce, and isn’t your delusion going a bit too far without knowing what the Empress is thinking?”

At first, Roberto had raised his voice, but he quickly realized how dangerous their conversation was and lowered his voice. Felio, massaging the throbbing back of his head from Roberto’s blow, muttered:

“It doesn’t matter what she said… It’s not her concern… that’s what she said…”

“So what? Do you really think the Empress would want a divorce just because she said that Valliere’s pregnancy is unrelated to her? Do you think she’d go as far as plotting for it? You know well enough what she’s been doing to get to that position, don’t you?”

Roberto, who had become less and less willing to listen, asked sharply.

“I know. Of course, I know.”

“Alright. Let’s say your feelings got stirred up and that much is inevitable. But that’s as far as it should go. Don’t entertain absurd dreams. You’re not some teenage boy falling in love for the first time…”

“If you insist, you could say I’m a young man who’s fallen in love for the first time.”

Felio’s honest response drew a weary laugh from Roberto.

“Huh? Are you cracking jokes at a time like this?”

***

As the night passed and morning arrived, Ermedeline couldn’t help but feel uneasy. She regretted the words she had uttered to Valliere, but she was also troubled by the way Bellest had lashed out at Valliere. Ermedeline decided to take the high road and offer an apology first, and she also planned to instruct Valliere to apologize to Bellest.

“Your Majesty, there’s really no need for you to go! After all, you didn’t say anything wrong!”

Holding a large flower basket together, Rooney and Margo squinted their eyes as they looked at the beautiful flowers, obviously uncomfortable with the situation.

“You’re right; it was not wrong. But the word ‘tool’ isn’t exactly a dignified choice, is it?”

“It’s not about dignity. What matters is that she started it. Your Majesty is truly gracious and wonderful, but situations like these can be frustrating.”

“It’s not about being frustrated.”

Ermedeline responded with a mischievous smile as she pulled Rooney closer with her arm.

“This is precisely why I am the Empress, and Valliere is in her position as a mistress.”

Rooney immediately wiped the look of displeasure from her face and nodded.

“That’s certainly true.”