I Possessed The Immoral Empress

“Kyaahhh!”

“The mistress has killed someone!!”

The gathered citizens cried out in unison, blaming Valliere.

Henry, too, heaved a silent sigh, hidden behind his mask.

‘You’ve saved me a lot of trouble, and even if I change my mind again, I won’t be able to make you an empress.’

Killing a woman because she dared to challenge a marchioness who bore a royal child shouldn’t be a big deal. The problem is the public sentiment.

Even without legal consequences, Valliere had already lost public favor due to the outbreak in the region attributed to her actions.

Amidst all of this, hundreds of people had directly witnessed the killing of an unarmed woman with a sharp dagger. The square turned into a chaotic frenzy of severe condemnation.

The guards began to retrieve the woman’s body and tried to calm the crowd.

After some time, the jeers from the crowd towards Valliere subsided. However, in the silence that settled over the square, an overwhelming hatred began to spread.

The gazes of the people, with their mouths tightly shut, fixed on Valliere as she stood there, weak and lifeless, were filled with a cruel intensity.

It was a moment when Valliere, once the object of boundless love from the Trivian Empire’s emperor and its people for her compassionate and generous acts, crossed a river never to return.

***

After the parade, Ermedeline headed to the central temple to receive her accolades.

Inside the temple, there was nothing but silence, as only a few nobles, including the courtiers and maids who would serve as witnesses, were present.

Ermedeline, who hadn’t heard what had happened at the end of the parade, attributed the eerie tension in the temple to animosity directed toward herself. While there were certainly some who harbored dissatisfaction with the situation, where the notorious and immoral empress was even receiving accolades, the palpable tension was, in fact, due to what had happened to Valliere just moments ago.

With a simple pledge of loyalty and a brief award ceremony, the ceremony concluded.

As soon as the ceremony ended, Henry hurriedly returned to the palace with his attendants, claiming he had urgent matters to attend to.

“Your Majesty, do you still not know?” On the way from the temple back to the palace, Bellest’s abrupt question made Ermedeline turn around, her eyes widening as if she truly knew nothing.

“I see. So, you really didn’t see.”

“What happened?”

“Near the end of the parade, something unpleasant occurred. A disheveled woman approached Marchioness Bellest, saying that her village had been devastated due to an epidemic.”

“Uh… And nothing happened to the Marchioness?”

“Nothing could have happened. The woman was unarmed, and there were guards by her side.”

“Then? What’s the unpleasant part?”

“The Marchioness responded, ‘What does that have to do with me?’ The woman got agitated and… charged at her.”

“Charged at her?”

While Bellest remained in shocked silence, Liena heaved a deep sigh and continued with a cold, emotionless tone.

“Out of nowhere… she pulled out a sharp dagger from her clothes and slit the woman’s throat.”

“What? What in the world?”

Ermedeline, too shocked to contain herself, hurriedly covered her own lips with both hands.

“Are you saying that Valliere killed that woman with a dagger?”

“Yes.”

“No matter what, killing someone… slitting their throat with a dagger?”

All the maids present at the parade nodded in agreement at Ernedeline’s question.

“She squeezed her eyes shut and swung the knife around. Moreover, the marchioness got soaked all over her body with the woman’s blood That’s probably why the temple is empty, because they went to check on the marchioness.”

Ermedilin’s face darkened sharply as he realized that the unusually quiet temple was only because the priests didn’t want her to be honored.

“And what has become of the child in her belly?”

“The fetus is unharmed. They say that the marchioness has no injury, and he’ll perform a purification ritual and attend the enlightenment ceremony, just in case.”

Even if it’s someone else’s fault, something unsavory has happened.

Ermedeline wondered about Valliere’s condition, but she was able to get the news from Louise, who happened to be coming to see Valliere.

“The Marchioness is in a very unstable state, and since she is literally covered in the plague-ridden woman’s blood, no amount of cleansing can make her completely safe.”

“So what about this afternoon’s audience ceremony?”

“For now, the throne room is also being purified, so as long as the marchioness is calm, it should go ahead as scheduled.”

“Very well.”

Hearing the answer, Ermedeline turned to leave, but Louise caught her.

“Your Majesty.”

“What’s the matter?”

Ermedeline turned back with a kind expression, but Louise struggled to find her words.

“Perhaps you’d like to talk in a more private setting, just the two of us?”

In response to Ermedeline’s question, Louise nodded, and they decided to have their conversation in a secluded part of the garden.

“Is Sir Felio doing well?”

“He is. I haven’t seen him today yet, but up until yesterday, he was unharmed.”

“Oh, and about…?”

“Him? Well, I haven’t seen any visible wounds since then. There’s no telling what might be happening behind the scenes, but at least on the surface, he seems fine.”

“May I ask why the Duke was so angry at that time?”

In response to Louise’s question, Ermedeline delved into her pocket and showed a white handkerchief.

“It was because of this. I heard that it was personally embroidered by the Duchess. I had it with me, hoping to return it to the Prince when I had the chance. But unfortunately, it fell right in front of Duke Batistian…”

“Are you saying he got angry just because of a handkerchief?”

“Yes. The moment he saw the handkerchief, he raised his hand towards the His Grace…”

Even now, the mere thought of that incident made Ermedeline’s blood boil. She tightly clenched the edge of her skirt and bit her lip.

“Your Majesty, do you know how Sir Felio’s mother, I mean, the Duchess, passed away?”

“?”

“She died from a curse. A powerful curse magic that no one could use except the Francoise Duchy.”

“!!”

Ermedeline knew that Duchess Batistian had passed away a long time ago, but she had never seriously thought about the cause of her death until now.

“Externally, it was simply announced that she died of a severe illness. We couldn’t gather concrete evidence.”

Listening to Louise, Ermedeline began to vaguely recall the reason why the Batistian family in the original story harbored such intense animosity towards her, which was because they believed she was responsible for the Duchess’s death.

“Still, I believe some people close to them might know to some extent.”

“I see.”

Ermedeline now understood why Felio had been so cold and arrogant during their initial meeting.

“He must have been upset to see that you had items belonging to his deceased wife. Still, that doesn’t justify striking his own son out of anger.”

“I would have felt less uncomfortable if he had struck me instead.”

“Well, Your Majesty, you might think that way, but I doubt Duke Batistian would do anything to provoke the Emperor’s wrath, no matter how angry he may be.”

“That’s true.”

In reality, knowing that the violence that was about to be directed at her was redirected towards the less vulnerable Felio weighed heavily on Ermedeline’s heart.

“I, in fact, don’t know the details of their relationship. My husband died, and just a few weeks later, a close friend died as well, so that time was nothing but excruciating pain for me.”

“…”

“Only Your Majesty would know the truth. But recently, the way I saw you doesn’t seem to have any connection with the deaths of those two.”

Presently, she might be innocent, but there was no way to know if the previous owner of her body had cursed someone.

Ermedeline, in her uncertain tone, expressed her gratitude.

“Thank you for saying that.”

“I believe Sir Felio probably shares the same thoughts as me. So, despite the Duke’s dislike, he continues to help Your Majesty.”

Her first meeting with Felio suddenly crossed her mind. He had made it clear that if he could destroy the Francoise Duchy, it would help bring down the Empress. He had shown his enmity openly, without any disguise.

‘Is it true? Has he really changed his thoughts about me in a matter of months and is now helping me? Or is there another hidden agenda?’

Felio, based on her direct experiences, was not the type to hide animosity and put on a façade.

If he still harbored resentment against Ermedeline for his mother’s death, then he could have just let Francoise Duchy’s curse succeed during the Foundling Ceremony.

Yet, despite everything, she couldn’t shake off the lingering unease in her heart.

“I also want to trust His Grace. He’s the person I rely on the most here.”

Not long after the march commenced. Valliere appeared in the audience room, looking calmer than expected, given the recent events.

Her seat was arranged just below the Emperor and Empress, and all eyes were fixed on her. Despite having taken a life just a short while ago, Valliere remained composed. She lightly touched her chin, observing the nobles who had gathered below.

Most of the nobles knelt before the Emperor and Empress, offering their tributes. While Henry and Ermedeline received greetings, many of the tributes were addressed to Valliere.

It was clear that many nobles had put considerable thought into their offerings, likely aiming to maintain a favorable relationship with the future ruler of the empire.

Ermedeline knew that even though she was seated next to Henry, her role at the ceremony was merely that of a decorative doll.

Therefore, Ermedeline barely paid attention to the noble’s words, constantly glancing around the audience chamber in hopes of catching a glimpse of Felio’s familiar silver eyes.

“Your Majesty, these tributes have been presented to the Empress.”

“Hmm?”

While she was fervently searching for Felio, the court official suddenly called her attention. Ermedeline gave him a puzzled look, wondering what had happened.

“These tributes have been presented to the Empress to celebrate her elevation to the position of the Duchess.”

“To me? These are for me?”

“Yes.”

Ermedeline was taken aback. The tributes, which she thought were meant for Valliere, had actually been offered to her to mark her promotion to the Duchy.

Ermedeline couldn’t quite believe it, but the small box felt surprisingly weighty in her hands. Following protocol, she opened it, revealing an elegant and exquisite brooch.

“Who sent this tribute?”

“It was sent anonymously.”

“Is that so?”

Ermedeline smiled gently and looked around the audience chamber. A few moments later, her gaze met with Felio’s, who stood against the wall a little further back.

Ermedeline smiled brightly at him.

Felio responded to Ermedeline with a warm smile, though only his eyes were visible through the mask. His silver eyes seemed to pierce into her soul, transparent and clear. Ermedeline was now certain that the brooch was a gift from him.

‘In this place, I’ve grown so suspicious that I began doubting his true feelings even for a moment,’ Ermedeline thought. She chastised herself for doubting Felio’s sincerity even for a moment.

Their eyes met for just a fleeting moment, so brief that most people around them didn’t even notice. However, in that brief exchange of glances, the uneasy feeling turned into a fluttering excitement.

Ermedeline gladly took the brooch and pinned it onto her shoulder.

Now, Ermedeline wouldn’t need to search for the same depth of color in the midst of the crowd. Everyone’s attention returned to Valliere, but amidst the crowd, only two pairs of eyes caught the exchange of glances between Ermedeline and Felio.

One pair was serene and deep blue, as calm as a serene lake, and the other was a fiery, passionate golden hue as if they could boil over with fervor at any moment. These two pairs of eyes moved diligently, trying to decipher the meaning conveyed in the exchanged glances between Ermedeline and Felio.