I Possessed The Immoral Empress

Returning to the palace, Valliere looked at the crystal glass received from Leopold, smiling satisfactorily as she held it up to the candlelight. 

The glass shimmered more brilliantly than the previous one she had.

Though conscious of public scrutiny, Leopold promptly left the scene after presenting such a precious gift.

“He doesn’t seem entirely disinterested in me.”

Despite being the father of her child, he had completely ignored her. 

Now, as someone bound by an agreement, she desperately needed something to rebuild her shattered self-esteem.

“It’s a very exquisite glass. It doesn’t seem to be a product made within the Trivian Empire, am I right?” inquired Countess Brienta, who had visited Valliere at an opportune moment, with a curious tone.

“It’s an imported item,” Valliere replied.

“Was it a gift from the Emperor?” the Countess asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

Upon Countess Brienta’s inquiry, Valliere’s mood rapidly cooled as if she had been doused with cold water.

“Would the Emperor ever give me something like this? He won’t even meet me,” Valliere replied.

“I see. If he would give something so valuable as a gift, it would imply an exceptional relationship, and I may have jumped to conclusions too hastily.”

“An exceptional relationship.”

The words carelessly uttered by Countess Brienta stuck in Valliere’s mind.

“An exceptional relationship? If it’s a gift of this caliber, it surely signifies such a relationship, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, indeed. Although I don’t know who gifted it, it seems that person holds Marchioness in high regard,” the Countess remarked.

“Hmm. That seems to be the case.”

Valliere, contemplating whether she should finally move on from her failed first love and consider the possibility of a new relationship, started to ponder.

Observing Valliere gazing at the crystal glass with a distant look, Countess Brienta offered a cold smile, her gaze unyielding and sharp.

***

The Grand Temple was undoubtedly a place with an atmosphere distinct from the palace.

Serene feeling filled the lungs with the clean air, and the subtle sound of water somewhere nearby was enough to rouse someone from sleep. 

The sun hadn’t fully risen, casting the world in a dusky, serene blue hue.

Ermedeline, waking earlier than usual, glanced outside her door to find Rooney and Margo still lost in their dreams. 

Normally an early riser, today she was even more awake than usual, thanks to the unperturbed atmosphere within the temple that allowed for a dreamless and sound slumber.

‘Shall I take a stroll?’

Silently slipping out to avoid waking Rooney and Margo, Ermedeline walked through the quiet, empty corridors. As she peered out through the large windows, she caught sight of a star casting its last, vivid silvery light against the dark blue sky.

‘I wonder if he slept well.’

A figure naturally emerged in her mind upon witnessing the sight—a person with hair darker than the dawn sky, whose gaze sparkled mysteriously, resembling stars embedded in the deep blue.

Still-chilly breeze brushed against her neck, sending a shiver down Ermedeline’s spine. 

She glanced down for a moment, noticing the brooch pinned to her shoulder. 

She couldn’t quite understand why she felt this sudden emptiness in her heart.

The wind had merely grazed the exposed skin of her neck, yet it left her feeling chilled not just physically but down to her soul. 

As an inexplicable sensation threatened to bring tears to her eyes, a presumptuous voice echoed from the end of the corridor.

“Well, well, fancy meeting you here!”

It was none other than the unpleasant fellow she had encountered the day before—a seemingly gentle and harmless figure on the surface but one who spewed venom once they opened their mouth.

However, having something to discuss, Ermedeline simply turned her head and looked at him.

“Yes, quite a coincidence. We meet again,” she replied calmly.

“Who are you? Don’t even think about lying to me! I’m sure you’re not that woman! And if you lie here, you’ll be punished for blasphemy!”

How could such a menacing expression form on that pretty face?

‘I’m really curious about your identity. What kind of person are you?’

However, despite her inner thoughts, she responded calmly, “You said I wasn’t her, so on what basis are you saying that?”

“Ah-ha! I knew it! I knew you’d say that!”

“What? Weren’t you sure when you said it?”

“Of course, I was sure. I can see souls, you see. I saw that woman’s soul before, a very unique soul, and I distinctly remember it.”

“You can see souls?”

‘Is he some kind of shaman?’

“Yeah. Each soul has its own light or wavelength, and I can distinguish it!”

“Hmm, I see. But how can you prove it if I deny it? I am the Empress, after all.”

Ermedeline deliberately crossed her arms and stared arrogantly at Arvian with an imposing expression.

“You’re being ridiculous. No amount of washing in the clearest river can make that woman’s soul as white as yours.”

“So how are you going to prove that white soul?”

“That, that…….”

The way Arvian stuttered at the word “prove” made me think that he didn’t really have a way to prove it either.

“Do you perhaps communicate with wandering spirits or have deceased pets visit you every night?”

Ermedeline cautiously asked, but Arvian immediately snapped back, vehemently denying it. 

“No! That’s not true! I’m not crazy! My power is real!”

Suddenly, Ermedeline, taken aback by Arvian’s frenzied behavior, hurriedly covered his mouth with her own hand.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. Alright, your power is real. So, could you please stop yelling?”

Tears welling up in Arvian’s eyes, feeling unjustly treated by Ermedeline’s words, he gritted his teeth and sealed his lips.

“What’s the problem if I’m not the Empress?” Ermedeline asked cautiously, to which Arvian replied bluntly.

“No problem. I was just thinking about getting rid of that filthy soul completely from this world if I ever had the chance.”

‘Yeah, I suppose. And in the original, it actually succeeded in doing so.’

A bitter smile that Ermedeline couldn’t hide seeped through her lips, showing her knowledge of the original.

“Then, should I disappear too? Since I’m not the master of this body?”

Despite finally finding people who cared for her, Ermedeline felt a mix of relief and hurt, realizing that it might all come to an end.

“Me? What can I do? Even if I say there’s a different soul in the Empress’s body, they’ll just treat me like a lunatic.”

“Is that so? Then why bother saying anything? Why bring it up?”

“It’s because of my mentor.”

“Noctavinus, the high priest?”

“Yeah. My mentor always said that my abilities would eventually be used for a great purpose planned by the gods. That’s why I should observe people well. But I’ve never seen a complete soul exchange like this before, so I asked.”

“The gods’ plan? Are you saying my coming into this body was the gods’ plan?”

“That’s right. Would something like this just happen randomly?”

As Ermedeline, who knew about the unfinished curse written in the spellbook, considered whether this soul exchange might be the aftermath of a magical failure, she decided not to show her thoughts.

“If it’s the gods’ plan, is there a reason why I came here?”

“Here? Are you from another country?”

Arvian might have a rough temper, but he seemed to have a sharp edge to him.

Seeing that Arvian didn’t bat an eye at the casually spoken words, Ermedeline realized.

“Ha. It’s a long story. Is there a place where we can sit?”

***

“So, you came from a completely different world?”

“Yeah, totally different. People look the same, speak the same language, but their way of life and values are completely different.”

“Huh? Is there really such a place?”

“Yeah, there is. That’s where I lived for 27 years.”

“So, you entered the Empress’s body at the moment of death?”

“Yeah, I think so. Actually, my memories from that time are faint. It took me some time to remember why I died.”

Ermedeline decided not to explicitly mention that this world seemed like the one from the novel she had read.

But after blurting it out roughly, she began to worry about Arvian’s reaction.

Since he’s not a fellow possessed, shouldn’t he be able to reveal his secrets as much as he wants?

On the other hand, there was also a sense of hope that she might find someone to share the secrets she had bottled up for so long.

Ermedeline asked, ready to accept whatever response she would receive.

“What are you going to do now? If you tell the High Priest, people might believe you.”

“If I say the Empress’s soul changed to the next High Priest, they’ll probably think I’m using you, who’s lost his mind. You seem to lack subtlety, don’t you?”

Ermedeline felt odd hearing that she lacked a sense of reality from a character in a novel where magic and divine power existed.

“Anyway, he’s the High Priest, and you’re the High Priest’s disciple. From my perspective, it’s only natural to be cautious.”

“No need for that. Even if I don’t know how it was where you came from, here, if you go around saying, ‘I can see souls!’ you’ll be treated like a crazy person.”

“You’re not entirely wrong. In fact, where I’m from, you’d be considered crazy if you walked around saying that.”

“What? The other world doesn’t seem that different, does it?”

“Well, in a way, it feels like that again. Being lonely was the same there as it is here.”

“What’s lonely? You’ve got that feisty dog by your side.”

“Feisty dog? You mean Rooney?”

“Yeah, that arrogant little brat!”

Arvian, still seemingly not over his anger, crossed his arms and pouted.

“Haha. Oh my goodness. That’s unbelievable.”

To call the white small dog a fierce dog in front of the yellow small dog? Ermedeline couldn’t contain her laughter.

“Why are you laughing? She looks like she’s about to bite me!!”

“Heh, hehehehe. Well, even if you say that to Rooney. She’s on my side.”

“My side?”

“Yeah. My first ally since coming here. The first one who recognized me when everyone else despised and feared me.”

Ermedeline recalled Rooney’s shy expression when expressing her affection for the Empress with a bashful face. 

A gentle smile appeared on Ermedeline’s face.

“Yeah, being inside that woman’s body must have been quite lonely. That’s why you organized orphanages, sewage constructions, and even hosted balls, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I wanted to show that I wasn’t that kind of person.”

“If you came to me, I would have known right away.”

“Yeah, you would have recognized that I’m not that immoral Empress.”

Ermedeline felt a slight pang of regret, wondering if meeting Arvian at the outset would have alleviated her loneliness a bit.

However, soon, Ermedeline changed her thoughts.

The current relationships were more precious because she had overcome all those prejudices by her own efforts.

“So, in the end, you also know nothing about the gods’ will?”

“Yeah, that’s right. If I had known that, I wouldn’t have gone through all that hardship.”

“Hmm.”

Arvian, perhaps disappointed with Ermedeline’s response or having lost interest, sighed indifferently and raised his head, gazing into the air.

“Then tell me. What kind of place is the other world?”

***

“Where?”

Ermond’s expressionless face upon receiving the report from his subordinate sparked a cold, sardonic laughter.

“That’s confirmed by him. It’s a report from spies disguised as priests.”

“Is she out of her mind? How dare she infiltrate there?”

“They say she went there instead of Valliere… after the miscarriage confinement.”

“Insane. After not engaging in such activities recently, she goes to the High Priest’s temple? The place where most people who want her dead would gather?”

“Well, for ordinary priests, perhaps, but isn’t the High Priest notably a pacifist? She might have thought it was safe.”

“More, more! Squeeze out more! It’s not enough as it is!”

Ermond, who had been listening to the report, suddenly glanced at a corner, his nerves on edge.

The dimly lit room was illuminated by a few slender candles.

In the dark corner of that space, a thin, young girl with blue eyes similar to Helen’s was wiping away the blood oozing out from outside and carefully placing it back into a container where a body hung.

Though the girl was alive and moving, her face resembled the lifeless body hanging in the container.

Within the girl’s cloudy pupils, there was only an emptiness that surpassed even fear and anger.