I Possessed The Immoral Empress

Count Hallstein, who had rushed to the Grand Temple upon hearing the news, spent the late afternoon bombarding Helen’s younger sister, Heather, with numerous questions. However, he could glean little information by the time the day turned into late evening.

The young girl, still in her early years, seemed to know nothing about where she had been held captive. She appeared to have spent her time only trembling in fear, wiping bloodstains off the floor, unaware of her whereabouts.

According to Heather, the number of people killed by Ermond during his captivity was said to be over several hundred.

What was he planning to achieve by amassing such an immense amount of bloodshed?

Naturally, an emergency had been declared at the Grand Temple to prevent a large-scale curse that could potentially overwhelm Trivian.

However, Felio considered it fortunate that the word “Frianton” had not come out of Heather’s mouth.

To Felio at present, apart from ensuring Ermedeline’s safety, nothing else seemed relevant to him.

If someone were to peer into his inner thoughts, they might question how such a proud knight had come to this point. Yet, Felio had long ceased feeling ashamed of himself.

He had painfully realized that neither patriotism nor emotions towards family could outweigh his feelings towards Ermedeline. Hence, he had ceased any futile resistance.

After all, hadn’t he already decided to become a beast?

Even if it were revealed that Ermond was plotting against Trivian, his homeland, from the enemy Frianton, that matter could not be more important than Ermedeline’s life or death.

Count Hallstein would only report that Ermond was merely hiding somewhere near the border.

The fact that Ermedeline’s brother had turned to the enemy side was something only he needed to know.

There was no need to discomfort Ermedeline further, who was already in an uneasy position, by unnecessarily informing the nobles of Francoise Duchy about it.

The attempt of the Duke of Francoise, the son of the Valliere, to kill his younger sister, the Empress, was once again confined to secrecy.

After all, the witnesses were only the priests. Within the palace, aside from Henry, Count Hallstein, and Louise, nobody knew anything about it.

Following the advice of the clergy, Henry decided to thoroughly search the vicinity of the Grand Temple. This was to look for any possible traces of large-scale cursed magic that might remain.

And Ermedeline and Felio, still not fully recovered from their injuries, were given a few more days to stay at the Grand Temple to recuperate.

***

Leopold’s ball was now bustling to the extent that there was hardly any space to step foot in.

Though Henry’s unease was noticeable since it was a ball held in the mansion near the palace, most nobles considered it a tremendous waste of time to spare any significant social courtesy for just the passing of an illegitimate child’s inheritance.

Valliere, who had just arrived here, couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Certainly indoors, but it felt like being in a secret garden. Her inner self was still like a dried-up desert with not a drop of rain, yet this place seemed detached from any concerns of the outside world, portraying an otherworldly appearance as if nothing mattered.

Within this otherworldly setting, young ladies and gentlemen, bedecked splendidly to the point of being dazzling, were displaying their grandeur, escorted gracefully by living aristocrats.

Amidst the indoor foliage, small monkeys darted about, accompanied by parrots of various colors. As if that wasn’t enough, beside Leopold, there even stood a large golden leopard.

There was an undeniable fervor and curiosity emanating from everyone present.

‘No one came when I lost my child and was mourning, yet it seems everyone happily visits here,’ she thought.

Contrary to Valliere’s increasingly bittersweet feelings, the food being served at the ballroom appeared excessively luxurious at first glance.

‘Is that caviar?’

On the trays carried by the servants, there was finger food topped with caviar.

Valliere, who had adored almost every dish in her past life, but hadn’t been able to indulge in her favorite food since coming here, was delighted to see the beloved ingredient. Seeing the welcome sight of the delicacy, Valliere cast away the sinking feeling she had felt moments before and eagerly picked up the dish with caviar, taking a bite and savoring the familiar salty taste that filled her mouth.

‘Is this a thresher shark?’

She had longed so much for this dish that she forgot her composure and anger, her hand unconsciously reaching out.

As Valliere was relishing the taste she had missed for so long, a familiar voice reached her ears.

“Oh, my, what a surprise to see you here?”

Turning her head, Valliere spotted the elaborately dressed Countess Elion.

The woman who had turned away from her during the hardest and loneliest moment after losing her child and mourning.

Actually, Valliere wasn’t particularly surprised by her behavior, but that didn’t mean she felt good seeing her.

“Yeah, it’s unexpected to meet you in a place like this.”

The taste of the caviar she had been pushing into her mouth absentmindedly was suddenly gone.

“Do the Emperor know that you’re here?”

“What does that have to do with, Lady?”

“Just curious.”

“The one who said she wouldn’t step foot in the palace is now here. What brings you to this place?”

In response to Valliere’s pointed question, the Countess Elion folded the fan she had been covering her face with. As she did so, a thick pearl necklace around her neck became visible.

“Our Count handles jewelry, doesn’t he? I heard he’s interested in the natural pearls from the Vallius Mountains this time.”

“Pearls?”

“Isn’t Ballius known for its abundance of precious minerals? It’s about preparing jewels in advance while His Highness is present here.”

Listening to Countess Elion’s words, Valliere found it plausible that the jewels filling the box she had received as a pregnancy gift were intended for presentation to Leopold.

Observing the nobles waiting for their turn to approach Leopold, Valliere finally realized the purpose of the box filled with jewels she had handed over as a gift.

‘So, even this extravagant ball is all for show. He wanted to display how wealthy he is to Henry and the nobles.’

As a scion of a business conglomerate, she had become accustomed to ostentatious events meant for showmanship.

In her previous life, it was typical to start a small business and invite all sorts of people just to showcase wealth. Valliere’s parents in her previous life had never celebrated birthdays or events meaningfully, not even a simple birthday party.

No matter how hurt Valliere felt inside, she felt ashamed of her own vivid imagination that surfaced upon seeing the jewels.

She walked straight towards Leopold.

The nobles around Leopold glanced at Valliere with cold eyes and moved aside.

“You seem to be quite wealthy, don’t you?”

“What do you mean?” Leopold asks, his face expressionless.

“This.”

Around Valliere’s neck hung an emerald pendant made of pure gold, which had been inside the box Leopold gave her.

“It suits you well.”

“You didn’t give it to congratulate me?”

“What do you mean? I gave it as a gift, hoping for the birth of my niece…”

“No, just wanted to show the emeralds, amethysts, opals, diamonds, pearls, and such items from that box to the nobles present there, didn’t you?”

Leopold gave a gentle smile, brushing aside a strand of hair with his long fingers. Despite his relaxed demeanor, there was a sense of danger lurking somewhere.

His relaxed smile, paired with sharp, glinting golden eyes, evoked a sense of awe, akin to facing a wild animal.

“How could that be? I simply wanted to express my feelings to the beautiful Marchioness Belian.”

Leopold, who slightly leaned in and whispered into Valliere’s ear, flashed a last charming smile before promptly shifting his steps toward others.

For a man devoid of any emotions, feigning courtesy was rather effortless.

However, at this very moment, quite cruelly for Valliere, the meaningless smile of his had lodged itself in her mind like an ice sculpture, just as she had come of age.

Valliere stood frozen in place for a while, unable to move.

“Marchioness Belian, are you all right?”

Countess Brienta, who attended the ball together, lightly shook Valliere’s wrist, bringing her back to reality.

“Oh, I’m fine.”

Valliere’s face turned as red as a ripe apple as she awkwardly smiled and nodded.

Indeed, exposing the gift box filled with astonishing jewels at this glamorous event had quite an impact.

The gathering of the major nobles was a perfect opportunity to put pressure on the financially struggling Henry and to show off the economic power of the Ballius Empire, which had always been known for its jewelry production.

Moreover, with today’s lavish ball, couldn’t one notice even the gazes of the Emperor’s faction nobles, who had previously disregarded themselves, changing?

Despite loyalty to the Imperial Family being a fundamental principle for the nobles, they were, after all, human beings. Faced with material benefits, they might reconsider their beliefs.

Even today, there were more than a few discreet proposals for deals.

Public opinion doesn’t budge without any gain.

Leopold aimed to first win over the nobles, then target the common folk. His primary goal was not to cause troublesome civil strife, hence isolating Henry thoroughly and peacefully entering the palace.

His top priority was not the throne but the safety of Ermedeline and Ferdant.

Naturally, in any plan, there was always a backup plan, so Leopold hadn’t forgotten to discreetly deploy troops to neighboring countries.

Therefore, he must smile today.

As the host of the event, he had to maintain a relaxed smile while interacting with the nobles, but managing his expression wasn’t easy.

Despite thinking he had put on an act after traveling the world and engaging in various dealings after parting with Ermedeline, whenever dealing with Henry’s government, his true feelings tended to surface.

‘Is she crazy? Does she really think I dedicated that gift box because of her? Has she forgotten whose child was in her belly?’

‘The rumors about first love, an old lover, were all nonsense. Blushing in front of the brother of the child’s father he lost, it shows intention, doesn’t it?’

The woman he truly missed behaved cautiously, considering her position thoroughly, causing irritation, while the woman he wasn’t interested in acted hastily, like a child who didn’t know how to protect herself.

Leopold wanted to explode in anger, saying those jewels meant nothing to him, but he managed to barely contain his anger, only putting on a smile veiled with kindness. Yet, for some reason, Valliere’s actions lingered strangely in his mind.

She’s going around boasting about the pendant hanging from her neck.

‘Ah, where did Henry find such a thoughtless woman?’