I Possessed The Immoral Empress

“I don’t want to.”

Arvian immediately rejected Noctavinus’ request to become the Empress’s exclusive priest.

“Why should I become this wom… I mean, the Empress’s exclusive? I am meant to be the next Grand Priest.”

“Are you saying this knowing it won’t happen unless I nominate you?”

Receiving Noctavinus’ intense gaze, Arvian glanced over at Ermedeline standing a little behind Noctavinus.

Ermedeline wore a face that seemed both smug and resentful.

“I refuse to be the Grand Priest. If I wanted to live as someone’s servant, I wouldn’t have thought about becoming a priest in the first place.”

With his pretty face full of stubbornness, Arvian crossed his arms and turned his head away.

“She might die without you.”

“Well, isn’t death a natural part of being human? Besides, Empress, you seemed almost eager to die yourself, didn’t you?”

Arvian’s words made Ermedeline squint her eyes and glare at him without saying a word.

“Yeah. People die eventually. Without you, the Empress will probably pass away within a few months.”

“What?”

This revelation was so unexpected that even Ermedeline, who was listening from behind, widened her eyes in astonishment.

“Don’t lie! She has managed just fine without me, hasn’t she?”

Nevertheless, Arvian’s voice started to quiver slightly upon mentioning the imminent death.

“If you don’t believe me, just don’t go then.”

As Noctavinus seemed resigned and began to leave, Ermedeline physically blocked his way, as if to prevent him from leaving.

“No! You say I’ll die in a few months! What if he won’t go with me?”

“That doesn’t mean I can forcibly drag him along, does it?”

“Sigh.”

Everything was wrong.

Ermedeline had thought that if Arvian became the Empress’s personal priest, she would assert herself saying, ‘I don’t care about you!’ But everything went awry.

She never expected such a swift rejection.

“Just help me for a few months. I’ll try to get out of the palace as soon as possible. Just until then, please help me a bit.”

Ermedeline lowered her head deeply and politely pleaded with Arvian.

Only then did Arvian smile contentedly and pat Ermedeline’s head.

“Sure. I’ll make a special exception to go with you. But in return, you have to tell me a lot about your original world.”

***

Henry felt bewildered upon receiving the letter sent by Grand Priest Noctavinus.

“If there’s already Louise as a priestess, why send another high-ranking priest?”

In response to Henry’s question, Count Hallstein also shook his head as if he didn’t understand the situation.

“That’s what I’m saying. Sending the next-in-line Grand Priest—it’s beyond comprehension…”

The strained relationship between Francoise Duchy and the clergy wasn’t something recent.

Therefore, despite hearing reports that Arvian rescued her during Ermedeline’s attack, Henry found it hard to easily believe.

Even if it meant risking the witch’s life by attempting to kill her on behalf of the clergy, it seemed inadequate.

But that wasn’t all; apparently, he had followed her to the palace, and as a high-ranking priest at that.

Henry wanted to outright refuse Arvian’s visit to the palace in his thoughts, but he couldn’t do so.

Trivian, though undeniably separated from the Church, is subject to the divine recognition of the Grand Priest as the first representative of the gods to inherit authority, albeit within limits.

For one to succeed to the full extent of authority, they must proclaim the Grand Priest as the seventh deity incarnate, who embodies the emperor for the sake of the populace.

Of course, Henry ascended to the throne with Noctavinus’s declaration.

Throughout generations, Grand Priests conventionally wielded this position to significantly influence the Trivian Empire’s central affairs.

Some Grand Priests even established separate residences near the palace.

Fortunately for Henry, Noctavinus, his current incumbent, showed minimal interest in politics.

However, his authority was absolute.

His legitimacy, formally designated as a Grand Priest and continuing the priesthood, surpassed Henry, a commoner-born, not only in legitimacy but also in popularity among both commoners and nobles.

“Could it be that he’s considering an entry into the central authority through Empress’s influence?”

“If he had the will, he could have done it anytime. But now, joining hands with the Empress, who is an enemy of the Church, doesn’t that seem contradictory?”

“Perhaps they temporarily joined forces due to the emergence of a greater common enemy, Ermond? According to that escaped girl, it’s certain they’re preparing a large-scale curse magic.”

“Sigh… It’s a headache. The Duke and his son should have been dealt with at once anyway.”

Though that Duke and his son were the father and brother-in-law of his wife, it didn’t matter much to Henry.

He had harshly expelled even his own mother to another country, and he was the one who had killed numerous half-brothers as well.

“For now, just accept it. There’s no plausible excuse for refusal.”

Ermedeline’s influence was gradually increasing.

Not content with swaying public opinion, she was now seeking an alliance with the Church.

Henry harbored a heavy sense of guilt towards Ermedeline, but that didn’t mean he would easily let her go.

That witch was a woman who bore the weight of the grave sin of having killed his blood relations.

Bearing all guilt and consequences of sins alone, destined to carry the burden and die in solitude.

To explain to the heir who would one day be born that the crime was committed by the deposed former empress out of obsession with the emperor.

Furthermore, the nobles. Even the Emperor’s faction among the nobles are showing interest in Leopold’s endless opportunities for wealth.

Amidst the slow signs of division, even the loyal servants, if Ermedeline establishes her independent influence, his own position would become significantly constrained.

After Count Hallstein left the study, Henry, holding an ink bottle, aimed it at the portrait of his father, the late Emperor.

As the ink bottle shattered, black streaks trickled down the portrait resembling Henry’s handsome face.

“Darn it! Filthy human! You’ve been of no help to me till the end.”

All these frustrating circumstances he faced now wouldn’t have occurred had he possessed legitimate progeny, or at least if there were no other illegitimate children.

For a sovereign of a country to frivolously burden the successor with such a heavy load mocks his dignity.

Financial ruin seems almost trivial in comparison to this catastrophe.

Suddenly, Valliere came to Henry’s mind.

Habits are terrifying things.

No matter how distant his affection had become, her face always surfaced in moments of emptiness like this.

As Henry anticipated, Valliere’s expression upon seeing him was pitifully contorted.

Even the maids, who didn’t particularly like her, stared at Henry as if he were displeasing.

In truth, it was a natural reaction.

How could any woman look at a man who, instead of comforting her after losing their child, responded with imprisonment?

Moreover, Henry hadn’t visited or sent any letters to Valliere even once during that time, despite living in the same palace.

Henry, aware of his own harshness, accepted their gazes with a relatively indifferent mindset.

“What brings you here?” Valliere’s voice, once as melodious as the chirping of birds in the past, now carried only a cold chill.

“Just curious about how you’ve been.”

Henry started to raise his hand, intending to gently touch Valliere’s cheek with a somewhat disheartened smile, but then withdrew it.

Her pale, smooth cheek wouldn’t allow his touch anymore.

“You’ve come so quickly. I felt like dying for a while, but now I’m just living. Crying won’t bring the dead child back anyway.”

Valliere felt a pang of regret for what the child could have brought, but she had never longed for a child she never felt.

But for the sake of hurting Henry, what couldn’t she say?

Even in a past life, she had wielded a knife at the neck of an innocent, let alone to Henry, who intentionally wounded her.

“I’ve been too indifferent,” Henry said.

Instead of replying, Valliere turned her head, exhaling a snort.

Valliere was starting to feel the simmering anger within her.

Suppressing her emotions while contemplating Leopold’s meaningful smile, seeing Henry’s face unleashed uncontrollable poisonous emotions within her.

Despite her cruelty, Valliere was now just a young woman in her twenties. No matter how cruel her first love had been to her, no matter how much she had grown to hate him, her feelings for him hadn’t simply vanished.

Perhaps if there were no emotions towards Henry in her heart, if she had seen him merely as a tool for her own social ascent, she might have acted more astutely.

At least in front of Henry, she wouldn’t have behaved so emotionally, knowing that it would diminish her affection.

Henry sighed, feeling drained as he openly witnessed Valliere disregarding him.

In this world, everyone, including his once thought-to-be eternal lover, now ignored and scorned him.

Why did he become the Emperor?

Why is this position so lonely and desolate?

Had Henry had a bit of peace in his heart, he might have realized that Valliere’s chilly demeanor was because some feelings for him still lingered.

But he had no peace in his heart.

He just needed immediate comfort.

That’s why he had impulsively sought out Valliere, despite their strained relationship.

Henry glanced at Valliere’s back as she stood upright for a moment.

In her beautiful blue eyes, a profound emptiness flickered and vanished fleetingly.

Henry soon wore a resigned, bitter smile and turned away, leaving Valliere’s residence behind.

After Henry left, Valliere tried to calm herself by looking at the jewels Leopold had given her, as she usually did.

As an immature adult who didn’t even know where her anger was coming from, she kept muttering to herself that she didn’t need Henry anymore.

“I heard that Prince Leopold has been hosting social events frequently lately. Are you planning to attend?”

Countess Brienta held up a dazzling pearl necklace to Valliere, asking her.

“To be honest, I felt hesitant about attending frequently.”

“Hesitant? Why?”

“Well, it’s because of my status…”

“Status? What does that mean? The essence of a ball lies in the beautiful women. I’ve never seen a lady as beautiful as you, even at the grandest of royal balls.”

“Is that so?”

Valliere offered a shy smile at the words from someone who clearly didn’t know much about her.

“Of course.”

“But what’s the use of being pretty? After all, I was merely part of the Emperor’s court. But not anymore.”

As Valliere peered at the pearl necklace held by Countess Brienta, she lifted her head with a confident expression.

“That’s right. Now I am Marchioness Belian!”

Valliere’s face showed a somewhat naive yet meaningful smile at Countess Brienta’s response, which she found pleasing.

“As a noblewoman, I suppose I should try engaging in social activities, shouldn’t I?”

While Valliere was trying to deny her feelings and focus on new possibilities, her enthusiasm was momentarily frozen and then vanished from Countess Brienta’s kind gaze with ashen eyes.

‘The Emperor’s mistress is so immature. Well, luckily, it seems his plans will easily come to fruition. That prince isn’t a fool, and there’s no way he would bother dealing with a illegitimate daughter of viscount, right?’