I Possessed The Immoral Empress - Chapter 31

‘Ha! Are you planning to bring down even the nobles lurking in the shadows?’

Valliere, who didn’t know the exact situation, thought that Ermedeline, who was boasting about her high status, was showing her true colors.

To vaguely mention someone behind the scenes when they hadn’t even apprehended the person who officially handed the dagger to the boy? Surely, there must be a hidden agenda to point fingers at someone.

‘Surely she won’t point fingers at me, will she? Even if she’s the empress herself, how could she casually accuse someone without any evidence? Anyway, this whole thing isn’t something I orchestrated.’

Valliere glanced at Henry, trying to predict for a moment who Ermedeline might point fingers at.

Although he had mentioned bestowing titles and territories, seeing Henry avoid her afterward started to irritate Valliere again.

To be honest, Henry had been blatantly avoiding Valliere for the past few days.

He rarely went to places where Valliere might find him, and it seemed like he handled meals and rest in places other than his own room, secretly.

‘That hypocrite. A mere talker. After the trial, I will definitely hear the truth today!’

Meanwhile, Henry kept feeling a prickling sensation on his cheek.

Deep down, he was conscious of Valliere, so he could keenly feel her gaze.

However, he still didn’t want to face Valliere.

Although she eagerly awaited titles and territories, his desire to bestow them had disappeared.

Henry was afraid.

She was afraid that the joyful and radiant smile Valliere would have upon receiving titles and territories wouldn’t be directed toward him.

People change. Depending on the situation and environment, one’s tendencies and character can change significantly.

But people do not change. Emperor Henry had never witnessed a change in the fundamental values that make up one’s soul, not even once.

So, no matter how much Valliere had recently transformed into a materialistic person, she must remain virtuous.

Even if Ermedeline had recently done some kind acts, she must remain wicked.

Their core should never change.

However, recently, both women have changed too much.

Valliere acted as if she had never been a good person from the start, and Ermedeline behaved as if she had never been a bad person from the beginning.

‘To save the boy? Are you willing to give up any benefits you can gain for that?’

Henry had silently accepted Ermedeline’s request, but in reality, he had been doubting Ermedeline’s motives for saving the boy up to this moment.

Henry felt confused by how his values were constantly shaken and awaited Ermedeline’s response.

“Then, Your Majesty, do you have any suspects among those who purchased the poison for being behind this?”

*Gulp.*

Everyone in the courtroom, except Ermedeline and Félio, audibly swallowed.

Henry didn’t show any emotion, but he couldn’t help but feel tense, fearing that the madwoman might give up on saving the boy and mention Princess Viella.

“While I cannot confirm, there are some clues.”

Ermedeline, in a tone devoid of any pitch, stated her opinion and then turned her head to gaze in the direction of Duke Ilyenian.

Afterward, she slowly rose from her seat, took a deep breath, and exhaled loudly.

Although it was a brief moment, the people in the courtroom experienced an extended silence, as if time had come to a halt.

“Would you like to make an accusation now?” asked Félio.

A faint smile appeared on Ermedeline’s lips in response to Félio’s question.

However, her eyes did not share the same amusement, making her smile appear rather ominous.

“I do not wish to make an accusation.”

Murmurs erupted once again.

The unexpected response had thrown the courtroom into a small commotion.

‘What sinister plot is she weaving now?’ Valliere muttered, growing increasingly irritated by Ermedeline’s actions that consistently defied expectations.

They may be the same, but she’s a mistress, and Ermedeline is an Empress.

One minute she’s a heroine, the next she’s a villain who dies a miserable death.

 

‘Casting a curse? I thought she couldn’t use magic now that she had changed her soul…… Duke Francois is so confident, what is this?’

Valliere genuinely hoped that Ermedeline would not be able to attend the next trial related to the attempted assassination of the empress as a witness.

“All I want to say is this: I am alive, and I do not wish to see that boy killed.”

This time, Duke Ilyenian, who had been trying to maintain an indifferent facade throughout, dropped his chin down, visibly affected.

“I know what you all thinking. That witch intends to subject the boy to even more gruesome torture to uncover the mastermind. It would be better for the boy to die now… Well, I assume you guys thinking along those lines.”

Ermedeline rose from her seat and turned towards the boy sitting in the defendant’s chair.

The boy, tightly bound in ropes, trembled as Ermedeline approached him as if he were about to erupt in a fit.

“You stabbed me with a knife. Do you remember?” Ermedeline asked, and the boy barely managed to nod, tears streaming down his face.

“Thanks to you, I bled a lot. Do you remember that too?” More nods.

“When I returned to the palace, I was in so much pain from being poisoned by the dagger you stabbed me with. Do you know that too?”

“Yes…”

In a trembling, thin voice, the boy replied. 

“I know you lost your family to the plague. And I know there’s some adult who put a knife in your hand. But I didn’t kill your family. I didn’t cause the plague. You tried to kill someone who had nothing to do with your family’s death.”

The boy, who had been trembling and shedding tears, had now started sobbing loudly.

Ermedeline, who had stooped down to the boy’s eye level, straightened up and looked around.

“I know everyone thinks of me as the Empire’s worst witch. They probably even think I caused the outbreak of the plague in the capital.”

Ermedeline briefly scanned the courtroom with a calm gaze.

“In the name of the great gods, at this very moment, I swear upon my soul. The plague was not my doing. If my words are not true, I am willing to face divine punishment right here!!”

Ermedeline’s mention of the word ‘soul’ caused a momentary stir in the courtroom.

It was only natural, given that in a world with priests and sacred powers, making an oath in the name of the gods was an absolute matter. Everyone present knew the consequences if Ermedeline were to falsely swear in front of the gods.

While she couldn’t risk her physical body, Ermedeline was willing to stake her innocent soul. At this moment, she decided to cast off the haunting spirit of the previous owner of her body, which had tormented her so relentlessly.

She knew she couldn’t completely rid herself of it, but at least she wanted to declare to herself that she was not such a devil.

“It doesn’t matter who the mastermind is. There are probably more than a few who want me dead anyway. Just a few days ago, there was an attempt on my life. And there will be more after this.”

“Afterwards, those who have a grudge against me should come to kill me with their own hands, at least, don’t hide behind a young boy who is still too inexperienced to meddle in such matters.”

With a voice not particularly loud but filled with a clear tone and precise pronunciation, Ermedeline made her declaration.

Her resolute statement left everyone in the courtroom, even Félio, who had some understanding of Ermedeline’s intentions, frozen like statues.

With calm yet penetrating eyes, Ermedeline gazed at Duke Ilyenian, Princess Viella, and Lady Grania, who sat nearby. Then, she turned her head to look at the judge presiding over the trial.

The judge was also a noble, a client listed in Ermedeline’s ledger, and the puppet controlled by Henry, who had saved Duke de Françoise’s life after he slashed the Empress’s neck with a knife, in the previous trial.

Since the Ministry of Justice was filled with members of the imperial faction, including Duke Batistian, their verdicts could not escape Henri’s influence.

“I request leniency, treating it as a simple case of unintentional manslaughter rather than an assassination attempt on the empress. As the victim, I ask for clemency, believing that you will be more lenient due to my plea.”

This was not an appeal to the judge but rather a plea directed at Henri.

Ermedeline was asserting her claim, not willing to compromise on the Ilyenian Dukedom. Her price was not the money, jewels, or land that Henry might have expected, but rather the life of the boy who had tried to kill her.

“I won’t use torture or experiments to uncover the mastermind. Once the boy’s punishment is over, I will take care of him at the orphanage we are establishing this time. It’s a place where our gracious Emperor will especially provide security.”

Words that were hard to believe came from the witch’s mouth.

Everyone watching the trial seemed to furrow their brows in disbelief, lowering their heads as if unable to trust what they had heard.

Among them, Valliere was the only one who remained expressionless, her face as stoic as a statue, as she stared intently at Ermedeline’s profile.

Fortunately, the boy was sentenced to six months of probation. He would still be under supervision for several years, but even during that period, he would spend it at the orphanage. 

The reaction of the people to this remarkable case was divided into two camps. 

The commoners who had heard rumors from the real world mostly believed in the sincerity of the Empress. They had little direct interaction with Ermedeline and had only heard rumors labeling her as a witch. 

However, the nobility and a few commoners who had been involved with Ermedeline did not trust her words. They believed that this dreadful demon, who had even learned how to manipulate public opinion, had become even more difficult to deal with. 

Valliere was among the latter group.

Of course, Valliere had never met the previous Ermedeline, but she admitted that the current Ermedeline was a more formidable opponent than she had initially thought.

‘I can’t just leave her alone. It’s difficult to kill her, and she’s meticulously covered her tracks regarding her misdeeds…’

Valliere glanced at Henry for a moment, finding him still expressionless.

‘I need to deal with this quickly and decisively. If that’s impossible… well, evidence can always be manufactured.’

As she was about to leave the courtroom, someone approached Ermedeline.

Rooney and Félio, who had experienced a few unfortunate events, quickly blocked Ermedeline’s path.

“Who are you?!”

Fortunately, it wasn’t an assassin. It was a young couple carrying a baby. There was no sign of hostility or ill intent from the couple.

“Could it be… step aside, step aside!”

Ermedeline urgently squeezed through the gap between Rooney and Félio to look down at the baby.

“Is that the child from back then?”

Ermedeline, recognizing the child she had saved with artificial respiration in the real world, looked surprised as she gazed at the couple. The couple smiled slightly and nodded.

“Yes, that’s correct. This is our child, whom Empress saved. We wanted to thank you so many times, but we never had the chance. When we heard about the public trial today, we decided to come and find you.”

Seeing the chubby arms and legs of the baby wiggling, Ermedeline couldn’t help but let out a shriek.

“Aaaah! So adorable!”

Rooney, without any restraint, shook her fists in excitement but eventually gave up trying to stop Ermedeline, who was thoroughly delighted by the baby she liked so much.

Ermedeline’s expression of not knowing what to do with her overwhelming joy made her look like an adorable, carefree little girl.

“Would you like to hold her?”

At the couple’s words, Ermedeline’s eyes widened with anticipation.

“I-is it really okay?”

Most people would avoid her like the plague, fearing they might incur a curse just by making eye contact with her. So, the couple’s willingness to offer their baby to Ermedeline filled her with gratitude.

As she held the tiny life in her arms, her heart swelled with emotion.

‘I saved, I saved you! I saved you this time!’

Tears were now streaming down her cheeks as Ermedeline spoke. Watching her, Rooney quickly fetched a handkerchief to wipe her tears and looked at the baby.

“She’s grown so much, hasn’t she?”

“Yeah, she’s grown a lot. She used to be so tiny.”

Still shedding tears but smiling brightly, Ermedeline looked at the baby, who responded with giggles.

“Oh! It seems like you know that Her Majesty the Empress is a lifesaver?”

“Is that so?”

Ermedeline raised her head to look at the couple, who nodded in agreement.

“Thank you. I was curious about how things had turned out, and I’m grateful that you showed me.”

Ermedeline gently kissed the baby’s forehead, took a deep breath, and then handed the baby back to the couple.

‘Baby smell is always nice, no matter when you smell it!’

“No, we should be the ones thanking Your Majesty the Empress.”

As the couple was about to leave with the baby in their arms, they hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

“Um, Your Majesty the Empress.”

“Yes?”

“What you said today, we believe you.”

The couple’s confident, good-natured gaze made Ermedeline forget her words for a moment.

“…….”

“Even without invoking the names of the gods, we believe Your Majesty would not do such a thing.”