I Possessed The Immoral Empress - Chapter 33

On the night when the trial ended, Ermedeline slept through the night without having a single dream, a rare occurrence for her.

Rooney, deeply concerned about Ermedeline, would lean in close multiple times during the night as if checking her breath, while she slept as still as the dead.

Every time, Rooney would find solace in Ermedeline’s peaceful breathing and quietly go back to her own light slumber, watching over her.

Perhaps, if Ermedeline had caught sight of Rooney like this, she would have immediately asked him to return to her own quarters and rest, insisting on her privacy.

She didn’t know how many nightmares she had while she slept, or how much she tossed and turned under the weight of invisible scissors.

Throughout the night, Ermedeline would curse someone whose name remained a mystery or call out for Ferdant, tears streaming down her face, while she groaned as if pinned under those scissors, breaking into a cold sweat.

After seeing Ermedeline’s condition several times, Rooney became fearful, and since then, she and Helen had been taking turns to watch over her by her side.

‘It’s unusually quiet today.’

Although it was already time for the morning light, Ermedeline continued to sleep motionless.

It seemed like an ordinary, peaceful slumber, but for some reason, Rooney’s heart ached.

Yesterday had been a special day for her.

Because she had gained more allies who understood the true feelings of the Empress, whom she knew.

So, for Ermedeline, it had been a peaceful night after a long time, and for Félio, it had been another night of enduring pain that had continued for days.

He had stayed up all night with sleep-deprived eyes, but his heart remained in a turbulent state as if a storm had just passed.

Even though the trial had ended yesterday, Félio still had to meet Ermedeline today.

“Starting today, the construction of the orphanage begins.”

‘Yes, that’s right. I should accurately assess the progress so that if any issues arise later, I can easily provide evidence.’

Felio consciously denies his own feelings, saying that it was not because he wanted to see Ermedeline.

He flinched. Unknowingly, Félio furrowed his brow and took a step backward, trying to distance himself.

 

For a moment, he had been excited when he saw Ermedeline’s carriage arrive, but that excitement had faded as he watched her disembark with Henry escorting her.

Even though he was escorting her, their interaction seemed purely formal and businesslike, with only a brief touch of their hands.

However, the moment Ermedeline’s hand touched Henry’s fingertips, Félio understood.

Jealousy had such a vivid green face.

Félio, who didn’t want to acknowledge his emotions, turned away from his simmering heart and politely greeted the imperial couple.

“Have you come? I didn’t know Your Majesty the Emperor was also coming,” Félio said in his greeting.

Henry responded with a light nod and an unusually vivid shade of green adorning the hem of his cloak fluttering as he passed by Félio.

“Of course not. How could I, as her husband, not come when my wife is doing such wonderful work?” Henry replied with a playful tone.

Félio scanned the interior of the carriage, feeling his boiling insides turn cold at the words “wife” and “husband.” He did this mainly to check if Valliere had come along, out of a desire to confirm.

But he couldn’t see her. Regardless of whether it was official or unofficial, Henri typically had all his schedules accompanied by Valliere.

‘Why isn’t she visible today?’ Félio wondered, feeling an ominous premonition as he pondered why Valliere hadn’t joined them.

Lost in his thoughts about why Valliere wasn’t present, Félio turned his head at the touch of a gentle hand.

When he looked, Ermedeline was gazing up at him with a radiant smile. While she might appear somewhat distant when expressionless, due to her dazzling beauty, whenever she wore such a smile these days, it felt like he was facing an innocent girl who hadn’t been touched by the world.

“How exciting, isn’t it? The construction finally begins today!”

Ermedeline looked genuinely joyful, laughing so wide that her teeth were visible, and her body was filled with energy. Félio couldn’t help but let a smile creep onto his own face at the sight.

He cherished this smile that she reserved only for him, even though he was her husband—a smile she never bestowed upon Henry.

“Yes, I’m looking forward to it as well. Many orphans in the capital will find new opportunities here,” Félio replied confidently.

Ermedeline seemed to appreciate Félio’s spirited response, and she nodded proudly, her smile so broad that it threatened to pop her cheekbones.

New opportunities.

It wasn’t just about providing food and shelter. While Ermedeline hadn’t received unconditional love in her previous life, at least in the orphanage, no child would go without food or clothing.

Of course, there were occasional disputes over sharing the same items, but weren’t such conflicts common in ordinary households with siblings? Therefore, what Ermedeline considered most important when building the orphanage was the education of the children.

She knew that she couldn’t provide them with professional education, but she wanted to ensure that they received at least a basic education, enough to discover their own talents.

Moreover, for those children who displayed exceptional talents or aptitude, she wanted to provide higher education without worrying about tuition fees.

Humans couldn’t live on bread alone. Ermedeline had never experienced hunger or poverty, but she couldn’t help but feel that she never enjoyed the full opportunity that other gets.

“Yes, opportunities. I’ll provide children with every opportunity,” Ermedeline exclaimed, her excitement soaring even higher. 

But her elation was abruptly dampened by Henry’s subsequent words.

“After a brief review, it seems that we’ve received quite a bit in donations since then. With this amount, we might be able to expand and add more bedrooms and a dining hall. We can also use the remaining land to create fields for the children to cultivate.”

Henry’s words weren’t particularly unkind. Providing as many children as possible with a place to sleep and training them to work the land was the fundamental purpose of the orphanage. 

However, his thoughts were far removed from what Ermedeline envisioned for the orphanage she desired to create.

Her purpose, as Félio rightly pointed out, was to provide a new opportunity for the children who had been left alone.

“The expanded space will be used for educational purposes. We are also in the process of finding a teacher who can teach basic subjects like mathematics,” Ermedeline explained.

Félio slowly turned his head, fixing his azure gaze on Ermedeline.

“What did you just say? You mentioned educating the orphans?” 

“Yes, I…” Ermedeline began to respond.

But before she could finish, Henry turned to Félio.

“Is what the Empress said true?”

“Yes, that’s correct,” Félio replied.

“What? I knew you were idealistic, but education for orphans? Don’t you think it’s going too far?” Henry questioned.

‘Why is he confirming this with Félio?’ Ermedeline, feeling slighted, blocked Félio’s path and spoke with a challenging tone.

“These are my thoughts. That’s what I told His Grace to do.”

“What?”

“Since the incident in the garden, we’ve received more donations than I anticipated. Some nobles have promised regular assistance as well.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to expand the budget and take in more orphans? And education? Why waste the budget on children who are going to live as farmers anyway?” 

It seemed like Henry was an immovable opponent.

Well, even Rooney, upon hearing this plan, appeared to be baffled, as if he couldn’t comprehend it. If even Rooney couldn’t understand, why should Henry?

Though not visible, it felt as if a thick wall separated Henry from them. Ermedeline fell silent for a moment, sensing this invisible barrier. This time, Félio intervened between them.

“Empress doesn’t just want to provide shelter for the orphans. She wants to enable them to live the lives they desire, to break the cycle of hardship for their own children. I also believe that Empress’s ultimate goal is the right one,” Félio stated.

There was nothing inherently wrong with Félio’s words. Therefore, at that moment, Henry too sensed the invisible barrier and chose to keep his lips sealed.

And on one side of that invisible wall was Henry, while on the other side were Ermedeline and Félio. He felt his head growing cold as he realized this fact.

Arguing further about education being a luxury and budget waste for orphans would only make him appear obtuse.

Henry was a shrewd ruler, capable of reading the atmosphere well enough to know that he needed to appear stern with the strong but lenient with the weak, at least externally, no matter what he truly believed.

“I see. It’s a new and innovative idea. Go ahead and implement it as you see fit,” Henry conceded.

Ermedeline understood that Henri was reluctantly making this statement, but she graciously expressed her thanks once again, as if deeply moved by his words.

“Yes, thank you for understanding,” Ermedeline replied.

The initiative for establishing the orphanage was primarily Ermedeline’s, and most of the budget came from her, even though they had received some donations. It wasn’t really Henry’s concern, as it wasn’t a royal orphanage.

However, Ermedeline took a humble stance with Henry. The ultimate goal of all these efforts was to provide a better life outside the palace. What harm could it do to appear deferential to the person holding her reins?

But Félio couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointment as he watched Ermedeline grovel to Henry once again. Despite being a married couple, he understood that the Emperor and Empress were two entirely different levels of power, and if they didn’t maintain a certain level of formality, it could be unsettling. Yet, seeing Ermedeline behave this way still bothered him.

Lately, he felt like an unruly child with no logic governing his emotions. And the overwhelming sense of powerlessness. He had always prided himself on being in control, but now he couldn’t control a single emotion.

No, it was not just a lack of control; it was as if he were being swept away by a tidal wave of emotions, unable to do anything but let himself be carried away.

He was simply surrendering to the unknown currents, not knowing where this wave would take him.

After Henry left for the palace, Ermedeline approached Félio in a friendly manner.

“Félio, thank you for supporting my side a while ago,” she said.

The phrase “new opportunity” resonated with her. She liked the choice of words, and in a way, she felt like a supporter of a daring challenge, which added to her excitement.

“A supporter? Did I really take a side? I simply did what I believed to be right,” Félio replied.

Although Félio was inwardly pleased to be on Ermedeline’s side, as it aligned with what he thought was right, he consciously maintained a neutral expression.

“Oh, and I apologize for earlier,” she said out of the blue.

Apologizing now? Félio couldn’t help but tense up, wondering if this had anything to do with the curse incident involving her mother.

“Actually, before I got to know you properly, I was quite critical… No, I mean, I had a hard time… Uh, well…” she stammered.

Fortunately, it seemed like the topic wasn’t related to her mother. With a small sigh of relief, Félio responded in a firm voice, “Just speak your mind freely.”

“Oh, well… It’s just that… I didn’t think much of you before and didn’t find you particularly interesting… But after getting to know you, Félio, I’ve realized you’re quite a decent person,” Ermedeline said.

Ermedeline had genuinely offered a compliment without any ulterior motives. However, Félio, the recipient of the praise, felt his heart racing as if it were about to burst, on the verge of exploding with hidden emotions.

“You grew up in a noble household, but you’re humble. You’re educated and knowledgeable, but also wise. Most importantly, you’re fair. You defended even someone like me, who others would avoid for being a witch,” she continued, showering him with praise.

Oh, was this what it felt like to fly through the skies? For a moment, Félio felt like he was soaring, as if he could ascend beyond the clouds. He truly believed he could reach the heavens.

However, Ermedeline’s next words brought him crashing back down to earth.

“If you’re such a great person, then your future wife will surely be a wise and compassionate woman,” she said.

Ermedeline’s words were meant as a compliment to Félio, a way of acknowledging him as an eligible bachelor entering marriageable age. However, to Félio, it felt like a stone thrown without ill intent, hitting his heart and causing it to bleed.

His heart, which had been soaring with joy just moments ago, was now gripped by a painful ache, its warmth turning cold as blood slowly trickled out. In an instant, a single word could lift someone to the highest heights of life or plunge them into the darkest abyss of death.

She was truly a master of manipulation. Félio could only muster the strength to respond with a heavily controlled voice, just a single word: “Thank you.”

***

Meanwhile, in the palace, Valliere was in the midst of meeting with her trusted advisor, her brother Pierre.

“That woman, she’s gaining popularity among the common people these days. Of course, most still view her with suspicion, but there are fewer people openly hating her than before! What exactly are you doing in the palace?” Pierre asked.

The stepbrother you hate as soon as you meet him.

‘Oh, after I became the Empress, I’ll take care of you.’

Despite the irritation welling up inside her, a gentle smile appeared on Valiere’s face.

She had a secret favor to ask of Pierre, and she couldn’t help it.

“Yes. I know, and that’s why I called brother. I need you to deliver this to him…….”

“Again? Didn’t that fail last time?”

Pierre whispered, keeping his voice low and looking around.

“I thought you said she repelled curses?”

“Not this time, it doesn’t, you just have to pass it on.”

The venom in Valliere’s eyes prevented Pierre from inquiring further and he left the palace.

‘What the hell is this?’

Unable to resist his curiosity, he unfolded the paper to reveal the plans for a building.

‘What is this? A building blueprint? What am I supposed to use this for’