I Possessed The Immoral Empress - Chapter 41

“Your Majesty, there’s a big problem!”

Just as Felio was about to leave Ermedeline’s reception room, Rooney, who had briefly stepped out, burst in, her eyes widening.

Her soft, brown irises were so wide open that it seemed like they might pop out of her eyelids at any moment.

However, despite describing it as a ‘big problem,’ Rooney’s expression didn’t appear too serious. Depending on how you looked at it, she might even seem slightly pleased.

“What’s going on?” Ermedeline asked, her question causing Felio, who was standing still, to wait for Rooney’s response.

“Well,” Rooney began.

Suddenly lowering her voice, Rooney looked around and then closed the door to the reception room.

“Just now, Margo heard something. Well, it seems Valliere tried to commit suicide!”

“What?!”

Ermedeline’s expectations, thinking it couldn’t be something too serious after seeing Rooney’s expression, were completely off the mark.

“She’s not dead, is she?”

“No, she’s not. A priestess came and treated her immediately.”

Although there was a hint of disappointment in Rooney’s voice, Ermedeline felt genuine relief at the news that Valliere was still alive.

“It’s truly fortunate that her life isn’t in danger. But why did this suddenly happen…?”

“Margo didn’t hear the details. Priestess Louise suddenly ran down the corridor, tripped, and caused a commotion. When she went to check, Valliere was completely covered in blood, it seems.”

“No… Why…”

Ermedeline suddenly remembered herself standing by the Han River a while back, the emotions she had felt at that moment when she thought everything could end without regrets.

Although she had reached her twenties, Valliere was still in her late teens. Ermedeline couldn’t help feeling sorry for having thought of her as somewhat troublesome all this time, given the possibility that a woman of her age might have experienced such a sad emotion.

“Attempting suicide in front of His Majesty… Valliere, I didn’t think she was that tough…”

“Don’t say such things.”

Ermedeline cut off Rooney’s words with a firm tone.

“How difficult must it have been for her to go to such lengths? Once she stabilizes a bit, I should go see her myself.”

“Oh… You’re planning to go there?”

“Yes. If something like this happened, I should go… “

“Your Majesty.”

Rooney opened her mouth with a heavy voice, looking at Ermedeline with a face full of discontent.

“I know you’re genuinely concerned, Your Majesty, but what about Valliere? I’m worried that you might visit with good intentions and end up hearing something unpleasant.”

“Is that so? Would it upset her more to see me?”

Rooney’s words did make sense.

When Ermedeline hesitated, Felio, who had been quietly listening, spoke up.

“I’ll go.”

“Really? Are you sure?”

A bright smile lit up Ermedeline’s face, her concern for Valliere’s condition weighing heavily on her.

“Yes, I’ll go and check her condition briefly.”

Valliere’s condition was not as bad as expected. Her wrists were free of any wounds, and considering the amount of blood she had lost, her complexion was surprisingly good.

“Thank you for stopping by,” Valliere said, struggling to sit up and greeting Felio with a weak voice.

“No need to get up and there’s no need to thank me. I came because Her Majesty was concerned about your condition,” Felio replied.

“Her Majesty?”

Valliere’s face, which had been calm upon hearing Félio’s words, suddenly turned cold.

“That’s right. Her Majesty is genuinely concerned about you,” Félio replied.

“Why? Did she think I’d die?”

Félio briefly questioned his own ears. The previous Valliere, even if she was usually reserved, would genuinely get angry if Ermedeline had attempted to harm her. Valliere had genuinely wanted to bring Ermedeline down, but only by exposing her misdeeds and subjecting her to lawful judgment.

But now, to hear such a sarcastic remark. Valliere had changed somewhat lately, but this was quite a significant departure from her previous self.

“Why would you say such a thing? Her Majesty is sincerely worried about you.”

“Huh? So now you’re running errands for Her Majesty, are you practically her servant? Why, being around her gives you airs, doesn’t it? Well, I guess it makes sense. Her ability to charm men was always top-notch in the empire. Has even the Ice Prince fallen for her at last?”

Félio clenched his fist unconsciously. If Valliere weren’t a woman, he would have challenged her to a duel right then and there.

More than being insulted himself, he was infuriated by the fact that Ermedeline had been disregarded by such a coarse woman.

“You’re despicable.”

“What?”

“The old you used to be a pure and clean person regardless of your status, but it seems the atmosphere of the palace has gotten to you. To have fallen this far.”

“What did you say?”

Unbelievable. Did this person actually know who she was and dare to say such things?

In a moment of rage, Valliere grabbed a nearby water bottle and hurled it toward Félio.

Crash!

Félio calmly dodged the flying bottle, and it shattered into pieces as it hit the opposite wall.

“Ah! Your Grace!”

The maids who were nearby screamed in horror at the sight.

No matter how Valliere was associated with the Emperor’s government, her opponent was a member of the most powerful noble house in the empire. If he were injured, it was evident that not only Valliere but also those around her would face consequences.

After the commotion settled down, the startled maids began to rush around, trying to clean up the broken bottles.

But Valliere, still evidently upset, reached for a flower vase this time, and a maid managed to grab her hand just in time.

“Please, stop! This could lead to serious trouble!”

“Trouble?”

Enraged, Valliere forcefully shoved the maid aside, causing her to tumble to the floor.

“Do you just stand there while your owner is insulted like this? None of you will go unpunished! I’ll have His Majesty know, and you’ll all have your tongues ripped out, just like that soldier from last time!”

With her furious, dagger-like gaze, Valliere looked nothing like herself; it was as if she were channeling the old Ermedeline.

Her terrifying words caused the maids to bow their heads in unison and beg for forgiveness.

“We’re sorry. We’ve committed an unforgivable mistake.”

“Yes, please forgive us just this once!”

As Félio observed this scene, he was truly astounded.

Valliere was someone who had once taken hot water intended for her maids to protect them from injury.

Admittedly, there had always been some distance between them due to her status as a bastard and their roles in the government. However, Félio had never doubted her character.

“She’s become an entirely different person.”

The current Valliere seemed so unstable that anyone watching her would feel uneasy. It was as if he were looking at an old, sinking ship on the verge of disappearing beneath the waves.

Valliere continued to berate Félio, insisting on an apology, but Félio did not apologize for his remarks. He believed there was no need to apologize for such vulgar behavior.

When he returned to the Empress’s palace, he looked drained, his face devoid of all energy as he sat.

“How is her condition? Is Valliere okay?”

Her intense gaze held no trace of falsehood or pretense. If this were an act, then she must have truly been born with the talents of an actress.

“Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be a severe injury. She is currently resting and stable.”

“Oh, then maybe I should…”

“Your Majesty, I suggest you visit later. Valliere is still in a fragile state…”

“I see. Thank you for going in my stead. I apologize for taking so much of your time.”

Félio felt a sudden urge to express that whether they were together or apart, he couldn’t help but think about her all day long. However, he resisted and merely nodded politely in response to Ermedeline’s words.

After leaving Ermedeline, Félio made his way to Louise, the High Priestess of the palace.

Louise greeted Félio warmly as if she were reuniting with a long-lost relative. Their families had been close friends for years, with Louise’s late husband and Félio’s father, Duke Batistian, sharing a deep friendship. This had established a bond between the two families that extended to Félio and Louise.

“Félio! It’s been too long!”

Louise approached Félio without any hesitation and warmly embraced him.

Being held by Louise after such a long time felt like coming home. It was as if he could smell the familiar scent of his dearly missed mother.

Félio’s mother, Duchess Batistian, had often visited their friend, Countess La Vienta, who had lost her son to illness. Louise, who was not yet a priestess at that time, had personally cared for and comforted Félio, feeding him and taking care of him as if he were her own son during these visits.

However, their private interactions ceased abruptly after Countess La Vienta passed away under mysterious circumstances, followed by Duchess Batistian’s death due to a curse a few months later, cutting off all personal contact between their families.

As a result, while they often crossed paths in formal settings, this private meeting was a truly rare occurrence.

“Have you been well all this time?”

Félio, who had come to see her due to a sudden curiosity he couldn’t ignore, felt awkward as he forced a slight smile and nodded his head.

“What else could there be? Life in the palace remains the same.”

“I see.”

He wasn’t sure what to say. He had come with something to inquire about, but his actions felt too hasty, making him feel somewhat foolish.

However, Louise noticed Félio’s intentions and asked about the reason for his visit.

“Well, it’s… “

“Just speak freely. Between us.”

Louise held Félio’s hands and smiled warmly. Though there were some new wrinkles around her eyes, her kindness and warmth remained unchanged from before.

“I came to ask something.”

“What?”

“I heard that you treated Miss Valliere yourself. How was her wound?”

Felio felt so strange.

Even if it was a personality change, her reaction was not that of someone who had been prepared to die just moments ago.

After her mother’s death, his father, Duke Bastian, had attempted suicide twice.

Once by taking poison, and once by slashing his wrists with a knife.

Both times, he was truly at the point of death, but only narrowly escaped with his life due to quick medical attention.

After surviving, his father was a wreck for a while after waking up.

He spent weeks with him, who barely clinging to life, but with a dead look in his eyes.

Felio, still a child, clung to his father in terror that he might lose both parents, but he was unable to respond.

He was essentially dead inside.

Valliere, on the other hand, did not appear like her heart was broken enough to want to die, to want to end her life with her own hands.

That’s not the kind of mood you can create by sounding pitiful.

One might be fooled, but Felio already knew the look of a man whose heart was dead.

“Why do you ask about the wound?”

“I was just curious about how dangerous it was.”

“It seems many people want to know more about Valliere’s injuries today.”

“Besides me, who else?”

“Just a little while ago, His Majesty asked the same question.”

“His Majesty?”

Suddenly, Henry was mentioned, and Félio asked in surprise.

“Yes. Isn’t it also your concern whether Valliere really wanted to die so badly that she cut her wrist?”

“Well… yes.”

Félio replied, somewhat taken aback by the unexpected connection to the Emperor.

“That’s my personal opinion, but you can’t die from a wound like that, especially not in this palace.”

“Then……?”

“A scenario so horrific I hate to think about it, but it could be seen as an act of blackmail against His Majesty.”