I Possessed The Immoral Empress - Chapter 58

The maids of Valliere were naturally quarantined.

No matter how much she was isolated, Henry couldn’t leave her alone without maids. So he decided to recruit Valliere’s maids as a last resort.

He welcomed anyone who wanted to live in the palace, regardless of their rank, but no one offered to help.

The maids were no different.

Naturally, there was no one who wanted to take care of Valliere, who might have been infected with a contagious disease.

Inevitably, Henry selected a few maids working in the palace and dispatched them to Valliere’s residence, but they all resigned.

Valliere was left alone like that for two days, and in front of her door, guards who were reluctant to approach her would leave food and water.

In the meantime, Bellest, along with her younger sister Viella, visited Ermedeline.

“Her Majesty the Empress is not currently in her residence,” said the guard, making Bellest furrow her brow and ask inquisitively.

“I have something to discuss, so may I see her…?”

“She really isn’t here.”

“Then where is she? Is she inside the palace?”

In response to Bellest’s question, the guard contorted his face, clearly feeling awkward.

“Why? Are you in a difficult place to answer?”

“She went to Marchioness Belian’s residence.”

“Really? Why?”

“I don’t even know the purpose of the visit.”

Upon hearing the guard’s response, Bellest hesitated for a moment and decided to visit Valliere’s residence with Viella.

“I’m not going. Why are you going there? I never wanted to come here in the first place.”

Bellest was exhausted from dragging her sulking younger sister along from the beginning.

As they ascended and turned several corners, by the time the two sisters reached Valliere’s current residence, they spotted the back of a very peculiar woman.

The woman’s dress was not particularly ornate, but it exuded an air of luxury. However, she was wearing the dress in a bizarre fashion, tied near her knees and with the sleeves rolled up, her hair pulled tightly back, and she was carrying a heavy bucket of water as she climbed the stairs.

Carrying a bucket would normally indicate that she was a maid, but her attire did not look anything like that of a maid.

Bellest, momentarily puzzled, stared at the woman’s back and then recognized that the woman was Ermedeline. She immediately rushed towards her.

“Your Majesty! What are you doing right now?”

“Oh? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Ermedeline, with her disheveled hair, looked at Bellest and offered a bright smile.

“What is this… What’s going on?”

“I’m on my way to Marchioness Belian’s. I think I’ll need water for washing.”

“What? Isn’t there a maid in the palace? Why, Your Majesty, are you doing… this?”

In response to Bellest’s shocked expression at the absurd situation, Rooney, who was carrying the bucket with Ermedeline, scolded her with a gruff expression.

“She’s been doing this for three days already.”

“Three days? What if you get infected… No, why is Your Majesty doing such a difficult task yourself…?”

Ermedeline, in response to Bellest’s question, merely smiled and continued to walk without saying a word.

“But even if all the maids ran away, isn’t it still… Well, even so, isn’t it strange that no one is helping Your Majesty when you’re doing such a task yourself?”

Bellest glanced at Viella and conveyed her question with her eyes.

“Your Majesty probably doesn’t have many supporters in the palace. It seems that you’ve become somewhat close to your dedicated maids recently, but before that, the maids tried to avoid even making eye contact with you.”

“Well, I mean, it’s because they’re afraid. But still, how can the Emperor just let this absurd scene happen?”

To Bellest, who had grown up in a strictly hierarchical society, the idea of the Empress doing labor with her own hands was not just surprising but felt like an event that had turned the world upside down.

“Of course, because the Emperor must have given some orders, so no one would help.”

But Viella, still harboring a lot of resentment, only watched Ermedeline’s nonchalant back as she limped along.

Ermedeline, now almost at Valliere’s residence, adjusted her veil, put on her gloves, and knocked on Valliere’s bedroom door.

Then, before the door was opened, she quickly moved away from it.

As the door opened slowly, Valliere, adorned with an ornate mask, extended her hands and carefully brought the bucket inside.

Bellest, thinking that it was finally over, waited at a distant spot for Ermedeline to leave Valliere’s residence. But Ermedeline stood in front of the door, seemingly waiting for something.

As she watched in silence, the door opened again after a while, and the bucket came out from inside.

It seemed like she was returning the used water.

“No way… Is that…?”

Despite Bellest’s nauseated feelings, Ermedeline adjusted her mask, raised her gloves, and carefully held the bucket with both hands.

“Your Majesty, please, let me carry it! I can do it!”

Rooney, anxiously trying to take the bucket, was threatened by Ermedeline, who warned that she would spill the water.

“I said I’ll do it. It’s dangerous to handle used water! The one who offered to do it should be the one to dispose of it!”

Since the disease was transmitted through bodily fluids, even if no symptoms were showing yet, the water used by Valliere was a risk.

Ermedeline didn’t want to involve Rooney or Margo in her self-appointed task. While, on the surface, she held the position of Emperor’s mistress, Ermedeline was the only one who knew that inside her was an inexperienced child who had just graduated from high school. She had clearly offered to give up the throne, but she couldn’t understand why Valliere was being so stubborn.

If she really thought about it, she was quite displeased with the response. But upon closer consideration, it didn’t seem like such an incomprehensible reaction.

Ermedeline had no memory of her parents, but all the children who had some memory of their parents and were admitted to the orphanage carried their own shadows. Whether they had received love from their parents or suffered abuse, they all had deep wounds in their souls.

Children like that tended to be prickly. Defensive and distrusting of people.

It took much longer for them to build trust and open the doors of their hearts compared to children who had nothing to begin with.

Ermedeline wasn’t particularly fond of Valliere’s recent attitude, but she didn’t want to give up on their relationship. She, too, felt anxious and overwhelmed, just like Valliere. So, she wanted to tell her to stick together and overcome it.

When had a child who had grown up in a chaebol family, surrounded by their family’s love, ever experienced the anxiety of being left completely alone where no one was on their side? How terrified must they have been to attempt suicide?

Ermedeline didn’t want to leave Valliere alone, who might attempt suicide again. She wanted to save her, somehow, and teach her how to take responsibility for her mistakes.

To do that, she had to keep her alive.

Ermedeline was doing more than just fetching some water to wash with. To Valliere, who had been forsaken by everyone in the palace, and to Lee Yerim, who was enduring this strange world all alone, she was conveying the message that they weren’t alone and shouldn’t give up yet.

Bellest, who can’t bear to see Ermedeline’s suffering, asked, “Why are you going to such lengths?”

In response to her question, Ermedeline paused her steps for a moment. Then, after a brief moment of contemplation, she replied in a quiet voice.

“I know exactly how it feels to be left all alone.”

Of course, Bellest, who had no idea that Hyeyoung’s soul was inside Ermedeline’s body, and everyone around, thought of the position Ermedeline had been in when she was completely isolated within the palace.

Ermedeline’s situation was so dire that she was left alone even when the Empress was carrying a bucket, and no one offered to help.

“Why is the Empress all alone?”

Upon hearing the response, a tearful Rooney, with determination, raised her gloves and stepped forward to take one of the buckets.

“If you’re going to spill it, go ahead and spill it!”

“What?”

“I don’t care about Marchioness Belian. Whether she’s alone or not, it doesn’t matter. But the Empress is definitely not alone! I’m here!”

Rooney’s heartwarming words brought a smile to Ermedeline’s face. However, she really didn’t want to burden anyone else.

As she tried to avoid Rooney’s swift hands and move the bucket around, she soon felt her body’s balance faltering.

‘Ugh! Why is my body so frail? Give me back my strong body!’

As Ermedeline struggled not to fall, she felt the touch of someone else’s hand besides Rooney’s, holding her arm.

The hand from behind grabbed Ermedeline’s waist and quickly helped her regain her balance. When she turned around, she saw the expressionless face of Viella.

Valliere was pressed close to the door, straining to hear the sounds from outside. She caught a glimpse of Bellest and Viella’s figures.

Despite the fact that she was actually washing with the water Ermedeline was providing, Valliere felt quite uneasy about the situation.

She believed that Ermedeline was taking advantage of this unfair situation to her own benefit.

‘How much of a spectacle is she going to make out of something as simple as fetching water?’

‘How could I let myself become such a pitiful sight? So, she’s not coming to check my condition under the pretense of fetching water. She’s just here to kick me out of the palace as soon as I get sick!’

Valliere, plagued by all sorts of paranoid thoughts, couldn’t help but feel embarrassed about the presence of Bellest and Viella outside the door. She was genuinely misunderstanding Ermedeline, thinking she was pretending to be good and that this could lead to rumors spreading everywhere.

But the palace’s doors were certainly not so flimsy. No matter how hard she strained to listen, she couldn’t hear any sounds from outside the firmly closed door.

“Thank you.”

Viella’s flushed face was rather lovely, but Ermedeline’s voice remained chilly.

It would be quite strange if someone who had tried to kill her suddenly spoke politely. Viella simply gave a wry smile and nodded slightly.

Bellest waited until Ermedeline and Rooney had emptied the buckets and thoroughly cleaned the masks and gloves before revealing the purpose of her visit.

“You’ve appointed me as a lady-in-waiting, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“And you’ve refused to approve Viella’s marriage as well?”

“That’s correct.”

Ermedeline nonchalantly sipped her tea and nodded in agreement.

“I’m curious about the reason. Are you appointing me as a lady-in-waiting and blocking Viella and Liena’s marriages because of our interactions with Marchioness Belian?”

Bellest didn’t hesitate at all and asked directly.

“Do you think I need your help when dealing with Valliere?”

Ermedeline couldn’t understand Bellest’s thoughts and snorted in response. When she inquired further, Bellest became annoyed.

“So, why did you suddenly issue such an order?”

“Why? Are you unhappy with it? Does it bother you that I appointed you as a lady-in-waiting and prevented your marriage?”

Ermedeline cast a chilling gaze at Viella, who was sitting beside Bellest, and asked, “Since you’re not answering, I’ll be straightforward as well.”

With a sense of guilt, Viella, who had a past misdeed, remained silent and averted her gaze.

“Since you won’t beat around the bush, I won’t either.”

Ermedeline fixed Bellest with a slightly softened gaze.

“Regardless, the presence of ladies-in-waiting hasn’t been of any help so far. In fact, it’s been difficult even to look at your faces. You’ve never proven any value to me. Isn’t that true?”

While Ermedeline addressed Bellest, the hidden blade in her words was clearly aimed at Viella.

“Why would I expect anything from someone who used others, even a young boy’s hands, to settle a personal vendetta?” 

Viella lowered her head, biting her lip in silence.

“I’m handling Valliere well. Or rather, there’s no need for me to handle her at all. To be honest, as long as the Marchioness doesn’t engage in harmful actions towards the common people, I have no interest in whatever she does. My decision to appoint you as a lady-in-waiting and refuse the marriage approval wasn’t based on that.”

Ermedeline paused briefly to catch her breath before explaining her reasons with a bittersweet smile and a subdued voice.

“I simply wanted to give you some time to grieve. That’s all. Whenever you feel ready, feel free to request marriage approval again. I will gladly grant it at that time. Now, I have to look into the records of the teachers who applied for the orphanage.”

Ermedeline gestured for the two ladies to leave and turned her attention to the applications.