I Possessed The Immoral Empress - Chapter 60

It was an ordinary day. 

In the morning, she went up and down the narrow stairs with the water Valliere would use, and in the afternoon, she had a meeting with Felio regarding the sewage construction.

Spring was gradually picking up pace, painting the palace gardens a deep shade of green, and the warmer afternoon sun made people’s hearts even more relaxed.

Was that why? Ermedeline decided to leave the reception room and accompany Felio for a walk in the gardens as he was about to depart.

They walked through the garden together in silence, just enjoying the scenery. Strangely, this quiet time felt all too short.

Ermedeline and Felio’s steps naturally slowed down.

But the sight of the two walking, whether ahead or behind, with a distance large enough for almost anyone to walk in, might have appeared as an ordinary scene to anyone watching.

However, for Duke Batistian, who had come to the palace for business, this sight was as shocking as coming face-to-face with the ghost of his deceased wife.

It was because he happened to witness that fleeting moment of Ermedeline walking ahead of Felio, with her long hair fluttering in the wind, and his son catching a whiff of her scent.

Duke Batistian, doing his best to catch his breath, approached Ermedeline.

“I greet Your Majesty, the Empress.”

Ermedeline replied with a bright smile to the Duke’s formal greeting.

“We were discussing matters related to the sewage construction and bidding farewell to His Grace. Your son, perhaps because he takes after his father, is quite clever and has been of great help.”

Ermedeline had been introduced to Felio through Duke Batistian, so she held no ill feelings towards him.

“Is that so? I am truly fortunate that my son has been of great help.”

Duke Batistian responded to Felio with an almost mocking glance, but Ermedeline simply thought he was proud of his son.

And then, an event that should not have happened occurred by a strange coincidence.

Suddenly, a bird flying over the palace gardens dropped white droppings right onto the shoulder of Duke Batistian.

“Oh my!”

Startled, Ermedeline unconsciously reached inside her robe to retrieve her handkerchief. In the process, Felio’s handkerchief, which she had been preparing to hand back, also fell.

It seemed as though Duke Batistian might misunderstand that she was holding something valuable, so Ermedeline quickly picked up the handkerchief and handed it to the Duke, saying,

“Previously, I had borrowed it from His Grace for a moment…”

However, before Ermedeline could explain properly, Duke Batistian’s hand went up.

Slap!

‘What just happened?’

Suddenly, the sight of the Duke raising his hand to strike his son’s cheek left Ermedeline’s mouth wide open.

“What are you doing!”

Ermedeline screamed in surprise, but the Duke’s hand rose even faster than before and struck Felio’s cheek even harder.

“Aaah!”

Seeing blood spurt from Felio’s mouth, Ermedeline screamed and intervened between the two men.

“What are you doing!”

Even with the Empress intervening, Duke Batistian’s hand rose again.

Felio tried to stop his father in confusion, but Ermedeline’s hand reached out faster. Despite the Duke’s face turning red with anger and his tremendous strength, Ermedeline held onto his wrist, trembling all over.

“Duke, please stop. Are you trying to strike me, the Empress as well?”

As an enraged Ermedeline whispered threateningly in a low voice, a cold, mocking smile appeared on the Duke’s face. He had always disregarded the Empress, who was soon to be dethroned, but he had never acted recklessly in her presence.

However, the moment he saw the belongings of his deceased wife in Ermedeline’s hands, the anger that had been building up inside him erupted.

Ignoring the Empress’s words, the Duke continued to grip her hand tightly, using a tone full of disdain that he would never have used with the Empress under normal circumstances.

“This is none of your concern, Empress. It’s a family matter. You should mind your own business.”

“A family matter? I can’t just let you go.”

“What?”

“Duke, didn’t you say you couldn’t stand by and watch me with an abusive father, and that you would help me? Are you trying to prove your hypocrisy by beating your son here until you calm down?”

Duke Batistian knew that her accusation of hypocrisy was accurate. He was usually an endlessly loving father, but when the reins came off, he would certainly beat his son.

However, he strongly disliked someone pointing out this fact.

Upon hearing Ermedeline’s accusation of hypocrisy, the Duke sighed and loosened his grip.

“This handkerchief was graciously loaned to me by His Grace when I found myself in a difficult situation. I simply seized the opportunity to return it, and I momentarily forgot the truth.”

Ermedeline chose to omit the part about how she had handed over the handkerchief to Duke Batistian to block the sewer smell or suggested that he discard it if he wasn’t going to use it.

“Do you even know how important…”

As Duke Batistian was about to speak, Henry, passing by, witnessed the scene.

“What are you doing right now?”

As soon as the Duke heard Henry’s voice, he immediately lowered his hand and bowed his head toward him.

“Just having a conversation with Her Majesty the Empress for a moment…”

“Why did your hand rise while having a conversation?”

Duke Batistian, upon seeing Henry’s flushed face that seemed ready to explode at any moment, tightly closed his eyes.

He knew well the character of Henry, who would never tolerate anything that insulted the authority of the royal family.

“I didn’t raise my hand towards Her Majesty the Empress. I was disciplining my son…”

“Whether you discipline your son or not is of little concern, but why resist when the Empress intervened?”

Henry intervened between Ermedeline and Duke Batistian, clenching his fist.

It seemed like he was ready to raise his hand against the Duke at any moment.

‘Even someone like him can be a husband who stands up for me.’

Watching Henry, who was on her side, Ermedeline couldn’t help but feel a sense of reassurance, no matter how little affection she had for him.

“I was rash. I never intended to harm Her Majesty the Empress in any way.”

Duke Batistian once again deeply bowed to offer his apology. He was well aware that he had to appease Henry’s anger in order to leave the palace in one piece.

“Please withdraw for now. We must discuss the matter in detail later.”

Upon Henry’s gesture, the Duke stepped back, and Henry turned around to carefully assess Ermedeline’s condition.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Yes. The Duke didn’t intend to attack me.”

Henry subtly shifted his gaze and glanced at Felio, who still had blood trickling from his lips.

“Why did you get involved in the matters of Duke Batistian and Sir Felio?”

“That’s… It happened because of a misunderstanding related to me…”

“What kind of misunderstanding?”

“Some time ago, I borrowed a handkerchief from His Grace and accidentally forgot to return it. It seems that the handkerchief was quite valuable to the Duke.”

“A handkerchief?”

How serious could it be that she witnessed a father raising his hand against his son in front of the Empress, all over a mere handkerchief?

Henry let out a bitter laugh in disbelief.

“What’s the big deal about a handkerchief…”

Henry looked at the white handkerchief in Ermedeline’s hand and clicked his tongue.

“From now on, don’t get involved in the Duke’s affairs. It could lead to serious trouble if the Empress gets hurt.”

“It’s not about Duke Batistian’s affairs. It’s about His Grace being abused by his father for the sin of lending me a handkerchief. I know what it feels like to be subjected to abuse, so I couldn’t just stand by.”

While Ermedeline continued to stand in front of Felio, supporting him, Henry couldn’t help but feel uneasy. When had they become so close? But he couldn’t fault Ermedeline for feeling uncomfortable.

She had rescued another victim of domestic violence, being a victim herself. What right did he have to question her actions?

Without saying anything further to Ermedeline, Henry turned and walked toward his own office. He had a pile of work to attend to, but the scene he had just witnessed wouldn’t leave his mind.

Ermedeline had unhesitatingly blocked the Duke, and Felio watched her back as if he were watching a savior.

‘What’s going on? How did things turn out this way? Can they really be in some sort of relationship? No, it can’t be. The history between Francoise Duchy and Batistian Duchy is too fraught with animosity. If Felio is in his right mind, it’s impossible.’

‘Why did the Empress block their way? Is she trying to completely win Felio over to her side? Did she change her goal because I didn’t comply?’

‘She’s been making friends, but she has never really been in a serious relationship. She just took money from them and dumped them. She never seemed to give a shit about who or what happened to them.’

An unexplainable sense of discomfort began to creep up from somewhere deep within. Henry, filled with negativity to the core, made intentionally loud footsteps as he returned to his office. However, he was in for unexpected news.

“Your Grace, are you okay?”

As soon as Henry left, Ermedeline turned her head to check on Felio’s condition. One side of his face had already swollen so much that it was hardly recognizable.

“Oh, my. There’s no way you are okay. Look at your swollen face. Bring Priestess Louise right away!”

At Ermedeline’s command, Margo began to run towards the quarters of the priestess.

“Ah, it’s really upsetting. How can a father beat his son like this… Oh, my father used to hit me a lot too.”

Ermedeline looked at Felio’s bruised face, and her eyes welled up with tears.

Seeing his once neat face so disfigured, Ermedeline regretted not standing up more firmly to Duke Batistian. She couldn’t bring herself to touch Felio.

While Ermedeline was carefully checking on Felio, she noticed that he was chuckling. His laughter was strange, alternating between a chuckle and a grimace of pain.

“Your Grace, are you laughing right now?”

“Yes.”

“Are you really laughing in this situation?”

“Yes. I am.”

Felio responded firmly, despite his swollen cheeks and slightly slurred speech due to the muscles not moving properly.

“Could it be you’ve gotten a concussion from the slap? Your Grace, how many fingers am I holding up? Hmm?”

Ermedeline held up her index and middle fingers in front of Felio, assessing his condition.

“I’m not crazy.”

“How many do you see?”

“Two.”

“Huh? You seem fine. Why are you still smiling?”

Ermedeline couldn’t help but start worrying about Felio’s condition. Unconsciously, she leaned forward and blew gently on his swollen cheek while looking at him with a concerned expression.

‘Cute.’

A moment ago, she seemed like such a dependable savior, but in the next moment, she displayed such a cute side. Felio burst into laughter, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Hehehe, ah, hehehe, oops, oh, it hu— hehehe.”

However, to Ermedeline, who didn’t understand his language, Felio’s alternating laughter and expressions of pain seemed utterly bizarre.

‘What on earth is so funny? Did I miss something?’

Ermedeline, who couldn’t understand the reason for the laughter, had an even more serious expression, but Felio continued to laugh heartily, the strange cycle of laughter and slight pain repeating for a few minutes.

Soon, Louise arrived in the garden.

“Ah! Felio! What’s going on here?”