‘What’s this?’

As she unfolded the bundle of papers, she found the names of the curse reagent and a list of people who had ordered the reagent written beside it.

“Ugh! What is this? This woman, she certainly kept meticulous records!”

From commoners to nobles, from barons to dukes – a list of customers, regardless of their social status.

There was no end to these records.

If this list were to be exposed, not only would the one who had crafted the reagent be in danger, but the customers as well.

‘Is this what they mean by ‘accepted as evidence’? I won’t use it immediately, but if I hold onto it, there may come a time when I need it.’

Reading the text in the unfamiliar darkness required intense concentration, and it was no small feat. Nevertheless, Ermedeline immediately picked up the next book.

‘Isn’t there any useful magic at all?’

As she continued reading, she discovered that every curse magic reagent required, as a basic ingredient, a single drop of the creator’s blood.

Since in the novel, House de Françoise was referred to as a clan of dark magicians, it seemed that the lineage of the creator was quite important in the completion of the magic.

‘Oh, I should have read the setting more thoroughly instead of passing it off as uninteresting.’

Regretting it now wouldn’t change anything.

For now, she had no choice but to carefully read the clues before her.

‘The more I read, the more bizarre it gets, really.’

As the book grew thicker, the content about the curses written inside also became increasingly serious.

Exhausted by the horrifying content, Ermedeline decided to give up on reading thoroughly and opted to check only the last two spells from the thickest and most ominous-looking book.

‘The Lion’s Curse? Summons the soul of the deceased and calls it into the body of a living person who holds deep grudges. Ew, there really is everything here.’

It was a curse that involved the possession of a deceased soul into the body of someone with profound grievances.

The contents of the note, which appeared to be written by Ermedeline below, were striking.

‘I offer my soul to complete this curse. I will definitely possess ###’s body!!’

‘Ugh. Fortunately, it seems like this one hasn’t been executed yet. What kind of magic is this anyway?’

The name of the final curse was ‘Disturbance of Rest.’

As Ermedeline, who had been carefully reading, wondered if there might be something useful in the final chapter, her pupils began to shake violently.

‘This… Isn’t this essentially a zombie? What is this… What is this woman really thinking?’

In the unexpectedly startling book, it contained the methodology for a magic spell that resurrected only the physical form of a lion, making it act according to the caster’s will.

‘There’s absolutely nothing helpful here!! What is this, seriously? I have no desire to use this weird curse magic to make money. I don’t even know how to do it. I’ll have to repay the borrowed money one way or another.’

Even after thoroughly searching the basement, there was no information that would immediately help her finances.

With no other choice, Ermedeline returned to her bedroom and discovered something she hadn’t noticed before on the bed.

“What is this?”

She picked up the paper that shimmered in the faint moonlight, and there was a simple sentence written on it.

– Do you really intend to proceed with the lawsuit? Does it seem like it doesn’t matter if Ferdant dies?

‘Could it be that Duke de Françoise has been in the basement?’

Once again, the name Ferdant appeared.

‘It’s an important name, isn’t it? I really can’t figure out who it is. Maybe…’

With a sense of doubt, she opened the locket she had seen during the day and took out a picture of a child who looked exactly like herself. To her surprise, the name “Ferdant” was written on it.

‘Is this little one named Ferdant? Judging by the resemblance, they must be a relative. Oh, what should I do? Just ignore it?’

It felt uncomfortable to just let it go.

‘How did he find out?’

Thinking about the name Ferdant, Ermedeline, who was about to lie down on the bed, suddenly felt a chill run through her entire body.

‘The only people who know that I intend to proceed with the lawsuit are the maids, the clergy, and Duke Batistian. How could he already know and leave a threatening letter in my bedroom?’

This place, known as the Empress’s Palace, is mostly avoided by people due to its ominous reputation. Even the palace guards are operated minimally, making the palace an isolated place.

Therefore, there is only one possible scenario to consider: the existence of a spy.

From what she could see, it didn’t seem like the clergy, who offered to testify, was the spy. Among the three maids, one of them was likely the spy, given the behavior of Duke de Françoise. The probability of them being threatened was high.

‘In this situation, I have no choice but to be cautious on my own.’

Therefore, the next day, Ermedeline dismissed all the maids and left the palace alone in the carriage provided by Duke Batistian.

Rooney had wanted to accompany her until the end, citing the danger, but the palace guards seemed to consider it fortunate that they were not implicated. They didn’t try to stop the Empress from going out on her own.

‘Yeah. How much would they all love it if this dreadful Empress went out alone and something went wrong?’

While harboring bitter thoughts, the carriage left the city and entered a quiet alley.

And so, they arrived at a shabby little building.

Inside, Félïo, the son of Duke Batistian, was waiting for Ermedeline.

Duke Batistian’s son, who bore a sharp resemblance to the austere-looking duke, had a stern appearance with his deep navy hair and silver eyes.

His expression, devoid of any emotion, perfectly matched the nickname “Ice Prince” that Ermedeline had failed to persuade until the end of the novel.

“Please, have a seat.”

Without offering any formal greetings, Félïo gestured to a chair that had already been prepared.

‘He doesn’t seem to want to get involved much.’

Receiving a straightforward “I don’t like you” vibe from someone you’re meeting for the first time is not a particularly pleasant experience.

However, since she had found herself embodying the worst villain, she knew she had to get used to it somehow.

‘First of all, since he is my defense attorney, I should try to make a good impression.’

Knowing that it was all in vain, Ermedeline calmly took her seat and offered a kind smile.

“I’m grateful that you’re taking on my defense.”

She used the most polite language she could muster, but the response that came back was an icy silver gaze filled with what seemed like contempt as if looking at something utterly repulsive.

“There’s no need for that. I only wish to bring about the downfall of Duke de Françoise, who is Your Majesty’s father.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. After dealing with the Duke, it should be easier to bring down the Empress, who will have lost her support.”

Félïo’s blunt statement, not even attempting to hide his inner thoughts, made Ermedeline swallow hard with tension.

The situation of working hand in hand with someone who ultimately detested her and would even go so far as to secure a death sentence for her was, in fact, quite uncomfortable for Ermedeline as well.

During her time as Hyeyoung, she had been accustomed to indifference and neglect in her daily life, but she had never lived in a way that would justify such intense resentment.

On the other hand, she had certainly held grudges against others.

‘Sigh… How did I end up in this situation… No matter how difficult it gets, I’ve always lived by my motto of not causing trouble for others. What can I do? I just had to be reborn into this role. But since he’s my defense attorney, let’s try to have a civil conversation.’

“I’m aware that you don’t have particularly favorable feelings towards me. In fact, it’s not just you; it’s everyone in the empire. In your eyes, I may appear as an immoral witch, but in reality, it’s quite difficult to endure such treatment, even for someone like me, in a family.”

“…”

“Even if someday you bring about my downfall, for now, I need to escape from my father’s abuse.”

She had tried to speak with detachment, but whether it was due to an unintended emotional connection or not, Ermedeline’s voice trembled slightly in the last sentence.

‘Why not send me to a harmonious family if I’m going to be reborn? I’ve lived a lonely life as an orphan. Can’t I at least be happy in the novel?’

Feeling frustrated, tears were about to flow.

‘What’s wrong? Why are tears coming out? Don’t cry in front of someone you just met!’

Ermedeline tried to hide her tears by turning her head, but for a moment, Félïo’s gaze softened.

‘Is it possible someone with exceptional chivalry like him feels empathy for Ermedeline, who has suffered abuse from her father?’

“Taking servants away at will, even resorting to murder for an enormous debt. So far, there isn’t anything particularly unusual, but assault. And that too, assaulting nobles. Is this true?”

Félïo’s questioning tone was as sharp as a honed blade.

“Yes, it is. Sister Louise will testify to it.”

With an emotionless face, Félïo reviewed the record of the misdeeds committed by Duke de Françoise, as written by Ermedeline.

It was said that memories etched into one’s body would resurface upon rebirth, but so far, she hadn’t remembered anything at all.

Even as he read through it, there was so much severe abuse described that it made one nauseous. Felio wondered why someone had documented all of this. But seeing the dates and the names of people who had witnessed the scenes, it became clear that the original owner of this body had also intended to eventually bring down her father.

Of course, in the original novel, she hadn’t succeeded and had instead managed to overturn all the blame, disappearing alone in the flames of the stake.

Félïo expression as he casually read the lawsuit was icy, but his hands trembled slightly. The contents that were clearly written were quite serious, not something one could read with a clear mind.

Being wounded by a knife in the neck was considered one of the milder instances.

There were times when she was slammed against the wall until she fainted, or her legs were broken by a sword’s hilt.

Once, scalding hot tea had been poured directly onto her face.

‘Well, I guess my hands trembled as I wrote it, so it’s not surprising that the reader would react differently.’

The orphanage where Hyeyoung had lived wasn’t a place overflowing with love, but at least it was a place where one could receive lawful protection within the boundaries of the law.

Violence was limited to the occasional fights among the same-age orphans.

Yet, whenever there were sports events or field trips, she had always envied her classmates who had their parents accompanying them.

She had wondered how it would feel to have a mother and father of her own.

So, while transferring the facts of her father’s abuse, which were densely written in her diary, to the lawsuit, she felt both immense anger as Ermedeline and profound sadness as Hyeyoung simultaneously.

To anyone who looked, it was clear they were family. Their jet-black hair, purple eyes, and even their facial features were strikingly similar. This was what a family was supposed to be like. It felt like the dream she had longed for had come crumbling down.

After Félïo had carefully placed the paper he had been holding down on the table to prevent it from getting wrinkled, having finished reading all the statements.

“If all the contents written here are true, this is a serious matter. Nevertheless, aren’t you still the Empress, Ermedeline? It’s audacious for someone to do such a heinous thing to the royal body. Moreover, for a trained knight to assault a lady, it’s even more disgraceful. His Majesty the Emperor must be deeply concerned.”

‘It seems that Félïo and Duke Batistian have somewhat different points of view, probably because he is not yet married.’

Both wealthy men, in common, considered the abuse of nobility as a grave crime. However, the Duke felt a personal sense of shame regarding the abuse of his own child, while Félïo felt it more acutely regarding the assault on a lady.

‘Moreover, for now…’

As Félïo said this, he stared intently at Ermedeline.

This statement could be seen as a kind of warning: “Once this matter is resolved, you may also cease to be the Empress soon.”

‘Right. I don’t want to be the Empress either. I just need to stay alive! Find my money, abdicate the throne, and leave this palace!’

Until then, she was willing to endure any humiliation.

Even though she had been reincarnated, she couldn’t die without doing something worthwhile, and becoming the worst villain was not an option.

“Will you take my case as my attorney?”

“Of course. It’s a sure win, and if I were to miss this, I’d be an incompetent lawyer.”

“Can you recover the borrowed money?”

In truth, more urgent than seeking justice against her father for assaulting her, Ermedeline needed the money. If she were to be driven out of the palace as a beggar, what would become of her?

Even as the already disliked Empress, if rumors spread that she had been rejected by her own family and chased away like a beggar, it would be the end for her.

However, Félïo, who seemed unaware of this situation, had his silver eyes turn chillingly cold as if he could freeze everything around him.

With a blink of an eye, it felt like a breath could freeze in the air.

“Money… That’s right. Her Majesty the Empress… do you really like money?”