Ermedeline was surprised to realize that she had unconsciously reached out her hand.

Her throbbing hand did hurt a bit, but she decided it was her own carelessness that was to blame.

‘Yeah, even if it hurts, it’s my fault. I suddenly tried to touch the face of a foreign man. I should be more careful.’

Ermedeline thought she should apologize for her actions.

“Your Excellency, I behaved carelessly. It seemed like I had a fever, and I… I didn’t even realize…”

“I, I apologize first!!”

Ermedeline’s apology went unheard as Felio bowed his head and offered his own apology in a loud voice.

“I didn’t intend to push away Empress’s hand, but I did it unconsciously without realizing. And I’m not hurt, so please don’t worry. But there’s something I need to check, so I’ll go and come back soon!”

Felio spoke rapidly without a pause, and as soon as he finished speaking, he disappeared into the carriage he had arrived on.

Ermedeline, Rooney, and Margo, who had come along to assist her, were once again left speechless by Felio’s actions.

After a while, Ermedeline finally spoke up.

“Is it weird that I find the Duke strange?”

“No, not at all. He doesn’t seem normal to me either. I wonder if he drank somewhere before coming here?”

Margo, who usually didn’t express much, nodded vigorously in agreement with Rooney’s words.

Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Felio, just like the day before, was tormenting his innocent hair.

‘Hi-i-i-ik? Am I crazy? Are you insane? Why on earth are you doing this?’

The sound of hair being pulled and the sound of Ermedeline’s hand being pushed away echoed in his ears, even when he closed his eyes.

‘Am I really losing it? Hitting a woman? Are you out of your mind?!’

No matter how much he tried to pull and tear at his hair, the deed was already done.

Time couldn’t be turned back.

At times like this, he wished he were an ice-element mage.

If he were an ice-element mage, he could have created a cooling spell to calm this fiery face down, he thought.

He struggled to regain his composure and, when he finally emerged from the carriage, he saw familiar faces gathered outside.

“What’s going on?”

Approaching them, he noticed several noblewomen, whom he had primarily seen at social events, surrounding Ermedeline.

“They insisted on taking her away with them and, unfortunately, I had to accompany her.”

It seemed that Countess Elion was introducing the noblewomen who had come with her in her distinctively irritating voice.

There were four of them in total, faces he had seen at a garden party before.

They were probably here to make amends for the donation incident.

“We were terribly lacking in our contributions despite your outstanding work.”

“We, the Harington Marquessate, will permanently donate rice for the orphanage.”

The Harington Marquessate was known as one of the Empire’s leading rice-producing regions, known for its high-quality rice.

Following Countess Harington’s lead, the other ladies pledged to provide specialty products from their own territories as well.

It seemed that Henry had separately summoned the nobles on the donation list to issue this decree.

‘Seems like only those connected to the Imperial family came here. Are the others not even bothering with the Emperor’s words?’

Felio, who was well-informed about the Empire’s affairs, found the scene before him somewhat unsettling, but Ermedeline was enthusiastically expressing her gratitude to each of the noblewomen, oblivious to any tension.

‘Why is she being so polite? Those people came reluctantly. Where did her pride go?’

After a forced storm of donations and expressions of gratitude had passed, Ermedeline finally spotted Felio standing at a distance.

“Oh my, Your Excellency! I’ve heard the stories about you assisting the Empress. You’re here at the scene?”

“Nice to meet you. I’m in charge of finances, so I couldn’t help it…”

“Indeed, Duke Batistian. Both in terms of the donation amount… and your proactive involvement in imperial affairs, you truly live up to your reputation.”

“Yes. We’ve also decided to follow Duke Batistian’s example. We’ll provide rice, and as for the donation, we intend to match your generosity.”

“Oh… Is that so? That’s great news, especially since orphanages across the region are in dire straits. Well done.”

For a while after that, the noblewomen redirected their attention and began showering Felio with praises and suggestions.

“Your Highness! Look at this! The donations have increased by this much. With this, can’t we expand the scope even more? Furthermore, now that we have access to the rituals, we can save a lot on maintenance costs…”

“Empress.”

Ermedeline, who was elated by the news, was called out by Felio’s displeased voice.

“Why are you like this?”

“Is receiving forced donations really that pleasant for you?”

‘Oh, this guy, flaunting his wealth again.’

During holidays like New Year’s, Children’s Day, and Christmas, the orphanage would overflow with donated gifts and treats, whether they came from politicians, celebrities, or corporate show-offs. From the receiving end, it was always a joyous and thankful occasion. Despite the hustle and bustle, the loneliness that usually enveloped the orphanage was momentarily pushed aside by the children’s excitement.

“Whether it’s forced donations or voluntary ones, what does it matter to the orphans? With more money, we can provide better food, clothing, and shelter, and offer better educational opportunities. It doesn’t matter where the money comes from. I’ll handle the false pretenses; you just focus on using the funds effectively.”

“Of course! I believe the more money, the better! I was actually about to discuss education, but the budget was tight, so I was hesitating. It’s just that I don’t like it when the Empress lowers her head to such transparent acts of generosity…”

As she spoke, Ermedeline realized something was off. Why did it matter whether the iron-willed Ermedeline bowed her head or not? She was the woman who had tried to burn her alive, after all.

However, Ermedeline, whose true feelings were inscrutable, felt incredibly grateful to Felio, for getting angry on her behalf. He might not become a perfect ally, but it felt like she had gained another comrade, following Rooney.

“Thank you so much for saying that. Honestly, I wasn’t entirely comfortable with it either, but thanks to you, I’ve forgotten all about it.”

Ermedeline smiled brightly, hoping her sincerity would reach him.

“Ah… No, it’s nothing. Just… carry on with your work!”

Despite her best efforts to maintain her smile of reconciliation, Felio averted his gaze awkwardly.

Ermedeline wanted to say more, but his resolute back made her close her lips.

‘Well, it can’t be helped. Considering the original work, becoming friends all of a sudden would be difficult.’

However, on the opposite side of that resolute back, the situation was far from resolute. His face displayed a mix of contrasting emotions, appearing quite comical as they appeared and disappeared.

Setting aside her regrets, Ermedeline began her formal meeting with Felio.

“Has the discussion about the architecture reached a conclusion? However, with the increase in donations today, I think it might be a good idea to make some changes to the plans. We want to expand the facilities for education. What are your thoughts, Your Highness?”

“I wholeheartedly agree with that suggestion as well. Just providing food and clothing isn’t enough. For those who have no social connections, in order to successfully settle in society, we should also provide opportunities that link education directly with employment.”

Although he had flaunted his wealth earlier, when he spoke like this, she was reminded once again of how intelligent Felio was. He had pinpointed her concerns accurately, and she couldn’t help but clench her fists in appreciation.

“Your Excellency, how can you align so perfectly with my thoughts…”

Ermedeline’s gesture was merely a habit she often indulged in when she was in a good mood, but it made Felio take a step back suddenly.

“It was a mistake earlier! I promise I won’t touch Your Excellency again, so don’t worry.”

Ermedeline began to feel a bit sulky, showing an overreaction to what had been a simple mistake.

“Th-that’s not… I mean…”

Before Felio could respond, Ermedeline had already vanished into the distance with quick strides.

Rooney, who chased after her, gave Felio a disapproving look.

Feeling the coldness even from her retreating figure, Felio’s energy drained away. He might have disliked her, but he had no intention of being impolite.

Strangely, these days, whenever he stood in front of Ermedeline, his actions seemed uncontrollable.

‘Yeah, it’s because she’s doing things she never used to do. That’s why.’

Just as he was about to catch up and pour out his grand plans for the educational facility he had established, someone suddenly jumped into Ermedeline’s arms.

“Ugh! Empress!!”

Memories of the funeral home came flooding back, and Felio, along with Rooney and Margo, rushed over. Fortunately, Ermedeline was not injured in any way.

Ironically, the one who had suffered severe injuries was Helen, who had impulsively jumped into Ermedeline’s arms and then bounced off. Helen’s body lay on the ground, decaying rapidly as if cursed with the Curse of Decay.

“Don’t come any closer!!”

Felio blocked the path between Ermedeline and Helen.

“Empress, you might be the most knowledgeable about this, but it seems like the Curse of Decay is triggered by physical contact.”

“Ah…”

Felio’s explanation reminded Ermedeline of the fact that her special ability in the original work was the Curse of Decay.

‘But I don’t know how to use curse magic…’

“If Empress hadn’t just repelled the curse, the one decaying over there wouldn’t have been this servant.”

“Repelled the curse…?”

Come to think of it, when someone had jumped at her a while ago, she had instinctively screamed, recalling her memories from the funeral home. At that moment, she felt something leaving her body as if it were a powerful curse.

The curse had been so potent that there was almost no flesh left on Helen’s body, and her skin had turned a pale color.

“Wh-where is the priest? Where is the priest?”

Ermedeline looked at Felio with desperate eyes, but he only shook his head with a cold expression.

“There is a temple nearby, but they won’t arrive in time. Besides, finding a priest capable of lifting the curse of House de Françoise is not common.”

“House de Françoise? Could it be… sent by my father?”

Faced with the fear of her body decaying in real-time, Helen seemed as though she couldn’t hear a thing.

“Did Duke de Françoise send you?”

In a fit of desperation, Felio shouted loudly, and only then did Helen’s head start to move slightly up and down.

“P-please… help… My… my sister and mother… to the Duke… Please… help…”

Struggling to speak, Helen revealed that her family had been taken hostage. She had come here with the dangerous curse to save her family.

Helen’s curse had now spread throughout her body to the point where her vocal cords no longer obeyed her.

“Duke using your family as hostages? I thought you were living a good life on the run…”

In sympathy, Ermedeline reached out her hand, but Rooney quickly approached and stopped her.

“No, you mustn’t touch her.”

“Where is your family? Is the Duke… is Father still at the mansion?”

Ermedeline bombarded Helen with questions out of curiosity, but Helen couldn’t muster a response and eventually fell silent.

“Contact the nearest temple immediately. It’s a very powerful curse. You not only have to deal with the body but also cleanse the place where the body was.”

The messenger, acting on Felio’s orders, hurriedly rode to the temple.

It was disheartening. While Helen’s death was a cause for sorrow, what tormented Ermedeline’s soul even more was her family’s sacrifice in this ordeal.

Duke de Françoise and Ermedeline were so alike that no one could deny their kinship. Their jet-black hair, mysterious amethyst eyes, and near-perfect facial features were strikingly similar.

She tried not to love, but it was impossible not to love another version of herself—her doppelgänger.

The face of Ferdant, who had no real memories, continued to appear in her dreams, making it impossible for Ermedeline to sleep soundly. Was Duke de Françoise her true family, her real father who raised her? And now, this supposed father wanted to end her life with a dreadful curse.

For a moment, she had been glad to find an ally, but now she felt a deep sense of despair knowing that her family, the ones she had longed for and the source of her bloodline, wanted to kill her.