I Possessed The Immoral Empress - Chapter 163

The next morning, Ermedeline opened her eyes to find Rooney looking down at her with a face full of worry.

“Oh! Your Majesty, you’re awake!”

Despite her swollen eyes, which had cried so much they could barely open, Rooney forced herself to sound cheerful. Ermedeline mustered the strength to lift the corners of her mouth into a smile.

“Yes,” she replied simply, but even that short response came out in a dry, cracked voice, the result of all the sweating she had done.

“Oh dear. Just a moment, I’ll get you some water,” Rooney said with a lighthearted tone, trying to ease the tension, before leaving the tent to fetch some fresh water. She carried a basin filled with towels she had used to wipe Ermedeline’s sweat throughout the night.

“Ugh.”

With great effort, Ermedeline sat up. Though she had no energy left in her body, she couldn’t just lie there idly. Forcing herself up, she lifted the flap of the tent to peer outside. Dawn was already breaking, the sky faintly lit by the rising sun. The early morning air felt refreshingly cool and crisp, as the sun’s heat had yet to touch the earth.

As Ermedeline took a deep breath, she noticed Felio approaching. The man, with whom she had once planned to flee, appeared as if he had just woken up—his hair still tousled and his shirt only half-buttoned. Despite knowing him for several months, Ermedeline realized this was the first time she had seen Felio with his shirt unbuttoned.

‘Look at that neckline. Is there anything about him that isn’t perfect? Ugh, not again!’

Chiding herself for having such thoughts, Ermedeline blinked rapidly as Felio strode up to her. She felt awkward, knowing she had failed to keep their promise. With an uneasy smile, she cautiously observed Felio’s reaction. He briefly rolled his eyes but quickly returned to his usual stoic expression.

“Per your orders, the army has already departed for the nearest battlefield. The magicians are on standby, ready to leave as soon as Your Majesty wakes.”

So typical of him—switching effortlessly into work mode, the consummate workaholic.

‘He should at least finish dressing properly first.’

Ermedeline instinctively raised her hand to button up Felio’s shirt but quickly realized her position and withdrew her hand.

“Are the magicians traveling by magic circle?” she asked.

“Yes. There’s a magic circle at the nearest fortress. It will take some time to reach it, but they should be able to join the battle by tomorrow without issue.”

“I see.”

With nothing more to say, the two of them awkwardly avoided each other’s gaze, unsure of what to do next. There wasn’t much left to discuss, but neither of them wanted to leave just yet. As they stood there, aimlessly scuffing the ground and kicking up dust, Rooney and Arvian appeared together.

“You’re awake? Let me check your condition.”

Arvian, his pink hair glowing in the blue light of dawn, briskly walked over and wedged himself between the two. Without warning, he grabbed Ermedeline’s wrist to examine her.

Felio glared at Arvian’s back as if he could kill him with his eyes, but he couldn’t really stop Arvian, who had stayed by Ermedeline’s side, nursing her all night.

“?”

As Felio clenched his fists tightly and trembled with barely restrained anger, a cup suddenly appeared in front of him.

“Here.”

Rooney handed Felio a glass of cold water she had just received from a water mage. Felio hesitated for a moment but then took the glass and began to drink deeply.

“Hoo, thank you,” Felio said, his gratitude genuine.

At that moment, the cold water was the only thing keeping him from feeling like his chest might burst into flames from the emotions boiling inside him.

“Your internal injuries are nearly healed. As for your magical power, well, Your Majesty would know best,” Arvian remarked, deliberately holding onto Ermedeline’s hand a bit longer than necessary, casting a sidelong glance at Felio before finally releasing it.

“What about the High Priest?”

Ignoring the silent battle of wills between the two men, Ermedeline’s voice, still heavy with weariness, broke the tension.

“He was waiting for Your Majesty to wake,” Arvian responded.

“I see.”

Ermedeline nodded in acknowledgment, her expression calm.

Soon after, Noctavinus’s funeral was held.

Along with many fallen warriors of Trivian, Noctavinus’s body was placed atop a pyre, ready to return to the place where his soul had already departed. When Ermedeline gave a slight nod, Felio stepped forward and lit the pyre. The blue flames that sprang from his hand quickly consumed the dry wood, growing fiercer with each passing moment.

In the early morning light, the white ashes began to rise into the sky, carried by the wind. The wind added fuel to the fire, making it burn even more intensely.

As Ermedeline watched the flames, she found herself recalling her own end in the original story. Even in this moment, when the flames consumed the bodies of the dead, they appeared peaceful. However, the fate that awaited her in the story—burned alive—was far from peaceful.

If she could not escape death, if that was her destined end, and if she was to perish in the flames, Ermedeline hoped that her own end might also be as serene as this.

The sun had now fully risen, filling the earth with its vibrant light. Even in this dreadful place, morning had arrived just as it did everywhere else.

“Let’s depart.”

At Ermedeline’s command, the magicians all bowed their heads in unison.

***

Louise felt her body growing heavier with each passing day.

At first, she thought it was simply the natural effects of aging, a sign of growing old. But the weight pressing down on her felt too consistent to be so easily dismissed.

“This is strange. Really strange,” she murmured to herself.

Since the central temple in the capital had been vacated, Henry had strictly controlled the movements of the priests within the palace. He kept as many priests as possible close to him, just in case of an emergency.

As a result, Louise couldn’t figure out why her body felt increasingly burdened.

Then, one day, a letter from Roberto, Felio’s friend, arrived at the palace. Of course, all correspondence was subject to Henry’s scrutiny, but the letter itself seemed innocuous.

Roberto, who had been a lifelong friend of Felio’s, was also acquainted with Louise. The letter simply asked if his wife, Alicia, could visit the palace to receive blessings, as she was pregnant.

Henry, suspecting nothing out of the ordinary, granted Alicia permission to enter the palace, especially since there were already many eyes watching over Ermedeline and Felio on the distant battlefield.

***

“Congratulations! How far along are you?”

As soon as Louise saw Alicia, she broke into a broad smile, her eyes crinkling with joy.

“About two months along,” Alicia replied.

“Is that so? You’re probably dealing with morning sickness now. Are you able to eat well?” Louise asked, her tone filled with concern.

“Oh, don’t even mention it. Some people lose weight during the early stages of pregnancy because of morning sickness, but I can’t seem to get full no matter how much I eat!” Alicia complained.

“Hey!” Louise playfully tapped Alicia’s arm in mild reproach.

“Do you know how awful morning sickness can be? The baby in your belly is already being good to you!”

“But I don’t want to get fat,” Alicia grumbled, looking down at her still-flat stomach with a pout, but Louise gazed at her with nothing but affection.

“Don’t listen to your mom, little one. Eat whatever you want! As long as you stay strong, that’s all that matters!”

Louise had painful memories of losing both her husband and child. For her, this was one of the few remaining connections she had to the world. She wanted nothing more than to bless this union and the child that would come from it, a union that hadn’t been fully accepted by the family.

“You said you wanted my blessing, right? Come here,” Louise patted the seat beside her, inviting Alicia to sit.

But Alicia hesitated, her lips twitching as if she had something else on her mind. She remained standing, appearing uncomfortable.

“What’s wrong? It’s better to sit down for this,” Louise encouraged again, but Alicia continued to fidget where she stood. Louise quickly realized that the true purpose of Alicia’s visit wasn’t just to receive a blessing.

“You have something you want to say,” Louise said softly.

“Yes,” Alicia admitted.

“Is it something important?”

“I’m not entirely sure…” Alicia trailed off, her uncertainty evident as she nodded slightly, but Louise’s expression grew serious.

“Come, sit down. Tell me what’s on your mind,” Louise urged again, this time with more insistence. Alicia hesitated before finally approaching and sitting down beside Louise.

“What’s going on?”

“Have you been outside the palace recently?” Alicia asked cautiously.

“No, I haven’t,” Louise replied. Even without Henry’s orders, Louise wasn’t one to venture outside the palace often.

“The atmosphere feels strange. I’m not very strong in divine power, so I’m not entirely sure, but it’s been feeling more… unsettling over the past few days.”

“What?” Louise’s concern deepened as she listened, her expression becoming more grave as Alicia spoke, nodding hesitantly as if unsure of her own observations.

“It started just a few days ago. I think I noticed it after the priests from the Central Temple left the capital.”

Louise had also begun to feel her body growing heavier around that same time.

“Do you think it’s some sort of magic?” Louise asked.

“I can’t say for sure. I can heal minor injuries, but I’m not able to sense or distinguish different energies. Is there any way you could come out and see for yourself?” Alicia’s question hung in the air as Louise lowered her gaze, deep in thought.

“I’ll speak to His Majesty about it,” 

***

In the dimly lit tent, a man listened coldly to a report being given to him.

“She’s proving difficult to kill, as expected,” Ermond muttered, clicking his tongue in annoyance as he heard of Noctavinus’s death and Ermedeline’s recent actions.

“It seems they plan to travel using the magic circle,” the subordinate informed him.

“Of course. That’s why I positioned the battlefield in a location accessible by the magic circle,” Ermond responded, almost dismissively.

“Shall we depart today, then?”

“No. Ermedeline… she likely won’t arrive until tomorrow at the earliest, given the time it takes to reach here from the fortress where the magic circle is set up.”

“So, when should we move?”

“We’ll wait. Have the troops gathered?”

“Yes, all remaining forces are converging here.”

“Good. Wait for my signal; I’ll give the order when the time is right.”

Ermond glanced over to the corner of the tent, where his wife and their two young children were sitting together on a bed, engrossed in a book.

His beloved family.

The sly smile vanished from Ermond’s face, replaced by a tender, fatherly expression.

“Shall I join you?” he asked, approaching them. The children, eager to make room for their father, shuffled around excitedly on the bed.

Though the children had inherited his jet-black hair, neither of them possessed his merciful eyes. One had gray eyes, taking after Ermond, while the other had green eyes, like their mother.

Ermond settled himself between them, spreading his cloak behind him. In a deep, resonant voice that he had inherited from his father, the late Duke of Francoise, he began to read the storybook to his children. As they leaned against their father, listening intently, it wasn’t long before the weariness of the day’s march lulled them to sleep.

Carefully laying the children down, Ermond looked over at his wife. Their eyes met in a brief but meaningful exchange, and they nodded to each other in silent understanding. Then, they both turned their gazes back to their sleeping children, their expressions filled with love and tenderness.