I Possessed The Immoral Empress - Chapter 165

The letter arrived at the imperial palace of the Trivian Empire two days ago.

The seal on the letter bore the insignia of the Ballius Empire.

It was an official letter sent by the Ballius Empire’s royal family to the Trivian Empire.

As was customary, it was expected that he, the emperor’s attendant, would review any correspondence addressed to the empire first, but he hesitated for a moment.

For some reason, the golden seal on that letter filled him with an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

Nevertheless, he chose to examine the letter himself first.

This was due to the fact that his absolute and unconditional respect for the emperor had significantly diminished recently, thanks to Henry’s poor decisions.

When they first met, Henry was a beautiful young man, somewhat naive.

This beautiful youth, who still retained much of a boyish demeanor, wore clothes that were neat but clearly out of fashion, as if to prove that he had spent most of his life in a secluded estate.

At first, Hallstein thought that the young man would not last long in the battle for succession.

There were others among the emperor’s mistresses who had better backgrounds than Linette, and there were rivals who received full support from their maternal families.

As the competition among the illegitimate children intensified and deaths began to occur, the atmosphere in the capital grew increasingly ominous.

Moreover, the border dispute with Frianton, which had not yet been fully resolved, flared up again in the border regions.

Amidst this unstable situation, the late emperor remained passive, as if he were a god observing human affairs from above.

It was during this time that his young illegitimate son, Henry, completely settled the border disputes.

With no support, this illegitimate son, who had gathered forces solely by his own charm, roamed the frontlines of the battlefield, drenched in blood that starkly contrasted his sacred appearance.

He was not without flaws.

Most nobles were aware that he had colluded with a witch to kill other illegitimate children.

When a distant relative, who was also one of the late emperor’s illegitimate children, met an untimely and suspicious death, Hallstein himself felt that he would kill Henry if given the chance.

Especially those who had lost close relatives were never willing to acknowledge Henry as emperor.

However, even they could not deny Henry’s prowess on the battlefield.

When his radiant blonde hair fluttered in the wind on the battlefield, and a cold determination filled his blue eyes, death descended before him.

Weary of the late emperor’s indulgence in mistresses, extravagance, and manipulative politics, the nobles looked at Henry and thought to themselves.

This was the kind of emperor they had been waiting for.

Those who prioritized the greater good over personal grudges and those who had not lost close relatives gathered, and thus the imperial faction was formed.

The support of the nobles who had shared life and death with Henry on that brutal battlefield was unwavering.

Despite the fierce opposition from the aristocratic faction, the late emperor eventually adopted Henry, who had secured the support of half the nobles through his own merits and resolved the minor border disputes, as his heir.

Since the time when Henry was the crown prince, Count Hallstein, who had been his closest confidant, had never once regretted his decision.

And for good reason—Henry was always a diligent and dedicated ruler who prioritized the safety of the nation over personal gain.

Therefore, Count Hallstein stood by Henry even when the young emperor was forced to marry Ermedeline, his greatest vulnerability, without a single complaint.

He knew that the fair and resolute emperor would one day make the witch pay the price she deserved.

Of course, the empress’s execution was also a necessary act to quell the resentment of the aristocratic faction.

Hallstein dreamed of building a new Trivian Empire alongside the young emperor, who was unafraid to dirty his hands if needed.

He hoped that the cold and rational Henry would correct the chaotic state of affairs left by the late emperor’s reckless governance.

He believed that his young emperor was fully capable of doing so.

In fact, the young emperor had displayed the image of the perfect ruler that Hallstein had long desired.

That was until Henry faced his first love’s failure, and found himself cornered by both internal and external enemies.

An emperor should never think like an ordinary human, yet being human, it is inevitable that even an emperor can make mistakes in judgment.

Hallstein was also well aware that Henry could not leave the capital freely due to Leopold’s presence.

However, Henry’s actions had now gone beyond what could be excused as mere errors in judgment.

It wasn’t enough that he had used a witch to ascend to the throne—now Henry was hiding behind the witch to avoid responsibility for the crisis engulfing them all. This was far from the image of the emperor who had once swept through battlefields, delivering death to his enemies.

The letter from the Ballius Empire contained devastating information that could completely uproot Henry’s legitimacy.

If the contents of that letter were revealed, it would be nearly impossible for Henry to keep his throne, even without Leopold’s intervention.

Dark shadows formed under Count Hallstein’s eyes.

After staying up for two nights, it was only natural.

Gazing down at the eerily empty morning streets of the capital, he steeled his resolve.

***

Ermedeline and the wizards who had arrived at the nearby battlefield were immediately deployed into battle.

The soldiers and wizards, having lost their spiritual leader, the Grand Priest of the Trivian Empire, were now filled with rage, fueling their morale.

With no hesitation left, Ermedeline and Arvian swiftly neutralized Ermond’s curse, leaving piles of enemy corpses in their wake.

Even the wizards who had been assigned to monitor Ermedeline, suspecting her of treason, and the ordinary soldiers who still harbored vague fears of the witch, began to relinquish their doubts about the empress.

With her jet-black hair flowing like a shadow and her cold expression as she chanted quietly, Ermedeline looked like the very embodiment of death on the battlefield.

Even the soldiers of Frianton, whose minds were already consumed by Ermond, instinctively recoiled in fear at the sight of her.

Felio, watching Ermedeline from a distance, felt both pride and bitterness.

As someone who loved her more than his own life, seeing the woman he cherished redeeming her honor was certainly a joyful sight for him, especially as her closest confidant.

Yet, as a lover who had resolved to offer her unconditional belief, even if the entire world turned against her, that sight was not entirely joyous.

Ermedeline might sometimes seem to falter, appearing soft-hearted in her adherence to goodness or swayed by the opinions of those around her, but Felio knew the truth.

Her goodness was what always granted her the decisiveness to make the right choices in critical moments, and her consideration for others was a reflection of her pure heart.

The fact that it motivated her, even if she herself, in her excessive humility, did not acknowledge it.

But did everyone need to know this?

This beautiful, intelligent woman, who was anything but cold-hearted despite her reputation as a witch, only needed one person—himself—to truly understand her worth.

However, just as one cannot hide the sun with a palm, more and more people began to recognize her true value, and Felio’s insides twisted with jealousy every time a potential rival emerged.

Whether it was Arvian, the future High Priest, or Leopold, who threatened the imperial authority, to Felio, they were nothing more than thorns in his side.

And now, it wasn’t just those two—he found himself competing with every man present on the battlefield.

‘Damn it! Everyone, turn your eyes away! Stop looking at her!’

Of course, not every man who gazed at Ermedeline with reverence would become a rival, but Felio wished that all eyes looking at her would go blind.

Though such a wish might lead to tragedy in the midst of war, that was how twisted his feelings had become.

Suddenly, a massive light filled the battlefield, and the curses afflicting the Frianton soldiers were dispelled on a large scale.

When Felio glanced over, he saw Arvian, with a furrowed brow similar to his own, standing beside Ermedeline, unleashing a torrent of holy power.

‘Hmph.’

Finding the sight somewhat ridiculous, Felio deliberately rushed in front of Ermedeline, swinging his flaming sword wildly as he cut down the enemy.

‘Oh?’

Arvian, who had been watching him just as closely, immediately moved in front of Ermedeline as well, focusing intently.

In an instant, Arvian’s entire body glowed brightly, purifying the curses that had afflicted hundreds of enemies all at once.

The holy power was so potent that even Ermedeline, who had been dispelling curses ten at a time, looked at Arvian in surprise.

Despite his legs trembling as if he would collapse at any moment and sweat pouring down his forehead, Arvian managed to glare at Felio with a slight smirk.

‘Hah?’

Provoked by Arvian’s smile, Felio too pushed his magical power to the limit, slashing through soldiers with renewed vigor.

In the end, both men collapsed onto the battlefield after the fight was over, sprawled out in exhaustion.

Ermedeline, who had been watching them with a look of mild exasperation, sighed lightly and walked off the battlefield with a light step, leaving the two men lying amidst the blood and bodies of their enemies.

Thanks to the efforts of these two men, burning with jealousy, the battle ended once again in Trivian’s favor before the sun set.

“We’ve been defeated.”

The commander who was reporting to Ermond inside the dimly lit tent wore a deep shadow of despair on his face.

“I see.”

Ermond absentmindedly stroked his sharp jawline with his fingers, seemingly lost in thought as he gazed into the void.

“And that place?”

“Yes. The battle is nearly over. Thanks to the destruction of the magic circle, the mages in the rear were unable to join, making it easy for us to secure it.”

“I see. The Duke of Batistian has accomplished his task effectively.”

As soon as the Duke of Batistian arrived at the battlefield, having been part of the vanguard, he discreetly moved alone to the battlefield where Ermedeline would later arrive, destroying the magic circle that the rear guard would have used.

The vanguard that departed with him naturally headed toward the most critical strategic point—a pathway that had once been a riverbed, now dried up and used for both military and commercial purposes.

When Henry received the report that the magic circle at the key point had been damaged, he was quite alarmed. However, since more mages and priests had been sent with the vanguard than with the rear guard, he had sent Ermedeline to another battlefront.

In truth, Henry hadn’t placed much hope in the rear guard that included Ermedeline, but he never imagined that the vanguard, which included high-ranking mages like Batistian, would be defeated.

He couldn’t have fathomed that the veteran mages who had defended the borders since the reign of the late emperor would crumble in just a few days.

However, the Duke of Batistian, who was supposed to lead them, had abruptly deserted the battlefield, and the preparations of Frianton and Ermond had been more thorough than anticipated.

Moreover, Trivian was utterly overwhelmed by the sheer size of the cursed army, which seemed to have conscripted every man capable of wielding a weapon.

“Wait. Ermedeline is bound to come there. In the meantime, gather the necessary materials.”

The commander, having received Ermond’s orders, bowed his head in submission and left the tent.

Left alone, Ermond’s ashen eyes gleamed ominously in the dim, gray shadows filtering through the cracks of the tent.

‘Yes, go ahead and show off your skills. You’ll naturally think that I’m no match for you. Enjoy the thrill of victory while you can. Heh.’