I Possessed The Immoral Empress

Chapter 60

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.

“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?”