“Kyaaaaaah!”

“The government killed people!”

The gathered crowd began to scream and condemn Valier in unison.

Henri, too, sighed deeply within the mask upon witnessing the scene.

‘So, this is how the dilemma ends. Even if my feelings change again, I probably can’t make you the empress.’

Attacking the Marquis who harbored the imperial family is unlikely to pose significant legal issues for Valier for killing the woman. However, the problem lies with public sentiment.

Even if he doesn’t face legal consequences, Valier has already lost public support due to the incident of the epidemic spreading in the region. Killing an unarmed woman with a sharp dagger in front of hundreds of people further aggravated the situation.

The square turned into chaos filled with tremendous accusations pouring in.

The guards began to handle the woman’s body and calm the crowd.

After some time, the jeers toward Valier subdued.

However, in the silenced square, intense hatred began to spread.

The gazes of the people, staring at Valier standing there with a powerless face, turned fiercely hostile.

It was a moment when Valier, once the saint of the Trivian Empire admired for compassionate and generous actions, crossed a river that he could never return from.

After the end of the parade, Ermedelin headed to the Central Temple to receive the investiture.

Since there were only a few nobles, including witnesses and maids, in the temple, it remained quiet.

Ermedelin, who hadn’t heard what had happened after the end of the parade, attributed the strange tension in the temple to the hostility towards her.

Of course, there were those who were dissatisfied with the infamous and immoral empress receiving the investiture, but the tightly drawn tension was actually due to what had just happened to Valier.

A simple pledge of loyalty, along with a brief investiture ceremony, concluded.

As soon as the ceremony ended, Henri hurriedly returned to the palace with the attendants.

“Your Majesty! You still don’t know, do you?”

To Ermedelin’s surprised expression at Bellest’s unexpected question on the way back from the temple, Bellest looked at her as if she truly knew nothing.

“I see. You indeed didn’t see it.”

“What happened?”

“Something unfortunate happened near the end of the parade. A woman, whose village was devastated by the epidemic, approached Marquis Bellian and said something about it.”

“Hmm… Was there nothing wrong with Marquis?”

“Nothing could be wrong. The woman was unarmed, and there were guards by her side.”

“Then? What was unfortunate?”

“When the Marquis replied that it had nothing to do with him, the woman got excited and rushed towards him…”

“She rushed towards him?”

As Bellest struggled to find words, Leina took a deep breath and continued with a chilling tone.

“I don’t know where he got it… He took out a sharp dagger from his embrace and slashed the woman’s throat.”

“What? What’s wrong with him?”

Shocked by the sudden increase in volume, Ermedelin hurriedly covered her lips with both hands.

“Valier tried to kill the woman with a dagger?”

“Yes.”

“Even if it’s like that, to kill a person… Slashing the throat with a dagger?”

To Ermedelin’s astonished muttering, the maids who had attended the parade all nodded with awkward expressions.

“He swung it vigorously with his eyes closed. Moreover, while slashing the woman’s throat, Marquis Bellian turned her upside down, and all the blood sprayed from her head to toe. Maybe that’s why the temple is completely empty; Marquis probably went there to check it out.”
The unusually quiet temple caused Ermedelin’s face to darken abruptly. She had assumed that the temple’s silence was due to the priests disliking the investiture ceremony.

“What about the child in the womb?”

“The fetus is unharmed. Marquis has no injuries at the moment. Just in case, he will undergo a purification ritual and attend the investiture ceremony.”

Even though it was someone else’s affair, an unfortunate incident had occurred. Ermedelin was curious about Valier’s condition, but she could receive news from Louise, who happened to be coming out after seeing Valier.

“Currently, the Marquis is in a very unstable condition. Moreover, he literally flipped the blood of the infected woman, so even with purification, the situation is not entirely reassuring.”

“What about the afternoon investiture?”

“For now, the purification in the investiture chamber is ongoing, so if the Marquis calms down, it should proceed as planned.”

“I see. Understood.”

After hearing the response and trying to leave, Louise stopped Ermedelin.

“Empress.”

“What is it?”

Although Ermedelin turned back with a gentle face, Louise’s lips did not easily part.

“Would you like to talk privately, perhaps somewhere just the two of us?”

At Ermedelin’s question, Louise nodded, and the two decided to have a conversation in a secluded part of the garden.

“Is Viscount Pellio doing well?”

“Yes. I haven’t seen him today, but until yesterday, he was unharmed.”

“Oh, then, perhaps…”