After all, it was the immoral queen, the worst witch of the empire, Ermedillin. Adding the fact that she had a child out of wedlock wouldn’t further tarnish her image.
So, everyone’s reaction was merely, ‘I thought as much.’
‘Wow, being a villain isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s actually comfortable in times like this.’
“Where is this… bastard child now?”
At Henri’s question, the Duke of Fransoir glared at Ermedillin and replied in a sharp voice.
“He’s very safe and well under my protection.”
Ermedillin knew, despite the content, that his words were a threat.
But a chill suddenly ran through her body as she wondered why he had brought the child all the way to the capital but hadn’t brought him into the courtroom.
‘Did he render the child unable to be brought into the courtroom? Barely breathing, perhaps?…’
Based on what I’ve seen so far, that man could do something like that to his own bloodline.
A wave of anxiety enveloped her at the grim thoughts, and Ermedillin suddenly felt as if her heart was being squeezed.
Unable to breathe properly, she coughed, and Henri casually turned to her and asked.
“What shall we do?”
Embedded in Henri’s simple question was this meaning:
Will you continue the trial with your child’s safety at stake?
Understanding his meaning, Ermedillin wanted to shake her head with her mind, but her heart kept sending the opposite signal.
For a witch who used other people’s babies as ingredients for curses, she seemed sincere when it came to her own child.
Now I understand why the original Ermedillin accepted her fate so willingly, even with the long list of customers and evidence of the Duke’s crimes.
She was an evil woman with no excuse, but at the same time, she was also an ordinary mother.
The child’s safety had not been confirmed, so the trial could not continue.
“I’m not the child’s parent, but an innocent child is being abused nonetheless.”
Finally, the painful tugofwar between the mind and the heart had ended.
The time had come to file a lawsuit against the Count and accept the fate of the villain with a balance of zero won.
“I, I did everything… rigged…”
A faint voice leaked from Ermedillin’s lips, as she clutched her heart.
At that moment, as everyone concentrated to hear her voice, a creepy smile appeared on Vallier’s face.
“I did it.”
“I can’t hear you, Your Majesty the Empress. Speak up!”
At the judge’s request, Ermedillin tried to stand up to speak properly, but just then, Henri whispered to her.
“I’m taking care of it.”
“??”
Not knowing what happened, Ermedillin looked confused as Henri slowly stood up and looked down at the crowd.
Although it was a simple gesture, the courtroom was quickly silenced by the imperial aura emanating from his entire body.
“I knew about it already. The Empress confided in me before our marriage.”
“??”
Startled by Henri’s words, Ermedillin turned her head and met Vallier’s eyes, who had been looking at Henri too.
Vallier’s palecolored eyes were burning with unbelievable hatred.
That delicate hatred was clearly directed not at himself, but at Henri.
‘Weren’t they sworn enemies? In the novel, Vallier is an angel itself. He couldn’t possibly make such a face…’
Whether the two women were looking at each other or not, Henri’s words continued.
“Moreover, the child is not illegitimate. There was definite confirmation from the priest that it was a child born to a husband with whom she had officially married.”
At Henri’s words, Count François’s eyes bulged out.
“That can’t be! Ferdant is definitely a bastard born from the Empress’s affair with the stableman…”
“Whether it’s a stableman or a farmer, weren’t they officially married in front of the priest? How could a child from them be illegitimate?”
“No! You are mistaken! There was no possibility of a marriage. That wretched woman, as soon as she knew about the pregnancy, I had her killed…”
“What do you mean?”
“She was trampled to death by a horse.”
“Couldn’t they have married before she got pregnant?”
“That’s absolutely impossible.”
“Why?”
At Henri’s question, Count François’s lips trembled, but he couldn’t say a word.
What could he say about the fact that he had cruelly killed her as soon as he found out about the affair, and even before that, Ermedillin had been virtually imprisoned in the castle and couldn’t meet a priest?
“Didn’t I say I had confirmation from the priest? Are you saying I am lying?”
No matter how much he hated the Empress, the scandal of an illegitimate child would not benefit the Trevian Empire.
Moreover, it could be a weakness exploited by the enemies coveting the borders of the empire.
The nobles, understanding the situation, unanimously jeered at Count François.
As Henri listened to the jeers with a satisfied expression, he signaled to the judge, who declared a brief recess before the verdict.
“Your family doesn’t seem to be very harmonious either?”
Henri sat down next to Ermedillin, who was still clutching her heart, in an elegant posture and asked calmly.
“Is the child safe?”
Ermedillin was now more curious about the child’s wellbeing than the direction of the trial.
To her desperate question, Henri displayed a merciful smile, truly fitting for the emperor called the incarnation of God.
“Safe and sound. If you wish, I can show it to you.”
“Is that true?”
“If you, as the empress, show the love you have for your child to the people.”
For a moment, she was elated at the thought of meeting the child, but Ermedillin soon realized.
The weakness that could imprison her had simply passed into the hands of another.
The verdict was as follows.
Daring to lay hands on the royalty, most of the entire fortune of the Duke of Fransuar was confiscated and given to Empress Ermedillin.
Though considering that she was his daughterinlaw, the title was not taken away, but a title without land or soldiers to command was nothing more than a facade.
By principle, the punishment for the crime of daring to insult the royalty should have been execution, but Henri could not completely cut off the duke’s life because of the crimes committed during the competition for the throne.
The sight of the duke walking out of the courtroom on two good legs despite having dared to wound the body of the incarnate God appeared to those who did not know the inside story to be a generous disposition.
But the duke, even as he was dragged out of the courtroom, cursed his daughter to the end.
The duchess and her brother Ermond also did not forget to send a gaze full of hatred toward Henri and Ermedillin.
It seemed that they planned to take refuge in the Countess of Eshulan’s house for a while.
Pellio, the empress’s side lawyer, naturally argued for the confiscation of the title and execution, but Henri did not accept it, of course.
Having defended to the best of his ability, but annoyed that the verdict did not meet his expectations, Pellio approached Ermedillin and sneered.
“A reasonable compromise. You must be satisfied finally having the money you wanted in your hands?”
He seemed to specialize in sneering with an expressionless face, for sure.
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
