I Possessed the Wicked Empress (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
My name is Ye-rim.
I died in the winter of my nineteenth year.
Born as the third-generation heir of a major conglomerate, I grew up without want.
My family loved me for my beauty and intelligence, while everyone else envied what I possessed.
I always enjoyed looking down from the highest place upon those inferior to me with a sense of superiority and a touch of pity.
Moreover, that wasn’t all I had.
Natural intelligence, beauty, exquisite taste, and even athletic talent—I was born with every quality a pure-hearted manga’s male lead might possess.
Easily becoming class president and then student council president, I entered high school.
And during my first midterm exam of freshman year, I learned for the first time in my life the meaning of the word “defeat.”
“Second place? Me, in second place?”
I couldn’t believe it.
I’d never once lost the top spot in my entire school life—yet there it was, the number 2 on my report card.
Furious, Ye-rim hunted down the first-place student, asking around until she found her.
An utterly ordinary-looking girl from an ordinary family.
A girl so unremarkable she’d be forgotten even if she appeared as background scenery—how could someone like her possibly have beaten me? Ye-rim refused to believe it.
“Well… it can happen once. I guess I let my guard down a bit after entering high school.”
Ye-rim steeled herself, sleeping less and sitting longer at her desk, pushing herself harder than ever.
But the result was total defeat.
Until the end of freshman year, she never once saw the number 1 on her report card.
During the final exam, she cut back even on sleeping and eating to study, living constantly with anemia and nosebleeds—yet her report card still bore the number 2.
While Ye-rim grew increasingly haggard from anxiety, that girl looked perfectly calm and cheerful.
Just in case, Ye-rim secretly investigated the top student—but both her parents were merely ordinary high school teachers who’d graduated from decent colleges of education.
Compared to Ye-rim’s own family, where everyone had graduated from elite universities and held master’s or doctoral degrees, there was simply no comparison.
Her friends tried to comfort her.
“But still, you’re way prettier!”
“Yeah! I heard she collapsed during the endurance run at the sports festival!”
“Overall, Ye-rim, you’re clearly the winner! A total victory!”
But to Ye-rim’s ears, their words sounded like mockery.
It was the same at home. Her family said nothing when they saw her report card, yet in her mind, their mocking voices echoed endlessly.
“We went through all that trouble to give you brains, and you can’t even use them?”
“How can you be stuck in second place forever, after hiring so many expensive tutors?”
“You’re bringing shame to the family by losing to some ordinary kid?”
Of course, these were only voices from Ye-rim’s delusions.
In truth, her family didn’t care much about her grades at all.
She already had two brilliant older brothers, so all her parents wanted from Ye-rim was to grow up healthy and beautiful and marry into a good family.
Thus, no one in her household ever showed curiosity about or asked about her academic performance.
“Aaaaaaargh!!”
After venting a year’s worth of stress by tearing apart an innocent doll, Ye-rim made a decision.
Next year, she would reclaim the number 1—no matter what.
But cruelly, no matter what she tried, Ye-rim remained forever in second place.
By the end of sophomore year, Ye-rim finally realized the truth:
She was not the protagonist.
Her world—once so certain that she, without effort, would always shine as the main character—came crashing down around her.
“Of course you’re the protagonist! That’s why you win first place without even trying!!”
Consumed by overwhelming inferiority, Ye-rim began taking dangerous stimulants just to stay awake, throwing herself even deeper into her studies.
She bid temporary farewell to her former self—the girl who always ran the final leg of the relay race and crossed the finish line first, and the girl who played piano accompaniments for her friends during music class whenever the teacher was absent.
She cut off all contact with her friends and devoted every waking moment to studying.
Then, during the June mock exam, Ye-rim finally received a report card bearing the number 1 for the first time.
“I—I did it! I finally did it!!”
Brimming with confidence, she rushed to the classroom of the student now in second place—but Ye-rim couldn’t fully rejoice.
The girl who’d received her first “2” since entering high school looked utterly serene.
She was laughing and chatting with her friends as if nothing had happened.
Disheartened, Ye-rim took her report card home, but again, no one reacted.
With two older brothers who ranked nationally, a mere school-wide first place wasn’t particularly impressive.
With only five months left until the college entrance exam, Ye-rim studied relentlessly for the remainder of her time.
Even though no one in her family cared about her grades, she studied as if her life depended on it.
If she wasn’t the protagonist, she’d seize that role for herself.
But once again, Ye-rim was not the protagonist.
Her fluctuating scores after the June mock exam were ultimately decided by her final exam results.
In the end, Ye-rim received the second-highest score in her school.
A hollow laugh escaped her.
No matter how hard she tried, she could never become the main character.
Watching the top student’s bright, cheerful smile, Ye-rim felt something snap sharply inside her.
That evening, Ye-rim followed the girl.
Her immense hatred and inferiority had long since turned into madness, engulfing her completely.
“How dare someone as ordinary as you beat me?”
Entrusting herself to that madness, Ye-rim swung a utility knife at the girl, who was cheerfully chatting with her family as they headed home after dinner.
But just before the blade could reach her, Ye-rim was shoved onto the road by the girl’s parents.
And unluckily, she was struck by an oncoming truck, ending her life.
It happened about two months before Hye-young possessed Ermedilin.
Though it was bitterly frustrating to die without killing that… person, Ye-rim felt oddly satisfied—like she’d finally found clothes that fit her perfectly.
At last, she had become the protagonist.
Although she’d stopped reading the novel due to her studies, Ye-rim clearly remembered that Valière was the female lead.
She was finally the star—not a supporting character.
Knowing this, Ye-rim was overjoyed.
But she didn’t know the novel’s exact plot.
She’d read the beginning before becoming a senior, but once she entered her final year, she’d abandoned all hobbies.
Fortunately, thanks to her friends who endlessly gossiped about the ending, she knew at least this much: the protagonist eventually becomes empress.
“Oh, if only I’d possessed her after she became empress—how perfect that would’ve been!”
She’d gone through the trouble of reincarnating as the protagonist—only to end up as a mistress?
Did they really think she’d play the lover of a married man? Who did they think she was?
Just the thought was horrifying.
To a high school girl who hadn’t even graduated yet, the handsome male lead whispering “I love you” felt nothing but creepy.
What kind of man pursues another woman while already married?
In the novel, Valière had already been Henri’s long-time lover—but Ye-rim was not.
She was merely a high school senior who’d just received her college entrance exam results and had zero romantic experience.
When a man she’d never seen before wrapped his arm around her waist, Valière felt an impulse to bite his hand until it bled.
She nearly forgot her situation for a moment and almost did it.
Fortunately, Henri didn’t force himself on Valière despite her obvious dislike.
He only stared at her with suspicious eyes.
“No! He won’t suspect I’m a reincarnator. Anyway, I’ll quickly drive out that stupid… person and become empress. That’s all I need to focus on!”
How dare someone barge into her story—the story where she was the rightful protagonist—and try to steal her glory? Valière felt a terrible hatred toward Ermedilin surge within her.
Yet, on the other hand, she also thought she could cleverly use Ermedilin—the foolish girl who instantly admitted she was a reincarnator.
“Fine. I’ll cooperate for now. Pretend to work together, and once I become empress, I’ll kill her.”
This was troubling.
She hadn’t even properly adjusted to this new world yet—and now there was another reincarnator?
“Just how does God manage things anyway?”
Though they hadn’t exchanged details, the person inside Valière was, in her original world, someone who had just graduated high school.
Though legally an adult, her thinking still seemed very childish.
At least it seemed they weren’t planning to expose each other as reincarnators—for now.
“Well, if they did reveal it, they’d be at a bigger disadvantage than I am.”
After all, in the original novel, Ermedilin and Henri were complete strangers with no personal connection whatsoever.
But Valière was Henri’s childhood sweetheart—the real lover who shared all his memories.
If Henri discovered that the people inside Ermedilin and Valière were different, Valière would suffer the greater blow.
“I don’t intend to be a bad person, but my survival is at stake here. I should act a bit more carefully.”
Ermedilin headed to a quiet area on the outskirts of the capital to inspect the site for the orphanage she planned to build.
Beside her were Countess Elion and Pelio, whose attitudes had completely changed.
“This location is certainly far enough from the bustling districts to avoid disease, and the geographical conditions don’t seem bad.”
“However, we’ll likely need to reinforce the roads for supply deliveries.”
Pelio’s clear silver eyes darted back and forth as he examined budget-related documents, seemingly calculating something.
“Include it in the budget. Timely delivery of food and necessities for the children is a crucial matter.”
“Oh my! Your Majesty, not only are you building an orphanage, but you’re even repairing roads? Truly a magnanimous act!”
Countess Elion, who had been listening to Ermedilin and Pelio’s conversation, chimed in with exaggerated flattery.
“I simply wish to do things thoroughly. Moreover, His Majesty has offered to provide security for the orphanage, so I must pay extra attention to the remaining aspects.”
“Ohoho! Quite right! Security alone will cost a considerable sum—yet he’s supporting it! It seems husband and wife truly share one mind!!”
Though the sly Countess Elion deliberately framed it positively, everyone present knew the truth:
Henri was providing guards to monitor whether Ermedilin might be conducting strange experiments on the orphans.
“This merely proves His Majesty cares deeply about the growing number of orphans, does it not?”
Yet even when everyone knows the truth, there are times one must feign ignorance with a plausible response.
“By the way, how are the donations coming along?”
At Ermedilin’s question, Countess Elion made a troubled face and bit her lip.
“What? Did no one contribute?”
“No, that’s… Most have donated something. The House of Baptistian, for instance, gave a rather large sum.”
“Really? I hadn’t heard anything about that.”
Surprised by this news, Ermedilin turned wide eyes toward Pelio.
“It wasn’t me—it was the Duke who made the donation.”
“I see. Then I must personally thank the Duke. And the others?”
“Well… I, of course, also donated a considerable amount.”
“Oh! As expected of Countess Elion—I knew you’d understand my intentions well. Anyone else?”
“Marchioness Grania and Princess Biela did contribute… but the amounts…”
Countess Elion struggled to continue.
According to her, most nobles had participated in the donation—but the sums were absurdly small.
“What?”
If they hadn’t donated at all, it might have been less offensive—but the amounts they gave barely covered the cost of a single brick.
To anyone’s eyes, it clearly seemed meant to mock the Empress.
“I see. So that’s how they ‘donated,’ is it?”
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
Wait what the hell. I lowkey hate henri but i feel bad for her to have to suffer with a loser like him omgn