Villainous Husband, the One You’re Obsessed With Is Over There - Chapter 199

Chapter 100.1

The funeral of the ‘Empress’ was the very next day.

It rained.

To be more precise, amidst thick, it was drizzling on and off, with thick clouds covering the sky. The air, which seemed to be easing up, suddenly froze stiff. A chill seeped through the gaps between the clothes of the mourners who had brought out their lighter attire.

It was the kind of weather that made people feel irritated.

On such a day, most of the nobles attending the funeral of the ‘Empress’ wore mixed expressions. Of course, it wasn’t out of pity or mourning for the Empress who, due to her young age, was unfairly snatched away in a foreign land.

This was because it was evident throughout the funeral that this was all an obvious disguise.

The Emperor didn’t even think about hiding it.

The entire procedure was ridiculously hasty as if he considered it a waste of money and time. The body of the ‘Empress’ was placed in a roughly sized wooden coffin. In addition, no flowers were laid on the coffin, which replaced the traditional wooden crate.

The Emperor, who was watching the memorial service with a sullen expression, got up and disappeared from his seat when it was time for the priest to read the eulogy. Even the clothes he wore that day weren’t black.

The funeral of the ‘Empress’ ended in just a couple of hours like that.

She was laid to rest in a pre-prepared spot in the underground tomb of the Imperial Palace. The people who followed in a line in the funeral procession, if it could be called that, exchanged subtle glances.

There was also an unexpected face among them.

It was none other than headmaid Cisen and lady-in-waiting Sylvia.

For those who had aided the Empress’s escape and were imprisoned in the underground dungeon for deceiving the Emperor, the Emperor made a strangely lenient decision. Not only did he allow them to attend the Empress’s funeral, but he also pardoned them from their imprisonment in the dungeon.

They were incarcerated in a more spacious location.

The Empress’s palace, which was now empty.

Throughout the funeral, Cisen, with a distraught face, knelt down and cried as she entered the Empress’s palace, where traces of Angelica still lingered everywhere.

She was well aware that Angelica couldn’t have died.

In the first place, she was the Empress whom the Emperor had tenderly sent back to the Empress’s palace. If she had truly died, the funeral wouldn’t have been so shabby. However, it broke Cisen’s heart that her master had been pushed so close to the brink that she had to fake her death, and that she had no way of knowing that such an event had even occurred since she was imprisoned.

She wept bitterly.

Sylvia sat beside Cisen and quietly patted her back as she wept. She was less sentimental and more practical than Cisen.

Where was the Empress whom the Emperor hid? Was her determination to escape from the Emperor still firm? Where was the knight who had left with the Empress that day from the County of Tocino, and what was he doing now? Could he have already died?

̊ · : * ✧* : · ̊

The day after the Empress’s funeral, there was a medal award ceremony.

The recipient of the medal was the Duchess of Nerma.

No matter how you look at it, it made no sense.

Officially, ‘the Empress is dead.’ Therefore, even if Duchess Nerma, who was a key figure in managing the Empress’s palace, was seen generously, she still had to take responsibility for the poor management. But instead of holding her accountable, the Emperor made a peculiar decision to honor her.

There were rumors circulating that the Duchess had quickly manipulated the situation to her advantage and pleased the Emperor by quickly discovering the mastermind, thus avoiding any inquiries into her responsibility.

Even so, the awarding of the medal wasn’t something easily justified.

Even if she prevented the Empress’s assassination with her accusation, there were dozens of witnesses who had seen the Empress collapse in real time. Still, what meaning was there in pointing out the oddness of awarding medals when the strange funeral had already been held?

As people congratulated Duchess Nerma without any outward indication of reservation, the smile that appeared on her face in response to their congratulations was stiff. Until this happened, she had planned to send an auspicious letter stating that she felt responsible and would leave the Capital. This was because, from the initial plot to assassinate the Empress, she had moved under a plan that it would be better to leave and plan for the future rather than to remain in the Capital.

She was planning to stay away for a while and return when the situation calmed down.

‘The situation has gotten so bad.’

She knew what this medal meant. It was unprecedented for a person who had received a medal to leave the Capital of their own accord without an order from the Emperor.

…The Emperor intended to keep her in the Capital.

The carpeted road in front of her was like a road of thorns.

With her usual sweet and pleasant smile on her face, Duchess Nerma made an effort to appear innocent. She had to pretend to be truly happy to receive the medal to avoid arousing any strange suspicions. Then, she walked lightly across the carpet and knelt before the Emperor.

The Emperor personally recited the award citation.

“Dorothea Nerma, as acting head lady-in-waiting for her guidance of Angelica Unro Actilus…”

Duchess Nerma resisted the urge to lift her head and confirm the Emperor’s expression but managed to restrain herself.

“I hope you continue to work hard in the future.”

When the Emperor himself attached the medal to her lapel at the end of the ceremony, she smiled broadly and had an extremely happy face.

“It is an infinite honor.”

The Emperor whispered in a gentle voice as if he were speaking to Angelica.

“By my side.”

Want to read more? Up to [40] advanced chapters are available on Patreon: