''AAAHHHH! Her majesty and the queen have fallen into the lake!''
''Quickly get the emperor and the imperial guards!''
Under the orders of the nobles in the forest, the servants were running around helter-skelter because of the two-highest ranked noblewomen in the empire, sinking deeper and deeper into the lake of the hunting ground.
Among the fretting nobles was a middle-aged viscount anxiously biting his stout nails. His eyes darted around nervously with beads of sweat trailing down his forehead. This hunting ground was his property, and he had already planned to invite the emperor. He had also been the one who pushed his daughter to suggest an invitation to the queen and the empress.
If his daughter managed to catch the emperor's attention, just as the queen had done years ago, maybe his daughter could be the second queen of the emperor. With an in-law relationship with the imperial family, his family could flourish more than ever.
It was a simple and perfect plan, free from unnecessary complications. However, the only thing he did not expect to happen was the queen and the empress falling into the lake at the same time!
How did this exactly happen? The viscount turned his gaze to his daughter at one side. His eyes turned fierce, demanding an explanation, but the young lady did not notice him. Her trembling eyes were focused on the lake where the two highest-ranked noblewomen had fallen. She didn't even know how it happened in the first place.
''Where is his majesty?!'' the viscount roared to the nearest manservant by his left. If something happens to the queen and the empress, his life and family could be at stake.
The viscount would never allow that to happen!
Above the deep lake was an atmosphere of disorderly haste and confusion. At the same time, inside the clear water glistening like diamonds sparkling under the natural light from the sun, something phenomenal and unexplainable took place among the two faintly conscious women.
No one knew that one of them lost her life minutes ago, and a foreign soul took over the lifeless body.
'I can't breathe.'
'What is happening to me?'
'Why does my throat feel tight and suffocated?'
These were the thoughts of the foreign soul in the lifeless body.
''His majesty saved the queen!''
''What of her majesty?!''
The faint voices travelled to her ear, and she wondered what was going on. Why did she feel that their voices were moving further and further away from her?
The foreign soul wanted to talk, but for some reason, her lips could not open to her will. She couldn't even move her body when she wanted to at the moment.
What was going on? The foreign soul wondered again until the tightness around her throat loosened up.
*Cough!*
*Cough! *
''Her majesty is alive!''
''Thank the heavens!''
Shut up.
The foreign soul wanted to drive those voices away. The owners were too loud for her ears. Perhaps due to her will of shutting those people up, a tiny hoarse sound escaped her lips. Her eyes, that were too heavy for her a moment ago, scrunched together before fluttering open to have a look at her surroundings.
Wasn't she at home? Why were there voices around her?
The foreign soul wondered as her fuzzy and double vision slowly returned to one, but remained unclear. Upon seeing a strange face through her narrowed vision, the lips that were heavy, the same as her eyes, parted to release a soft voice.
''W-Who…'' Who are you? She wanted to say, but her body did not allow it and instantly shut down.
Meanwhile, the emperor, dripping of water from the lake, stared at his soaked empress in his arms for a moment, unaware that she wasn't his real wife, and then looked at his queen in the arms of his aide. His eyes softened with concern for a fleeting second, then hardened again.
''Let's go back to the imperial palace.'' His deep voice sounded among the whispers that dropped in an instant. As always, it was authoritative and strong, not leaving room for any discussion or argument, a voice molded for the powerful leader of the empire, the emperor.
''As you wish, your majesty.''
''Y-Your majesty, please forgive this lowly one for not properly caring for her majesty and the queen.'' The viscount, who has been waiting for his chance to ask for forgiveness from the emperor, quickly drew his attention. His aging back was lower than ever, and his eyes squeezed shut, pleading in his heart, that the emperor would be merciful to him and his family.
''...'' However, the emperor did not look at the bowing viscount and sidestepped the latter. No one knew what was on his mind, and the nobles and servants watched as the emperor walked away without saying a word to the paled viscount.
''Did you see that?''
''His majesty saved the queen first.''
''I thought his majesty, and the queen were not on speaking terms.''
''Doesn't that mean that his majesty still has the queen in his heart?''
''I thought his majesty loved the empress?''
''Perhaps he's mindful of House Cortez…''
''Who knows….''
''I wonder who will birth the crown prince…''
''Everyone expected the queen to be the empress since she married his majesty first.''
''Who knows what is going in his majesty's mind?''
The nobles whispered among themselves, uncertain about the future between the emperor, the empress, and the queen.
******
The wind blew past the transparent windows, into the exquisite room, swaying the curtains in a wavy manner, though it was a tiny movement. Moving past that, the exquisite room was filled with many shining objects that were blinding to the eyes. Golden picture frames, polished candelabra and vases, expensive-looking furniture, everything in the room screamed extravagance and luxury.
''Mm...'' A groan came from the person laying on the bed. Hair similar to a red rose, sprawled on the bed like scattering leaves, smooth white skin, glossy pink lips, shaped thin eyebrows, long fan-like lashes…Anyone could tell this person was a beautiful woman. The only thing missing from the description was the color of her eyes.
Was it the same color as her hair? That was unknown until, the answer came to light.
''Unbelievable…'' A light scoff came from the bed again. The woman that was asleep a moment ago, was staring at the ceiling with her mysterious eyes. Nothing could be seen from them apart from the unique color. They sparkled like a jewel known as amethyst.
After staring at the ceiling for a while, the woman quietly rose up on the bed, her long hair following her movement. She looked at the wide space on both sides and then started to survey the room that she was in at the moment.
Looking at the objects that clearly were not in her actual room, a sharp glint flickered across those amethyst-like eyes. An edge of her lips curled up into a fleeting smirk.
''So…wishes do come true….'' The woman said with an inaudible laughter. She never expected that one of her wish would come true in a harsh reality like hers. She thought they were only found in fairytales between a prince and princess, or a king and a queen.
This time, it happened between two empresses.
An empress of the entertainment world, and an empress of a true empire.
Should she be happy that her wish to leave that tiring life came true? Or she should be sad that she became an empress of an empire in the ancient era? The era where no internet, cars, electricity and things found in her former life existed.
An era where monarchy was the political system. An era were nobility ranks such as barons, viscounts, dukes, and emperors. An era that polygamous and arranged marriages were seen as normal.
An example of those marriages was herself right now. She had entered into the body of an empress who shares her husband with another.
And she wasn't just an empress.
The empress was an unfortunate side character from a novel that she read during her free time in her former life.
>Enjoy!<