Regica, who had entered my room after a knock, fed me an intolerably bitter, black liquid medicine to swallow, and with a message from Emperor Hanes.

She handed me a roll of parchment paper- one that seemed straight from a glass case in a museum- and I unfolded it. On the scroll were two short lines cursives written in black ink- in a language I could not understand.

"What does it say here?"

Regica, as she was opening the closets in the room, stopped short, and looked back at me with such a look of horror on her face that I almost winced. I seemed to be giving this poor soul a mini heart attack multiple times.

"My lady, you...have also lost the ability to read?" She seemed to be on the verge of tears again, but quickly came over to scan the scroll.

Upon reading the lines, her face crumpled into an expression like she had too, swallowed that bitter black medicine. "Oh. Er... His Majesty invites you to breakfast with him and the Empress."

"The Empress- oh. The first wife." The words left an odd taste in my mouth. 

"Y-es, my lady."

"Well, it doesn't seem like I have a choice. The man who follows him around seems to be a sword with him. That's real, isn't it?"

"What you should be afraid of isn't the sword, my lady." Regica offered a tight smile, rummaging through the dresses in the closet. "It's the Emperor himself."

"Why?"

Regica's busy hands paused a little, before she continued, in a strained voice. "You must also not remember what kind of a person the Emperor is."

"I don't."

"He is known to be merciless, cruel and without fear." She spoke in a low voice, coming over to my side with three dresses on her arm. As if she was afraid someone might be listening, she peered at the doors, leaned toward my ear, and spoke in a hushed voice. "He rose to the throne after killing his older brother. Mind you, my lady, it was his biological brother. I hear they used to be quite close. Some rumours even say that he even poisoned his own father the former Emperor Regentine, to rise to the throne himself."

I swallowed, and whispered, "His own father? And brother?"

"The fact that he killed his brother, is true. Many people witnessed the scene. And he didn't shed a single tear. Simply just became king. And after he became king, he killed many others who were against him." Regica showed me the three dresses. "Which would you like, my lady?"

Wherever I was, the one in charge seemed to be Emperor Hanes, and from my short-lived and far from pleasant interaction with him, and based on Regica's stories, it seemed I needed to be on his side to stay alive in this place. Or at least, not get on his bad side to keep my head.

Which shouldn't be that difficult. The woman whose body I was in, was quite beautiful, and given that he'd requested for her as a peace offering, he must've at least tolerated this woman.

"This one. Oh- no-" I stopped Regica, who put her hand on the zipper of my night gown. "I'll dress myself. Could you turn around for a while?"

"Dress yourself, my lady?" Regica, looking quite shocked, turned around.

"Can you tell me some things about the Empress? How's she?" I asked, unzipping myself out of the night gown and putting on the new dark blue dress.

"Empress Carlana Sofi Iviane is twenty six year old, the daughter of the widowed Court Official Kagriel Iviane of the Catrinsa Kingdom, my lady. She is well-accomplished, being able to play the piano and cello quite excellently, and is known to be cheerful, bright and friendly to everyone."

"Oh. Well, sounds like she's a decent person. How was my relationship with her?"

At that, Regica made the most amused laughter I'd heard her make so far. "Oh, my, my lady. You absolutely detested her."

"Me? Detest? Why? You said she's a cheerful, bright and friendly person."

"You called her hypocritical, incompetent, and 'thoughtless'," Regica said with quite apparent joy, seeming to agree with the statements. "You were very hostile towards her."

"Hm... if I really was the second wife of a man... I wouldn't exactly love the first wife. Understandable," I muttered with some amusement. "I'm done dressing. Cold... oh, what kind of a person am I?" I asked, looking at my reflection in the mirror.

It was, although not the kind I would normally wear, a beautiful dress, with slight frills decorating the collar and waist, the blue silk material running down in cascades and folds, with the sleeves slightly puffed.

Regica turned around, and looked at me. She looked at me in the blue dress, and her eyes welled up again. She spoke, softly, her hands clasped in prayer-style. "Intelligent, well-read, clever, and dignified, my lady."

"Mm.. How about something more honest?" I asked with a wince, and she laughed, dabbing at her eyes.

"You weren't exactly the most...warm person, but you were a sure princess of Irennia. When you first arrived at this place and met Emperor Hanes, you gave him your piece of mind."

"What did I say?"

"You said, 'You might have me, but you will never have Irennia.'" Regica said with some pride, combing my hair. "The emperor then said, 'I already do', and you said, 'You have its castles and fortresses, but the people will always see you as a bloodthirsty tyrant. The people make the kingdom, Your Majesty. That is why you will never have Irennia.' And then you walked away. Made me real proud to be an Irennian."

"Wow, seems like this one is quite feisty," I smiled.

"Oh you have quite a spirit, my lady. There, done. You look beautiful."

I looked at myself, with the braided curls in the blue dress, in this strange world, in this body of a stranger, about to meet my husband- and his first wife. I laughed a little, unable to believe what was happening.

"Thank you. Regica."

"Oh- nothing at all, my lady. And of course- this is a given fact- you are much more beautiful than the Empress," Regica whispered with a low laugh.