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The Lucelence Empire boasts a lush and abundant environment and is under the rule of the 35th Emperor, Alistair D'Arcy. However, the Emperor has been absent on an expedition for nearly three days, causing all state affairs requiring his presence to be postponed until His Imperial Majesty returns to the palace.

A messenger hawk alights on the golden post, catching the attention of the nearby royal guard. The guard approaches the bird and carefully removes the letter tied to its foot. Noticing the blue wax seal on the letter, a sign of royalty or an imperial family member in medical distress, the guard hurries off to deliver the urgent message.

The guard's quick stride carries him to the faithful and loyal assistant of Emperor Alistair, Sir Maximus Fischer, also known as Maximus the Emperor's Spear. Maximus, a striking figure with his blonde hair and brown eyes, is easily distinguishable amongst the Imperial Knights. His good looks have also made him quite popular among the ladies of the empire.

Maximus reads the letter and gasps. He ushers himself to the tent where Emperor Alistair is busy with the map.

"Your Imperial Majesty! Terrible news!" He waves the letter as he huffs, calming himself.

Emperor Alistair, a handsome white-haired man with blue eyes, turns at him. "What is it?" There is an unpleasant expression hinted at in it.

But Maximus ignores his sharp glare and continues to deliver the news. "We received a letter tampered with a blue wax seal. You won't believe what is inside here."

He averts his eyes and focuses on the map. "If that is all about Archduke Alexander's health deteriorated, then—"

"It's about Empress Urduja, Your Imperial Majesty."

Alistair snaps his head as his heart pounds so fast. "What is it?" he asks in an almost hurried tone.

"The Empress fell from the pond. The lightning dragon struck her with its lightning."

He drops the quill pen. "Is she dead?" The question that escaped his mouth caused his eyes to widen.

"Her ladies-in-waiting said that her heart stopped for fifteen minutes, then she returned to life. The Imperial Physician told them that she looked fine. As per the letter said, the Empress is still unconscious."

Alistair nods slowly, then makes his way back to his seat. His hand trembles slightly as he tries to steady his heart, racing from the news.

"Shall we finish the expedition, Emperor Alistair?"

He glares at Maximus. "What?"

Maximus sighs. "So you can see the state of Her Imperial Majesty." He is hoping that the Emperor will decide to see her.

Alistair shakes his head. "No. You said that the Empress is fine now but just unconscious. There is no need for me to finish the expedition. And who is she for me to stop this expedition? She is nothing but a useless Empress of my empire."

Despite his selfish nature, he refuses to see his Empress and avoids her at all costs. However, a strange sensation grips his heart when he receives news that she is close to death. He struggles to comprehend this feeling as he tries to ignore it.

"As you wish, Your Imperial Majesty." He bows his head. He is about to leave when Alistair calls him. "Yes, Your Imperial Majesty?"

"Investigate how the Empress fell from the pond when we return to the palace. If the result is all about her clumsiness, don't report that to me."

He stands in the tent, his demeanor cold and distant. Though he no longer desires the Empress, there are moments when he cannot help but show a hint of concern for her. It's a subtle expression that lingers in the air even after he's left the tent.

"Understood, Your Imperial Majesty." Maximus bows his head.

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Corinne slowly flutters her eyes open. She feels her body is a little weaker than it was before. She is confused.

"Empress Urduja is awake!"

She hears a gasp from a close distance but she ignores it. She focuses her gaze on the fancy medieval ceiling design. She furrowed her eyebrows.

'Since when did I have curtains in my bedroom?' Now, she feels weird right now. She blinks so many times. Slowly, she gets up on her bed and turns to her left, seeing four ladies with concerned expressions.

"Empress!"

'Empress? What? What are these people saying? Why are they wearing some... Victorian dresses? Are they some cosplayers? Or some singer in an opera?' "W-Who are you?" She groans softly and massages her temple. Why does she have a headache right now?

Then all of a sudden, there is a memory gleaming in her mind about these familiar people which makes her confused.

"Y-You do not know us?" The lady looks shocked. "Your Imperial Majesty, I'm Gertrude from Ray Household and one of your ladies-in-waiting." She looks at her fellowship. "Summon Imperial Physician Robert now, Polly. Hurry!"

"Y-Yes." A lady named Polly immediately emerges from the room.

Another lady holds her frail hand. "I'm Camila from Perez Household. I'm one of Her Imperial Majesty's ladies-in-waiting. A-Are you sure you can't remember us?"

Corinne shakes her head. 'Why do they keep calling me 'Your Imperial Majesty'?' She is astonished right now. She doesn't even know if she is in a reality show, or maybe she is just dreaming.

"Your Imperial Majesty, I'm Ingrid Moss. Do you not also remember me?" Another lady again has a concerned expression.

"Um..." 'Are they going to cry in front of me? Do I know them?' "I'm sorry, but I don't remember you..." She smiles wryly and gently removes her hand from them. They look so weird, and that is creeping her out.

But a weird memory pops out of her mind. It looks like these ladies are familiar to her. But how is that possible?

The three ladies look at each other, concerned for their Empress. How on earth can she not remember them? When their Empress looks at the glass of water, Ingrid immediately moves and bestows it to her.

Corinne drinks it in one gulp as she is feeling parched right now. The moment that some of the strands of her hair fall from her shoulders, she silently gasps seeing that her hair color is now auburn.

'Since when did I color my hair to auburn color? I'm a brunette! Not auburn-haired!' Panicking, she roams her eyes around and sees a vanity mirror.

Even though she still feels weak, she quickly gets off the bed and runs to the mirror. What she discovers right now shocks her.

As she gazes into the mirror, she notices something peculiar. The reflection staring back at her has changed. Instead of her usual deep-set brown eyes, straight brunette-colored hair, upturned nose, and rectangle-shaped face, she sees someone else's face. Protruding purple eyes, wavy auburn red hair, a straight nose, and an oval-shaped face stare back at her, causing her confusion and bewilderment.

"Shit... Oh my god..." She steps backward and can't believe what is happening. Is she dreaming right now? Is this some sick joke?

She glides her cheek to see if she is wearing some makeup and even tries to pull her hair. She irks because it hurts her. She pinches her cheeks to test if it hurts her again. And it did! "That hurts!"

"Your Imperial Majesty!" The three ladies try to approach her, but she stops them.

"S-Stay there..." They follow what she says, but still, they have worried expressions.

She tries to remember what happened to her before this. All she remembers is she was on her way home when she was...

She gasps for air, her hand trembling as it reaches for her chest. Her eyes widen in realization as she feels a sharp pain radiating from her left side. She remembers the old man who had come to her convenience store earlier, now realizing he had stabbed her.

'But how? I know I felt like I was dying on that spot. Just what on earth...' she pauses and scans her body. 'Why is this body so weak?' She wonders and makes a slight turn. She takes a few breaths, calming herself. She must calm down and analyze the situation first.