The Transmigrated Empress

Her Second Chance At Life

Police sirens were heard all over our little town. They have found a woman's mutilated body at a house. With the unknown man's disappearance, he became the primary suspect. I snorted on this.

"They're nothing but fools," I said, sitting on top of a cliff. It was the unknown man and I's favorite place.

I blankly stared at the horizon. And in a moment I am cast in crimson, bathed in a rosy glow. Finally, the sun has risen. I move my fingers through the air that grows brighter with each passing moment until it becomes a new bold day. As I watch my breath rise skyward, I feel the promise of a gentle ending passing into my blood and bones, becoming a deeper part of who I am. I found my inner peace as I remembered the night my lover and my best friend were killed.

"What did you do?!" screamed the man in horror as he ran towards the lifeless body of my best friend who he cheated with that was lying on the cold floor, pooled with blood.

"I just killed your mistress," I said nonchalantly, playing with the knife I used to stab her.

"You are crazy!" he said.

"Yes, I am... for you. Can you now see how much I love you?" I replied while trying to caress his face.

He pushed my hand away and glared at me, "Get the hell away from me! You're a pyscho, a deranged b***h!"

"You don't get to call me a b***h after you've just cheated on me! And now you're speaking to me like that because of this betrayer?!" I yelled at him, going red on the face as I raged.

"She's your best friend, for the love of God!" he answered.

"Did she remember that while making love with you, while moaning your name?" I asked. He then was silent. "No, she didn't. Now, it's all good. I have removed her from this world, the only barrier between me and you."

He looked appalled with what I said, "Barrier?! Removed?! You f*****g killed her!" He hugged the lifeless body of my bestfriend. "You killed the only woman that I have ever loved and will ever love in this lifetime!"

"What?!" I was taken aback and dismayed by his words. I shook my head fierecely while I laugh—I was laughing while tears kept falling down from eyes. It would not stop no matter what I do. "No... no... I am the only woman that you love. You're lying." I laughed out loud like I am some sort of a maniac. My broken heart, they did not even have pity on me... these people. They stepped on the broken pieces my heart and crushed them more into bits. "You love me... me... only me!"

"Do you want to know the truth?" he asked. I wanted to say no. I wanted him to stop already. All the words that goes out of his mouth is only hurting me and hurting me even more.

"I do not love you, you hear me? I do not love you at all. I only stayed by your side because I pitied you," he said. Please stop already!

"Ever since we were together and up until know, all I felt for you was pity. Everything I did for you is because you were too pitiful. I do not feel any kind of attraction towards you at all!" he said to me, my knees are weak and my insides are shaking.

"Did you hear me? Did you hear everything that I have said?" he continued. Stop it! My heart is even more broken with the way you are speaking. STOP IT ALREADY! "The girl you killed... she was the only person who was able to bring back my smile."

"STOP IT!" I've had enough of it. I then saw him hugging and whispering sweet nothings to that b***h's lifeless body while crying. It's as if she's the most precious thing in the world in his eyes. It hurts.

"...I'm sorry, my love. I love you," he said.

No... no one can take you away from me. You're mine. You are mine alone. I would not let anyone take you from me. Your heart is mine alone. I will do everything and anything to have you.

I stepped towards him and I was shaking while I was tightly holding a knife as I plunged it into his back repeatedly. 1, 2, 3,...12 stabs—equivalent to the number of months we were together.

I separated his lifeless body from my best friend and caressed his face, "I promise you, I won't let our memories fade away. You and I will always be together, now, and in another life."

I glanced at him and I's hands that were chained together. He looked peaceful as he laid his head on my shoulder.

Here, on this cliff, we have reached our limits. I felt the rush of air as we take a huge leap towards our ending. My love, my man—we're finally free.

- - -

REE SLOWLY GAINED CONSCIOUSNESS, bothered by the noise the people around her were making.

"What kind of dream was so morbid like that?" she thought to herself.

Her body felt heavy, and she was aching all over. The last thing she remembered was falling from a cliff after saving a child. Did she not die, she thought to herself. After falling from such a tall cliff, she would not believe she could have survived. She tried to open her eyes and move her limbs which she was successful in doing to her shock. Is she really alive, she thought to herself again, or was she in heaven or purgatory?

When she glanced at her surroundings, she was shocked to be in an unfamiliar place. Did her saviors bring her here? Their place is weird though, she thought silently. There were only old lamps and old furniture around. She curiously looked at the divider in the room which was covered with embroidery. There were also ancient Chinese scribbles in the divider.

What awakened her was the noise outside. It seemed like people were arguing, and it was making her head hurt. It’s strange though. She only has minor bruises all over her body that it did not seem like she fell off from a tall cliff. She further examined her body.

As she examined herself, she felt even more strange. She did not find a birthmark on her left wrist. Her skin looked healthy, soft, and supple. The last time she remembers, her skin was way too dry as she did not take care of her skin anymore. She then stared at the clothes she was wearing. Why was she wearing a long dress or was it a gown? And her hair, she remembered she cut her hair short. Why was her hair long? And why are there pins on her hair? What on earth is happening? She forced herself to stand and looked around the room for a mirror.

Spotting a mirror at the corner of the room, she went towards it. She held the mirror to her face and was shocked out of her wits by what she saw. She still had the same face, but it looked way to young. Furthermore, there was a brown patch on her forehead. She accidentally dropped the mirror and screamed. In an instant, people rushed towards her room and started flocking over her.

“Miss, are you okay? Are you hurting somewhere?” asked a tall, young girl who had worried eyes and was holding both of her hands together. She did not know what to say, so she just stared at her.

Another woman approached her. This time, she looked like a woman in her 40s. “Esmereé, my daughter, are you feeling alright?” she said to her which got her even more confused. Esmereé? Who is Esmereé? And where was she? What was happening? Why did she look so much younger and why did it seem like this body is not hers?

The young woman beside her suddenly cried out loud which startled her. “This is the fault of those spoiled women, miss. I already told you they were not up to good when they invited you for tea. They ignored us the whole time we stayed here, and even when we arrived, they did not even greet your mother, and they suddenly became friendly? I knew something was up, and I was indeed right. You should have listened to me, miss. This should have not happened if you did.”

“Anne, calm down. Your overwhelming her,” the old woman said. She then turned to her and spoke, “Are you feeling okay? Does it hurt anywhere?” As the woman was asking a question with genuine concern on her face, she shook her face.

“Miss, please speak. You are making us worry,” the girl named Anne spake again. They looked at her in anticipation, so she did talk and asked them some questions that made them worry even more.

“What happened to me? Why is my face like this? Who are you? Who is Esmereé? Where am I? How did you bring me here? What date is it now?” she asked. But she was then shocked with the sound of her voice. It was gentle and soft, so not her. Her voice had a unique depth. She could not believe what she just heard. That is why she started babbling some random words to the shock of the two women beside her.

“Lalalala… blah blah blah… rah rah rah… goo goo goo… Hi! Hello! How are you? I’m fine, thank you! What the… what is happening with me? This is not my voice!”

She was again startled when Anne suddenly cried again, “Miss, what is going on with you? Should I call for a physician now, Madame?” Anne said as she turned to the older woman. The latter nodded and went back to stare at her with worry in her eyes. Anne immediately left and the old woman pulled her towards the bed, and they both sat at the corner of it.

“Do you really not remember anything, dear?”

“I remember falling from a tall cliff after saving a little boy from a car accident.”

“But my dear, you fell on a pond, not a cliff. And there was no child with you,” the woman replied to her.

“Impossible! I can recall everything clearly,” she said as she contemplated what was happening. She then faced the older woman and asked, “Where am I?”

“We are in the kingdom of Nivea. You have been living in this kingdom for 16 years.”

“16 years? You are telling me that I’m just 16 years old?” she asked and the woman nodded, obviously getting alarmed with her behavior. “But I’m already 30 years old! And what kingdom? There is no such thing as a kingdom anymore. What is really happening?”

“I am really getting worried with what you are saying, Esmereé. If this is another antic of yours, it is not funny anymore. You are already scaring your mother.”

“Mother?”

“Esmereé, did you really forget everything?”

“I do not know. I am not even sure if everything I see and hear here is real. Maybe, I’m just dreaming? Maybe, I will wake up and I would be out of here?”

The woman suddenly hugged her tight. “No! No one is leaving anyone. It is okay. Even if you forget about everything, I will teach you all that you need to know. Do not worry. You will be okay. We will be okay,” the woman said. She then looked at her with tears in her eyes.

“You are Esmereé Levine, the fourth miss of one of the influential families in the kingdom, the Levines, and my daughter. I am the third concubine of your father who is a minister of the court. We were banished as soon as you were born for you had an unusual brown patch on your forehead. With the insistence and persuasion of your father’s main wife, he believed that you would bring shame and bad luck to the family as beauty was such a great deal in our kingdom, and we women take pride in our appearance. We were then thrown to the countryside and left to fend for ourselves. 16 years later, we were summoned back to the city for reasons still unknown to us.”

“Wait, is this a prank? Are we filming a drama or is there a hidden camera around? Seriously, this is not funny anymore. I just fell off a cliff, and you pranking a sick person is not in any way funny. I should be in a hospital right now and getting my whole body checked up.”

“My poor daughter, what are you talking about? I cannot understand what you are saying,” said the woman.

“That’s it! I am getting out of here,” she said and she stood up and proceeded to leave the room with the woman in tow.

“Where are you going? The physician will be arriving anytime soon. You need to rest, my dear. Please listen to your mother. Where are you going?”

She still could hear the old woman calling her out, but if she continued to be within her presence, she might go crazy. What kingdom? What concubine? Did she look naive for her to expect that she will believe whatever she says? She was still looking for the exit when a group of women appeared before her.

“What do we have here? You are really a tough nut to c***k, younger sister,” said the woman wearing a pink, long dress.

“You said that right. What would you expect? She came from the countryside. A small incident like that would not falter her,” another lady said.

She did not know what they were talking about, and she did not care. What she wants to do is to leave this place, and go back to her family. Her mother is probably cursing her to death for disappearing for quite a long time already.

“I’m sorry ladies, but I have no time for chitchats. Would you be kind enough to show me where to find the door that will allow me to leave this place?” she said, catching the ladies off guard.

One of them pointed towards her left, and she immediately rushed towards the direction that was pointed out to her after muttering a quick “Thanks!”

“Are you crazy? Why did you tell her?” the lady wearing the pink dress asked.

“Just let her. We would not be the new one who will be reprimanded by Father once he finds this out. We just do not know what she could do outside. She might lose her reputation or something. Would that not work for our favor?” said the other woman who has just arrived.

“Elder sister…” both of the women greeted the woman.

Meanwhile, as Ree explored the area outside the manor she just came from, she felt even more strange. The streets looked like what she would see in a drama—ancient, old, traditional. She felt a funny feeling in her gut, and she was not liking it.

Anywhere she looked, there were people who wear similar clothes. People were interacting with each other like they would in real life. Some people were buying stuff using copper coins. There were carriages passing the roads.

Looking at the scene right before her very eyes, this would be in no way made up just for her. Who was she anyway? She was just an insignificant person. Who would prank her like this? And why would she be in a drama, right? There was just no way. That was just impossible. And what about a hidden camera? Nah, that’s also just as impossible as the former. So, what is this? What is happening? Did she reincarnate? No, reincarnation is when one dies, and is reborn anew from birth onwards. So, she transmigrated? As she could still remember what she read before, transmigration happens when a soul from another world goes and enters the body of an already existing individual from the world one is transferred to. Although she still looks like younger herself, she was sure it was not her own body. It feels and looks too different.

“So what that woman said earlier was true? I am living now as Esmereé? Then what about my original body? Did I die after I fell from the cliff?” She was still processing the information when she heard a familiar cry on her left.

“Miss, why did you leave the manor? Your father will reprimand you to no end. Let’s go back now, please. Your mother is worried sick.”

With a sigh of defeat, she nodded and said, “Let’s go home.”

As she was given a second chance to live, she decided that in this life, she will treat herself better, and live her life to the fullest to leave no regrets in the end. She thanked the heavens above for this chance. She would not waste it and live a good life.

- - -

Every single one of us has our own fantasy on how to find love, maybe meeting a stranger in a train or probably experiencing love at first sight. All journeys are different. All tales are unique and all tales of love are beautiful. You find love in the most unexpected places. There are times when we have to let go of all the worries in the world and take a step back. We have to let ourselves run wild, feel life, take our chances and push our way through a sea of people once in a while to a spot that can probably change our lives.

Love is built on the unknown. What will happen when we decide to embark on an adventure we always dreamed of? Is falling in love in a foreign, unfamiliar place evitable when with every single step you take, romance simply engulfs you and everywhere you look seems like you're in a romantic movie? Will you be able to find that perfect love while coming across strangers with the same hopes of falling into a deep and sudden romance?

Growing up differently from most kids your age is never easy—from an average family, had a hard time keeping up with others in school, no fun childhood memories to recall, no friends to hang out with, was bullied, and with trust and confidence issues.

I always noticed the things I lack—how I was too thin, how people around me would wear nicer outfits, how they had long, beautiful hair, and unblemished skin. And here comes me—the tall, awkward girl with wild hair. I was a lonely kid, who was always inside the house, playing on her own.

The Ree you now know has grown so much—has regained her confidence and is slowly trying to spread her wings. She has learned that her happiest and healthiest self can be found when she isn't concerned about what others would think. She's discovering herself, learning to love some things, and is working hard on them.

I look around me now and I feel free, happy. I discovered things I thought I could never do, and I'm so excited to pursue them in the future. Yes, there were people who hurt me, deserted me and so will other people in the future but I will no longer allow myself to be placed in situations that will drive me into a hole that I couldn't climb out of.

To those who are struggling out there, it will be okay. Do what you want, be your weird self. Enjoy doing the things you truly enjoy and be with the people you love. It's okay to be different. It's okay to be unusual, to like and do unusual things because it keeps us human.