She had no idea how it all happened. Everything had happened so quickly. One moment she was crossing the road and the next moment, a speeding car headed towards her as her last memory of the car was its bright lights shining at her. She had reflexively squinted her eyes but when she tried opening her eyes again, the images in front of her were fuzzy as she could not make out the figures that stood around her.

 

Her whole body writhed in pain and it was unbearable. She bit her lips to hold back the screams trapped in her throat. However, all her efforts were in vain as the pain had exponentially passed her pain tolerance.

 

What was happening?

 

Her world had not even become clear before she was pulled into darkness. When she thought that it was just her imagination that she could see, a series of unfamiliar memories flashed before her.

 

What was this? There were two people that she did not recognize. The memories only showed her a few things being their birth, childhood and their personalities. When the memories came to an end, the void went back to black before another thing popped up after. What stood before her was a book flipped open with pages being turned fastly as if it was a moving image.

 

In those images, there were dialogues that could be read and every scene or so, there was a series of choices that were needed to be made. Every choice led to a certain future in the story.

 

She saw a certain girl in the images and the first thought that came to mind was that she was a maid. The maid served under a noble girl around her age and through the eyes of the girl, the maid had met four different individuals.

 

All four of them had fallen in love with her after just a few encounters with each other. Every individual had a different way of expressing their affections for her. They would kill for her, die for her, die with each other, or run away and elope with her. Their love was dangerous and their love ran deep but the maid did not disagree with their ways of affection.

 

In fact, she encouraged them. Everything they did for her, she gladly welcomed it. But, no matter how much they tried to prove their love, only one could be chosen to walk with her down those aisles in the church. If she chose one, then the other three would be greatly affected by her choice. They would either go mad and vent their anger against the innocent people or wallow in their depression until they decide to take their own life.

 

But she couldn’t tell how all those things had to do with her?

 

Just as she thought of this, all the images stopped and turned to focus around one little boy. This boy had beautiful grey hair that shined radiantly coupled with his enchanting crimson eyes. Even if those eyes practically roared in allure, the emotions were evident. His eyes downcast and head lowered, he expressed his hurt and that made him more pitiful.

 

The boy was confessing to the girl about his childhood. He complained about his parents that were cold and distant. His father was cruel and heartless and his mother had only eyes for his father that it leaving him no space for their affection.

 

His mother tried hard for his father’s love but when her plan failed, her anger was vented onto him. When his mother hit him with a cane, he did not even shed a tear. He did not want that witch of a mother to find happiness in his weak state.

 

She caused him so much pain that he was practically numb to it. She was a violent woman and no one could escape her wrath.

 

In contrast to his mother, the maid showed kindness and gave her love to him. The ice that he put around his heart had melted. He had let the maid into his heart and both of them then became engaged.

 

His mother went on a rampage and when she took her life, the couple stared down at her corpse with frightening satisfaction.

 

The curtains had closed with that last image repeating in her mind and everything went dark again.

 

Why were they shown to her? What was the objective of showing her something that did not relate to her?

 

In the world where silence and darkness was her companion, she managed to capture sounds of a bell ringing. It had slowly increased in volume until the ringing was close to her. The sound was still low in volume yet it felt so close.

 

“The world will be destroyed if this story moves on with its path,” a childlike voice echoed in the dark void.

 

What? Where did the voice come from?

 

“You are interesting. Since you’re here, we would like to see how you can prevent the destruction of the world!” the voice giggled in delight. “Prevent the children from meeting the maid they thought they would spend their life with. I believe that you can do it.”

 

“Congratulations, Your Majesty. You have given birth to a healthy baby boy.”

 

Wait...what?

 

The giggle faded into the wind while another voice took over.

 

When the voice quieted after the giggle, a bright light was shone at the far end of the void and slowly, she was able to pick up the movement and voices around her.

 

“Your Imperial Majesty?” Have you regained your consciousness?” and unfamiliar yet familiar voice gently asked her.

 

She opened her eyes to see with more clarity than before. Above her was the canopy of where the bed she laid in rested and her eyes trailed down to the pole of the canopy and her eyes had gazed to a pair of brown eyes.

 

She recognized this girl. This girl was her handmaid and friend, Sandhya. Sandhy had shoulder-length hair that was put up in a bun. Her eyes expressed worry over her as she tightly held on to her hand.

 

What was this stiff and uncomfortable feeling she had?

 

She opened her mouth to try to say something but the dryness of her throat caused her to painfully croak out the words she wanted to say. Sandhya, realizing this, immediately grabbed a glass of water on the tableside while still not letting go of her hand. She had wanted to ask why Sandhya was still holding her hand but when she looked to down again, she realized that it wasn’t Sandhya that was holding her hand.

 

It was her that was holding Sandhya’s.

 

She tried to move her hand away from Sandhya's hand but her hand was numb. She had to clench her hands and release it and repeated the process before her hand responded to her and went back to its relaxed position.

 

Sandhya had moved to support her and helped her lean against the headboard. Sandhya brought the glass of water to her lips and tilted it upwards.

 

When the water passed down her throat, the pain had eased and she was comfortable again. Before she knew it, she greedily drank the whole glass. She felt like she had drunk water in years but, it was good to be able to drink once again.

 

With that being resolved, she looked around the room and towards the maids that were bustling about.

 

She was about to turn to Sandhya when she passed out. When she woke up minutes later, the doctor came in and checked her with a stethoscope. He then checked her pulse and asked a few questions for her to answer.

 

“Your Imperial Majesty, it seems that both you and your baby’s health are in good condition.”

 

“Where’s my baby?” she recalled being congratulated as her baby was delivered.

 

Shockingly, she didn’t remember the nine months that she was supposed to carry the baby. If the pain down her lower region wasn’t still so painful, she might not even think that she just had a baby.

 

The doctor eyed the servants who were ready to await their master’s orders. The doctor was hesitant and worried but he told her where her baby was.

 

From what she knew, there were two different souls inside her body. One was the original and the other was her currently being in the mother’s body.

 

A voice told her to prevent the children in the story from meeting that maid.

 

And it seemed she was the mother that abused her own child. Moreover, she was the mother to the main love interest in a dating simulation, Empress Ophelia Snow Southerns Kolgrim. That meant she was reincarnated into a character in a game.

 

Well...fuck!