Episode 1

[Prologue]

Early dawn of the 154th year of the Imperial Calendar.

The Central Temple of the Set Empire’s Court Ministers.

At this moment, a royal funeral was underway.

The deceased lying in the coffin was “Livia Set.”

The Empress, who had passed away at the young age of twenty-two.

Angels carved into the ceiling and pillars.

A towering goddess statue gazing over the temple.

Masterpieces symbolizing peace and rest.

The solemn voices of the choir.

All of this mourned Livia’s death.

As the choir’s song ended, only one step remained: closing the coffin and placing the body to rest.

The silver-haired chief minister led the ceremony.

“Your Majesty, the Sun of the Set Empire, and all nobles and priests present, we now pray for the eternal rest of our beloved Empress, who has tragically passed… We shall now close the coffin.”

Once sealed, the coffin would never open again. Livia’s body would bid a final farewell to the world.

“Close the coffin.”

The chief minister commanded. Six priests carried the lid toward the coffin. But at that moment—

“No!!”

A scream erupted from inside. The woman in the coffin suddenly sat up. The crowd was petrified.

Chestnut hair flowing.

Emerald-green eyes sparkling.

Snow-white skin and pink cheeks.

And… eyes wide with utter confusion.

It was none other than Empress Livia Set.

“Ah—ugh!”

The priests stumbled back in shock. The coffin lid crashed to the floor with a loud clatter, and pandemonium broke out in the temple.

“Eek!”

“The Empress… She’s alive!”

“W-what in the world…”

Nobles screamed, and one lady fainted with her hand on her forehead. The funeral instantly descended into chaos.

The chief minister approached the coffin, trembling. What he saw inside was beyond belief.

There were two women in the coffin.

One sitting alive.

One lying dead.

Both were Livia.

The chief minister swallowed hard, a thousand thoughts flashing through his mind. Finally, he dropped to his knees and declared:

“The Empress has been reborn in a new body! A miracle of the Goddess!”

“What? Reborn?”

“Then… this must be—”

“Another miracle of the Goddess?”

“Ah…! Goddess! Empress!”

One by one, people knelt. Some wept, offering prayers.

The Set Empire had witnessed several “miracles of the Goddess” over the years. So, most seemed to believe in the Empress’s resurrection.

All except one person.

The young Emperor of the Set Empire, Reto Lunion Set, who sat quietly observing everything from the throne.

He rose without a hint of emotion.

Clack, clack, clack.

Reto walked toward the coffin, stopping in front of the living and dead Livia. He looked at them and said:

“Resurrection, huh. Laughable.”

The living woman stared blankly at him. His lips curved into a sharp, mocking smile.

“To defile the Empress’s coffin… I cannot let a criminal against the royal family live.”

[The Beginning is a Death Sentence]

How did I end up in a situation like this?

I’m an orphan.

An orphan who doesn’t even know her parents’ faces.

The happiness everyone takes for granted was never mine. A life where I had to handle everything alone—so familiar that I’d grown used to it.

Perhaps my only luck was having a sharp mind. I fought tooth and nail to earn scholarships and got into a prestigious university. A few years later, I joined a major pharmaceutical company’s research team. This was the result of relentless effort for my precious life.

But luck only took me so far.

Office politics and bullying began—ridiculous reasons, too. I was “too focused on work” and “couldn’t socialize.” In truth, they resented me for not joining their gossip sessions.

From researching ingredients and developing drugs to conducting experiments and writing reports, they dumped everything on me.

Yet I didn’t run. I worked through nights if I had to. I loved my work. And giving up would mean losing.

Then, one dawn, I died from overwork. Collapsed on the cold laboratory floor. Only twenty-four years old.

Yes. God was never on my side.

But when I opened my eyes… there was a beautiful woman lying beside me. Surrounded by white flowers and jewels.

At first, I thought it was a dream.

Or perhaps the final flash before death.

She was Livia Set, a side character from the webtoon “The Second Empress.”

Livia was the late daughter of Marquis Matriion. She became Empress through an arranged marriage. But timid and incompetent, she failed to win the Emperor’s love. And weak of body, she tragically died young—the “ill-fated Empress.”

Naturally, this made sense in the webtoon’s story. After all, the true protagonist of “The Second Empress” is Meryl Este, the Emperor’s second wife.

Meryl is special from the start. Red hair, violet eyes—a beauty who earns respect just for her appearance. But that’s not all: she’s kind, wise, and an immensely powerful magician. The perfect Empress.

“The Second Empress” is the story of Meryl and the Emperor’s love. The cold, arrogant Emperor transforming into a doting lover—that’s the fun of it.

As for me and Livia, we had a connection. Back when I was broke and job-hunting, I worked part-time as a model for a webtoon studio, helping bring characters to life.

I wore wigs and colored contacts. Livia’s image was inspired and beautified from that modeling.

It’s sad. I shouldn’t have done that part-time job. I had no idea I would die, just like Livia.

I briefly reflected on my unfortunate life. But this situation… feels far too vivid.

The choir’s song. The guiding voice at the funeral. Livia’s pale cheeks. Her blue lips.

“This seems to be… Livia’s funeral? Then am I… in the coffin?”

I saw my reflection in the mirror placed in the coffin as a grave item. My heart nearly stopped. Another Livia stared back at me.

“No way… I’ve entered the webtoon. And I look exactly like the dead Livia?”

My body froze. Then, the thunderous command rang out.

“Close the coffin.”

The lid came down. Darkness threatened to swallow me.

“No!!”

I threw myself upright. And the scene before me left me speechless.

A vast marble temple.

Countless nobles dressed in black.

Faces frozen in terror.

Everything felt terrifyingly real.

What followed was a whirlwind: shock, fainting, and finally, kneeling in reverence.

All except one.

Clack, clack, clack.

A man approached the coffin and looked down at me.

…The Emperor. The male lead of this story. Reto, the twenty-five-year-old young Emperor.

Eyes as deep as the ocean, silver-gray hair that chilled the gaze. Never had I seen someone so beautiful. Yet so cold.

A stare that pierced me through and froze me. And that stare slowly morphed into mockery.

“Resurrection? Laughable.”

“…”

“To defile the Empress’s coffin… I cannot let a criminal against the royal family live.”

Reto smoothly drew his sword, which gleamed under the chandelier light.

“Y-Your Majesty!”

“Hold your position!”

“She is the Empress!”

The ministers and priests tried to stop him. He glared, and they faltered.

Then a man stepped carefully in front of him. I recognized him from the original story: the Emperor’s closest secretary, Yutton.

“Your Majesty, this is in front of the Empress’s corpse. There must be no blood, Your Majesty.”

Reto paused and looked at the dead Livia. His gaze held no sorrow—only cold detachment.

“Tch.”

He clicked his tongue and sheathed his sword. Then he spoke to Yutton:

“Call an emergency meeting immediately. There’s no time to waste.”

Imperial Palace Meeting Hall

The grandeur of the conference hall almost made me dizzy. I forced myself to focus.

Everything was far too vivid. This wasn’t a dream or a pre-death vision.

“Then… I have to stay alert. My life depends on this meeting.”

The ministers sat around the table, and the royal guards placed me at the far end, facing Reto on the throne. He didn’t look at me.

They began discussing this unprecedented situation.

The ministers tried to persuade Reto:

“Your Majesty, her face, hair, eye color, build… even her voice perfectly matches Empress Livia.”

“Yes, proclaim that she has been reborn by the Goddess’s miracle—”

“A fraud.”

Reto’s single word silenced them.

Then two men seated nearby shouted:

“What do you mean?! She’s my sister!”

“Your Majesty! Livia is the daughter of Marquis Matriion and our only sister. Believe our eyes—she is indeed our sister!”

The brown-haired men: Livia’s twin brothers, Louis and Sean. Both are skilled magicians. After Livia’s death, they became Reto’s enemies.

Reto said calmly:

“If she’s not a fraud, then she’s a schemer.”

“What did you just say?!”

Sean jumped to his feet like a spring, furious. Louis held him back.

Finally, the chief minister spoke:

“Your Majesty, miracles of the Goddess are occurring throughout the Empire. This is the culmination. Otherwise, how could the Empress appear before us in a new body?”

“How it happened is irrelevant, Minister. What matters is that she entered the Empress’s coffin.”

“Your Majesty.”

“The guards must also be replaced. What kind of royal funeral allows an unknown intruder?”

A suffocating silence fell. None dared meet his eyes. Except the chief minister.

“Does Your Majesty not believe in the Goddess’s miracles?”

“I only intend to catch the deceiver, Minister.”

The tension was palpable. The minister, a villain of this story, held immense power as head of the faith, second only to the Emperor. Most “miracles” were his schemes to consolidate power and collect offerings.

Fraud, scheming, deceiving… I could see how Reto categorized me.

Reto scanned the room.

“Everyone’s had their say, I suppose?”

“The Goddess is angered!”

The minister shouted solemnly. Reto ignored him.

“Then, as the decision-maker of this meeting, I shall decide her fate.”

The outcome was predictable: death or execution.

I gripped my skirt tightly.

“I can’t just let myself die. I have to speak. Only I can protect myself.”

“May I speak?”

I gathered my courage. All eyes turned to me. Sean and Louis covered their mouths to stop themselves.

“…Louis, you recognize my voice, right?”

“Oh, Livia… my sister.”

Regardless of the brothers, Reto finally looked at me—the first time since the meeting began.

I met his gaze.

“No turning back. This is the only way.”

“I request a private audience with Your Majesty.”

A tense silence fell. None expected this. Every gaze now fixed on Reto.

“Ha.”

Reto let out a bitter laugh, then stared at me sharply.

Time seemed to stretch. Sweat ran down my back. Finally, Reto rose.

“Bring her to me.”

Reto’s consent wasn’t mercy—it was a political show for the Matriion brothers and the minister.

The private audience room was next to the meeting hall. I followed Reto’s entourage.

Thud.

The door closed behind me. I flinched.

A dark room, not a single light on. The pale dawn light slanted through the window, casting the room in Reto’s cold-blue hue.

He crossed his arms, looking down at me with arrogant eyes. I forced calm and said:

“I request privacy, Your Majesty.”

He signaled Yutton and the aides, who quietly left.

Now, it was only the two of us. His face full of suspicion.

“You put too much effort into a predictable trick.”

Reto took a step closer. My breath caught. I instinctively stepped back.

Not just his height or build—it was his presence. An overwhelming air that froze anyone.

“You’re probably pretending to be Livia. Planning to mention some secret about us you discovered?”

“…”

“But too bad. Livia and I share nothing significant. No secrets here.”

He tilted his head, mockery in every gesture.

I swallowed hard, forced down my trembling, and said:

“I am not the resurrected Empress Livia.”

“…What?”

Reto froze. He must have been surprised. Most would plead or pretend to be Livia—common sense survival.

But that’s ordinary sense. Not Reto’s.

So I would speak the truth according to his sense.

“There is no such thing as resurrection in this world.”