'Where am I…? What is this place?'
That was the first thought that popped into my head the moment I opened my eyes.
Warm light touched my face, filtering down from the ceiling. The sheets under me were smooth—way too smooth. Like… five-star hotel smooth.
I blinked, confused.
Then I looked up.
Wait… is that a freakin' chandelier!?
I shot up like a spring-loaded zombie.
This ain't my room. This ain't even my apartment!
"Where the hell—"
"Ngghhh…"
I froze.
A sound. A groan. From beside me.
I turned my head slowly, like I was in some horror movie.
And there he was.
A man.
Sleeping right next to me.
Black hair, silky and slightly messy, falling over his closed eyes. Sharp jawline. Lips too good for this world. And he looked half-naked under those sheets.
OH. MY. GOD.
My brain short-circuited.
WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?!
Did I…?
Did we…?
NO NO NO—
Did I get wasted and sleep with some random hot guy?!
My whole soul left my body for a second.
I was just supposed to have one drink! Just one! I knew I shouldn't have opened that second bottle of soju. Or was it the wine? Or both?! I was probably blackout drunk!
Damn it, why didn't I just go to bed like a normal person?!
I clutched my pounding head, panic rising—
But then… something felt off.
Wait. My body felt different.
My hands—smaller? Softer?... My hair— is long and .....silver!?
And this room… this wasn't just fancy. It was straight-up medieval luxury palace.
And the guy next to me? He didn't look like anyone from Korea. He looked like some brooding prince charming from a fantasy manhwa.
That's when it hit me.
This wasn't a one-night stand.
This was something worse.
I wasn't in my world anymore.
I was in a different body.
A different life.
Freaking hell.
"Your Majesty, the northern nobles demand an explanation regarding the grain tax."
"Your Majesty, shall we deploy additional troops to the border?"
"Your Majesty, the palace maids are awaiting your orders for the evening banquet."
Ugh. These people are seriously vexatious. "Your Majesty" here, "Your Majesty" there. For god's sake—can't they just leave me alone!?
Back in Korea, I used to imagine getting reincarnated or transmigrated into a fantasy world. Ideally, as a newborn princess or the daughter of some noble house—so I could take my time and learn the ropes, step by step. Just like those cliché reincarnation novels I used to binge every night.
But what did I get?
I. Am. Screwed.
Of all the characters I could've possessed from every novel I've read—why the hell did it have to be a side character?
And not just any side character. A villainess. One I barely even remembered. Someone who had little to no presence in the original plot!
And the worst part?
I ended up inside the body of Demonica del Griffanie—the younger sister of the main villain from the novel I read in Korea, "Bloodbound Vows and Blossoms."
Let me explain.
That novel was about a fiery and strong-willed princess from the Caelorthian Empire named Seraphine Villa Caelora. She fell in love with a mysterious slave named Eryndor Valhane, who turned out to be the last heir of House Valhane—a noble family that had been wiped out by the Griffanie royal family years ago.
The reason? If anyone found out Eryndor was still alive, it would spark a rebellion. His name alone could destroy the fragile peace and expose all the dirty crimes committed by Griffanie during the purge. So obviously, they wanted him dead.
Anyway, Seraphine and Eryndor went through hell—betrayal, war, assassination attempts—and somehow still got their happy ending. Yay for them.
But someone else paid the price.
That someone was Seraphine's older half-brother, Arkanghel Villa Caelora. In order to protect his sister and her lover from Griffanie's retaliation, he struck a deal: he offered up the sovereignty of their empire in exchange for peace.
And as part of that deal, King Alfonseo of Griffanie arranged for Demonica del Griffanie—that's me now—to marry Arkanghel, the emperor of Caelorthian.
This political marriage was Griffanie's way of gaining control over Caelorthian without shedding more blood. It silenced both kingdoms. With Demonica becoming Empress, any further conflict about Seraphine and Eryndor's relationship was swept under the rug. The alliance created through the marriage kept both nations in check. War was avoided.
But while Seraphine and Eryndor rode off into the sunset, the story never told us what happened to Arkanghel afterward. His fate was left vague, almost like the author just forgot about him once the main couple got their ending.
And now… I'm here. In Demonica's body. As an adult. Already married. Already hated. Already Empress.
Why couldn't I have been reborn as her younger self? Maybe then I could have changed things. Avoided becoming this cold, cruel, and calculating woman the world remembers her as.
Seriously, just my luck.
How the hell am I supposed to rule an empire when I don't even know how taxes work?! I'm surrounded by suspicious nobles, fake smiles, and a husband who looks at me like I crawled out of hell.
What now, huh?
Is there any way to fix this nightmare?