Empress of Otherverse

Lucretius had never spent the night alone. Every night, the dead women in his life came and clung to him. His mother and Octavia. In the dark, they blamed him for his coldness and disturbed his sleep.

He was used to this now. It didn’t even feel uncomfortable or painful anymore. It was just part of life.

Therefore, when he woke up in Lonez, he was genuinely shocked.

The sun was up high, and it looked like it was already in the middle of the day.

He murmured in disbelief, “What time is it?”

The black-haired girl, who was sitting at a nearby table, turned around. Her beautiful long hair danced around her face.

Smart black eyes looked at him and asked, “Can’t you tell by looking out the window? Samantha just came by to tell me it will soon be lunch time.”

“… Samantha was here?”

He couldn’t believe it. He slept through the night and late into the morning. Any slight noise always woke him up. Even the smallest movement from Bina did as well. Yet, this morning, Bina got out of the bed, and he didn’t even know about it? Samantha came and went while he was asleep, and he didn’t feel anything?

When he sat up in confusion, Bina came to him and asked worriedly, “Are you ill? You have a strange expression on your face.”

He looked up to see his wife’s familiar face. Behind her, the sun shined brightly, creating a beautiful halo around her.

It was such a warm light he felt like it may be enough to make his ghosts disappear.

***

It felt like a cold spider was climbing on my waist.

I felt even more nervous than when I entered the ballroom on the first night of the celebration.

I was waiting anxiously in the reception room when Samantha’s voice rang from outside the door.

“Your highness! The priestess of Aos Izvita has arrived.”

I replied, making sure my voice didn’t tremble, “Enter, please.”

The door opened and the woman in all white entered. Her long silver hair reached the floor, and her eyes were covered with jewelry.

The only messenger left on this land from the god. The only person who was beyond the emperor’s rule.

The only one who may be able to help me return to my home.

Today, I would find out if my wish would come true.

A goddess of a woman smiled mysteriously and thanked me.

“I am very happy that you invited me here.”

I bowed and replied, “No, it is my honor to see you, priestess.”

Priestess Izvita was truly an amazing woman. Her appearance and her voice weren’t of this world. Even if I didn’t know who she was, I would have known that she was someone very special.

Even with her eyes covered, it seemed that she could see everything. After nodding to me, she turned to Lucretius, who was sitting next to me.

“I didn’t realize you were going to be present as well, your highness.”

He smirked. “Officially, I’m not here.”

The priestess laughed in delight. “Of course. So I will make it official as well. I am here to see only her highness.”

“That’s perfect. Thank you.” Surprisingly, Lucretius sounded sarcastic and sullen.

The priestess walked towards me naturally and sat down on the guest chair. It really looked like she could see everything.

When I openly stared, she laughed quietly. “Are you curious whether I can see or not?”

Oops! Was she able to read my mind?

“I, I’m sorry. Your movements look so… fluid. I apologize for my rudeness.”

The priestess smiled generously. “It’s alright. Everybody wonders that about me. When I first met his highness, who isn’t present here officially, he actually asked me outright if I was really blind.”

When I looked at him in shock, Lucretius replied unconcernedly, “I was only twelve. Besides, it’s strange, right?”

“…”

Even as a child, this man was rude.

The priestess continued, “So don’t feel too bad. My eyes can’t see light, but they allow me to see other things. That’s why I don’t have any difficulties with everyday life.”

Lucretius added, “It’s true. She can even avoid holes in the ground.”

I started to sweat. Did he mean… Did he dig a hole himself to test her?

Lucretius continued, “And she looks exactly the same as when I first met her. I don’t even know if she is human.”

At his rude remark, the priestess didn’t even blink.

She replied to him in a similarly sharp tone, “I am human just like your highness and her highness. I am not a monster his highness thinks I am.”

Lucretius murmured, “You are still as annoying as ever.”

“And you haven’t changed at all either, your highness.”

I could feel the tension between the two.

The priestess helped Lucretius take the throne the day after the former emperor died. Because of it, I assumed they knew each other very well and they had a friendly relationship.

I asked hesitantly, “A… Aren’t you two friends?”

Lucretius smiled unpleasantly and asked, “Why would you think that?”

“Well, because the priestess helped you to take the throne.”

The priestess answered quickly, “I am not someone who would involve my personal feelings in a business matter. His highness was the only legitimate heir to the throne, and that was the reason why I supported him.”

Lucretius smiled and said sarcastically, “Exactly. She did what she was supposed to do, so Bina, don’t think I owe that woman anything.”

They were arguing with each other but strangely, they were doing it through me.

The priestess said to me, “Oh my, someone here is a very ungrateful person with an unfortunate bad memory. I… I feel bad for your highness.”

Grit!

D, did Lucretius just clenched his teeth?

I turned to find him glaring at the priestess openly.

I felt nervous. I was stuck between these two, and I couldn’t understand why.

I guessed Lucretius felt uncomfortable around her because she was the only one who didn’t have to bow to his authority. She was the messenger from god. She was the religion itself and, therefore, independent of anyone’s rule.

She was the daughter of god, not a mere human.

The priestess was definitely different. She didn’t seem like she was entirely from this world.

However, she also wasn’t like me either. She was certainly from this world but just lived at a different level than the rest of the people here.

I felt like I could even see an aura of bright light around her body. Perhaps I was imagining things.

As things got heated, I decided it was time to bring up the main subject. I didn’t invite the priestess here so I could watch her argue with the emperor.

I asked, “Could you listen to my story for a while?”

The priestess, who was giving Lucretius a cold smile, turned to me. Her eyes were covered, but it felt like she could see right through me.

Where should I begin? I hesitated.

Yes, I should start from the beginning.

I was very nervous. I felt stiff and my brain wasn’t working right.

Like an idiot, I blurted out.

“Do you believe in an existence of a different world?”