TPECIAD 01

1. Possession… and I’m Too Beautiful 

“Elysee!”

The door burst open.

‘Ah! That startled me! Why is it so loud?’

I woke up in surprise. Above me was a luxurious ceiling I had never seen before, and a large bed canopy embroidered with beautiful lace patterns.

‘Huh? Where am I?’

I wanted to get up, but my body felt heavy and wouldn’t respond.

‘Am I in a hospital?’

“Are you alright?”

Before I could even process what was happening, a handsome young man with golden hair rushed toward me.

‘A foreigner?’

I didn’t know how I had suddenly ended up in a foreign place, but the man in front of me was speaking Korean. His appearance was unrealistically handsome, like someone straight out of a fantasy film. Come to think of it, the entire room was decorated in an ornate Western style.

‘What is this? Am I in heaven after dying?’

“What has happened! A healthy person suddenly collapsing like this!”

The handsome man raised his voice at the people in the room, then gently cupped my face with both hands, as if afraid even the slightest scratch might appear.

“Wh-who are you?”

What’s he doing touching someone’s face like that? Without thinking, I avoided the unfamiliar man’s touch and blurted out the words. His face stiffened coldly. I could see the people around us gasping in shock.

“…Explain what is going on.”

The man spoke slowly in a low voice. He seemed quite angry. An elderly man in white clothes beside him trembled as he spoke.

“I-it appears that she has lost part of her memory when she collapsed.”

“Lost her memory??”

‘Did I collapse?’

My eyes widened in shock, and the handsome man’s blue eyes widened even more. He looked genuinely flustered. The frightened old man explained that sometimes this happens if someone hits their head, but it didn’t seem to reassure him. The moment the man clenched his fist without saying anything, the old man suddenly dropped to the floor and prostrated himself.

“Y-Your Majesty. Please spare my life.”

‘Your Majesty??’

I hurriedly tried to sit up. Wherever this was, this man was the emperor. If I didn’t behave properly, I might end up dead. Judging from the atmosphere, he looked like the type who was extremely handsome—but also had a terrible temper.

“Um…”

“Elysee, just lie still.”

As if he hadn’t just been angry, the emperor gently grabbed my arm and laid me back down. But his gaze stopped at the area around my chest.

‘Huh? Where are you looking?’

“Eek!”

I screamed and quickly pulled the lace covering my front closed. Through the partially open neckline, my ample cleavage was clearly visible. What kind of outfit is this?! Even if it’s a bedroom, how could I be wearing something so revealing? As I panicked, the emperor’s eyes were filled with sorrow and regret.

“Surely… you remember nothing?”

Is covering my chest that tragic?

“The rest of her seems fine. If she rests for a few days, she should improve. It’s not uncommon for memory to return suddenly.”

After hearing the doctor’s words, the emperor shot him a sharp glare again.

“Prepare a medicinal decoction that aids memory! Use anything from the imperial palace if needed.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

At the doctor’s words that I needed rest and stability, the attendants who followed the emperor quickly left the room. However…

‘Why aren’t you leaving?’

The emperor showed no intention of going anywhere.

“Elysee…”

Ignoring the doctor’s advice, the emperor held both of my hands tightly and sat beside the bed.

‘He’s made himself at home, hasn’t he?’

“I’m fine.”

I’m the patient, and I say I’m fine. Could you please leave? I wanted to send the emperor away and take a moment to assess the situation.

“You say you’re fine, yet you don’t even remember me.”

Ah, so he’s the type who doesn’t listen.

“Do you at least remember who you are?”

That was convenient—I was curious about that myself. Fine, if he wasn’t leaving, I might as well ask him directly. I decided to be straightforward.

“I don’t remember.”

A soft, gentle voice flowed from my lips. The beautiful voice and my firm tone felt oddly mismatched, even to me. The emperor’s face darkened further. Soon, tears welled up in his blue eyes.

What? He’s about to cry?

A grown man—moreover, a handsome blond man who is the emperor of this country—was looking at me as if he might burst into tears.

“You…”

I swallowed hard, unsure what he was about to say.

“Your… beloved concubine, Elysee.”

“…Pardon? Concubine?”

Concubine? Not a wife?

I was stunned. I had thought he treated me so carefully that I assumed I was his wife, but that expectation crumbled instantly. Waking up in another world was shocking enough, but being a concubine made it even more bewildering. I had never even properly dated, let alone married.

“Yes. I loved you dearly and brought you from the Grand Duchy of Cremian. And your closest friend Reina is here because you requested it.”

Drip. Drip.

In the end, the emperor began to cry, tears falling heavily like raindrops. One of the maids standing beside him also looked tearful, glancing at me. She must be Reina.

“Go and bring a mirror!”

At the emperor’s command, Reina brought in a large mirror that could reflect my upper body.

“Now, look. This is you, Elysee.”

“…Ah.”

I was momentarily speechless. How could such a beautiful woman exist? Even as a woman, I was stunned. The reflection in the mirror left me speechless. An unbelievably gorgeous face stared back at me. Silver hair flowing like light, golden eyes, and soft pink lips standing out against flawless white skin. Even her figure was perfect—it was like something not of this world.

‘Is this… me? Can someone be this beautiful?’

Then something suddenly clicked in my mind.

‘Wait a minute… Ah, right. I remember now.’

Elysee, Reina, the Grand Duchy of Cremian. Names I had heard before. The story of a beautiful maid named Elysee who became the emperor’s concubine, rose to the position of a consort, and ultimately met her death after aiming for the empress’s throne—and the story of a powerful, “girl-crush” empress who devoured everything. Only then did I realize.

I had possessed a character.

Into the novel Empress Psyche, a refreshing female-lead web novel I had once skimmed through—into the role of the emperor’s concubine!

I was just an office worker who enjoyed web novels. I quit a job that didn’t suit me after just one year. Preparing for civil service exams wasn’t easy, so over the past three years I had been moving between companies, working contract jobs.

At home, my mother and younger brother lived together, but we only kept in touch occasionally as everyone was busy with their own lives. As usual, I had dinner alone in my small rented room, read web novels, and fell asleep—only to wake up in this situation.

‘In reality… did I die?’

Or rather, why did I end up possessing Elysee, who is destined to die? Not even the heroine! This was the worst kind of misfortune. Compared to my 24-year-old self who didn’t even remember dying, this current situation—possessing a supporting character who would soon die—felt even more miserable.

‘When does Elysee die?’

I might not have much time left. I didn’t want to die like this. It was unfair enough to die at 24 without knowing why, but being reborn as a stunning beauty only to die soon afterward was even worse. I couldn’t remember the story in detail, but if my memory was correct, Elysee was a concubine brought in after the emperor of the Mironica Empire married the empress.

‘So I’m basically the other woman?’

In the novel, the emperor taking a concubine wasn’t necessarily wrong. But I was not someone from that world. My moral values belonged to reality. Wasn’t this a role where I lured a married man and hurt his wife? And the biggest problem of all—I was a side character who would be killed by the heroine.

At that moment, bang! The door opened again.

“Empress!”

The protagonist of this world, Psyche, had appeared. The empress Psyche was truly the main character. Her red hair was elegantly styled without a single strand out of place, and a small tiara sparkled atop her head. Her composed yet beautiful face and firmly closed lips reflected her dignified character. Her brilliant emerald eyes looked both just and wise. Not just because she was the empress—she was simply graceful and admirable, and I found myself captivated.

‘And this is the kind of wife the emperor ignored for another woman?’

“Ah, you are here. Are you feeling well?”

Psyche asked about my condition in a calm, beautiful voice. The sudden question startled me so much that I could only nod repeatedly.

“Hmm. Empress, what brings you here?”

Emperor Roan stood up awkwardly and faced the empress. He looked like a child protecting a treasured toy from being taken away by his mother. However, in the original story, Roan was a regretful male lead who would eventually return to the empress and realize his true love.

As I processed the situation, only one thought became clear in my mind:

‘If I want to survive, I must stay on Psyche’s good side!’

The beautiful empress spoke as if soothing the emperor.

“Your Majesty.”

“…”

“No matter how precious your concubine is, how could you leave in the middle of an important state council meeting?”

‘He left a state council meeting?’

He dropped everything and rushed here because I collapsed? Roan looked at me with a “Look how well I did” expression.

Oh no… I don’t want to be in this possession anymore.

“Your Majesty, that is an exaggeration. You know that Elysee is the most precious person to me!”

Emperor, are you insane? I could almost hear the sound of my life being cut short. Even a magnanimous person like Psyche would have reason to be upset. But surprisingly, Psyche simply let out a soft sigh and calmly soothed him.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Of course I know. However, you were in the middle of discussing a very important matter. Please return to the meeting room.”

She was so composed that even a saint would weep in comparison. She didn’t panic or get angry at all, instead gently calming the emperor. Was this truly the heroine? Or was Psyche always like this in the original story?

“No!”

A response that shocked both Psyche and me rang out. The emperor refused to attend the meeting—despite the empress personally coming to fetch him.

“Today, I will personally take care of Elysee and stay here in her chambers.”

‘What?! Sir, what about my opinion?’

Who said I wanted that? I shook my head vigorously. What kind of wife would feel comfortable hearing her husband declare he will personally care for his concubine and even stay the night with her? And the emperor, no less.

Psyche’s previously calm expression cracked slightly. Sensing danger, I instinctively shouted:

“I-I don’t want that!”

At my words, everyone in the room looked at me in shock. The emperor’s devastated expression aside, everyone else seemed to be thinking, “What’s gotten into her?” And I understood why.

In the original story, Elysee was someone who openly seduced the emperor. Though Roan fell for her at first sight, after she became his concubine, Elysee awakened to her desires. After enjoying power and wealth, she actively tried to seduce the emperor. So everyone must have been shocked by my sudden change.

“So it is true that you’ve lost your memory.”

Psyche looked at me with surprise.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I just learned who I am.”

Psyche narrowed her eyes with interest.

Then, desperately wanting to survive, I shouted impulsively:

“I… I like the Empress more than the Emperor!”

Everyone’s mouths fell open in shock.