chapter 1
【 Prologue 】
One dawn in the year 154 of the Imperial Calendar.
The central sanctuary of the Grand Temple of the Set Empire.
At this very moment, an imperial funeral was being held.
The one lying in the coffin was Livia Set.
The Empress, who had died young at the age of twenty-two.
Angels carved into the ceiling and pillars.
A massive statue of a goddess overlooking the temple.
Famous paintings symbolizing rest and peace.
The solemn hymns of the choir.
All of it mourned Livia’s death.
The choir’s song ended. Only one step remained—closing the coffin and laying the body to rest.
The high priest, his hair streaked with gray, presided over the ceremony.
“His Majesty, the Sun of the Set Empire. All nobles and clergy gathered here. Now, as we pray for the eternal rest of Her Majesty the Empress, who passed away so tragically young… we shall close the coffin.”
Once sealed, the coffin could never be opened again. It would be Livia’s final farewell to the world.
“Close it.”
At the high priest’s command, six priests carried the lid toward the coffin.
Just as they were about to place it—
“No!!”
A scream suddenly burst from inside the coffin.
A woman shot upright.
Everyone froze in shock.
Light brown, voluminous hair.
Emerald-green eyes.
A face pale as snow with rosy cheeks.
And—
Wide, bewildered eyes.
It was unmistakably Empress Livia Set.
“A–Ahhh!”
The priests stumbled backward in terror. The coffin lid crashed to the floor with a loud clang.
That sound triggered chaos throughout the temple.
“Eek!”
“Th–The Empress… Her Majesty has come back to life!”
“G–Good heavens…!”
The nobles screamed. One lady fainted, clutching her forehead.
The funeral turned into utter pandemonium.
Trembling, the high priest approached the coffin.
Inside was an unbelievable sight.
There were two women.
One alive, sitting up.
One dead, lying still.
Both looked exactly like Livia.
The high priest swallowed hard. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
Then he dropped to his knees and cried out:
“Her Majesty has been reborn in a new body! A miracle of the Goddess!”
“W–What? Reborn?”
“Then… this is…”
“Another miracle of the Goddess?”
“Oh…! Goddess! Your Majesty!”
One by one, people fell to their knees. Some wept as they prayed.
In recent years, “miracles of the Goddess” had been frequent in the Set Empire.
And so, everyone believed in the Empress’s resurrection.
Everyone except one.
The Emperor.
The young ruler of the Set Empire—Leto Runion Set—sat at the head, observing everything.
At last, he rose.
Step. Step. Step.
He stopped before the coffin.
Looking between the dead Livia and the living one, he spoke:
“Resurrection? Don’t make me laugh.”
The living woman stared up at him blankly.
A cold smirk curled on his lips.
“To defile the Empress’s coffin…”
“….”
“I cannot allow the one who insulted the imperial family to live.”
【 It Begins with a Death Sentence 】
How did this happen to me?
I’m an orphan.
An orphan who never even knew her parents’ faces.
The ordinary happiness others took for granted was never given to me.
A life where I had to do everything alone—I had grown used to it.
Maybe my intelligence was my only blessing.
I clawed my way to scholarships and entered a prestigious university.
Years later, I joined the research team of a major pharmaceutical company.
It was the result of relentless effort for the sake of my life.
But that was where my luck ended.
Workplace bullying began.
For the most ridiculous reason.
Apparently, I didn’t socialize and only worked obsessively.
In truth, they just didn’t like that I didn’t join in their gossip.
Raw material research, drug development, experiments, reports—
They dumped everything on me.
Still, I didn’t run away.
Even if it meant staying up for days, I endured.
Because I loved my work.
And because giving up meant losing.
Then one dawn—
I died of overwork.
Collapsed on the cold floor of the lab.
At just twenty-four years old.
Right.
God was never on my side.
But then—
When I opened my eyes, a beautiful woman was lying beside me.
Buried under white flowers and jewels.
At first, I thought it was a dream.
Or the final illusion before death.
Because she was Livia Set, a supporting character from the webtoon “The Second Empress.”
Livia was the cherished daughter of the Marquis Matreion family.
She became Empress through a political marriage.
But timid and incompetent, she never received the Emperor’s love.
With a weak body, she died young—
A tragic Empress.
Of course, that’s how the story had to go.
Because the true protagonist of “The Second Empress” was Meryl Iste.
The Emperor’s second Empress.
With red hair and violet eyes, she was extraordinary in appearance alone.
Kind, wise, and a powerful mage—
A perfect Empress.
The story was about Meryl and the Emperor’s love.
Watching the arrogant, cold Emperor turn into a devoted lover was the highlight.
As for me and Livia—
We had a strange connection.
Back when I was a broke job seeker, I worked part-time as a character model for a webtoon studio.
Wig, colored lenses—the whole thing.
The beautified version of that image became Livia.
How ironic.
Maybe I shouldn’t have taken that job.
I never imagined I’d die young like her.
But—
Isn’t this situation too vivid?
The choir’s hymns.
The funeral rites.
Livia’s pale cheeks and blue lips.
‘This… is Livia’s funeral. Then… I’m inside the coffin?’
I saw my reflection in a mirror placed among the burial items.
I froze in shock.
It was another Livia.
‘Wait… did I just get transported into the webtoon? And into Livia’s body…?’
My whole body stiffened.
Then came the thunderous command:
“Close it.”
The coffin lid began to descend.
Darkness crept in.
“No!!”
I shot upright.
And the sight before me left me speechless.
A vast marble temple.
Countless nobles in black.
Their horrified faces.
Everything was too real.
What followed was chaos.
Shock. Fainting. Worship.
Everyone knelt before me—
Except one.
Step. Step. Step.
A man approached the coffin.
…The Emperor.
The male lead of this story.
Twenty-five-year-old Emperor Leto.
Deep blue eyes like the ocean.
Cold silver-gray hair.
The most beautiful man I had ever seen—
And the coldest.
His gaze pierced through me like ice.
Then it twisted into a sneer.
“Resurrection? Ridiculous.”
“….”
“To defile the Empress’s coffin…”
“I cannot let such a criminal live.”
He drew his sword.
The blade gleamed under the chandelier.
“Y–Your Majesty!”
“Please stop!”
“That is the Empress!”
The nobles and priests tried to stop him.
He silenced them with a glare.
Then a man stepped forward cautiously.
Yuton—his closest aide.
“Your Majesty, this is before the Empress’s body. There must be no bloodshed.”
Leto paused.
He looked at Livia’s corpse.
There was no sorrow in his gaze.
Only cold indifference.
“Tch.”
He sheathed his sword.
“Call an emergency council. No need to delay.”
* * *
The imperial council chamber.
The moment I entered, I was stunned.
But reality quickly set in.
This wasn’t a dream.
My life was on the line.
The nobles debated.
“She matches perfectly—appearance, voice—everything.”
“Yes, declare this a miracle—”
“She’s a fraud.”
Leto cut them off.
Then two men stood up.
“That’s our sister!”
“Your Majesty! She is Livia!”
The twin brothers—Louis and Sean.
Powerful mages.
Future enemies of the Emperor.
Leto replied calmly:
“If not a fraud, then a schemer.”
The high priest spoke last:
“Your Majesty, miracles of the Goddess are happening across the empire—”
“I don’t care how,” Leto said. “What matters is that she was inside the Empress’s coffin.”
Silence fell.
Then—
“As the one in authority, I will decide her fate.”
Death.
Execution.
I clenched my skirt.
‘I can’t die like this.’
“I have something to say.”
All eyes turned to me.
I looked straight at Leto.
“There’s no other way.”
“I request a private audience with Your Majesty.”
Silence.
Then—
“Bring her.”
* * *
The private meeting wasn’t mercy.
It was politics.
Inside a dim lounge, we stood alone.
Leto approached.
“You’ve gone to great lengths.”
“….”
“Planning to imitate Livia?”
I swallowed and spoke:
“I am not the resurrected Empress Livia.”
“…What?”
He froze.
“Because resurrection doesn’t exist.”
