In my past life, reading always felt like a luxury. Before I got into acting, reading was a passtime I very much enjoyed and took pride in. If a book was good enough, I was able to get it done within a day... depending on the length of course and how small the font was. I always felt that as I became more famous and booked more roles, my love for reading started to diminish. It became a forgotten hobby and my bookshelf was left to collect dust.

One of my recent reads had been a fantasy type novel involving a world of magic. In said novel, the main character grew up with an unfortunate life full of hunger, pain, and poverty. That's until it was discovered that she was the saintess, a being who hadn't graced the lands in almost five decades. Within a matter of hours, her life went from extremely difficult to soft mode. In the end, she somehow becomes the empress and guides the nation while still completing her duties as saintess.

Maybe that's why it took me so long to realize why certain things in this world seemed so familiar. I haven't been here long, but this nagging sense of deja vu never seems to go away. That especially rings true now that I've met my cheating husband and his mistress.

As if things couldn't have been worse, I now realize that I'm one of the antagonists of a novel. It was one I read recently before my sudden rebirth: From Saintess to Empress. Not only am I the neglected wife of the emperor, but I'm also the bitch who torments the saintess every chance she gets. The novel only depicted Chrysanthy as a jealous woman who cared for no one but herself.

"Son of a bitch," I mutter.

"Excuse me?" The priest glances back at me, his eyes wide but eyebrows furrowed.

Offering a small, innocent smile, I shake my head. "I only said I could use a sandwich."

"Ah, it would be a good time to have lunch. Especially for the little one you're carrying."

Yeah, like you care, I think to myself. When the older man turns away, I roll my eyes and fold my hands against my bulging belly. In that area, I feel an unmistakable kick. It would seem the kid doesn't like this weird priest either.

When he stops outside of a door, I almost do a dance out of relief. I'm slightly out of breath after such a long walk from my garden and all the way here. After dealing with this man, I'm now mentally exhausted and ready for a long nap. Somehow, it also feels like I'm soon going to step on a landmine. At least, it feels like I'm being set up. It's an inkling I can't seem to properly explain.

The priest knocks on the door and calls out to the emperor. From this side, we can both clearly make out a crash and the squeal of a woman. It becomes silent on the other side before a deep voice tells us to enter. Grabbing the knob, the priest pushes the door open and we both enter. Instantly, the smell of jasmine flowers fills my nostrils, making me nauseous. Lifting a hand to my nose, I look around the office. I take in the large bookshelf in the corner, the medium-sized coffee table in the center surrounded by two couches, the large desk where my idiot husband sits, and the huge window behind him. Opposite from the bookshelf is a tall stand with a white vase full of the source of that nauseating smell.

Stepping fully into the gray interior of the office, I make eye contact with my husband. He looks dishevelling with mussed hair, an uplifted collar with some of his buttons undone, and obvious lipstick smudged on his mouth and partly his cheeks. A scoff fights its way out of my mouth, filling the silent room.

The priest clears his throat and plasters an awkward smile on his face. "Your Imperial Majesty, it seems the empress has something to say."

My idiot husband glares at me with eyes full of hatred. I'm not sure if it's this body's natural reaction, my I shiver and tense up in what seems to be fear. My heartbeat increases as if it wants to hop out of my chest. With this feeling present, I make a mental note to surf through my memories later.

"Yes," I clear my throat, "I have something to say."

"What is it?" Callum asks. He looks down at some papers on his desk and begins to fiddle with them.

I guess this is his way of showing I don't matter at all to him.

Raising an eyebrow, I look at the two others in the room. "Please exit while I'm talking with my husband."

As if they're the same person, their mouths drop open in surprise. Then slowly, they begin to exit the room. Aster, the woman, looks back at my husband with a pout on her face. For some reason, I want to wipe that annoying look off her face. Especially because she has matching lip stains with my husband. It's not like I love him, it's just the fact that I'm being cheated on right in front of my face.

"Today, please." My tone is stern as I cross my arms. Aster's eyes meet mine, drilling into me as if I'm the uncommon denominator. Though I guess in this world I am.

"What is it you want, Chrysanthy? I don't appreciate you kicking out my guests and I'm very busy right now. I really don't have time for any drama you're trying to bring."

Turning to him, I give him a sarcastic laugh. "Yes, because I'm sure you were getting plenty done in regards to cleaning that woman's lips off with yours. I didn't know saintesses were allowed to be so loose."

"Watch your mouth." He glares at me, slamming his fountain pen down. "State your business or leave my sight."

Scoffing once again, I move forward. Once I'm right in front of his desk, I slam my hands on the wood before leaning forward. "I would like access to my account books."

"Excuse me?"

"I said... give me access to the account books of my palace."

Callum leans back in his chair with a sigh. "And why would I do that?"

"Ah... I guess this is also once of your plans to remove me from my position? Place incompetent people in my palace who want to do the bare minimum. Then once I go crazy from the lack of care that an empress actually deserves, what? You expect me to ask for a divorce?"

Okay, maybe I'm laying it on a little thick, but who cares. If I have really become Chrysanthy, then there's a possibility that I'm destined to die. I mean, if childbirth doesn't kill me then I believe I'll be executed not long after my child is born. Well, it's not like I'd ever let that happen.

Callum signs once again. He closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. Truly, he is a very handsome man. With gorgeous blue eyes that match the ocean on a sunny day and shiny red hair, the two match his tanned skin well. A single mole rests under his right eye, bringing attention to his long lashes. Pink lips rest on top of a jaw that's well sculpted, but not so sharp that he looks unreal. Even under his button up and jacket, I can tell that he has a good body from years of sword training.

Ah, it's a real shame that he's such an asshole.

"Chrysanthy, I'm not in the mood for anymore of your tantrums," he says. "Please leave my office."

So this has been a recurring issue?

"Respectfully, I refuse. You're acting as if I'm asking for a lot. All I want is the right given to me upon becoming the empress of this nation."

Here's a staredown between the two of us. Neither of us want to back down as blue eyes meet green. While this occurs, without my permission, my mind begins to play a scene in my head. It's easy to make out a young Chrysanthy and Callum as they attend a ball together. While the young us dance, our eyes stay locked on each other. Both of us have smiles on our faces, reflecting the childlike innocence we have.

Shaking that thought from my mind, I curl my lip. From that memory, we used to be close at some point. So where did things go wrong? What caused Callum to regard me in such disgust? I can't help but tie things back to Aster. Giving a swift scroll through the memories, there's a sudden change when Aster is first introduced to the monarchs of this world; me and Callum.

It was when we were introduced that Callum started acting like a buffoon. Almost immediately after, he began to avoid Chrysanthy as if she had the plague. That was only a year ago, so it's a very quick turnaround for him to all of a sudden start hating her.

"Fine," Callum hisses, cutting my thought process off. He yanks a fresh piece of people from a pile and writes something down. Then he pulls a stamp from his drawer and slams it against the sheet under his squiggling. "Here. Take this and give it to the book keeper. He'll be able to provide you with the ledgers and account books for your palace. I trust I won't have to worry about you asking for help?"

Narrowing my eyes, I snatch the paper out of his hand. "I have years of training under my belt... it's ridiculous that you think I don't know what I'm doing. Now if you'll excuse me."

With access to more authority under my belt, I turn on my heel and head for the door. I give one final glance at the white flowers and twist my lips into a snarling frown. Those things stick, just like my position in this dreadful empire.

*Sorry for the delay. I got sick and then it was my birthday and then I had so much work. But I hope this chapter was good for you guys! Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think, and don't forget to vote!*