The Transmigrated Empress

Meeting The First Madame

"You have some guts! You left the manor without my permission and without anyone accompanying you! Do you not care for your reputation? Even if you don't, you still have to care for our family's reputation because you are a Levine! Did you not know how you have humiliated me today? What would people say about me, huh? That I do not know how to discipline my daughters? That they become unruly, totally disregarding basic manners and etiquette?" said Ree's father who immediately reprimanded her as soon as he saw her enter the manor.

"What did I do? I just went outside. What is wrong with it?" murmured Ree to herself. Unfortunately, it was heard by her father.

"Are you seriously asking me what wrong you did?!" asked his father who she angered even more. He looked like he was about to hit her anytime that is why she immediately hid behind Anne.

"Sister, did you not know that an unmarried female leaving her own home without a chaperone is so unheard of? You could have been compromised outside. But what can we expect from a country bumpkin like you?" said a girl, who was behind her father, to Ree.

Ree can still remember who the girl was. She was the same one who pointed to her the way to the exit, which allowed her to leave the manor. She then smirked. If that girl thinks she can pull her down without getting herself involved, she is mistaken.

She decided to stop hiding behind her maid. She stepped forward before raising her chin and confidently meeting the gaze of the girl who spoke. "Really? Aren't you the one who helped me leave this place? Weren't you the one who taught me the way that led me outside?"

The girl then looked alarmed. She did not expect her to have the guts to go against her. "What... you b***h! Is that how you talk to someone older than you? Is that how you talk to your elder sister?" she said as she started pointing harshly at her.

Ree was shocked at the sudden information served before her. So, this little girl is supposed to be older than her, she thought to herself. How anti-climatic. She thought she was fighting against someone younger than her. She was feeling empowered earlier as she thought she was her junior. Having a sense of seniority was something she never experienced in her past life a she was always at the bottom portion of the chain. But whatever, she thought. Even though she is younger, in this life, she will never allow anyone to step on her. At the very least, this time, she will get to fight her battles unlike before.

"You call me a b***h? Well, a b***h is a female dog. Dogs bark. Bark is a part of a tree. Trees are part of nature and nature is beautiful. So, I would like to thank you for the compliment," she said nonchalantly which caused the other girl to grow ballistic. She looked like a wild dog who was wilding and wanting to eat her whole. If not for her maid who was trying to calm her down while preventing her from attacking her, she would have been clawed or something.

"Very well! You women of the Levine household are a class of your own! You do very well in angering me! Is this what you all have learned while attending your etiquette lessons, cursing and mocking your own family members?! Why don't you go ahead and pull each other's hair then in front of me and in front of other people as well so you can humiliate me even more?!"

"Father, no! Do not compare with that country bumpkin! I am nothing like her! I have never humiliated you. Earlier, she was asking me for directions. I did not know she was going to leave on her own. I did not do it on purpose, father. Please believe me!" said the girl who then tried to look pitiful in front of their father.

Ree scoffed at the drama this little sister of hers was trying to pull. She was so good at acting that if she did not know how manipulative she can be, she would have bought it too.

"What is happening in here?" a domineering female voice was suddenly heard. Ree noticed how everyone stiffened at the mere presence of this person. It seemed like everyone feared this woman.

"Mother..." said the girl who Ree was arguing with earlier. She was shaking and could not even look at the woman in the eyes.

"What is happening here, Luna?" asked the woman in a cold, intimidating voice.

"Mother, fourth sister... she..." Luna stuttered.

"She what? Do I have to wait for you to complete your sentences the whole day?" said the woman who obviously did not have the patience to wait for her to relay what had happened. Luna visibly flinched at her tone. She also has not stopped shaking, making Ree somehow feel pity towards the little girl.

"It is good that you are here, Celestine," Ree's father said to the woman. "Why are these girls like this? Why have they gone unruly? Especially Luna. Look at how she is acting? So shameful!" he continued before looking at his second daughter with disappointed eyes. Celestine, however, gave the poor girl a glare that would cause her a few days of nightmares.

"Also, pay more attention to Esmeree's education. I will not allow her to humiliate me again, you hear me?" her husband added.

"I will pay extra attention to the girls' education. Please forgive my incompetence. I will ensure that these girls would know how to act in a month's time," she replied while looking at Luna and Ree as if she wanted to bore a hole onto their brains.

"Good. It would just be in time to the princes' return," replied her husband.

Ree did not listen to their conversation. She instead closely observed the woman named Celestine. This woman is exceedingly scary, Ree thought to herself. Just merely looking at her giving her a glare is giving her goosebumps. She decided to avoid this woman at all costs. It seems like she has some sort of a say in the manor and it seems like she is in charge of a lot of things. She could not afford to offend this woman if that is really the case. She just knew that it would not do her any good.

"Now, what are you both waiting for? Go back to your courtyards!" said Celestine.

Ree immediately pulled Anne with her and rushed to leave, leaving the people left flabbergasted.

"She wants me to leave. I will gladly leave then," Ree said when they have already walked a distance.

"Miss!" exclaimed Anne with a look of alarm on her face. She then turned back to see if someone heard her lady speaking what she had just spoken. When she saw no one was behind them, she heaved a sigh of relief.

"What?" Ree innocently asked.

"Miss, we cannot afford to anger the first madame. This will put you and your mother at a disadvantage."

"First madame?"

"The first madame is the main wife of your father. There are three madames in this household, and your mother is the third one. The first madame was the reason why you were banished to the countryside, Miss. I asked around and she is in charge with regards to everything related to the household. She is being held in high regard by your father. That is why all the servants here shake at the sight of her. She is known to be strict and ruthless. It would not do you good, miss, if you go get to her bad side," said her poor maid who was worrying too much for her.

Feeling touched, she patted Anne's head which caught the latter off guard because she thought that the young miss is acting strange again. Ignoring her confused face, Ree asked Anne more about the Levines.

"Do you really not remember anything, Miss?" Anne was looking like she was about to cry. Her heart hurts, knowing that this young miss of hers who she vowed to protect with her life was maltreated the moment she entered the manor, and the consequence of which was losing her memories.

"Hey! What is up with you? Do not cry!" said Ree as soon as she saw Anne's misty eyes. She began panicking. "Why are you crying? Did I do something wrong?"

"You did not. I am just... I am just sad." Anne looked at her young miss with pitiful eyes. Her young miss is kind and has never treated her differently or anyone for that matter. She even treated her as a family. She treats everyone with kindness. What did she do to deserve this kind of life? She deserves so much better.

"Why?" her young miss asked.

As soon as Ree asked her the question, she began bawling.

"Hey, hey! What is going on with you?" Ree was at a loss for what to do.

Realizing that she is causing her young miss to worry, she stopped crying. "I am sorry, Miss. I am just sad that this has to happen to you." Suddenly, she had a look of determination on her face. "Do not worry. We will get back those memories of yours. I will help you remember everything. You can ask this servant anything, and I will tell you everything I know."

However she was weirded out by Anne's behavior, she just nodded.

"Now, let us start with the main wife, her daughter, and her son.

Celestine is one of the daughters of the influential Dravinis. They have the biggest military force and have been stationed in the borders to protect the kingdom for decades already. The emperor has high regard for this family. The other reason for this is also because Celestine's cousin is currently the most favored concubine of his highness.

With regards to her position as the Levines' first madame, she has full control of every single thing related to the household. She can even marry anyone of the young miss' sisters as well as the young miss off to anyone she would like and there would be nothing we can do about it."

"What?" Ree was indignant. How could she allow anyone to control her future? Now that she is living her second life, she wanted to live a simple life, a life free of complications. If ever she marries, she will be sure to choose someone who can give her these. However, remembering her maid's words, she felt fearful. Her life is really in the hands of that woman. What if she decides to marry her off to a terrible person? What could she do then?

"That is the extent of her power, Miss. What she says is the law. As the young miss' father is busy in assisting his majesty with different political and social issues in the kingdom, he gave her full control of the matters involving the household."

"I have to be careful then when dealing with her. I never knew that she holds such a huge power over me and my mother."

"Yes, miss. We have to tread carefully. Also, we still have yet to know the reason why you and the third madame were asked to come back to the capital. The third madame is actually not feeling good about this sudden change. That is also the reason why we have to be very careful. We still do not know what they are planning."

"Okay. I will definitely keep these in mind. Now, where were we?"

"Oh. Yes, miss. We will definitely continue. But let's first get inside. I am quite sure that the third madame is already too worried about you. Also, the physician, I believe, is still inside waiting for you," Anne said as soon as they arrived at the facade of her courtyard.

"Oh. Okay then," she replied as they began to walk inside.

"Esmeree!" she heard a loud voice calling her name before she saw the woman who she is supposed to be her mom rushing towards her.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Where did you go? Did you know how worried I was? Why would leave like that after you have just told me that you do not remember a thing from the past? Do you want me to die worrying about you, Esmeree?" Her mother suddenly threw in questions after questions and ranted. Ree was overwhelmed and she did not even know how else to answer her. She was at a loss for what to do that she helplessly looked at Anne, trying to ask for some help from her mom. She was afraid of upsetting her even more. She thought that Anne would know how to deal with her better since she has been with them for God knows how long already.

"Uhm... third madame!" said Anne. Ree immediately gave her a grateful smile. Her maid then continued, "The young miss just arrived back at the manor. She was also reprimanded both by her father and the first madame as soon as she steps her foot inside. She might have been overwhelmed with... with uhm... with everything that is happening since she has lost her memories."

"Right. You are right, Anne," she said before leading her daughter towards her bed and assisting her to sit on it.

"Mother, I lost my memories, not my limbs," Ree could not help but say. As soon as her mother heard her, she lightly hit her arm.

"You naughty girl! You always make me worry!"

Ree just chuckled at how cute this mother of hers is acting. At the very least, in this new life of hers, she gets a caring mother.

"Did... did they hurt you?" asked her mother as she held her arms, carefully looking at it as well as the other parts of her body to see if she was hurt.

"I would not allow myself to be hurt by anyone anymore," Ree suddenly said seriously which caught her mother and her maid off guard.

"Esmeree?" called out her mother.

Ree was immediately taken back to reality after her brief reminiscing of her previous life. She realized that she might have looked gloomy after saying such things.

"I mean, do I look like I would allow anyone to hurt me? Your daughter would not allow herself to be at a disadvantage, mother."

When it seemed like she was able to convince her, her mother then started making a fuss over her. She called for the physician who was seated at a distance and asked him to check up on her. The physician then took a piece of cloth and placed it on the lower portion of her wrist. Afterward, he checked her pulse. Ree got confused with whatever it is that he was doing. Why was he checking her pulse rate? Is he not supposed to ask about her symptoms first before checking anything?

"Are you not going to bring your stethoscope out?" asked Ree.

"Pardon, my lady? Ste... stethos..." He then looked in Anne's direction. "What was it?"

It suddenly hit Ree that she was living in ancient times, and the stethoscope has not been invented yet.

"Ah! Hehe." She scratched her head in embarrassment. Why would she suddenly mention things that were unheard of? They might think that she was going out of her mind for mentioning weird things. She must somehow do something about it. "It's... it is nothing. It is just something I came up with all of a sudden. I found the word unique," she reasoned out. The physician looked at her in confusion before continuing his examination of her.

"The young miss' has Qi deficiency. Qi is the essential substance that makes up the body and maintains various physiological activities, similar to the flow of energy in the body. The energy is mainly from the kidney. The energy from the kidney is called kidney essence which produces cerebral marrow. The cerebral marrow nourishes the brain and maintains the physiological functions of the brain. If the kidney essence is insufficient, the production of cerebral marrow will be reduced, leading to various symptoms, such as headache, dizziness, and memory loss," said the physician.

Ree saw how her mother and Anne had worried looks on their faces. This old man's words sound a little intimidating and scary. How can the brain receive its energy in a form of essence, whatever that was, from the kidneys? It does not make sense to her. So he was saying, something was wrong with her kidneys, and that is the reason why she has amnesia?

Red blood cells are made by the bone marrow. To get the marrow to make red blood cells, the kidneys make a hormone called erythropoietin, or EPO. When the kidneys are damaged, they may not make enough EPO. Without enough EPO, the bone marrow does not make enough red blood cells, and you will have anemia.

Yes, she knew her stuff. She was not a nursing graduate for nothing although she worked outside of her profession later on. Now, based on this stock knowledge, how did this old man come up to linking anemia to amnesia? Lack of blood does not cause losing memories unless there is damage in the limbic system.

"Qi deficiency?" Ree asked. Forget it, she thought. She did not study Traditional Chinese Medicine back then, even when she had the opportunity to do so. So, it was not her place to question this old man. Science and Traditional Chinese Medicine have some contrasting concepts anyway.

But no concept in traditional Chinese medicine could explain how she transmigrated from the modern era to an ancient one. So definitely, it is not as what he says and they were just being scammed by this guy. However, how could she even tell them that she transmigrated? They would only think that she was going crazy. She just decided to go with the flow and see where things will go.

"Will she be able to recover her memories?" asked her mother who looked like she was on the brink of crying.

"For now, I cannot say for sure. It will depend on the will of the young miss," the physician replied.

Ree was almost not able to stop herself from scoffing. What will? The cure to amnesia will depend on the patient's will? Was he kidding her, she thought to herself. Also, why were they treating her as if she was about to die? What will? Will to live? This physician is really overdoing it!

"Mother, I am okay! I will get my memories back one day. You do not have to worry about it. And say for instance that I cannot get them back, don't I have you and Anne? You can still tell me everything that happened in the past," she said to her mother who really looked vulnerable right at the moment.

"Thank you so much, uh... mister, but I am okay. You can leave now," she said as she leads the physician towards the door. The physician was appalled with how he was being treated. No one has ever treated him this badly to the point of wanting him to leave, pushing him even in the direction of the door. It was humiliating for him and his ego was bruised by this young miss' treatment. He was always held in high regard by people, and it was the first time that he was humiliated ever in his life.

He stomped his foot in anger as he walked and made angry expressions on his face to show that he was offended by her behavior. "Even when you call me back to treat you, I would not!" he exclaimed as he faced Ree before he finally left.

"Why did you do that, Esmeree?" asked her mother. O-oh, Ree thought. Here comes trouble.

"Do you know what it took for me to invite that physician for you? I even begged the first madame despite knowing she would use this favor against me in the future. I swallowed my pride and sought her help! But what did you do? You just wasted my good intentions! You even humiliated the person! What will we do then when you get sick? When no one would want to treat you? What would I do then, Esmeree?!"

"What is going in here?" said an unfamiliar voice.

When Ree looked at the door of her room, she saw an old woman being guided by a maid. She was carrying elegance with her and carried an aura of authority. She was flabbergasted. Anne has not yet finished talking about everyone in the Levine family and now, another unknown character has appeared before her. Who is this then, she thought. Is she a friend or an enemy in the making?

She observed the old woman closely. She had a similar cold aura as Celestine yet hers was more tolerable. She was still trying to gauge this woman when her mother suddenly spoke.

"Old Madame..."