The Transmigrated Empress

Finding Her First Ally

Ree immediately looked at Anne for some explanation. It is a good thing that her maid was quick-witted that she was then beside her as soon as she saw her young miss looking at her.

"Miss, she is your grandmother, the mother of your father."

Ree then nodded and continued to observe the old woman. She sat at the center of the room and acted as if the room was hers. Suddenly, the woman in question looked in her direction. Ree was too shocked with the sudden attention that she remained frozen from where she stood. The woman looked at her from head to toe. She looked like she was assessing her worth or something or looking for something to pick on.

Ree felt indignant inside. How could she stare at someone openly like that? This woman looks intimidating, she thought to herself.

"What are you doing there and standing there for? Are you not going to greet your grandmother?" the old woman said to her. "You did not even go to my courtyard as soon as you arrived. Is it that I should be the one who is paying my respects to you?"

Ree looked at her mother in alarm. She did not even know all the wives of her father and her siblings personally. She did not even have the opportunity to meet them yet. What more knowing that her grandma is still in the manor and is alive? Why can't everyone give her a break? She just arrived in this world, wherever this is, and people keep making things hard for her. Just thinking about sealing with Celestine was already making her head hurt, and now, she finds herself another enemy in the making? What kind of bad luck does she have

Good thing that her mother spoke for her or else she did not know what to do anymore. She could just not be careless with whatever she says, she realized. These people could throw her to the wolves and no one can stop them from doing so.

"Old Madame, please calm your anger. Esmeree has been staying in her room after she fell in a pond a few days ago. She remained unconscious until today. Just now, the physician examined her and said that she has Qi deficiency. This caused her to lose all her past memories," her mother said before starting the waterworks.

Ree did not know if her mother was just acting or she was really crying at her supposed loss of memories. She decided to just continue to observe the situation and act accordingly.

"We have only arrived in the capital and here in the manor for a few days and yet this unfortunate incident happened to my daughter." Her mother then began bawling which caught her by surprise. "My poor daughter! Why does this have to happen to her? What can she do now? What can I do now? She does not even know her own mother. Don't you know how it pains me to see my own daughter looking at me as if I was a stranger to her eyes?" she continued before suddenly rushing towards the old lady and kneeling before her. "Old Madame, please let us go back to the countryside. Esmereee has a lot of memories there, and maybe staying there can help her remember her precious memories. We would not ask for anything. Just please allow us to go back to where we came from."

Ree has to give it to her mother. It was a stellar performance, whether it was intended or not. She looked like an exemplary mother who would do everything for the well-being of her child. She then observed the reactions of the old madame and as expected, her eyes softened at the scenario before. A mother knows another mother's difficulties. Of course, this old woman can relate to her mother. It was just brilliant and well played, whether again she intended to or not.

"Why did you not tell me about this? Why am I hearing this just now? My granddaughter is in such a state and no one even bothered to tell me?"

It was obvious that the old woman was upset. She was not told about her granddaughter's condition. Even though she did not have hopes for this granddaughter of hers, she is still her son's flesh and blood and she carries the surname of the Levines. Further, what would others say about their family if they knew that as soon as her granddaughter entered their household, she immediately caught an illness? People would think that the Levines harbor ill intentions to their own family members. She would not be able to handle the humiliation and their reputation would surely plummet down the ground. No one would dare marry her granddaughters and as for her grandsons, no one would take a second glance at them. Their future prospects then would run as far as they could to get away from their family.

While the old woman had all the consequences of her granddaughter's illness listed on her mind, Ree thought that her grandma is back at it again, back with intimidating people around her. When they all have thought that they have survived her first outburst, here comes another one.

She looked at her mother who had been panicky from the moment the old madame showed herself in her courtyard. She was about to answer for her mom when she saw her looking helpless. However, she was interrupted by the same woman who she was just about to help.

"I... Old Madame, please forgive this concubine. I was muddleheaded. I forgot about everything as soon as I saw my daughter's condition. I could not even sleep and stayed by her side all day and night. Esmeree, even though we did not have the best living conditions in the countryside, has not experienced getting sick like this. She has always been healthy and was very active. Seeing her all day in bed and not waking up, I could not even think of anything, Old Madame. Please forgive me. Please forgive this concubine." Her mother bowed down until her forehead touched the ground.

"Alright, alright. Stand up and remember always to maintain your dignity as a Levine. Do not bow down to just anyone," the old woman replied. It seemed like her heart hurt seeing the crying daughter-in-law of hers being apologetic for something that she has no control over. She then deeply sighed before she spoke to her daughter-in-law again. "With regards to you going back to the countryside, you are both already here. You have been away for quite a long time. It is time you both return to where you should be. I may be old and senile but as the oldest member in the household, I still have a say when it comes to things. Although we may have neglected you and your daughter in the past, things will be different now that you are staying with us. Whatever matter it is, as long as you come to me, I will try my best to help you or provide for you if it is within my means and as long as it is not too much."

Ree saw as her mother had grateful eyes directed towards the old woman. She sighed. This mother of hers is too soft-hearted. She then remembered what the old woman said. She said she will try to help us with whatever as long as we ask for her help. She then smirked. She will definitely remember these words of hers.

"You!" suddenly said the old woman as she turned towards Ree. "Come here," she continued.

Taken aback by the sudden attention, it took her some time to react. The old woman continued to stare at her, waiting for her to obey her order. When Ree realized this, she gracefully went forward and copied what her mom did. She properly kneeled before the old woman. When she raised her face to look at her, the old woman had a satisfied look on her face.

She was particularly satisfied by the gracefulness and wit of her granddaughter and thought that she was not bad at all. She has exceeded her expectations which she did not have that much. She then focused on her face. Although there was an unusual mark on her forehead, she covered it with her bangs. Looking at it closely, it does not seem to be an ugly patch but rather a beauty mark that enhanced her features, making her face look exquisite. Now, that she looked like a one-of-a-kind, innocent lily who had just bloomed, she believed that people would no longer say that she will bring shame and bad luck to the family. Beauty is such a great deal in their kingdom. Women take pride in their appearance for they believe it will give them luck and wealth. Having a granddaughter with unique features, she was rather pleased. Fate has turned this child's future from being bleak to something that she sure would look forward to seeing.

However, in Ree's point of view, the old woman's satisfaction somehow irked her. She thought that what she was satisfied with was her kneeling before her. What is with this era, she thought to herself. People love feeling superior to another, and they like it when people get down on their knees.

Although Ree was at the bottom of the chain at her workplace, she had never been so desperate to the point of kneeling before anyone. So, doing this to someone who she is not even sure deserving of lowering her pride for is doing things to her ego.

"Are you really not going to greet your grandma?" said the old woman again. She was looking at her too closely, and it was making Ree uncomfortable.

"Uhm... hi? Hello?" she said, sounding unsure of herself.

The people around her suddenly looked at each other. They were confused at the young miss' foreign words, and where she learned all these from.

"What are you saying, child?" asked her grandmother who also shared the same expressions as others.

Ree was then confused. This granny was telling her to greet her. Did she not just greet her?

"Oh, my poor daughter!" cried her mother all of a sudden. "She does not even know basic etiquette anymore!"

"Mother, did I not just greet the Old Madame?" asked Ree. But her mother just bawled even more. "What am I supposed to do?" she asked again as she faced Anne.

"Child..." started her grandma. Ree then looked in her direction. "What a proper greeting meant is addressing the person before you after introducing yourself. Afterward, you should also bow towards the person. The bow is from the shoulders and should be greater if the person you are greeting has a higher status than you. If seated, you should stand up out of respect when you are introduced to someone."

After a few more exchanges between the two, Ree finally got a hang of it and tried to properly greet her grandmother.

"This granddaughter greets the Old Madame," she said before bowing gracefully. She then slowly stood straight, placing both of her folded arms in front of her and placed them by her stomach. "I hope that the Old Madame is well, and has been healthy and free from illnesses. Even though we have been away from each other, this granddaughter of yours misses you and is wishing to spend time more with the Old Madame to make up for the lost time," she elegantly spoke.

When she looked up, she saw the proud gazes of her mother and Anne. Her grandma, on the other hand, had a rare smile on her face. It could be seen how she was unexpectedly pleased with this granddaughter of hers.

"Great! You are a fast learner," she said to her. She then gazed at her softly before saying, "When you feel better, visit me at my courtyard and let us have tea to better yet, you can come to visit me anytime."

Everyone was dumbfounded by the words of the old woman. They have not even realized that she had left already. They were still in awe of what happened.

"Did Esmeree just receive a personal invitation to the Old Madame's courtyard? Even the First Madame cannot go to her courtyard easily. And now my daughter has the privilege of entering the Old Madame's courtyard anytime she wishes. She even gets to drink tea with her. Tell me, Anne, am I dreaming?" said the Third Madame.

"Madame, you are not dreaming. This servant could also not believe what I just heard."

Ree, on the other hand, was also amazed at herself or should she say this body she possessed. It is not that hard to learn what the old woman taught her but it was as if she had done it before somewhere.

As soon as she heard what she was told to do, it was like she became automatically familiar with what she was ought and expected to do. It was as if she had been doing such all her life that it came like second nature to her.

She then thought that maybe this body she possesses still has a recall of the things it did before. If that is the case, then it would be to her advantage. She also wished that the owner of the body's memories would return as well. That way, it would be easier for her to take a grasp on things to prevent what had happened earlier from happening.

She could not help but scold herself but at the same time make fun of herself too for greeting ancient people with the modern way to do it. If she was not mistaken, the use of hello as a standard form of greeting was not until the telephone was invented. How could she even forget about it? Now, people around would say that she likes talking in gibberish and foreign words that are so unheard of in the kingdom. They might look at her differently and think that she is weird. She really has to be careful or people might think she has gone nuts if she remains unrestrained with her words and actions.

"Have you remembered your past memories?" said her mom as she held both of her hands. She looked at her with anticipation. Ree sighed internally. If she were to tell her that she did not, this woman before her would just be heartbroken. She could also not tell her that she regained her memories. She would hit a nail on her own head if she does that. There are things she does not know about this world she is currently living in and the same goes for the people around her. She would definitely be found out that she was lying in no time.

"Not really, mother. I just had some recollection. That is probably the reason why I was able to do a great job and made the Old Madame happy unexpectedly," she replied, thinking it was a safe answer.

"That is okay. At least we have some hope. She is starting to remember bits and pieces of her memories. This is better than nothing," her mother replied. Ree avoided her mother's gaze as what she said was not exactly true.

With a look of determination, her mother continued as she looked at her, "Now that we have the Old Madame's support, I will do all that I can to make sure that you get your memories back. And whatever plans this household is concocting, given that they allowed us to come back to this manor, as long we have the Old Madame at our side, your future would not become so bleak."

She then walked towards the window and had distant look in her eyes as if she was remembering something.

"The Old Madame has never treated me badly. Even though she seldom says something to me and we did not have that much of an interaction, every time our paths meet, she was always polite. Even though she knew that I was just a daughter of performers she never looked down on me. I have also never seen her looked down on anyone because of their low status. Me and your father..." she said before turning towards her.

"The thing between us happened in a blink of an eye. I was performing for the empress' birthday and he was there watching as one of the emperor's ministers. Our eyes met and we got attracted to each other. Your father, when I met him, was the humblest and most kind man I have ever met. We then fell in love and got married in a blink of an eye." She then went back to facing the window again.

"I thought I was lucky to marry your father. Everyone seemed welcoming, but I did not think that it was only for appearances' sake. All I thought I was welcomed wholeheartedly by the Levines. I was too naive. When I got pregnant with you, the physician said that you were too weak and that I had to be careful as I might lose you if I won't. But I felt otherwise, you were too active inside my tummy. I thought everything was going well. But when you came out, you suddenly ended having a big, brown patch on your forehead. Little did I know that the First Madame had been putting toxic ingredients into my food that had caused this abnormality. It was already too late when I got to know. We were already banished to the countryside.

Your father became one of the trusted ministers of the emperor. Hence, he became too busy to attend to household issues. The once humble and kind man I know became proud and arrogant. He cared more for his reputation than our well-being.

In our kingdom, beauty is held in high regard. For both men and women, it is equivalent to prestige. It has been a long time since the kingdom had set a standard for women and beauty. A woman with an exquisite beauty and is gifted with the four arts—music, calligraphy, poetry, and painting—is believed to have a bountiful future with her husband.

Being ugly is frowned upon. Those poor people are treated worse than animals as they are known to bring bad luck. And when you were born..." she suddenly faced her again. "...the heavens know how fearful I was of what they might do to you. At that time, I realized how your father changed drastically. The once humble and kind man that I loved was gone. His thirst for fame and power already consumed him and blinded him. He did not care about us anymore. He wanted us gone. Good thing that the only banishment was what have decided for us. I can still remember that it was only the Old Madame who went against their decision. But with the First Madame insistence and the fact that she was supported by your father, what more can the Old Madame do?

I am happy, ecstatic even, that the Old Madame took a liking to you. Your mother is useless. I have nothing to give you nor do I have assets or connections that could help you secure a good future. I cannot even influence the decisions being made in this household, even if it relates to you. I have no power and have no say even if I am your mother."

"Mother, please stop saying things like that," replied Ree. She did not like hearing anyone belittling themselves, especially if that someone is supposed to be her mom.

"But, my child, it is fact," she replied. "No matter how ugly the truth is, we both know this for a fact.

"Let us not talk about this, mother. What is important is, we will get to somehow change the way we are living. And yes, even if I have to hug the Old Madame's thighs just for us to get a decent life which will guarantee our safety too, I would be very much willing. I will hug her thighs tighter and never let go," she said while using playful gestures.

"This child..." her mother sighed before laughing together with Anne. "I am being serious here and you don't take things seriously."

"Who said that I am not? I am taking things very seriously, mother," she said, looking offended with her mom's words.

"Okay, okay. If you say you are serious, then you are serious. But Esmeree, I want you to remember my words, okay? We just do not know what the First Madame is planning. I know she would not willingly allow us to go back here without a purpose, an evil purpose at that so, I want you to be very extra careful to whatever it is that you do, especially when you are dealing with her and her daughter. If there is one thing that I can guarantee, that is, they have been wanting to remove us from the family line. We have to be cautious while living here. Do not trust anyone. Even the food we eat, the water we drink, we have to be extra cautious as they might be doing something behind our backs. It is better to be this extra, rather than suffering the irreversible consequences in the end. If it were up to me, I would rather that we go back to the countryside. Even if we did not have excellent living conditions, at least there, it is peaceful and away from the complications and underhanded means to deal with us."

"I know this very well, mother. I would definitely remember these words of yours and always keep them in mind," she replied.