I float in the murky darkness, weightless, for I lack a body, but also so very heavy. My conscience sinks deeper and deeper, with an overwhelming desire to close my nonexistent eyes, and sleep.

Is this what death feels like? Somewhat cliche, falling into an irresistible sleep, feeling a separation from one’s own body, but there is no light pulling me towards heaven. There is nothing to see without eyes and no force to make me fall upwards. Only sinking and this morose feeling.

In all sincerity, it’s a bit of a letdown. I had wished for something a bit more spectacular but life and death are just natural, nothing to get excited over, I guess. Spectacles are a human construct, not tarry of gods to use, everything in nature just is and nothing more.

Thinking these thoughts, I lull myself to sleep.

“Your majesty?”

I jerk my head backward, gasping for breath and bug-eyed as if I had been drowning and desperate for air.“Your majesty!” an unfamiliar voice rings out beside me as footsteps creak on the floorboards. I feel two hands on my shoulders and the concerned look of this woman at my side.

Wait a second, I know her- Evie? – the maid, that’s her name, that’s right.

With both complete understanding and befuddled surprise, I stare at her – I don’t know how long – as the world comes into focus I almost jump noticing my shoulder at a glance. I bring my arm up to study its fair complexion and brownish freckles, this isn’t me.

My name is also Rosa Cruz Alvarez, born in Peru, daughter of a pair of engineers, I graduated from college 1 year ago, with a degree in history. I was working on my master’s degree but had been hospitalized, and remember falling asleep what now seems an eternity ago, before waking up here.

But no, I…

My name, or at least, the name of this person whose body I’m currently inhabiting is Eriu Oisin-Lluc, born in Algatolla and 20 years of age. Oisin is a prominent family in the mainland, ruling over the prosperous duchy of Eoghan, our side of the family had married into the Lluc house to the south and set up in their ancestral homeland in the island of Lull.

While writing, Eriu suddenly felt very sleepy and laid down her head, that was her last memory before I got here.

“Evie,” I call out with some difficulty to the person holding me and realize my breathing is ragged and hoarse.

“Yes? Here, drink this”, she places a cup of water in front of me, which I gratefully, ravenously swallow, almost choking in the process. After some time, I’m finally able to calm down a little bit, I take a long breath, and speak.

“What time is it? What was I doing? Ugh…” I bring my hands to my forehead and cover my eyes, I have a splitting headache all of sudden.

“Uh…” She takes a moment to consider my questions, but then continues “It is the late afternoon, you were just about to sign a document provided by Lugh, as he asks you to once a month or so.” She pauses for a second and picks something off the table, I look up to her holding the bottle of wine that had been by my side “It doesn't do you good to drink so much alcohol, your majesty. You probably have become drowsy from it. You are no disciple of the god of wine to drink this recklessly.”

God of wine? Already, there’s a lot of questions floating around in my head, and Eriu’s memories can only answer some of them,“That's true,” I say dismissively as I stagger up and go to the bowl of water on a side table to rinse my face. The reflection in the bowl greets me, green eyes, burned chestnut hair, an impossibly pale and freckled face. Taking another long breath, I turn back to Evie, I open my mouth to speak, and then notice she is not human.

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I almost jump in surprise, causing her to step forward with a concerned look once again. Beyond her human face and body, she has a pair of cat ears jutting out of her head, and a tail that right now is tucked to her leg.

I sink my face into my hands again, my headache only grows stronger as more of Eriu’s memories flood in. There are dozens of other sentient species in this world beyond humans.

Evie is the only maid Eriu had hired, and despite being the youngest was immediately promoted to head maid as soon as Eriu became queen. Looking at Evie plus Eriu’s memories I can understand the reason why, though she never did anything too much to Evie as far as I can tell from her memories, she’d ask for shoulder massages every now and then but that’s as far as she went.

Well, not that I’m any different, I avert my gaze, trying to avoid looking at Evie directly and calm the strong desire to have her lie on my lap while I scratch the back of her ears.

“Wait,” I realize something and focus on it instead “considering the size of my territory, shouldn't my workload be larger?”

Certainly. As I recall Eriu is the Petty Queen of Lull; the island isn't big enough nor developed enough to be considered a true queendom, hence the petty in front of queen, but she was an independent ruler and there are multiple settlements in the island, Given the size of the domain…

My maid was now giving me a curious look, ah yes, “Nevermind, I remember now.” Eriu lets Lugh handle almost all of the administrative matters of the land, so I have more time for generally lazing about, I am not the most productive noble out there.

I shake my head as I feel more and more memories flood in, it's not really her fault either. As a woman in this primitive society, she never really expected to inherit. Her – I guess mine now – elder brother died when his ship sunk on a trip to the mainland, my father and younger brother perished soon after from a disease epidemic in the mainland when they were visiting our relatives’ duchy, I guess measles or something.

If her younger sibling had survived despite being younger by current inheritance laws he had a stronger claim than hers, and so should have inherited. Given the minuscule chance she would be able to inherit the title, she decided to embrace a life of pleasure and dallying, spending most of her time away from the domain in parties, never bothering to study much or find a suitable partner.

Given that paying enough ships to come conquer this island would be more trouble than it was worth, the Oisin-Llucs didn't need the alliances that come through marriage ties either, and female nobles were more or less useless otherwise, so they left Eriu to her own devices, idleness is an accepted role of the aristocracy, after all.

How fortuitous to the people of this island, that they should come under the rule of such an incompetent queen, I smirk at the thought. Well, diligent nobles are often worse for the common folk, if the island is run mostly by freemen administrators they are unlikely to be needlessly cruel.

“Uhm, your majesty?” Evie had come closer while I was thinking, and now she was very close, and unavoidable, startling me, “You haven’t finished signing the documents”

The small stack of papers on the table, Eriu never reads any documents before signing them, and he only sparingly sends something over, so her monthly workload for the realm barely scratches an hour, given some other small obligations she occasionally has to do.

I cover my face with my hands once again, pain is still ringing in my head, but at least it gives me an excuse to not look at Evie.

I’m no longer Rosa, this world is not called Earth, but Dominion, and there is no country called Peru as far as Eriu’s memories go. No United States, no England, no Brazil… No Rosa.

I’m Eriu, Eriu… What a weird name.

It’s all so unreal, but this headache certainly feels real enough, at least…

I draw a deep breath, then exhale and open my eyes.

“Bring... Miles here, I'd like to schedule an appointment with Lugh at the earliest convenience, it might be too late today, so tomorrow would be fine.” I tell her while dragging myself to my desk, this time paying more attention to the documents. If I’m taking over this life, then I need to change the way Eriu did things, no more dallying.

She stands silent for a few moments, probably confused at my sudden energy, “It will be done, your majesty.” I finally hear her say with a bow, and she promptly leaves the room to fetch Miles.