Escaping the Crown Prince's Obsession

Prologue

Pigeons scattered into the gray morning sky as a girl ran through the muddy roadside, her shoes splashing through shallow puddles with reckless urgency.

Her breath came out ragged. Uneven.

Clutched tightly in her arms was a worn tote bag—stuffed to the brim with books, notebooks, and loose papers threatening to spill at any second. She held onto it like it was the most important thing in the world.

Because to her, it was.

“I’m gonna get killed…” She muttered under her breath, half-running, half-stumbling as she tried to keep her balance.

The sky was overcast, the air thick with humidity, and the road—barely paved—was a mess of mud and water. But she didn’t stop. She couldn’t. Not when her family was already waiting.

An hour later—

“IANAAAAAA!”

The shout rang through the air like a siren. She froze mid-step at a crossing, her head snapping toward the sound. Her siblings stood in the distance, waving their arms like maniacs.

“Oh shit...!”

She bolted. Faster than before. Her bag bounced violently against her side as she ran, her grip loosening for just a second and a book slipped free. It hit the ground with a soft thud.

“Ah...!” But she didn’t stop. Couldn’t.

Behind her, her mother let out a long, suffering sigh as she bent down to pick up the fallen book. “This girl…” She muttered, before straightening and running after her again, her stride hurried and uneven.

“Iana, I told you to wake up early! Now we’re late!” The moment she caught up, her mother grabbed her by the ear without hesitation.

“OW, OW, MOM...!”

“Again with your slowness! You’re already grown up, for Christ’s sake!”

“Mom, the beach is just a few minutes away from here...!” Iana protested, prying her mother’s hand off her poor, abused ear. “Besides, the other guests are even later than me...!”

“Regardless!” Smack. Her mother’s hand landed sharply on her arm—not hard enough to hurt, but enough to sting her pride.

“I told you to be here at 9 AM! What time is it now?”

“…” A pause. “… 10 AM, mom.”

“See? You’re an hour late! Come now!”

And just like that, the scolding ended—not because her mother was done, but because there were more important things to do. Like getting to the beach.

Iana followed begrudgingly, dragging her feet slightly as they walked.

Then as if nothing had happened, she slipped a book out of her bag. Opened it. And began reading. While walking. Her bag hung loosely over one shoulder, her attention completely consumed by the pages in front of her.

Her mother glanced back. Clicked her tongue. And decided it wasn’t worth the energy. “Hopeless…” She muttered before continuing ahead.

But Iana? She was already gone. Not physically. But mentally. Trapped. Immersed. Lost within the dark pages of yet another story. A dark romance, her favorite.

The cover was shadowed, almost ominous—but the small, satisfied smile tugging at her lips betrayed her enjoyment.

“Just one more chapter…” She whispered.

They eventually reached the seashore. The atmosphere shifted instantly. Waves crashed rhythmically against the shore. The salty breeze brushed against their skin. The sky stretched endlessly above them, vast and open.

Her family sprang into action. Her mother and sister began preparing food, unpacking ingredients and setting up makeshift cooking equipment.

Her two brothers handled the tents, arguing loudly over which pole went where. Work. Noise. Movement. Life. And in the middle of it all, Iana sat, reading.

Her mother snapped. “I’ve had enough.”

The book was suddenly yanked from her hands.

“HEY...!” A groan escaped her as she reached out helplessly. “Mom…”

“I’d rather make you swim in the sea than rot in your seat with your books. Get up!”

“… fine…” Defeated. Utterly defeated.

She pushed herself up and trudged toward the shore, kicking pebbles and empty shells along the way with quiet resentment.

“I don’t even wanna be here…” she muttered.

Why did they always force her to go out? Why couldn’t they just let her stay home? Like a proper otaku. Reading. Watching anime. Living peacefully in her own little world.

But no. Her mother had to drag her out. Ruin her perfectly planned day of doing absolutely nothing.

She kicked off her slippers and dropped onto a coconut husk near the shoreline, resting her chin against her hand as she stared out at the sea.

Waves rolled in. Then out. Again. And again. She looked up. Clouds drifted lazily across the sky.

“Clouds shaped like clouds…” She murmured. A small giggle escaped her. They reminded her of something. “Vivarium…” She whispered to herself. Weird movie. Weirder clouds.

Ignoring the distant sound of her mother calling her name again, Iana stood up and slowly stepped onto the wet sand.

The ground was cool beneath her feet. She hummed absentmindedly. A random tune. No melody. Just noise to fill the silence.

Then, she saw it. A flicker. Faint. Gone in an instant.

“Huh...?” She blinked. Looked again. Nothing. “I’m imagining things…” But then, it appeared again. A soft glow. Purplish. Beneath the water. Her brows furrowed. “Wait…”

She rubbed her eyes. Looked again. Still there. Not fading. Not disappearing. But pulsing gently. Like a heartbeat.

“Okay, that’s... not normal.”

She glanced around. No one seemed to notice. Her family was busy. The beachgoers were distracted. No one was looking at the water. At that.

“Just a closer look…”

Bad idea. Very bad idea.

She stepped forward. One step. Then another. The water lapped at her feet. Her ankles. Her calves. But something was wrong. Very wrong.

Because she had barely moved. And yet, the water kept rising. “… what?” Knees. Waist. Chest. “Wait, wait, wait—” Neck. Her breathing hitched. “The fuck...?!”

The world blurred. Sounds muffled. The sky dimmed. But the glow only grew brighter, calling her. Pulling her. And without realizing it, she leaned forward. Submerged. Completely.

Her eyes stung. Salt burned. But she kept going. Reaching. And then, her feet touched something. Her eyes snapped open. Below her, a circle. Intricate. Glowing. A magic circle.

“... what…?”

Before she could react, light engulfed her. Dark. Purplish. Swallowing everything. Her body. Her thoughts. Her existence. And then, nothing.

When she woke, she gasped sharply, shooting upright from the water. Air rushed into her lungs as she coughed, wiping her face frantically.

“Wha-What the hell...?!” She looked around. The water was shallow. Only reaching her waist. “Tha-That’s not—” Her clothes felt heavy. Different. Too heavy. Too… refined.

And then, she saw it. The world around her. It wasn’t the beach. Not even close. A vast garden stretched before her, filled with flowers she had never seen before, glowing faintly under sunlight that felt… softer. Dreamlike. Unreal.

“… where the heck am I—”

“Your Highness…!”

She flinched.

A group of women rushed toward her—dressed in maid uniforms, their expressions filled with panic.

“We warned you not to reach for the lily…! Now you are wet…! Please come to our side at once so we could dry you from that stenchy water…!”

“… huh?”

“Your Highness, you’ll catch a cold! Quickly now!”

Your Highness...?

Her brain lagged completely. Utterly. Lagged. Before she could react, she was ushered toward the edge of what was clearly not a sea but a pond. A massive, pristine pond.

Towels appeared. Soft. Expensive. They began drying her hair, her arms, her dress with careful precision.

“His Excellency the Grand Duke will surely worry for Your Highness!”

“Certainly, Grand Princess! His Excellency wishes only for your utmost well-being!”

“Please don’t attempt any self-harm or we will lose our heads!”

“Or worse, our entire families will be slaughtered!”

“… what…?”

She couldn’t speak. Couldn’t think. Because nothing made sense.

Her gaze dropped. Her hair is long. Silky. Not raven black but like melted gold. Her skin paler. Smoother. Her clothes, no longer a shirt and shorts but a gown. Elegant. Luxurious. Foreign.

“… I’m dreaming…” She whispered it. Because that was the only explanation.

Hours passed, or maybe minutes. She didn’t know. All she knew was that she was being dragged—gently but firmly—toward a massive structure in the distance. A castle.

White marble gleamed under the sunlight, its towering spires reaching toward the heavens. It was enormous. Unreal. Like something straight out of an AI-generated fantasy image.

“… this can’t be real…”

“Uh… excuse—”

“Wait, Your Highness! We aren’t even halfway done!”

“Huh?”

“Mina’s right, Grand Princess! We still can’t choose your wardrobe for the luncheon with the Grand Duchess!”

“Your Highness should glow as Her Highness wishes it to be!”

“Before that—”

“Please leave everything to us, Your Highness!”

“I just wanna ask—”

“We’ll take care of everything, Your Highness, don’t worry!”

“DON’T KEEP INTERRUPTING ME!”

Silence. Instant. Terrified silence. The maids froze, their faces pale. Bodies trembling.

Iana blinked. “Oh.”

Right. That came out harsher than expected.

She inhaled slowly. Then exhaled. “Now...” Her voice steadied. Controlled. “Answer me.” A pause. “What’s my name…?” Another. “And where am I?”

The maids looked at each other, hesitant. Afraid. Because this wasn’t normal. Their mistress... she wasn’t supposed to ask that.

“Answer me.” Her tone sharpened.

“Y-You’re…” One maid stepped forward, trembling. “You’re Mariana Cherustine Kylin la Vernon…” A pause. “… Grand Princess of Forebros.”

Silence.

“… what?”

“EEK...!”

All the maids squeaked in unison, flinching as if struck.

But Mariana—no, Iana—just stood there, frozen. Because in that moment, everything changed. And nothing would ever be the same again.