Chapter 01
It was a dark night. In the Gloryum Hall inside Crown Prince Kairus’s palace—illuminated as brightly as daylight by luxurious chandeliers—a grand party was being held to celebrate Princess Elena’s birthday.
In contrast, the lakeside garden of the detached palace, some distance away, was eerily quiet, filled with an unsettling stillness due to the lack of people.
“Ehehehe……”
In a corner where no one would notice, a woman secretly pulled something from her pocket. Then she crouched down and quickly moved her fingers, leaving a comment on a post.
<Title: Hey, did you see this latest fan cam?>
He already looks cool in a suit, but showing up in a three-piece suit (and leather at that) is basically asking me to die, right?
Yeah, I’ll die. This is my grave now. ●▅▇█▇▆▅▄▇
└ User1: I’ll lie down next to you. ●▅▇█▇▆▅▄▇
└ User2: 333333
└ User3: Huh? It’s not that good. I’ve rewatched it like 127,840,323 times lol.
└ User2: Aren’t your eyes tired? lol That’ll definitely cause dry eye syndrome.
└ User3: I’m fine lol. Haeyun’s face is basically eye drops.
└ User4: You’re insane lol
└ User3: Videos like this should be broadcast on the news.
“Haeyun-ah, your face is literally scenery… a masterpiece. How are you this handsome?”
The light spilling from the smartphone screen revealed the face hidden in the darkness.
Despite her shoulders shaking with an almost suspiciously gleeful laugh, her hazel eyes reflected an overflowing sense of life.
Soon, a new notification appeared on the screen.
『Monthly internet communication fee: 5,000,000 krona has been deducted.』
“What?! They’re really sucking me dry down to the bone—what a greedy system.”
But what can she do? She had to endure it to see her precious Haeyun. With a half-resigned expression, she carefully placed the phone into her apron pocket.
Ever since she obtained the mysterious smartphone from a strange man one day, Isabela’s once-boring life had completely changed.
In a pitch-black road with not even a single streetlamp, the light that suddenly appeared in Isabela’s life was none other than… Haeyun, a member of Korea’s top idol group.
“Three, two, one! We are! The Venus! Hello, I’m Haeyun, leader of Venus.”
As if her prayer to see her favorite idol in person in Korea had been answered…
A sudden dimensional travel system told her that if she completed missions and paid a small dimensional transfer fee, she could go to Korea where Haeyun was.
Her goal was simple, yet grand: quietly earn money, complete missions, and go to Korea to see her bias.
While secretly working toward that goal, she allowed herself brief moments of happiness watching her idol.
But soon, she would come to regret her decision.
She arrived at the detached palace to retrieve a chair, only to witness something horrifying.
What were the odds that, of all places, she would run into the crown prince killing assassins in the very palace she came to?
“Should I run now? Or just stay still?”
Either choice felt like a bad ending. But staying might lead to an even worse situation involving the crown prince.
“What is your name?”
“Se-Seelie Brown, Your Highness.”
Just as Isabela, who was using a false identity anyway, was about to lie casually and escape—
The crown prince, who had just thrown a sword to kill an assassin trying to attack her from behind, smiled gently over his orange eyes.
“I don’t particularly like people who lie.”
Unlike his relaxed tone, Isabela felt her entire body freeze.
“Why are you lying?”
Of all people, she had been caught by Crown Prince Kairus himself.
‘Will I still be able to go to Korea to see Haeyun…?’
Isabela Ledia.
She had been somewhat famous since childhood because she was the fiancée of Ikanuel, the future duke of the Rasseles family.
She had no outstanding traits, but she wasn’t flawed either. However, she carried one label:
“A Cinderella who isn’t even accepted by her future in-laws.”
Due to the gap in status and her perceived lack of qualification as a duchess, she was hated by society.
If someone asked why such an engagement existed, one might recall childish jokes—promises made by families that if a boy and girl were born, they would be engaged.
The two families had taken such a joke seriously.
The two-year age-gap children were expected to match well. That expectation was half right, half wrong. Because Isabela took the engagement seriously—completely seriously.
In other words, she had been in a one-sided 10-year love with Ikanuel Rasseles, the most accomplished man in the empire.
But the years of criticism and cold gazes changed her.
Whatever she did, judgment followed her. She became increasingly careful… and timid.
What was even affection and attention worth?
Only when her naive heart was completely torn apart did she realize the truth:
No matter what she did, he would never return her feelings.
The relationship was like two parallel lines that would never meet.
Her decision to break off the engagement began three years ago, during her first year at the academy.
One afternoon in spring, she ran into Ikanuel near the library and greeted him brightly.
“Brother Ikanuel!”
But his response was cold.
“As I said before, do not address me informally at the academy.”
His voice was sharper than usual.
“I just—”
“Did you enroll here just to create time for dates with me?”
She had never enrolled for that reason, but the words stuck in her throat.
“Your actions are affecting my reputation. You should be aware of that.”
“Ikanuel… no. Senior Rasseles.”
“Stop bothering me at the academy.”
His words were like knives. Before she could respond, he left.
Left alone, she became the center of everyone’s attention.
Her embarrassment was overwhelming.
From that day on, rumors became accepted truth: she was a woman clinging to an unwilling fiancé.
“Only behave properly as a perfect fiancée and never disturb him.”
Everything felt like her fault.
From then on, she tightened herself further, living cautiously at the academy.
“She’s the Cinderella of the duke’s family?”
“She only got in because of the Rasseles family.”
“She should have some shame.”
She ignored the whispers. Just being able to see him from afar was enough.
But Ikanuel remained cold.
“Would you like to have lunch today?”
“I have student council duties. I must decline.”
“Ah… I see. Sorry.”
“Excuse me.”
As more people witnessed his cold treatment, she became an easy target.
She studied relentlessly, always staying in the top 10, trying to prove herself.
If she failed, rumors would damage his reputation as well.
Eventually, her efforts bore some fruit. Her excellence in linguistics and magic helped suppress rumors of favoritism.
But his coldness only deepened.
Winter came.
She had worked hard enough to be invited to the academy’s year-end academic conference.
‘Maybe… he’ll finally recognize me.’
Both she and Ikanuel would attend. Today, she decided she would finally talk to him properly.
