PROLOGUE+C1
The holy land blessed by the Goddess of Spring, Ashelard—the capital of the Ashelard Empire, Alcain.
Within Royal Street, where grand and magnificent mansions stood in rows, there was one townhouse so old and shabby that it seemed abandoned—the residence of House Enchanto.
Just a day ago, after breaking off her engagement with Crown Prince Adrian, Lady Daniela Lilianne Enchanto returned to this very estate. But now, she stood wide-eyed in shock at the sudden appearance of a man before her.
With naturally tousled short black hair, sharp eyes that were cool—almost chilling—and deep navy-blue irises reminiscent of the night sky, the man had a strong, well-built physique and a strikingly handsome face, complete with a sharply defined nose and a smirk that curled up one side of his lips.
He was none other than Carlyle Ashid Alberic, the Crown Prince’s half-brother and the Duke who ruled over the northern fortress of the empire.
Scrambling to her feet, Daniela stammered.
“Y-Your Grace… What brings you here…?”
“Hm?”
“If you wish to take revenge on Adrian for abandoning you, take my hand.”
“…Excuse me?”
Daniela blinked in disbelief at the Duke’s words, then asked again, utterly dumbfounded. The Duke frowned, as if frustrated, and spoke more clearly while locking eyes with her.
“Don’t you understand? I am proposing to you.”
At that moment, Daniela’s face went blank, as if she had just been struck on the head.
Of all the proposals in the world, who on earth would deliver one like this?
And to a woman who had been his half-brother’s fiancée just days ago, no less! To make matters worse, the two of them had never even spoken before.
It was, without a doubt, a marriage proposal that had every reason to be rejected.
But above all, Daniela knew a reason that no one else did—one that made rejecting this proposal absolutely necessary.
Because this man… He’s the villainous Duke from the original novel!
In just a few years, this man was doomed to be executed. And by that time, everyone who had remained by his side… would share his fate.
On her way home, Seoyeon lost consciousness after stepping in front of an oncoming car to protect a pretty, cheese-colored cat that had fallen into its path.
How much time had passed since then? She gradually regained consciousness at the sound of unfamiliar voices near her bedside.
“…She tormented him in every possible way, then hit her head on the edge of a table and fainted?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“But are we sure she really lost consciousness? What if she’s just pretending to win back His Highness’s favor?”
“Shh, quiet! She might hear you!”
Who in the world were they badmouthing like this?
Curious, Seoyeon slowly opened her eyes. Just then, a wave of intense pain rushed over her, making her groan involuntarily.
“Ugh…”
In that instant, the voices that had been whispering a moment ago disappeared as if they had never existed.
Seoyeon struggled to sit up and turned toward the source of the voices. She saw three women dressed in black-and-white maid uniforms, each adorned with white lace headbands.
One woman had a large bruise near her eye and dried blood at her temple. The other two, standing on either side of her as if supporting her, were staring at Seoyeon with fearful expressions.
As she took in their unfamiliar attire, Seoyeon tilted her head in curiosity and cautiously spoke.
“Did you guys get hurt while doing a cosplay or something?”
“…Excuse me?”
The ceiling was decorated with frescoes of angels and saints in ceremonial robes. The walls were covered in wallpaper embossed with golden lilies, and the room was furnished with luxurious furniture that looked like it belonged in a fairy tale rather than a hospital.
As Seoyeon examined the space around her, the three women suddenly turned deathly pale and collapsed to their knees.
“We—w-we’re sorry, Lady Enchanto! Please forgive us! We only followed His Highness the Crown Prince’s orders!”
“Yes, that’s right! Until His Highness grants permission, you are not allowed to return to the Crown Princess’s chambers!”
“W-wait a minute! Why are you apologizing all of a sudden? And… Lady Enchanto? Are you talking about me?”
Seoyeon shouted in bewilderment. The three women exchanged uneasy glances before one of them hesitantly replied.
“Yes, Lady Daniela Lilianne Enchanto.”
That name… Seoyeon felt it wasn’t unfamiliar.
Where had she heard it before?
As she searched her memory, her face suddenly went pale. In a panic, she glanced around, then abruptly shot up and ran toward the vanity mirror.
“What… what is this?!”
She screamed as she caught sight of her reflection.
A strikingly beautiful woman with long, flowing red hair and sapphire-blue eyes stared back at her. Her sharp, cold features gave off a menacing aura, especially without a smile.
At that moment, Seoyeon reached a horrifying realization.
She had transmigrated.
And not just into any world—but into the novel she had binge-read the night before, I Became the Crown Princess Overnight.
And the body she now inhabited belonged to none other than the novel’s villainous side character—Daniela Lilianne Enchanto.
Desperate to wake up from what she hoped was a dream, Seoyeon pinched her arm hard. But the sharp pain made her eyes well up with tears, proving that this was all too real.
With a dazed expression, she turned back to the terrified maids and asked in a trembling voice,
“…Does His Highness the Crown Prince know? That Daniela—no, that I… used to regularly beat up young servants and maids when I was in a bad mood… and that I secretly embezzled palace funds to buy dresses and jewels…?”
“…”
“…Does he know everything?”
“…Yes. B-but we never reported anything to His Highness! We swear! Please believe us!”
I’m doomed.
Seoyeon—no, Daniela—squeezed her eyes shut as if she wanted to reject reality itself.
I Became the Crown Princess Overnight.
The novel was a romance-fantasy story set in the Aschilard Empire, following the love and success of the Crown Prince, Adrian Eirik Castria, and the noble lady, Camellia Edith Seaton.
Daniela was merely a villainous side character—Adrian’s fiancée.
Their engagement had been arranged long ago by Daniela’s father, the Duke of Enchanto, and Adrian’s late mother, the former empress.
Though Adrian never loved Daniela, he had always respected and cared for her—as long as he remained ignorant of her true nature.
As a proper villainess, Daniela was both foolish and wicked.
In front of Adrian, she played the role of an innocent, delicate noblewoman. But behind his back, she committed all sorts of evil deeds.
She abused servants whenever she was in a foul mood and coerced the palace steward into funneling funds from the Crown Prince’s palace to fuel her extravagant lifestyle.
One day, Adrian happened to witness her brutally beating a young servant over a trivial mistake. For the first time, he raised his voice at her.
Sensing that this wasn’t an isolated incident, he began investigating her past actions. His suspicions were quickly confirmed.
The palace servants, as if they had been waiting for this moment, eagerly exposed Daniela’s misdeeds.
Soon after, Adrian declared their engagement null and void.
Daniela desperately clung to him, refusing to accept the breakup.
It was no surprise.
Her father, the Duke of Enchanto, had passed away, and her family’s fortunes had plummeted. All she had left was a decrepit mansion and barren land. If she lost her engagement to the Crown Prince, she would be cast out of high society and live the rest of her days in poverty.
Desperate to change Adrian’s mind, Daniela made countless attempts, but his heart had already left.
To make matters worse, Adrian had fallen into a fateful love with the novel’s heroine, Camellia Edith Seaton.
Fearing that she would lose everything—her wealth, her status, and her future—Daniela, in a fit of madness, made a fatal mistake.
She hired people to harm Camellia.
But she was caught.
Stripped of her title and fortune, Daniela was thrown into prison, where she met a lonely, miserable end.
“…So that’s my fate, huh?”
Seoyeon—no, Daniela—grabbed her head in frustration.
If she had to transmigrate, why couldn’t it have been into the heroine’s body? Or at the very least, why couldn’t she have arrived before Daniela’s crimes were exposed?!
She cursed the heavens over and over again.
But now, there was only one thing she could do.
I have to accept the annulment quietly.
Just as she made up her mind, the door suddenly burst open.
A man strode in, flanked by several attendants and maids.
