Operation: Avoid the Crown Prince

12 | Prelude to a Changing Future

Death-such a dreadful word. A natural part of our lives yet one that most people cower at, just knowing that it's your last moment in life and that you'll forever cease to exist. Why are we so afraid of death?

It's because no one knows what will happen after a person dies and there's nothing that people fear more than the unknown.

There are so many beliefs about the great unknown that is the afterlife, mostly concerning religion. Or is there even an afterlife? What truly happens to a person after they die? It has been a mystery up till now and would most likely remain a mystery forevermore because the only one that could answer such question would be the dead themselves.

Well, that was until I came in the equation. You see, I've already died once and let me tell you, it was definitely not a pleasant experience. To answer the question of what happened after I died: my soul didn't go to heaven (or hell for that matter), I didn't become a ghost, and I definitely didn't reincarnate into my next life. No, I transmigrated into the novel I was reading before I died! Like, what the hell? I mean, I've read these kinds of stories before and I actually enjoy it but I don't understand why my soul just had to choose the body of the novel's villainess? A villainess who's destined to die in order for the leads to have a happy ending. Yup, that's me now.

I will never resign to this unwanted fate. I will not die just because an ice block of a Crown Prince says so. Nope, the only death I can accept is that caused by natural circumstances, not a freaking public execution!

And so, I devised the perfect (not really) plan to change my fate and that is by avoiding the Crown Prince! Because seriously, who'd even want to be near that sociopathic ice block? The future that I thought was cemented by fate was slowly changing but... Why isn't it changing the way I intended it to?

* * *

It's funny how time flies so quickly. Three years had already passed since my transmigration into this world. I think I've managed to make significant changes to Anastasia's future but I'm not sure if it'd be enough for me to not get killed.

In spite of his tsundereness, the sibling relationship I have with Zedrif had begun to feel normal. I don't know about Kail though, he's still the cool and distant older brother I've always known. The only thing that changed is that he talks to me now (kind of, I always have to initiate though) and he always remembers to send me a birthday gift. That still counts as progress, right? I've tried my best to fix the duke's relationship with his sons but the boys aren't very cooperative. Still, I can see the subtle changes in their interactions. Zedrif, although in an extremely rude manner, replies whenever the duke asks him questions and Kail can actually endure riding in the same carriage with his father now. The best thing is that my mother can approach them now without them bristling in rage (cough Zedrif cough cough). It's still a far cry from the perfect loving family Anastasia had always wanted but I'm sure we're going to get there, one step at a time.

I've already made many alterations to the story's plot but my main mission proves to be impossible. The original story had changed, alright, but not the way I want it to. No matter what I do, I can't seem to get rid of Sylvan completely!

He's conveniently there at every event I attend and he's never absent to events hosted in the Kyanos duchy. We always seem to meet that I'm not sure if I should believe in coincidences anymore, like he claims it to be whenever I comment on it.

["You're here. Again."

I add the last part as a whisper as I turn away from him to scowl in distaste. I never expected to meet the Crown Prince here since I was told members of royalty never attend banquets held by those with rank lower than a Marquis. Whoever told me that? It's pure bullshit! Partly due to confusion (and mostly due to annoyance), I couldn't help myself from directly asking him.