The Crystal Crown

Lady Vivienne Ashcroft was one of the most famous names in the Kingdom of Arcelia.

Any player of the game knew who she was before she even appeared on screen. She was the daughter of one of the kingdom's most powerful families, owner of vast tracts of land, mines, vineyards, trading ports, and a fortune that seemed impossible to spend. Beautiful, intelligent, and proud, she was also the story's main antagonist.

Her obsession with the crown prince led her to one mistake after another. She humiliated the heroine, bought loyalties, threatened nobles, and orchestrated conspiracies, convinced the throne was hers by right. In the end, everything came to light.

The public execution was one of the game's most iconic scenes.

Vivienne held her head high until the very last second while the prince watched without the slightest trace of compassion. The crowd celebrated the villainess's fall, and the story continued with the expected happy ending between the protagonists.

Thousands of players cheered at that scene.

One woman, named Ceci, always closed the game before watching it.

Because she couldn't be bothered.

"Same ending again..."

She was an office worker who barely had time to live. She went to work before the sun came up and came home when it was already dark. Her apartment was small, always messy, and the fridge held nothing but water, coffee, and the occasional instant meal.

She slept four hours on a good night.

She ate in front of the computer.

She answered emails even on weekends.

When she downloaded The Crystal Crown, she thought it would be a nice distraction.

She never managed to finish it.

She was always too tired.

One night, while reviewing a report due the next morning, she felt a sharp pain in her chest.

She tried to stand up.

She couldn't.

The computer kept illuminating the room while her phone buzzed over and over with work messages.

The last thought that crossed her mind was very simple.

"At least I won't have to go to the office tomorrow."

Then came the darkness.

When she opened her eyes again, the first thing she felt was a mattress that was far too comfortable.

Then an enormous pillow.

Then the pleasant scent of fresh flowers.

She lay still for several seconds.

"That's strange... Does the hospital smell this nice?"

She slowly opened one eye.

The ceiling was enormous.

White.

Decorated with gilded molding.

She blinked.

"No..."

She turned her head.

A room fit for a palace stretched out before her. Silk curtains, thick carpets, hand-carved furniture, and a fireplace that kept the temperature pleasant.

She sat up with a jolt.

"No..."

She looked at her hands.

Slender.

Soft.

Perfectly manicured.

"No, no, no..."

She leaped out of bed and ran to the enormous mirror that took up an entire wall.

A woman with short purple hair, amethyst eyes, and a nightgown that probably cost more than her entire old apartment stared back at her with a horrified expression.

She froze.

Then she pressed both hands against the mirror's frame.

"This is a joke..."

Nobody answered.

She brought a hand to her face.

The skin was different.

The hair too.

Even the voice. She stood completely still for several minutes.

Then she remembered.

That face. That name.

Lady Vivienne Ashcroft.

The villainess. The future executee. Her expression slowly changed.

"..."

She looked at the mirror again.

"I died just to become her."

She sank into a chair.

It took her nearly half an hour to sort through her thoughts.

Finally she found a calendar on the desk.

She picked it up.

Read the date.

And felt a chill run down her spine.

"One month..."

Exactly one month before the story began.

She hadn't officially met the heroine yet.

She hadn't started any conspiracies yet.

There was still time.

She took a deep breath.

She remembered absolutely everything.

She knew exactly what was going to happen. She also knew something far more important.

The crown prince wasn't worth the trouble.

He was attractive. Charismatic. Competent. But he was also a walking disaster.

Everyone ended up tangled in wars, conspiracies, assassination attempts, or throne struggles because of him.

She stared at the ceiling for a few seconds.

"I've got a second life..."

She looked at the calendar again.

"And an obscene amount of money."

She opened a massive ledger listing the Ashcroft family's assets.

Her expression changed with every page she turned.

"All of this is mine?"

Farmland.

Forests.

Three mansions.

Five urban residences.

Shares in trading companies.

Two mines.

Port investments.

Jewelry collections.

Works of art.

Enough income to maintain small private armies.

She closed the book slowly. Her parents had died when she was a child. Everything had passed to her. And through her own efforts, she'd earned even more.

"..."

Then she smiled.

It was the most sincere smile she'd had in years.

"So why would I want a prince?"

The answer came almost instantly.

"I don't."

She stood up with an energy she'd never felt before.

"I don't want the kingdom either."

She opened another map.

The continent took up nearly the entire table.

She began tracing it with her finger.

The capital.

Too dangerous.

Nearby territories.

Too many nobles.

The northern frontier.

Monsters.

The east.

Political conflicts.

Until she reached the far south. A small coastal region. Remote.

Temperate climate. Fishing villages. Vineyards. Beaches. Cliffs.

Very little noble presence.

Her eyes began to shine.

"Here."

It was perfect.

Nobody important went there. No game events occurred anywhere nearby.

No wars. No princes. No heroines.

Just the sea.

Food.

Peace.

She tapped the table lightly.

"That's going to be my home."

A servant knocked on the door.

"My lady?"

"Come in."

The girl entered cautiously.

"Are you all right? You seem to be in a very good mood today."

Vivienne smiled.

"Wonderful."

The maid blinked in surprise.

It was the first time she'd ever seen her mistress smile like that.

"I need to gather the head steward and the family accountant."

"Right now?"

"Right now."

Less than an hour later, both men arrived convinced there'd been an emergency.

Vivienne received them while sipping tea.

"Good morning."

The two exchanged a confused look.

"Good morning, my lady."

She set the cup on the table.

"I'd like to sell approximately half of my properties."

The silence was absolute.

The steward thought he'd misheard.

"I'm sorry?"

"Half."

"H-half?"

"Yes."

The accountant nearly dropped his documents.

"My lady... does the family need money?"

"Quite the opposite."

"Then...?"

"I want to simplify my life."

The two men stood perfectly still.

"I'd also like to sell every residence I don't use."

"But—"

"The unnecessary jewelry too."

"My lady—"

"And any business that requires frequent oversight."

The steward took a deep breath.

"With all due respect... why?"

Vivienne rested her chin on one hand.

"Because I don't feel like working."

The two men were completely dumbfounded.

She continued with perfect nonchalance.

"I've spent an entire lifetime working."

Technically, that was true.

"And I've discovered that I don't enjoy living to work."

The accountant cleared his throat.

"Noble families typically seek to grow their wealth."

"What for?"

"Well..."

"If I already have enough money to live several lifetimes, what's the point of piling up more?"

Neither of them found an answer.

Vivienne smiled with satisfaction.

"Besides, I want to move south."

"South?"

"To a house by the sea."

The steward's eyes went wide.

"Will you be staying for a few weeks?"

"No."

"A few months?"

"No."

"Then...?"

"Forever."

The man felt a headache coming on.

"And politics?"

"No."

"Court meetings?"

"No."

"Parties?"

"Even less."

"Marriage alliances?"

Vivienne let out a small laugh.

"Much, much less."

The accountant studied her carefully.

This woman spoke with an entirely different kind of serenity.

She didn't seem ill.

She didn't seem confused.

She had simply... made a decision.

"Are you certain?"

She nodded.

"I've never been more certain of anything."

She stood.

Looked out the window.

The mansion's enormous garden stretched as far as the eye could see.

It was beautiful.

It was also an enormous responsibility.

And she was tired of responsibilities.

"I want to wake up when I feel like it. I want to have breakfast watching the sea. I want to walk without bodyguards. Read novels. Take naps. Eat fresh fish. Listen to the waves. And spend entire days doing absolutely nothing."

She turned to face the two men.

"That will be my new purpose in life."

The steward ended up letting out a nervous laugh.

"My lady... I've never heard such a... peculiar plan."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Peculiar?"

"Most nobles dream of more power."

"I dream of a hammock."

The accountant couldn't help laughing too.

Vivienne felt an enormous sense of peace.

For years she'd lived following schedules, orders, and obligations until she collapsed from exhaustion.

Now she had an impossible opportunity.

She intended to make the most of it.

The prince could keep the kingdom.

The heroine could keep the romance.

Everyone else could fight over crowns, titles, and prestige.

She had far loftier aspirations.

To be immensely rich.

To live by the sea.

And to defend with all her might the glorious right to do absolutely nothing.

Nearly four months had passed since Lady Vivienne Ashcroft disappeared from the capital.

At first the rumors were entertaining. Some swore she'd fled after a heartbreak; others claimed she was masterminding a coup from some remote location; and there were always those who insisted she'd lost her mind after selling off a large chunk of her estate to settle in a forgotten corner of the continent.

The reality was far less interesting.

Vivienne had just woken up from a nap that lasted nearly ten hours.

She opened one eye with visible effort, stared at the wooden ceiling of her villa, and let out a long yawn.

"What a hard life..."

She rolled over in bed.

"Sleeping this much is exhausting too."

She spent a few minutes hugging the pillow before mustering enough willpower to get up.

The villa was simple compared to the mansions she'd left behind, though it was still spacious. It sat on a small hill overlooking the sea and the fishing port. Every morning boats arrived with fresh fish, the neighbors greeted each other by name, and nobody talked about politics.

It was exactly the life she'd imagined.

She changed clothes at a leisurely pace and stepped out into the garden.

Her housekeeper, Mara, a woman close to fifty with a stern face and few words, was already waiting beside the breakfast table.

"Good morning, my lady."

"Good morning, Mara."

"Breakfast has gone cold."

"That means I slept a good while."

Mara sighed in resignation.

She'd gotten used to it by now.

When she'd agreed to follow Vivienne, she'd assumed she'd still be serving a busy noblewoman. She discovered, to her surprise, that her new mistress had an extraordinary talent for avoiding any kind of obligation.

Vivienne picked up a slice of bread.

"Any news?"

"Mr. Owen dropped off the fish you ordered."

"Perfect."

"Fruit came in too."

"Excellent."

"And you received three letters."

Vivienne set the bread back on the plate.

"What terrible news."

"Which part?"

"The letters."

Mara handed her the small bundle.

Vivienne recognized the seals immediately.

The capital.

The council of nobles.

A banquet invitation.

Without opening any of them, she placed them on the table.

"Should I file them?"

"No."

"Should I reply?"

"No."

Vivienne picked up all three letters and dropped them into a drawer where plenty of others already rested.

"If I never read them, they're technically still future problems."

Mara didn't even try to argue anymore.

After breakfast, Vivienne grabbed a fishing rod and walked down to a small wooden dock.

She wasn't especially good at fishing.

She didn't especially care.

She spent nearly two hours sitting with her feet dangling above the water.

She caught one fish.

Then another.

And lost three hooks.

She returned satisfied.

"It's been a productive day."

Mara looked at the two tiny fish.

"I suppose."

The peace lasted exactly three more days.

That morning, the bell towers began ringing with urgency.

The villagers poured out of their homes.

The merchants stopped selling.

The mayor ran back and forth.

Vivienne opened the window, still disheveled.

"What's going on?"

Mara had just returned from the plaza.

Her face showed an unusual concern.

"Messengers arrived from the capital."

"And?"

"The Dragon Empire has declared war."

Vivienne needed a few seconds to process the information.

"What?"

"The eastern frontier was attacked."

"Today?"

"Last night."

Silence settled between them.

Vivienne knew the game's original story.

She remembered conspiracies.

Political conflicts.

Assassination attempts.

But never a war against the Dragon Empire.

She frowned.

"That wasn't supposed to happen."

Mara looked at her without understanding.

"Did you say something?"

"Nothing."

The news kept coming for the rest of the day.

Cities destroyed.

Fortresses reduced to ashes.

Entire squadrons gone.

Dragons crossed the skies without stopping.

Nobody understood why.

The Empire hadn't started a war in decades.

Suddenly it had mobilized its entire army.

In the village, preparations began.

Some men talked about enlisting.

Families stockpiled food.

Children asked what was happening.

Vivienne listened to all of these conversations while buying bread.

"What a disaster..."

The baker sighed.

"Do you think they'll reach us here?"

"I hope not."

"They say dragons can destroy entire cities."

Vivienne took the bread.

She kept walking as if nothing had happened.

When she got back, Mara was waiting at the entrance.

"Aren't you going to prepare provisions?"

"We already have some."

"Shelters?"

"The house has a cellar. Whatever's going to happen will happen. Besides, that's the capital's problem. We're a small place in the south and we live far from trouble."

Mara closed her eyes.

"My lady..."

"If the world's going to end, at least I'll have lived peacefully for a few months."

That answer left Mara with no arguments.

After lunch, Vivienne decided to go for a walk.

The nearby forest always put her at ease.

The trees offered shade, the air was cool, and a small stream crossed the path.

As she walked, she tried to remember whether she'd forgotten some important part of the game.

She couldn't find anything related to this war.

"How strange..."

She kept walking.

Then she heard a thud.

Something heavy was slamming repeatedly against the rocks in the stream.

She approached out of curiosity.

Between the branches she spotted an enormous white sphere.

She blinked.

"What...?"

She moved a little closer.

It wasn't a rock.

It wasn't a sculpture either.

It was an egg.

A giant one.

It nearly reached her waist.

The water was slowly pushing it against several rocks, keeping it from following the current.

Vivienne stood there staring at it.

Her first reaction was very simple.

"No."

She turned around.

Walked three steps.

Stopped.

"Not my problem."

She took two more steps.

"Exactly."

She nodded, convincing herself.

"Trouble starts like this."

She kept walking away.

"You find something strange."

Another step.

"You pick it up."

Another.

"And you end up in serious trouble."

She shook her head firmly.

"I'm out."

She'd covered nearly ten meters when something inside her started nagging.

She stopped again.

Looked back.

The egg was still trapped between the rocks.

"..."

She pressed her lips together.

"No."

She tried to keep walking.

She couldn't.

She groaned under her breath.

"Damn conscience..."

She slowly made her way back to the stream.

She crouched in front of the enormous shell.

"Listen, whatever you are, I don't want responsibilities."

She placed a hand on the white surface.

At that exact moment she felt a tiny heartbeat.

Very faint.

Then another.

Vivienne pulled her hand back as if she'd been shocked.

She froze.

She touched the shell again.

The small heart was still beating.

Slowly.

With difficulty.

Her expression changed completely. It was true that the villainess had magic, though she hadn't been using it since her vacation started.

"You're still alive..."

The water kept hammering the egg again and again.

If it stayed there much longer, it would end up cracking.

Vivienne closed her eyes.

She stayed like that for several minutes.

Finally she let out a long sigh.

"If I walk away and you turn up dead tomorrow, I'm going to feel guilty for the rest of my life."

She placed both hands on the shell.

"And I hate feeling guilty."

She tried to move it.

Didn't budge an inch.

"...I also hate exercise."

Using her magic and her memories, she managed to free the egg from the rocks.

She looked at the enormous object. Its white shell gleamed like a star.

"All right. I'm taking you with me."

Half an hour later she was heading back along the trail. Beside her, the egg floated with an invisible aura.

When Mara saw the enormous thing, her eyes went wide with surprise.

"My lady... what is that?"

"Well..."

The two of them stared at the shell for a few seconds.

Vivienne looked up at the sky.

"I suppose it's the end of my vacation."

Before the first crack appeared, Vivienne came to the conclusion that caring for an egg was far more exhausting than anyone could imagine.

She would never admit it in front of Mara or the other servants, but over the past few days she'd settled the shell on a thick mattress, bought the best-quality blankets in the village, and even had a small wooden cradle commissioned because the floor felt too cold.

Naturally, whenever anyone asked why, she gave the exact same answer.

"I'm looking after it out of responsibility. Nothing more."

Mara raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, my lady."

"It's the honest truth."

"I didn't say otherwise."

Vivienne looked away with a slight cough.

She was also using her magic several times a day to maintain a comfortable temperature around the shell. She'd discovered that the sun's warmth fluctuated too much throughout the day, so she preferred to keep it stable.

When Mara caught her adjusting the intensity of the spell for the third time that afternoon, she received the same explanation.

"I'm just trying to keep it at a good temperature."

"I understand."

"If it gets cold, it could die, and—"

"Of course."

Vivienne frowned.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you haven't been more than ten minutes away from that egg for two days."

"That's an exaggeration."

"You ate lunch right here yesterday."

Vivienne fell silent.

"And you took your nap on the couch so you could keep watching it."

She turned her gaze toward the window.

"That was a coincidence."

Mara decided not to push it.

That very night, a small sound broke the silence in the room.

Crack.

Vivienne's eyes snapped open.

She sat up from the couch and walked to the cradle.

The shell had begun to crack.

"Already...?"

Another fissure appeared on the white surface.

Mara, alerted by the noise, came running in.

"Is it hatching?"

Vivienne nodded without looking away.

The cracks kept spreading until a small piece fell onto the mattress.

Then a tiny hand appeared.

Vivienne blinked.

"A hand?"

The shell finished opening and the small occupant tumbled out clumsily, still half asleep.

The room went completely silent.

There was no reptile.

No enormous creature either.

It was a baby.

He had small dark horns on his head, a tail covered in fine scales that swayed slowly behind him, and silver hair shot through with delicate red streaks that seemed to glow in the firelight.

The little one opened his eyes, yawned, and began looking around with obvious curiosity.

Then he fixed his gaze on Vivienne.

He reached his arms toward her.

"Aa..."

Vivienne felt every ounce of resolve she'd planned to maintain crumble away.

She picked him up carefully before he could try climbing out of the cradle.

The baby made a small sound of satisfaction and, as if he'd known her all his life, grabbed hold of one of her fingers.

Mara brought both hands to her mouth.

"He's beautiful..."

It took Vivienne several seconds to respond.

"...Yeah."

By the next morning, the news had spread through the entire village.

The strange creature found in the forest had turned out to be a baby.

The neighbors began stopping by on any excuse.

Owen the fisherman was first.

"My lady, I brought today's fish... is it true he was born?"

"It's true."

The man approached slowly.

The little one watched him for a few seconds before breaking into a smile.

Owen burst out laughing.

"Look at that little face... who could be scared of him?"

Then the baker arrived with a basket of fresh bread.

Later an elderly woman showed up with a hand-knitted blanket.

The village children asked if they could see him from the doorway.

Even some of the men who'd been talking about the war with dread ended up smiling the moment the little one flicked his tail.

"Maybe he's a traveler's child."

"Or from a family that didn't want war."

"Poor little thing..."

Nobody mentioned the Dragon Empire while looking at the baby.

He was too small to connect to the enemy the messengers spoke of.

Vivienne stayed quiet, listening to every comment.

It gave her a certain relief.

The fear that had gripped the kingdom over the past few days vanished for a few minutes every time someone held the baby.

Even the servants bickered good-naturedly over whose turn it was.

"It's my turn today."

"You said that yesterday too."

"Because you all hold him too much."

Vivienne watched the scene from the doorway.

"You're going to spoil him."

Mara smiled.

"Who's saying that? The woman who had a special neck pillow made for him?"

Vivienne cleared her throat.

"It was necessary."

"The little cap too?"

"It's cold."

"And the wooden toy?"

"Babies need stimulation."

Mara ended up laughing.

"My lady, you can admit you're fond of him."

Vivienne shook her head at once.

"I'm just being responsible."

Though even she didn't sound entirely convinced.

That afternoon, while the baby slept on her lap, she made a decision.

"He needs a name."

Mara set the tray on the table.

"Have you thought of one?"

Vivienne studied the little one's peaceful face.

"Ren."

Mara repeated the name softly.

"It suits him."

Ren cracked his eyes open slightly when he heard her, then drifted back to sleep.

Vivienne smiled without realizing it.

Still, the peace didn't erase the questions filling her mind.

Who was this child, really?

Who had hidden an egg that size in the middle of the forest?

Why had it appeared right when the Empire launched a war nobody understood?

There were too many questions.

And until she found answers, she wasn't about to trust anyone.

She began sending discreet letters to merchants, travelers, and contacts she still had outside the capital. She asked about missing families, attacked caravans, and any news of a lost child, always careful not to mention Ren's specific features.

If someone was looking for him for the wrong reasons, she wouldn't be the one making their job easier.

One thing she'd decided with absolute certainty.

Until she knew who his real parents were and why he'd turned up alone in that stream, Ren would remain under her protection.

Even if it meant her peaceful vacation had just gotten a whole lot more complicated.