Chapter 1

Asper’s POV

A clear morning dawned on me when I opened my bedroom window. That is why I thought of hanging out on its balcony and drinking the coffee I brewed earlier after taking a shower.

One year.

It has been that long since I left our house and ran away so that Dad’s plan of marrying me to the prince of this country wouldn’t go through.

And within a year, the attention of the palace and its officials gradually disappeared from me because I also completely stopped appearing in public.

But even though I don’t show up to people anymore, I continue to help them with the foundations and hospitals that I have built.

That is one thing that I can never stop no matter what happens. But all of my transactions with them only happened via email and the one who is currently in charge at the office was my youngest sister, Aasiyah.

Well, only a few people know that I left our house.

Jasper, our elder sibling, was the first one to know. He didn’t even agree to this plan because he knew how dangerous it is for me to leave my parents' house.

Somehow, my parents’ position still protects me inside our estate so others are not making their move whenever I am at him.

Well, I understand his concern but leaving our house and hiding away from the people wanting me gone is the right call for this problem. This is the only way for me to end this mess without marrying the cruel prince of Hexoria Kingdom. It is the only way for my family to get back the peace in their life and for the royal family to stop worrying that I might rebel against them.

In the end, he realized my point and agreed on my plan. After that, I immediately told my mother and Aasiyah about it and they didn’t hesitate to agree.

Mom said she would rather let me go and hide while doing things I love than be locked up in the palace with the prince who will surely try to enslave and use me for his own gain.

Then, Aasiyah volunteered to manage my foundations and hospital on-site so it will continue to operate even though I am not around.

I also got to say goodbye to my other two siblings, Kezia, the second child, and Easter, the fourth child.

Like Jasper, they also didn’t like my plan but after explaining everything, they also just agreed and just told me to take care of myself and never do anything stupid.

I would also like to say goodbye to my father personally but I know that no matter what I do to explain what I want, he won’t accept it because in his mind, marrying the prince is the only permanent solution to protect me.

Even if that is not what I want for myself.

So, I didn’t bother and just left a letter for him.

With some clothes and enough money to live comfortably, I ended up in a small town in the southern part of our country.

Yain City.

This is still in the countryside. Not a lot of people are coming here since there is not much attraction here, well, aside from food. Besides, most of the people living here were high profile and wanted to stay away from the mess in the larger city.

The rest of the people living here were foreigners who were married to the local people here. Elderly people who have retired from their job and have chosen to stay here and others are people who are used to quiet surroundings and away from the noisy city.

And this is a perfect hiding place for someone like me who wants to avoid the eyes of the public and the palace since media coverage here is also rare.

The part of town where my house was built was not yet developed. I only have a few neighbors and they are too far away from my block, which is good for me because I don’t have to socialize with them.

Well, except for Miracle, my only friend in this place. I met her two months after I got here.

But even though it is not that developed, this city has a good economy. Aside from farms and other agriculture businesses, this place was filled with good restaurants that the tourists visited.

And to make sure that no one will notice me, I always stayed inside my house while Miracle managed my SweetHeart Cafe, my source for my daily expenses.

I stopped using my personal assets and the money that I inherited from my grandmother when I moved here. It is one way to prevent Dad or anyone from the palace from tracking me down.

So, I established a cafe that serves desserts, coffee, and teas just to support myself here.

“Asper!”

I looked at Miracle who was standing in front of my house’s gate.

She was frowning while looking at me.

“It is early in the morning, Mira.” I laughed. “You seriously greeted me with a frowned face?” I stood up and immediately came to her.

She is Miracle Ryedale, Mira for short. She is only two years older than me but she has more experience in handling a business, especially a cafe. That is why I didn’t hesitate to ask for her help and hired her as the manager of my cafe.

She was the one managing my store while I stayed inside my house baking the product that we are selling at the SweetHeart Cafe.

“Didn’t I tell you that I would be coming early today to get Mrs. Santiago’s order?” she said as soon as we met in the kitchen. “That client wants her order to be delivered in the morning because she meets with her friends.”

“Can you please relax even just for a bit?” I handed her a cup of tea. “Please sit down for a while, enjoy the tea that I got for you.”

“Asper!” She glared at me. She is so strict when it comes to the cafe. She always likes to take care of everything and she never lets us fail every client that we get.

I sighed.

Well, it is my fault that she was like this. I let her do all the work outside and at the store while I enjoy baking in the comfort of my own house and kitchen.

So, it is my fault that she didn’t even know how to relax even for a while.

“Fine,” I said. “I will prepare the orders so just calm down, okay? Sit there, enjoy the tea, and relax.”

She breathed deeply and nodded. Well, she didn’t really have a choice but to sit, drink the tea and relax while she was waiting for me.