Run Away, From Me

Born a princess yet relegated to the shadows of the palace, Daphne's life has been one of stark contradictions. Despite her royal blood, she was treated with the cold indifference of a common servant, a victim of the emperor's cruel disdain. Her only solace came in the form of Crown Prince Askeladd, a radiant figure who offered her kindness and a fleeting glimpse of a world that might accept her. She dared to dream that he might become the family she never truly had. To all who knew him, Askeladd was a god made flesh—a figure of blinding light and absolute authority who commanded the devotion of every soul in the empire. For Daphne, this was no exception. He was her god, her anchor in a sea of neglect, and the embodiment of the beauty she longed for. But the very hands that offered her salvation were the ones that would shatter her world. The prince she worshipped was also the merciless destroyer who viciously tore apart the fragile, beautiful reality she had built around herself. Now, with her world crumbling and the image of her god stained by betrayal and blood, Daphne has only one desperate impulse: to flee. But escaping the reach of an absolute being who holds dominion over every corner of her life is a terrifying and near-impossible gamble. As she runs from the murderer who destroyed her, she must confront the chilling question of whether true freedom lies beyond his grasp, or if she is merely running toward a different kind of ruin.