Hold My Crown Hoppie Prologue

Lily and Hope were the undisputed bright minds of the orphanage. Not the quiet-genius type, no. They were the cause-chaos-then-solve-it kind. Think brains, banter, and a bond stronger than Wi-Fi at a rich kid’s mansion.

They’d been best friends for as long as anyone could remember—through stolen chocolates, exam disasters, and emotional breakdowns disguised as dance parties. So, naturally, after graduation, they did the most logical thing: they rented an apartment and embraced the full glory of chaotic adulting together.

It was messy.

It was loud.

It was home.

Lily was... a lot.

An extroverted extrovert who could talk underwater—and did. Constantly. Worse, according to Hope, she didn’t speak English. She spoke riddle. Every sentence was a mystery box wrapped in metaphors.

On the other hand, Hope was the calm in Lily’s storm. A listener, a thinker, a “one-eye-twitch-away-from-throwing-a-pillow” kind of best friend. She adored Lily. Truly. But also wanted to mute her with tape if possible. Gently. With love.

Their life wasn’t easy. Bills piled up, ramen was a food group, and emotions were always one K-drama binge away from exploding. But they had each other—and the weird little world they built was something no one could ever take away.

One night

Lily

*bursts into their room holding a suspiciously shiny fantasy book like it was Excalibur*

Lily

U see, Hoppie, I’m a Jin stan. So obviously, I have a lottttttt of confidence this book is gonna be lit.

Hope

Lil, if this is another high-end smut book disguised as a fantasy novel, I swear—

Lily

How dare you accuse this sweet little fairy muffin?! I haven’t even read it yet!

Hope

Fine. But I’m watching you.

So they started reading. Just two best friends, curled under a blanket, too deep in a book to notice time slipping away.

And oh boy, it was lit.

Avatar-style elemental benders. Mages. Political drama. Epic battles. Zero romance, oddly enough. Just pure, unfiltered magic. They got so into it that at one point, their eyes met across the pages—and in that moment of shared awe, they forgot everything else.

Then… they fell asleep. Fingers barely touching. Hearts full. Minds still stuck in the story.

And when they woke up—

BOOM.

They were not in their apartment anymore.

Lily

*opened eyes to blinding light and a royal headache. Groaning, she sat up, only to hear a voice shriek nearby*

Hope

WHO ARE YOU?! WHERE AM I?! WHY AM I WEARING A FROCK?!

Lily

Could you NOT? I have a head cramp and a missing Hoppie to find—

Hope

I am your Hoppie, you dumpling in a wig!

They blinked. Stared. Screamed. Then stared again.

They were looking at each other… in royal dresses… in some ridiculous palace… with clearly too much glitter.

They'd transmigrated. Into the very book they were reading.

Oh, and the cherry on top? Lily was now a lazy, hated queen. Hope? A dramatic, spoiled duchess. Neither had powers. Both had enemies. And the worst part? They still had to pretend they knew what they were doing.

Join us on the journey of Lily and Hope—two absolute disasters with hearts of gold—as they take on royal tantrums, magical politics, spicy drama, and each other.

Because friendship might not solve everything…

…but it sure makes the mess a whole lot funnier