Reborn in The Princess Diaries: My Multiverse Empire
Chapter 4 – The First Step Forward
The plan had been written.
But a plan meant nothing without action.
The next few weeks of Anshul's life changed dramatically.
Before, he studied because he had to.
Now, he studied because he wanted to.
And the difference was enormous.
Every morning he woke up early, long before the rest of the house became noisy. The quiet hours before sunrise had become his favorite time of the day.
No distractions.
No interruptions.
Just him, his books, and his laptop.
Mathematics first.
Then physics.
Then computer science.
If he wanted to go to San Francisco, his academic results needed to be exceptional.
But Anshul wasn't focusing only on school subjects.
He was also teaching himself something far more valuable.
Programming.
At first, it was frustrating.
Lines of code filled the screen like an unfamiliar language. Errors appeared constantly, forcing him to search forums and documentation just to understand what had gone wrong.
But slowly… things began to make sense.
One command led to another.
Small programs began to run successfully.
A calculator.
A simple note-taking application.
Nothing impressive yet.
But it was progress.
And progress meant everything.
One evening, his father stepped into his room and noticed the glowing laptop screen.
"You're studying programming now?"
Anshul turned his chair slightly.
"Yes."
His father crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"I thought you were focusing on engineering entrance exams."
"I still am," Anshul replied calmly. "But programming will be useful too."
His father studied him for a moment.
Then he nodded.
"That's true."
He didn't ask further questions.
But before leaving the room, he added one more thing.
"Just don't forget to sleep."
Anshul smiled faintly.
"I won't."
Once the door closed, he looked back at the laptop screen.
A new idea had been forming in his mind during the past few days.
If he wanted to stand out when applying to universities abroad, he needed something more than just grades.
He needed a project.
Something real.
Something he had built himself.
Something that showed initiative.
Anshul opened a blank document and began writing.
Project Idea: StudyFlow.
The concept was simple.
A lightweight software platform that helped students organize their study schedules, track progress, and manage assignments.
It wasn't revolutionary.
But it was practical.
Students everywhere struggled with time management.
If he built the platform properly, it could actually become useful.
He began outlining features.
Task tracking.
Study reminders.
Progress graphs.
Even simple AI-based suggestions for study plans.
The more he wrote, the clearer the project became.
This wasn't just practice anymore.
It was the beginning of something real.
Hours passed as he worked.
Outside his window, the sky slowly darkened into night.
Somewhere downstairs, his grandmother called out.
"Anshul! Dinner!"
He closed the laptop and went downstairs.
The dining table was already filled with food.
His grandfather looked up from his chair.
"You've been locked in that room all day again."
Anshul sat down and picked up a plate.
"Just working on something."
His grandmother frowned slightly.
"Working? At your age?"
His mother laughed softly.
"He probably means studying."
Anshul didn't correct them.
Because explaining everything would take too long.
And the truth was… even he didn't fully understand where this path would lead yet.
But one thing was certain.
Every day he moved a little closer to San Francisco.
After dinner, he returned to his room once again.
The laptop screen lit up the darkness.
He reopened the StudyFlow project files and continued coding.
Line by line.
Function by function.
The software slowly began to take shape.
At some point after midnight, he finally leaned back in his chair.
His eyes were tired, but his mind felt alive.
He opened a browser tab and searched again.
Mia Thermopolis.
The same school website appeared.
The same small photograph.
Messy hair.
Large glasses.
An awkward smile.
Anshul looked at the picture quietly.
"Give me some time," he murmured.
"I'll get there."
Then he closed the browser.
Because for now, the only thing that mattered was moving forward.
And tonight, he had taken another step.