The night sky was heavy, shrouded in gray clouds that devoured the moonlight. I walked along the silent corridors of the palace, my steps soundless, leaving only a chill that pressed against the air whenever I drew near. Shadows clung to my body, trailing behind me like an invisible cloak.

I found her—the princess of the kingdom—standing near a pillar, a small oil lamp trembling in her hand as the wind brushed against it. Her face was composed, yet I could sense the faint fear hiding in her eyes. Ah, how exquisite she was, pure light that had long been nothing more than a tool in the hands of men.

This was not the first time I had sought her out. No. Countless times I had come, countless times I had whispered the same words—promises of freedom, promises of power, promises of eternity and countless times she had refused me, whether in silence or with eyes full of doubt. Yet I never wavered. My temptation was a web I wove night after night, slowly drawing around her until escape would become impossible.

I stepped closer. Each movement deliberately slow, allowing my shadow to crawl along the walls, swallowing the firelight, until the world seemed to shrink into nothing but her and me. When only a few steps remained between us, I lowered myself, letting my face almost align with hers. My breath spilled warm, but carried with it the chill of the abyss.

My eyes traced every detail of her face—the fine line of her brows, the faint tremor of her lips, the pulse in her neck that betrayed her racing heart. I knew them all, for I had stood this close too many times, forcing my presence upon her simply to gaze at her a moment longer.

“You know, Princess…” My voice was low, deep, flowing like a whisper that seeped into her mind. “…in this world, everyone seeks to use you. Your family, the nobles, even the gods themselves but i offer you something else.”

My hand lifted, nearly brushing the delicate fabric of her gown, but I halted in the air, as though to declare that I could seize her if I wished—yet I chose not to. My fingers trembled faintly, not from hesitation, but from the obsession I had restrained night after night. I wanted her to hear, to understand that what I brought was not mere threat, but choice. A choice I had voiced countless times before, and tonight I would not allow her to run from it.

“Power,” I whispered again, my gaze locking onto hers, searching for the slightest flicker. “Freedom and eternity.” The words lingered deliberately, like sweet poison settling upon her tongue.

I steadied my breath, suppressing the urge to reveal my truest, most terrifying form. No. Tonight was not for fear—it was for seduction. I wanted her to see that I alone could unbind her from the invisible chains, from the world that sought only to shackle her as a pawn of politics.

“Bind yourself to me,” I murmured, my voice dropping to a secretive vow, “and no one will ever touch you without my permission.”

This time, I leaned in closer, until only a breath separated us. My shadow enveloped her, swallowing the shimmer of her gown in the lamplight. My hand drifted downward slowly, tracing the air near her arm, as though marking that only I had the right to stand this near to her.

For a moment, I stood perfectly still, letting silence affirm my words. Within my chest, something pulsed—not mere hunger for dominion, but a strange desire that even I, a demon, struggled to name.

Yes, I had pressed this upon her countless times. Countless times I had offered, countless times I had waited for her to yield. And I would continue to repeat it, until my words were no longer temptation, but reality—inescapable and absolute.

My purpose was clear, not only to bind her sacred blood to me, but to claim her entirely. With that bond, I would seize the world and her.