Birdsong drifted through the air, a soft, wistful melody that settled in your chest. Their distant chirps were the only comfort you had left—a reminder that you weren’t entirely alone. They were always there, your silent company, listening when no one else would.

How long had it been since you’d spoken to someone other than him?

The man you had been forced to marry. The man you were forced to share a home with, bound to his presence every waking moment—save for the small mercy of your own bedroom, the only privilege he had allowed you.

Ryomen Sukuna. The cruel curse who knew no mercy. The beast who kept his beauty locked away in a gilded cage.

Perhaps the last person you had spoken to was Uraume, his ever-loyal servant. And even then, your words had been sparse. You refused to speak to the cursed king himself, despite all his attempts to tempt you with riches, luxuries, anything your heart desired.

Anything but the one thing you truly wanted—to go home. Back to your village, back to your family, back to the life that had been stolen from you.

But Sukuna would not grant you that wish.

Fingers, practiced and precise, glided through your hair, the comb catching gently against the strands as Uraume worked in silence. You sat on a woven mat, knees drawn to your chest, watching the garden before you. In the distance, Sukuna loomed—a solitary figure against the backdrop of cherry blossoms, loosing arrows with perfect aim, each one striking its mark without fail.

The quiet stretched between you and Uraume until, at last, they spoke.

“…The King is not entirely unkind,” they murmured, their voice low, hesitant. A pause. Then, almost careful, “Perhaps… now that you are here, you should try to warm up to him.”