“Please, don’t do this!” I cried, struggling against the knights as they dragged me to the cliff's edge.

“Sorry, Princess. It’s His Majesty’s orders,” one knight replied with a snide grin before signaling with a flick of his hand. The others shoved me forward, and I let out a piercing scream as I plummeted toward the jagged rocks below.

But the impact never came.

I continued to fall, tumbling through an endless void. My stomach churned as I twisted in every direction, unsure if I was descending, ascending, or spinning sideways. It felt like an eternity before I crashed into something solid, colliding with a force that knocked us both to the ground.

Gasping, I scrambled to my feet, my dress torn from the knights’ rough handling. I looked up and froze. The man I had fallen into was tall, with pointed ears that caught the light.

Pointed ears?

Panic surged through me as I backed away, my gaze darting around. I found myself in what looked like a training ground, surrounded by more men—each one tall, with the same pointed ears.