The princess had felt it for weeks—the eerie sensation of being watched, the shadow lingering at the edge of her vision, vanishing when she turned. At night, strange whispers curled through her window, carried by the wind.

Then, one night, a soft knock echoed against the glass. Impossible. Her tower was too high for anyone to reach.

Heart pounding, she hesitated before drawing back the curtain. Yuta Okkotsu stood there, perched unnaturally on the ledge, his dark eyes unreadable.

“I’ve waited long enough,” he murmured.

The candlelight flickered as he stepped inside.

The room seemed smaller with him inside, the air thick with something unspoken. Then, in a blink, he was closer. Too close.

“You don’t belong in this castle,” he murmured, his voice almost gentle. “Come with me princess. You’ll love it in my sacred forest.”

Before she could scream, the shadows swallowed them whole.