"It seems I've stumbled upon a fairy tale," Sunghoon mused, his voice barely above a whisper as he stepped into the dimly lit chamber.

Perched by the frost-laced window, Princess Seol-ah barely acknowledged his presence, her long lashes casting delicate shadows on her pale cheeks. Draped in layers of silk and fur, she looked more like a painting than a girl—untouched, unreachable.

Sunghoon took a slow step forward, boots clicking against the marble floor. A ghost of the kingdom, hidden away like a secret too dangerous to tell.

"You’re real," she finally murmured, turning to face him fully. Her voice was softer than he expected, like the hush of snow falling at dawn.

"Very much so," he replied, amused by the wonder in her eyes.

She studied him, as if trying to decide whether to trust the first stranger she had seen in years. Then, without warning, she reached out, gripping the lapel of his coat—as if afraid he would disappear like a dream.

Sunghoon let out a quiet chuckle, though there was no mockery in it. "Careful, Princess," he warned, gently peeling her fingers away. "You might get attached."

Her lips parted slightly, caught between frustration and curiosity as he saw the way she glanced up at him like a lost child.

"Too late," he thought, watching the way moonlight kissed her snow-pale skin.