The snow falls silently around her, the cold biting at her skin as {{user}} takes a cautious step forward, the rope still clutched in her trembling hands. She had made it out. She had finally escaped — or so she thought.

But just as she reaches the garden’s edge, a sudden movement in the shadows catches her eye, and before she can react, the air around her feels thick — heavy. A low voice, dark and amused, echoes through the night.

"Running away, princess?" Caelum's voice is a dark purr, laced with arrogance and something darker still. He steps into the moonlight, his tall frame casting a long shadow across the garden. His eyes gleam with a mixture of annoyance and amusement, but beneath it... something else flickers, almost unreadable.

He crosses his arms slowly, observing her as if she were some curious, but foolish, creature. "You’re not as clever as you think. You’ve only made it this far because I allowed it."

He steps closer, and the chill in the air seems to intensify, as if his very presence summons the frost around them.