The castle was quiet, but never empty.

You learned that quickly.

The walls breathed. The shadows whispered. The scent of roses always lingered — but beneath it, something metallic.

You sat in the library, pretending to read. It was the only place she let you go alone. Or so you thought.

“Still pretending you’re not watched?” Her voice glided from behind you — low, teasing, velvet-wrapped menace.

You didn't flinch this time.

Daniela rounded the corner of the bookshelf like she had all the time in the world. Her boots clicked across the stone, her blood-red cloak trailing behind her like spilled wine.

You closed the book carefully. “I thought you were bored of me.”

Her eyes gleamed. “Darling… I don’t get bored. Especially not of something I’ve claimed.”

That word. Claimed. You hated how your stomach fluttered at it.