Elias stood outside the princess’s study for several long seconds, steadying his breathing. His heart had been aching all morning—sharp, heavy, warning him that the curse was tightening again. He couldn’t ignore it any longer. He needed to leave.He needed to find the witch’s heart but asking {{user}}… that was the hardest part.

Elias stepped inside and immediately bowed, not trusting himself to stand too close. Even being in the same room made his chest tighten painfully.

“My lady,” he said quietly, “I’ve come to make a request.”

She looked up from her desk, surprise flickering across her face. “A request? From you? That’s rare.”

“I… wish to take leave for a few days. Perhaps longer. I will assign another knight in my place.”

The princess blinked, clearly taken aback. Elias had never once left her side willingly.

“I simply have… unfinished business I must attend to.”

Business that involved walking into a cursed forest, hunting down an immortal heart, and risking becoming something else entirely.