Sometimes, the wild speaks louder than the world we live in.
YAMI'S POV
It's been days. Endless, silent, maddening days since I landed in this twisted fairytale of a world.
And still—no sign of Abigail.
No sign of Noah.
No sign of reality.
With exhaustion crashing like waves inside my skull, I paced across the lavish marbled room. Gilded furniture. Silk curtains. Fragile chandeliers that dripped with elegance I didn't ask for. It all reeked of power and poison.
This body I'm in?
Equally cursed.
Yami Dusk—daughter of Varen Dusk, the Prime Minister and the second-most feared man in the empire. A man who traded his own daughter's life like it was just another political move. He wanted me—her—to marry the third prince for leverage. Without my consent. Without even pretending to care.
The irony?
My real life wasn't that different.
With a sardonic smile, I pulled on loose, traditional training clothes. Not exactly comfortable, but hell, better than those suffocating corsets and gemstone-studded dresses. I tied my hair back, glanced at myself in the mirror, and rolled my eyes.
"Still a fighter. Still not yours to break."
I slipped out silently. The guards trailed behind like loyal hounds. But I was trained for this—evading, surviving. Shadows were my comfort zone.
Soon, I lost them.
The scent of pine and wet soil welcomed me like an old friend as I slipped into the forest. This place, they say, is laced with magic.
Good. Let it be. I needed the calm… or the chaos.
I moved deeper, past whispering branches and trembling leaves. Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy like broken gold. The air was thick with mystery—like the forest held stories it refused to tell.
And then, by the lake, I saw him.
A man. Early twenties. Sleeping under the open sky like the world owed him peace. Dark lashes brushed against sharp cheekbones, his broad frame still under the soft light.
And behind him… a bear.
A massive bear, moving closer with quiet, deliberate steps.
For a heartbeat, I considered leaving him.
Let the world teach him a lesson.
But then I sighed. "Damn my soft spot for idiots."
I stepped forward carefully. The bear heard me, turned slowly—but there was no aggression in its eyes. Just something else… something ancient and sad.
I lowered my dagger. The bear looked at me, then turned away and started walking.
"Do you… want me to follow?" I muttered.
Apparently, yes.
I followed it into the woods. After a few turns, I found the reason.
A trap. A crude, cruel one—clamping tightly on a baby bear's paw. The cub whimpered when it saw the adult bear and reached out desperately. The air thickened with pain.
I dropped to my knees and gently stroked the cub's fur. "It's okay. I got you."
With slow, practiced hands, I unlatched the trap. The moment it was free, the cub bolted into its mother's arms. She nuzzled him, then turned to me.
She came closer. My muscles tensed.
But then she sniffed me once, then pressed her forehead gently against mine—like a blessing. A thank you.
And just like that, they disappeared into the trees.
I stood there, blinking. "This world is insane."
And then I remembered the sleeping idiot by the lake.
DAMIAN'S POV
A dream. A vision. Something too vivid to be just imagination.
In it, I was dressed in regal black. So were my siblings. The three of us were getting married… together. A triple union. Why? To whom?
I didn't know.
But I remember their faces. The women in the dream. Strangers—yet familiar. Their eyes held stories I should've known.
And then—splash.
I jolted upright, drenched in cold water, sputtering.
The sun glared at me through the tree branches, but not as sharply as she did.
A girl stood nearby, her arms crossed, a smirk on her lips.
"Done sleeping, Sleeping Beauty?" she asked casually.
What the—?
I blinked at her. Early teens, sharp jawline, eyes like midnight daggers. There was something unshakably confident in the way she stood. Like she could gut you and not lose sleep over it.
"Do you know who I am?" I demanded.
She raised a brow. "Nope."
"I'm the third prince."
"Wow," she said flatly. "And I'm the first princess."
I stared.
She rolled her eyes. "Listen, Your Royal Napness. If I hadn't shown up, that bear might've had you as breakfast. Or maybe not. He just wanted help. You were too busy dreaming to notice."
I opened my mouth. Closed it. Dreaming…
With a groan, I stood and brushed myself off.
As she turned to leave, I followed.
"You seriously don't know who I am?"
"Nope," she said without looking back.
"How is that even possible?" I muttered.
When we reached the forest's edge, my guards rushed forward. "My prince, we must return. The Emperor awaits."
I turned to look at her. "What's your name?"
She gave me a casual, almost mocking bow. "Goodbye… my prince."
And then she walked away.
I stood frozen. Who the hell was she?
And why couldn't I compel her… even with my aura?
"I want every detail about that girl," I ordered my shadow guard. "Her name. Her origin. Everything."
No one has ever looked past my crown before.
And she just… shrugged me off.
What kind of girl is she?