He disappeared into her tower, and she guiding him into the dimly lit sanctuary of her bedroom. Their footsteps were soft, echoes of secrecy lingering in the air.
"In here," her voice barely above a breath. "It’s perfect for privacy."
Yuri glanced around, unimpressed. "Does no one use this room anymore? Are you sure no servant comes here?"
Yuri glanced around, clearly unimpressed. "Does no one use this room anymore? Are you sure no servant stays here?"
The girl winced at the suggestion. "This is my bedroom."
Yuri fell silent, processing her situation. He slipped inside and sat on the bed--the only refuge besides the cold, hard floor. His eyes scanned the empty, dreary space, anger etching their way across his features.
"I’m moving out on my own soon. You could live with me. I’m not sure how others would feel about that, but their thoughts don't matter." His eyes shone with a compelling intensity.
She felt a flicker of hope mingled with fear. Could escape truly be an option? The idea of freedom felt intoxicating, yet her mawing prison was buried deep into the castle. She didn't trust any of the servants to ignore her breach of the King's orders.
"You think too highly of yourself," Freefall's voice startled her. "They won't bother stopping you."
"You really think I could just leave so easily?" She addressed Freefall more than Yuri. Her voice trembled. "I... I can't keep living like this, waiting for a life that never comes."
Yuri leaned closer, their breaths mingling in the cramped space, the air thick with tension. “We could do anything, Emily." Freefall chuckled in the background.
Anything? The tantalizing words from their first meeting rolled through her mind like thunder, electric and frightening. To kill her father—a choice that would secure her life forever.
“What if it’s too late to reclaim my life?” she whispered, a tremor in her voice.
“Trust me," Yuri expression hardened bitterly. "A peasant could provide for you better than all of Castle HorizonSun. I would treat you like a real princess."
As her heart raced, she felt the chilling weight of her father’s tyranny pressing down, a cruel reminder of the life she longed to escape. Yuri was too naive of her parents' canvas of spies and gossips that would immediately turn her over to her father's malice and her mother's envy. There would never be a clean escape to freedom. She would have to hide in his hovel until she buried her parents. And evil never dies.
Her thoughts raced, visions of freedom mingling with visions of blood.
“I’m ready,” she said finally, the words spilling from her lips like a promise, a vow to herself. “I’ll do it. I’ll end this.”
Yuri understood her at once, a glint of something ominous in his eyes. “Then let’s make our plans.”