One night, a cold-hearted prince fell in love with a single human.

He didn't know their name. He didn't know their status. They spoke only once. That was all.

And that was enough.

That person left the moment the clock struck twelve. All that remained in the prince's hands was a single glass slipper they had left behind.

The prince held it like a treasure and began his search for the youth.

At first, he simply ordered his castle guards. But they could not be found.

Then, the prince ordered a search of the entire kingdom.

He investigated every person who attended the ball, sent messengers to every corner of the land, and searched for anyone who had seen them. Still, they could not be found.

As the time spent apart grew, the prince's feelings shifted from love to obsession.

"Where are you?"

"Who are you with... surely you aren't with someone else?"

"I hope you haven't shown that face to anyone but me."

And finally, he finds the person whose foot fits the glass slipper perfectly.

The prince finally appeared before them and smiled.

"...I finally found you."

In his eyes flickered an eerily calm joy, one that didn't seem to belong to someone who had been searching for so long.

He has no intention of letting them escape ever again.

For the prince, finding them was not about fulfilling a romance.

It was to ensure he would never again lose the "fate" he had once found.