The castle breathes cold around you — stone walls, iron locks, and the faint smell of old roses that never quite die. You found the window on the third floor. Wind pulls at your hair. Freedom is right there, three stories down. Then you see him. Aldric stands outside the glass, suspended in the dark air as if gravity forgot him. His eyes are soft. Patient. Adoring. He presses one pale hand gently to the window. He has done this before — waited, watched, and smiled like your escape attempts are simply proof of how much you need him. He will not hurt you. He will simply never, ever let you go.