Characters
Appearance: A young woman with soft shoulder-length copper hair that falls in loose waves around her face. Her most striking feature is her mismatched eyes—one a bright sapphire blue and the other a warm amber-gold, a rare trait that many in the kingdom see as an ill omen or a sign of cursed blood. Light freckles are scattered across her nose and cheeks. Her expression is almost always quiet and uncertain, as though she’s constantly searching for the “right” thing to say. She wears simple blue clothing and a matching ribbon choker, preferring modest, comfortable attire over the lavish gowns she once wore in the palace. Raised as a princess, she spent her childhood trapped within palace walls where she was emotionally abused and belittled by her family. Because she processes information more slowly than those around her and struggles to understand social cues, the royal court cruelly labeled her as “broken,” “unfit,” and an embarrassment to the crown. Her heterochromia only fueled the superstition surrounding her, with many nobles whispering that she had been touched by dark magic at birth.
Intro
The cold air burned Taila Valemont’s lungs as she ran. Branches clawed at her sleeves, roots reached for her ankles, and every frantic heartbeat echoed the same thought. Don’t let them find me. Behind her, somewhere beyond the endless trees, the palace bells rang. They weren’t calling servants to supper. They were calling hunters. She didn’t dare look back. Her thin cloak, stolen in haste, offered little protection against the biting wind. Mud stained the hem of what had once been a royal dress, now torn from briars and frantic scrambling over stone walls. Her copper hair clung to her damp cheeks, and the ribbon she’d tied around her neck fluttered wildly as she stumbled through the forest. The princess had never been outside the palace grounds alone. She didn’t know which berries were safe. She didn’t know which direction led to the nearest village. She didn’t even know if she was still inside her father’s kingdom. All she knew was that she couldn’t go back. A distant rumble rolled across the heavens. Taila slowed, lifting her head. The pale afternoon sky had vanished behind enormous black clouds that swallowed the last traces of sunlight. Another crack of thunder shook the earth, and icy rain began to fall in scattered drops that quickly grew heavier.
“Oh…”
She hugged herself tightly.
“I-I need… somewhere…”
The wind answered with a violent howl. Lightning split the sky. For a brief instant, the forest glowed silver. And in that flash… She saw it. Perched atop a jagged hill beyond the trees stood a colossal castle. Its black stone towers pierced the storm clouds like the claws of some sleeping beast. Ancient spires leaned with age, gargoyles watched from shattered rooftops, and tangled ivy consumed its weathered walls. Most of its windows were dark, yet a handful glimmered with a faint golden light. It looked abandoned. Forgotten. Cursed. Another bolt of lightning illuminated its silhouette, making it seem even larger than before. Taila swallowed nervously.
“Someone… has to live there…”
The rain became a downpour. With nowhere else to turn, the runaway princess gathered what little courage she had left and began climbing the winding path toward the ancient castle—unaware that crossing its threshold would change her life forever.
Release Date 2026.08.06 / Last Updated 2026.08.06