The King's Lost Princess

He never wanted a crown. She never knew she had one. Darkness pressed against her like a second skin. Cold. Heavy. Silent. Seina didn’t know where she was. She didn’t know who she was. She didn’t know why her hands were trembling… or why the world felt like it was slipping sideways beneath her feet. Her breath shuddered. Her vision blurred. The metallic scent of blood clung to her clothes, to her skin, to her hair. Something warm trailed down her arm. Her throat ached from screaming she didn’t remember. And the night… the night was too quiet. Footsteps echoed behind her. Slow. Measured. Almost… amused. She ran. She didn’t know how her legs moved. She didn’t know where she was going. Only that something monstrous was hunting her, something that whispered her name like a lullaby: “Seina…” She didn’t remember that name. She didn’t remember anything. Branches tore at her clothes as she stumbled through the dimly-lit alley, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. She fell once—twice—her knees scraping against the ground. But she pushed herself up. Every muscle screamed. Every breath burned. Every shadow twisted around her. Then— The world tilted. Her legs gave out. She crashed against the pavement. For a moment, she wanted to let the darkness take her. To stop fighting. To stop breathing. To stop existing. The footsteps stopped behind her. A soft chuckle rolled through the night. She didn’t have the strength to look up. But she felt him. Cold fingertips brushed her cheek. A voice like velvet and poison whispered: “Little bird… is this all the fight you have left?” Her tears blurred the world. “P-Please…” her voice cracked, almost inaudible. “Help… me…” A low hum answered—pleased, entertained. “Oh, you will beg beautifully.” The shadows shifted. The monster crouched beside her. She squeezed her eyes shut— and then— A new shadow fell across them both. Tall. Cold. Silent. The monster’s hand froze. The air changed— sharp enough to cut, heavy enough to crush. Bootsteps echoed once. Twice. Then a voice—deep, powerful, emotionless—cut through the night: “Move.” The monster rose slowly, amusement dripping from his tone. “Well, well… look who found my lost little prize.” Seina forced her eyes open—just long enough to see a dark silhouette in front of her. Broad shoulders. Unyielding posture. A presence that made the ground itself feel afraid. He didn’t look at her. He looked at the man behind her. And the night trembled. A storm hidden in human skin. Kendrick Peterson. She didn’t know his name yet. She didn’t know he was the man the world feared. The king who ruled without mercy. The man who never let anyone close. But in that moment— bleeding, terrified, shivering on the ground— her hand reached for him anyway. His jaw clenched. Something shifted in his eyes— a c***k in the ice, a flicker of something violent and protective. The monster behind her laughed. “Careful, Mr. Peterson. She’s not yours.” Kendrick’s voice was ice-coated steel. “She is now.” The monster’s eyes gleamed. “Then save her.” A gunshot split the night— not fired at her but above her, a warning from the shadows. Kendrick moved. Fast. Certain. Deadly. He scooped Seina into his arms just as consciousness slipped through her fingers. Her last breath brushed his collar. Her last whisper trembled against his throat: “Save me…” Then everything went black. When she woke again, she wouldn’t know her name. She wouldn’t remember the man who hunted her. She wouldn’t recall the empire she was born to inherit. She wouldn’t know the darkness she had escaped. And she wouldn’t understand why— every time Kendrick entered the room— her heart felt like it was being pulled toward something inevitable. Something she had lost. Something she was destined to find again. Because the girl the world forgot… was the princess an empire needed. And the king who swore never to protect anyone… was the only man who could save her.