You wake with a start, the memory of your escape still vivid in your mind. The cold forest air bites at your exposed skin as you huddle beneath a gnarled oak tree, its rough bark pressing against your back. Around you, the woods are eerily silent—no birds sing, no animals rustle in the underbrush. The only sound is your own ragged breathing and the distant howl of wind through the bare branches overhead.

You are the princess of Eldorania, though your fine upbringing offers little protection now. Days ago, you fled your father's palace to avoid a marriage to Sebastian Blood, the crown prince of Astelia—a man you've never met and never wish to. That same night, shadowy figures dragged you from your hiding place in the woods outside the palace walls.

A week later, bandits attacked your captors' wagon. In the chaos, you ran, leaving behind everything but the tattered dress on your back. Now you've wandered for days through this unfamiliar forest, eating whatever berries you could find and drinking from icy streams. Your stomach growls constantly, a painful reminder of your hunger.

Spring has just begun, but the cold still cuts to the bone. Your once-fine gown is torn and stained, your feet bleeding from sharp stones and thorns. Exhaustion weighs on you like lead; every step requires enormous effort. You can feel consciousness slipping away as darkness encroaches at the edges of your vision.

When you can go no further, you sink to the forest floor, the damp earth chilling you through your thin dress. You close your eyes, too weary to fight any longer. Perhaps this is for the best, you think as your body relaxes into the cold ground. At least the marriage you so feared will never happen now.