Midnight, the hour when the moonlight is at its most intense.
The winter moonlight cast a chilling, ethereal glow—a lonely sigh breathed out by the desolate White Moon.
Such a melancholy hue should not be found in a young girl, much less a princess, yet it undeniably clung to Yulis, her aura seemingly even more profound than the moon itself…
The princess sat on the windowsill, her smooth, jade-like legs swinging restlessly outside.
Her white dress fluttered gently in the cold night breeze.
Though this was the castle’s highest tower, she showed no fear whatsoever.
She quietly gazed at the distant branches.
When the moonlight brushed over her serene face, that sigh seemed to grow clearer.
The curtains in the room billowed in the wind, mimicking the princess’s heartbeat—anxious and uneasy…
She was waiting for a response to the absurd words she had just spoken.
Moe, stunned, doubted her own ears, wondering if she had misheard the impossible phrase “run away together.”
“Run? Who? The princess? And… me?? My ears must be broken for me to hear that.”
Moe repeatedly lied to herself, but deep down she knew her senses were sharp—after all, she was a cat with keen perception.
Shaking off her daze, she forced a gentle smile, bowing her head slightly as if pretending not to have heard.
“Princess, is there a reason Your Highness sent me here so late?”
The princess’s expression faltered, the sorrow in her eyes deepening.
When those pleading, moonlit eyes stared at Moe, she felt an inexplicable stab in her heart.
She had never seen such a look before.
The princess never asked anyone for anything—even her clothes and jewelry were purchased with scholarships earned at the academy.
Moe never believed the princess would reveal such fragile vulnerability.
Yet now, in the darkness, her eyes could see clearly: the princess was like a withered flower, ready to crumble at the slightest breeze.
And the power to decide whether this flower would wither or survive seemed to rest in Moe’s hands.
The princess spoke in a calm but fragile voice, “Please, don’t ask anything—just run away with me…”
That one sentence seemed to drain all her courage.
Now she only wanted one thing, one outcome.
Though Moe looked somewhat at a loss, the most important thing was to get the princess down from the windowsill.
She reached out a hand and gently coaxed, “Come down from there quickly, okay? Whatever it is, Princess, you can talk to me slowly.”
“There’s no time left!!”
The princess’s sudden outburst startled Moe.
She had never seen the princess so agitated, and it left her feeling an unfamiliar helplessness.
“Tomorrow morning, I must inherit my father’s throne, and by then, it will be too late!”
“Please, Moe, take me away. Let’s escape beyond the kingdom’s borders, to a place where only the two of us exist—a place where fate can’t find us…”
With that, she finally climbed down from the windowsill and slowly stepped toward Moe.
“There, we can live a life meant for just the two of us. No more tedious ceremonies, no more scheming and backstabbing within the castle, no more eyes filled with unsolicited expectations…”
She was nearly 1.8 meters tall, about a head taller than Moe, and as she approached, Moe felt an oppressive weight—so much so that it was hard to breathe.
Involuntarily, Moe took a step back until she bumped against the door behind her.
The princess’s unique fragrance grew stronger, and those deep blue eyes locked onto Moe’s as if afraid she might escape.
She had cornered Moe against the door, leaving her nowhere to run.
“P-Princess?”
The princess seemed lost in thought, rambling about impossible fantasies without noticing the fear growing in Moe’s eyes.
Gently, she lifted Moe’s pale hand and pressed it to her cheek.
Her ample chest pressed tightly against Moe’s body, as if she wanted to meld the black cat–like girl completely into herself.
Her pupils had lost focus, as if fully immersed in the dreams she whispered aloud.
“Princess!”
A sharp scolding brought the princess back to herself.
Seeing Moe trembling before her, she realized she had lost control.
“Moe… I’m sorry. I got too emotional.”
The princess took a step back to give Moe room to breathe, but she didn’t let go of her hand.
Moe had already begun to cry, her body trembling with sobs.
“I’m sorry…”
The princess lowered her brows, apologizing again in self-reproach, then gently brushed the tears from Moe’s eyes with slender fingers.
“May I ask… why?”
Moe stopped crying and finally voiced the question weighing on her heart.
“…I’m just tired of this life.”
After a pause, the princess answered quietly.
Her mother had left early after giving birth to her.
Though she once had two brothers, they had died from plague.
As the king’s only surviving child, she was deemed ‘favored by the Goddess.’
After her last brother’s death, all hopes were pinned on her as the sole heir.
She lived up to those hopes, excelling in swordsmanship, magic, etiquette, even strategy—skills far beyond normal.
The king was very pleased.
At fifteen, she was already sent as his envoy to another nation for negotiations.
But such growth came at a cost.
The pressure left her breathless; she could only cry silently into Moe’s arms.
Back then, she believed that as long as Moe was by her side, she could bear any pain.
Until one day, the king told her that when she inherited the throne, she would bear the mission to exterminate the demon tribe—officially launching the War of Annihilation to wipe the demons from the world forever.
But she could never do that.
Her heart was kind.
She always believed the only difference between demons and humans was a few extra horns or tails.
From that moment, she grew silent, melancholy—and the seed of ‘running away’ was deeply planted in her heart…
“Moe, you only need to nod or shake your head. If you don’t leave, I won’t either. Please tell me what you think.”
She squeezed Moe’s hand tightly, her fearful eyes resurfacing.
Moe hesitated.
Even if they ran away, where would they go?
The best outcome was probably hiding in a forest, isolated from the world.
She thought to refuse, but when she looked into the princess’s eyes, the words caught in her throat.
She couldn’t abandon such a fragile princess after all…
Taking a deep breath, she summoned her courage and said loudly, “Then let’s run away together! Wherever you go, Princess, I will follow!”
“Because you are Moe’s most, most, most beloved Princess!”
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