Princess Alice's expression grew somber; she walked over to the window, opened it—her room was high up in a tower—and beyond it she could see the castle grounds, other nearby palaces, and the walls surrounding the territory that marked the boundaries of the imperial family's lands. Beyond those walls lay the capital city.
The wind ruffled the princess's shiny pink hair.
She sighed as a tear slid down one of her cheeks, then she placed her hands on the window frame.
Her hands were trembling.
Her expression was dark, as if an abyss were consuming her.
"Ahhh!"
The princess's gaze regained some of its light after she felt someone pluck a strand of her hair. But that sensation sent a chill through her—a chill that lasted a few seconds—and then she murmured softly:
"Why…?"
...
In his room, Marquis Mart Sevec held in one of his beautiful hands another strand of the princess's hair, which contained the curse cast against her.
