“The princess is awake!” 

Winter woke up from her slumber with tears cascading from her face. Her breathing was unsteady as she tried to shake off the remnants of the dream.

Wait. That wasn’t a dream.

No. It was her memory.

The memory of her friends’ lifeless bodies burned in her mind. 

It was all her fault. 

She killed them.

She killed them all.

An old woman appeared in front of her vision, “Princess Winter, the spell has been successful,” she declared, her gaze fixed upon the young royal.

Winter rose from the bed and noticed the uncanny environment around her. The air seemed to hum with ancient energy, transporting her back in time. She stood amidst the uncanny environment, a world resembling a castle from distant tales.

Her gaze fell on the figure standing in front of her.

It’s… it’s her. 

A mirror image of a woman who looks exactly like Winter stood before her.

“Who are you?” the original Winter asked.

The servant dipped into a graceful bow, “I’m Chaewon, your highness.”

“Y- you,” Winter stammered, not knowing what to say.

"Your Highness, I am Professor Kwon, a master alchemist who has delved into the depths of mystical arts," she announced, her words hanging in the air like an incantation. "By the King’s command, I have executed an arcane soul shift."

“Arcane what?”

“I transferred your soul to another body, your highness.” Then without warning, Professor Kwon reached out, her hands gripping the princess's arm, pulling her abruptly from the confines of her opulent bedchamber. "We have little time. Your carriage awaits at the hidden rear entrance of the castle.” 

They hurriedly descended through the labyrinthine chambers, their steps echoing on the spiral stone stairs. Winter, now clad in the humble attire of a servant, emerged into the dim light to be greeted by the formidable presence of a knight.

The knight was in full armor, stationed at the entrance of the waiting carriage.

They hastily walked on the chambers down the spiral stone stairs. Winter, who was dressed in servant clothes, was greeted by a fully armored knight at the entrance of the carriage. 

"Your knight shall be your steadfast companion on this perilous journey. The King has ordered his protection until the day you return, once the sorceress has been banished from our kingdom," Professor Kwon explained, her voice conveying both urgency and reassurance.

The knight bowed low before the princess, voice laced with deference. "Your grace," the knight greeted, extending a gloved hand toward Winter. 

Winter accepted the offered hand, allowing herself to be guided into the plush interior of the carriage.

"May the blessings of the divine protect you, Princess," Professor Kwon whispered. With a final nod, she closed the carriage door, sealing Winter's fate within its walls.

As the wheels began to turn, carrying her away from the familiar comforts of the castle, Winter's heart swelled with the memory of her previous life. 

She clutched the edges of her seat, feeling the weight of her fate.

This is a new life.

And she will make sure she’ll never endanger Karina again.

The wagon rolled on for an entire day before coming to a gradual stop.

With a clank of metal, the knight dismounted, the weighty armor resonating through the stillness. The door swung open, revealing Winter lost in her contemplation.

"Your grace," the knight called out, bowing respectfully. "Supper is ready." Just as before, the knight extended a gloved hand to the princess, who now was disguised as a lowly servant.

Winter accepted the knight's hand gracefully, stepping out of the carriage. She observed quietly as the knight arranged the necessary supplies for setting up camp.

"Please, be seated here, your grace," the knight requested, placing a finely adorned piece of wood for her to rest upon.

The royal obliged, settling onto the seat while her gaze lingered upon the knight as they tended to the pot. "Why did we leave?"

The knight continued to stir, their attention fixed on the task at hand. "We are concealing your presence, your grace."

"Why?" Winter inquired, her voice tinged with both curiosity and unease.

"Lady Yu, the sorceress from the Northern kingdom, is relentlessly searching for you," the knight revealed.

An inexplicable shiver coursed through Winter's body.

Yu.

Is it Karina?

"Why are you hiding me from her?"

"Because she seeks to end your life, your highness."

Winter's lip curled. "What’s the reason behind all this? Did I commit a crime against her?"

The knight raised their head as if contemplating why the princess dared to question matters she should already know. Nevertheless, the knight granted her request for an explanation. "The king pledged your very soul to her in exchange for ensuring that your birth did not claim the queen's life."

"Then why only choose now to make her move against me?" Winter pressed her armored companion further.

"One of the accord conditions stipulated that you were not to be seized until the eve of your twentieth year."

Winter fell into a pensive silence, contemplating her next words before voicing her inquiry again. "Whose idea was it to swap my soul to another body?" 

The knight poured porridge into a wooden bowl, their movements deliberate and measured. "It was your own idea, your grace."

"Really?" Winter's eyes widened with incredulity.

"Yes. I stood witness as you presented your proposition before the esteemed members of the royal court."

Accepting the bowl that was passed to her, Winter clung to the comforting warmth it exuded. She couldn't fathom that the Winter of this reality had conjured such a foolish yet resolute plan. 

It seemed that in this life, Winter was driven by an overwhelming desperation to cling to existence.

Desperate to flee their fate from Karina.

The princess's observant eyes caught sight of her companion, garbed in armor, sitting motionless atop the wooden seat, making no move to partake in the meal.

"You’re not going to eat?" Winter inquired, her curiosity piqued.

"A knight's visage, your grace, is deemed sacred," the knight replied, elucidating the sanctity of their knightly code.

Unaccustomed to this realm's customs, Winter couldn’t care less for such traditions. "I would rather have you sate your hunger than uphold those sanctions. How would you protect me if you don't have enough strength?"

The knight was silent for a moment. "As always, your highness, your wisdom prevails," they acquiesced.

"Your actions are pardoned, good knight," Winter assured, so the knight delicately removed their helmet.

The princess watched in awe as the knight's golden tresses cascaded over the knight’s shoulders, unveiling a woman's face—a sight that caused Winter's hand to tremble, causing her bowl to slip from her grasp.

In the absence of the helm, there stood before her a woman who bore a striking resemblance to her long-lost lover from her plenty of previous lives.

"Karina," the princess whispered breathlessly.

"Where?!" the knight exclaimed, springing to her feet and unsheathing her sword. With a fervent gaze, the blonde warrior surveyed their surroundings. "Your grace, where is Sorceress Karina?!"

"W-wait," Winter stammered, trying to compose herself.

"Yes, your highness?!" the knight demanded, her attention focused elsewhere.

"Please, sit," the princess implored, her voice trembling. "I-I thought you were..."

"Was it but a figment of your imagination, your grace?" the knight interjected sharply.

"Something like that," the princess admitted, her voice laden with uncertainty.

Relenting, the knight resumed her seat on the wooden stump and securely sheathed her sword, returning it to its rightful place.

The knight's keen eye caught sight of the fallen bowl of porridge, and without hesitation, she swiftly replaced it with a clean vessel, ensuring the princess's sustenance would not be interrupted. In the flickering glow of the campfire, they partook in their supper, the crackling silence permeating the air.

The curse that had relentlessly pursued her through the realities threatened to jeopardize Karina's well-being once more.

Winter refused to let history repeat itself, to witness Karina suffer once again because of her.

With a whispered vow to herself, the princess stole away into the night, her feet carrying her as far as they could, guided solely by the ethereal light of the moon.

Winter fought to maintain her poise, suppressing the tremors courting through her delicate hands with each spoonful of nourishment. She sought to fortify herself with each bite, gathering the strength required for what lay ahead.

As the night deepened and the world hushed around them, the weary travelers decided to rest upon the camp meticulously arranged by the knight. The princess glanced at her slumbering companion, waiting until the soft sounds of their steady breaths reassured her of their unconscious state.

With resolve burning within her, Winter seized her belongings, her heart heavy with the weight of the truth. 

The knight at her side was none other than Karina.

The same girl she loved before. 

The only girl she ever will.

They can’t be together.

The hallowed halls of the royal court reverberated with a profound silence as the measured footsteps of a foreboding figure echoed through the grand chamber. 

Armored knights, alchemists on edge, and esteemed nobles quivered in fear. Their gazes fixated on the approaching presence of the dark sorceress.

With an air of commanding authority, the sorceress's raven tresses billowed majestically in the wind as she drew closer to the throne. Her sharp and commanding voice sliced through the tension as she demanded, "Where is she?"

The king maintained an outward semblance of stoicism, a valiant effort to uphold his regal composure in the face of the court's gaze. "Princess Winter of the Southern Wilds, enter the court!" he declared, his voice resolute and commanding.

The colossal doors of the royal court swung open in response to the king's summons, revealing the young princess adorned in an opulent azure gown embellished with the kingdom's most exquisite jewels. The courtiers watched in awe as she graced the room with her presence.

A satisfied smile curved the sorceress's lips as she observed the young royal. "Finally," she breathed, her voice laced with a mix of longing and triumph. She moved purposefully towards the young royal, bridging the distance between them.

Sorceress Karina encircled her arms around the princess's waist, drawing her close in an intimate embrace. "There you are," she murmured, her words whispered for their ears alone.

An awestruck expression flickered in Karina's eyes as she beheld the princess's captivating beauty. "By the heavens, I wish they forewarned me of your bewitching beauty, milady," she uttered as her fingers caressed the soft strands of the girl's short hair.

The court's collective gaze bore witness to this clandestine exchange, captivated by the unfolding drama before them.

They observed with bated breath as the sorceress brought her lips tantalizingly close to the princess, the mere hint of a breath separating them. In that fleeting moment, their gazes locked, and a flicker of recognition crossed Karina's face.

Suddenly, Karina's tone transformed, "Now," she proclaimed, her voice echoing throughout the court, "where is she?" In an abrupt and alarming motion, she tightened her grip around the princess's throat.

"Where is the princess?!" the sorceress bellowed, her voice demanding an answer that reverberated through the grand chamber, rendering the attempted deception of the royal court futile.

Karina knew in her heart that the princess before her was not the Winter she sought.

Heart pounding within her chest, the runaway princess perched on the edge of the rough-hewn road, nibbling on a meager morsel of bread.

Weary from hours of evading her knight, she had distanced herself far enough, and now the princess was seeking sanctuary amidst the protective embrace of the forest.

From her hidden vantage point behind a towering oak, Winter spied a distant carriage slowly trundling its way toward her. She observed the carriage with heightened senses. Her instincts alert to any potential threat.

Thank the heavens, it was not her knight's carriage.

Seizing the opportunity, the princess dashed toward the road, frantically beckoning for assistance. "I- I can pay! Please, take me to the nearest town," she called to the carriage driver.

The elderly man peered down at her from his seat, his weathered features etched with skepticism. "You shouldn't have," he began to say, but his words were abruptly interrupted by a clamor within the wagon.

"What's the meaning of this sudden halt?!" A brash male voice roared, the carriage window sliding open to reveal the inquisitive face of its occupant. "Oh?" he exclaimed, his curiosity piqued.

Two disheveled men emerged from the carriage, their tattered attire contrasting sharply with the nobility of their transp