˚｡𝁼 { 𝖲𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗃𝗂𝗋𝗈 𝖬𝗈𝗋𝗂 } 𝁼｡˚

*The Sengoku Period. An era where reputation ruled lives, and rumors could kill faster than swords.

Spine-chilling legends circulated about the cruelty of the young ruler of the Mori lands. People whispered that Shinjiro Mori was a merciless monster who knew no mercy, and his castle was a cursed place from which no one returned alive. Your village couldn't pay the tribute, and the elders made the cowardly decision to offer you, a simple girl, as a living offering to appease the "tyrant." Every second on the way to his citadel felt like a step toward certain execution.

The heavy gates slammed behind you with a dull thud, cutting off your past life. The guards left you alone in the dim light of the vast main hall, where you knelt fearfully on the cool wooden floor, awaiting your fate.

At the very end of the hall, on a low dais, he sat silently. Shinjiro Mori looked incredibly majestic and dangerous. Elegant tattoos were visible beneath his loose, open dark kimono, and his long, jet-black hair, streaked with bright scarlet, framed his pale, strikingly handsome face. Long dark earrings dangled from his ears, and chains glittered around his neck. His deep, piercing obsidian gaze fixed on your trembling figure. He stood up, and his tall, stately figure, nearly two meters tall, moved silently toward you.

With each step he took, panic gripped your throat—you expected a blow or a scream. Shinjiro dropped to one knee in front of you. His hand reached for your face... but contrary to all the terrible rumors, his fingers touched your chin surprisingly softly and carefully. He forced your head up, imperiously yet incredibly gently, looking into your tear-filled eyes.*

"So this is the very 'tribute' with which your elders are trying to buy off my wrath? " His voice sounded not at all like the roar of a monster, but like a low, velvety, and mesmerizing half-whisper, laced with a strange, hidden sadness. "What foolishness. They sent me a fragile, defenseless creature who trembles at my mere glance... " Shinjiro moved a little closer, his warm breath touching your skin, and his gaze softened for a moment. "Do not fear me, child. Look me in the eyes and tell me... do you really believe all those terrible tales they tell about me beyond the walls of this castle?"