Kirana brought Tama to the villa where she lived. The place was called Princess Villa. Long ago, it had been a grand castle where the king's favorite daughter—Kirana herself—once resided. But because of Kirana's arrogance in the past, the castle was cursed by a mysterious old woman. As a result, the princess and her loyal followers were transformed into snake demons, and the entire castle sank beneath the earth. To human eyes, it now appeared only as a vast lake.
According to legend, people in ancient times called it Cikaputrian Lake, which means "belonging to the princess." Because the castle would reappear under the full moon, Kirana renamed it "Princess Villa" to conceal her identity as the cursed royal who had become a snake demon.
When Kirana and Tama arrived, the villa staff welcomed them warmly. Kirana introduced Tama to the employees, then led him to the room that would be his bedroom.
"Get some rest here first. Tomorrow, you'll start your work," Kirana said.
"What kind of work? You're not going to make me scare people, are you?" Tama asked nervously.
"How could a ghost like you scare humans? Just rest for now. I'll explain your tasks tomorrow."
With that, Kirana left Tama alone in the room.
"Jobs? I didn't know ghosts had jobs..." Tama muttered to himself.
He looked around. The room was small but tidy, especially for an old villa. It had a bed, a cupboard, and a table with drawers. When he opened one of the drawers, he was shocked to see a snake inside.
"AAAAAAH!" Tama screamed.
Suddenly, the snake transformed into a human.
"Hey! Don't be scared. My name is Denok. I'm the Princess's court lady," she said.
"Princess? You mean Kirana?" Tama asked.
"Yes, she is the first daughter of Prabu Sanjaya," Denok explained.
(*Note: Prabu is a traditional title for kings in Java.)
Denok told him that Kirana had been cursed into a snake demon by a mysterious old woman.
"So she really was cursed to become a snake?" Tama asked.
"Exactly. Poor Princess… she's lived in misery for so long. Oh—by the way, your name is Tama, right? Come on, let's go outside," Denok invited.
Denok, once the Princess's favorite lady-in-waiting, was cursed alongside Kirana because she served the royal household in the now-sunken castle. The royal guard assigned by the King to protect Princess Kirana had also been turned into a snake demon.
Denok took Tama to meet Limbur, a former palace guard now sharing their fate.
"Welcome to our castle. People now call it Princess Villa," Limbur said.
But then he accidentally flicked his snake-like tongue, frightening Tama. Denok scolded him.
"Ugh! Keep that tongue in your mouth!" she snapped.
"Oh—sorry, bro! I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's okay... no problem," Tama replied, still startled.
Unbeknownst to them, Kirana was watching from her bedroom window.
"Hm, he gets along easily with others. Good. He must serve me until I return to being human. Until then, I won't let him go," she whispered.
After meeting Limbur, Denok brought Tama to meet Mr. Udin Sarudin, a human spirit like Tama, who had also chosen to remain at the villa and become one of Kirana's servants. Mr. Udin was painting a wall when they arrived.
Denok excused herself to prepare food, leaving Tama alone with Mr. Udin. Tama decided to ask a few questions.
"So, how long have you been here?" Tama asked.
"Just fifty years," Mr. Udin replied casually.
"How did you end up here?"
Mr. Udin explained that, 50 years ago, he had been a traveling meatball vendor. One day, a drunk motorcyclist struck him, and he died. His wife had already passed away, and his daughter was still just a child. Unable to leave his daughter behind, he chose to stay as a spirit to look after her.
When the Grim Reaper came for him, Kirana intervened and brought him to the villa.
"Thanks to Princess Kirana, I can become human again during every full moon. That's when I visit my daughter," Mr. Udin said.
"Really? We can turn human again?" Tama asked in surprise.
"Yes. Everyone who has signed the contract can return to human form during the full moon. It's also our day off," Mr. Udin explained.
Tama's heart leapt with joy. That meant he could see Nadia again. He missed her dearly—especially now that she and her family had moved to Jakarta.
That night, Tama had a strange dream. He saw Kirana dressed like a princess, standing beside her father. The King looked at her with deep affection.
"Father, my birthday is coming soon. Don't forget to build me a beautiful castle at the foot of the hill, okay?" Kirana said sweetly.
"Of course, my dear. I will give you anything you wish," the King replied with a smile.
Moments later, Tama awoke to the soft light of dawn. Then he heard a knock at the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Tama, it's Denok. I've brought your breakfast!"
"Yeah, come on in."
Denok entered the room and placed the food on his table.
"Oh, and after breakfast, please go to the Princess's office. She's waiting for you," Denok said.
"Got it. Thanks, Denok."
"You're welcome!"
She stepped outside, then whispered to herself with a giggle, "Awww… Tama is so handsome, hihi~"
After eating, Tama headed to Kirana's office. There, she presented him with a contract. By signing it, Tama would officially be bound to Kirana—and the Grim Reaper would stop chasing him. He hesitated but signed it, driven by his desire to become human again, even if only once a month. He couldn't wait to see Nadia.
"You look so happy," Kirana said. "But just a while ago, you rejected me so confidently when the Grim Reaper came. What changed?"
"Oh, that... I have unfinished business. If I'm still around, there's still a chance to make things right," Tama replied.
"Hmph, fine. But don't forget—you belong to me now. From today onward, you must call me 'Your Highness Princess.'"
"I don't want to," Tama muttered and quickly left the room.
"Hey—you! Young man!" Kirana called after him.
And so, that day, Tama officially became a servant of Princess Kirana.