I froze in place for a moment, my eyes locked on the stranger standing before me. Smoke from his cigar curled upward like a thin mist, dancing in the cold air. Raindrops slid down his black hair, shimmering faintly under the dim light, while a mocking smile played on his lips — as if I were just some amusing sight on a dull night.
He lowered his head slightly, peering at me from beneath his brows, then spoke in a low voice dripping with clear sarcasm:
"Tell me… is this how you welcome strangers here? Running through the dark and crashing into people?"
Heat rose to my cheeks despite the chill of the rain. I quickly straightened my soaked, muddy dress.
"I was… just…"
"Running away?" he cut me off, his eyes scanning me like he was reading my thoughts.
"That's none of your business!" I raised my voice more than I intended, but his silence afterward made me feel like I'd just walked into a trap.
He gave a slow, sideways smile and exhaled cigar smoke near my face as if testing my reaction.
"You know… usually girls wear comfortable shoes when they run. But it seems you chose the hard way."
I clenched the edge of my dress, trying to ignore him as I made my way between the trees — but he stepped forward, blocking my path. He was so close I could see raindrops clinging to his lashes.
"Where are you going in this weather?"
"Back off." I said coldly, though my voice trembled more than I wanted.
Before he could reply, a female voice cut through the distance between us:
"Miss Elin!"
My body stiffened completely. It was Yoko. She approached quickly, holding an umbrella, her face full of worry.
The man turned slowly toward her, analyzing the situation. When she said my name again, I saw his eyes widen slightly — but not with innocent surprise… rather, the kind of surprise that knows more than it lets on.
He dropped his cigar to the ground and crushed it beneath his shoe, then looked back at me with a new sarcastic smile.
"Elin… I get it now."
My heart pounded fiercely, because this time his gaze was different — as if I had transformed from a mere stranger into a game whose rules he knew well.
Sayuka grabbed my wrist quickly, as if afraid I might vanish in the rain, and pulled me away from the man who still smiled mockingly, watching us leave. I didn't look back, but I could feel his heavy gaze stuck to my back until we disappeared behind the mansion's walls.
Sayuka closed the door behind us, and the sound of rain softened gradually. She led me to my room and quickly began helping me remove my wet—muddy dress. Her movements were careful, but her eyes watched me with obvious concern.
"What were you doing outside, Miss Elin?"
I lifted my head to her; there was no point in lying. I answered coldly:
"Running away."
Sayuka stopped suddenly, as if the word struck her like a slap, then opened her eyes wide in surprise.
"Why?"
I breathed deeply, as if the air weighed heavily on my chest.
"Because I don't want to be part of this game… I don't want to be sold under the name of an old contract I never chose."
She was silent for a few seconds, then came closer and dried my hair with a towel. Her tone softened, as if trying to hide her feelings:
"I understand how you feel… but sometimes, running away is harder than staying."
I looked at her sharply:
"Harder… or more dangerous?"
She didn't answer, only gave a faint smile and brought me another dress — a deep navy, one-shoulder, elegant but more comfortable than the previous one. She helped me put it on, then stood behind me adjusting the folds.
"The master requests your presence. Everyone is waiting."
I didn't like the idea of 'everyone.' but I followed silently.
The downstairs was quieter than expected, yet grand. The heavy wooden doors of the guest room were open, and inside, golden light spilled over the faces of those gathered.
I stepped inside… and froze.
On the long seats, I saw faces I'd never seen before, but their expressions alone told me they were no ordinary people. Men and women dressed elegantly, their eyes carrying a mix of power and coldness — as if they were weighing my presence from the first moment. Some studied me with quiet interest, others with disdainful or sharp looks, silently assessing my worth. The atmosphere was tense, as if every breath in the room was part of a hidden test.
But all those faces faded from my mind when my gaze landed on the man sitting relaxed in the front row — black shirt, slightly damp hair, and those piercing blue eyes I'd met just minutes ago in the garden.
Arin Kurosawa.
The air between us thickened suddenly. He watched me, but this time without his usual mocking smile — instead, with a calm gaze that clearly said he remembered what had just happened.
Beside him sat a handsome man with a mischievous smile, his eyes full of cunning as if he enjoyed everything unfolding.
And at the main seat, my father sat stiffly, watching me as if measuring my next steps.
I knew the name of this family… Kurosawa, a name tied to us for over a hundred years by a mysterious contract. But what I didn't know… was that the man I had tried to run from minutes ago was the very person I was supposed to become part of.
Silence ruled the room for a moment until I felt my breath alone break it. I didn't know if they all watched me… or if they waited for the first word that would decide my fate.
Suddenly, the man with the playful smile spoke, his voice low but clear:
"So… this is the awaited bride?"
I wasn't sure if he was mocking me or testing my reaction, but I felt every eye turn toward me.
A short pause, then a cold, haughty woman smiled, looking me up and down from head to toe, and said with clear sarcasm:
"Really… is this all we have? After all this talk about the family, I expected something more… exciting."
Another voice, sharper, came from a young woman with attractive features but eyes full of mockery, adding with a sneer:
"Yes, and her appearance… so simple, even plain. Is this really the dress they chose for her?"
Those words dropped a chilling weight into the atmosphere, as if they had unleashed a cold war among everyone.
Suddenly, my father's face twisted into a frightening smile, and his voice was calm but heavy with warning:
"Let us not forget we are in Yukichiro's mansion, and this land is ours. Every step or word taken here is counted precisely, and no one can ignore it."
His words were a strict reminder, carrying the weight of authority and control, making everyone feel they were guests on a ground not to be underestimated.
The room grew tense and quiet; no one except Arin and Sayuka knew about my escape attempt, and everyone else remained in complete darkness.
The faintest ripple of unrest stirred at the edges of the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught one of the servants lean toward another, his voice a hushed, urgent whisper—then, without a sound, he was gone.
Seconds later, every communication device mounted on the walls went dead. Even the guests' phones flickered lifeless, as though the signal itself had been stolen away in the same heartbeat. The silence that followed was suffocating, pressing against my ears harder than any shout.
My father's eyes narrowed, his voice low, calm… and yet heavy with warning.
"This is no ordinary malfunction…"
He hadn't even finished when the last of the room's light vanished, plunging us into total darkness. Outside, the rain seemed louder, more deliberate, every drop striking like a warning drumbeat. Around me, faint movements hinted at exchanged glances—but no one dared to speak. No one moved.
Then, a sound barely there.
A disturbance in the air, as if something had sliced through the silence itself. It was close. Too close.
Before I could turn, before my mind could even name the danger, it struck.
A hand—solid, cold as forged steel—closed around my arm with an unyielding grip. It felt inhuman, as though the darkness had grown fingers and seized me.
Not a word was spoken. Not a breath. Only the relentless strength pinning me in place. Then another presence rushed in, so close I felt the air shift.
Strong hands gripped my shoulders, and with sudden, fluid speed, I was pulled backward—light as a feather, yet with no room to resist.
The floor seemed to vanish beneath me. Cold air slammed into my face. The scent of rain flooded my senses. Then—a rough cloth pressed against my mouth, sealing away my voice.
The last thing my eyes managed to catch before the shadows devoured me was Arin.
His gaze locked on mine, sharp and knowing, catching the exact heartbeat of my disappearance.
But his body… remained perfectly still in his seat.
And then—The darkness swallowed me whole.