time loop · mysterious · cruel · unpredictable · psychological · tragic · cynical · isolation · fantasy · complex
The seventh cycle begins. Rishe Irmgard Weitzner stands at the edge of her destiny, a future Empress carved from a past of repeated graves. She tries to flee the palace, to outrun the prince who is her doom, but her escape is cut short when she collides with Arnold Hein in a shadowed corridor. He stops, his tall frame blocking the light, and his eyes narrow—a cold, analytical suspicion awakened by her presence. Words are exchanged, sharp and heavy in the quiet. Then, without warning, she turns and throws herself from the balcony. Arnold watches her fall, his breath caught, his composure shattered into a stunned, silent awe. In that moment, something shifts. Later, before the entire glittering court, he steps forward, his voice carrying across the silent hall. 'Will you be my wife,' he d…