Amu found herself in a massive room that looked very elegant as she opened her eyes. For her, it was a morning like any other because she had no memory of her original life. She lived in the kingdom of Horensia and came from noble lineage.

She had always had her eye on the Crown Prince, Tadase Hotori, and to her delight, the parents on both sides considered it diplomatically wise to arrange a marriage. Besides, both sets of parents had been friends for a long time, adding to the favorability of the arrangement.

She was incredibly happy with this decision, but she still had to win Tadase over, as she hadn't felt that he shared the same feelings. With these thoughts, she sighed and sat up in her bed. A glance outside revealed that it was another beautiful day. Rain was a rare occurrence. The kingdom had managed to live peacefully without war.

As a knock came on the door, she invited the waiting person in with a "Come in." Three young girls in maid uniforms entered.

"Good morning, Madam Hinamori. I hope your night was restful," Su, the girl with light green hair and green accents in her attire, spoke. Ran, the pink-haired one, was much more lively and went straight to Amu, gently pulling her out of bed. "It's high time to dress you up and bring you to breakfast." Her clothing had pink accents.

"You can't treat the future Crown Princess like this, Ran!" scolded Miki, with blue hair and blue accents. Amu giggled. She had grown fond of her three maids and always had fun with them. Eventually, she let herself be pulled by Ran and sat down on a chair in front of an elegant dressing table with a mirror.

Su immediately began brushing Amu's hair gently. In this world, her hair was longer than in her previous life, reaching down to her mid-back, with slight waves at the ends. Meanwhile, Miki took care of her makeup and gave instructions to Ran about the clothes she should prepare.

The dress Miki envisioned, in soft shades of pink, was an enchanting ensemble that emphasized the grace and femininity of the wearer. The fitted bodice was adorned with delicate lace that embellished the neckline and shoulders, adding an elegant touch.

The floor-length skirt consisted of several airy layers of light pink chiffon, creating a graceful elegance with every movement. Pink satin ribbons wound around the waist, ending in a playful bow at the back, accentuating the girlish charm.

The elbow-length sleeves were made of transparent fabric with delicate embroideries, adding a romantic and playful touch. The entire dress radiated femininity and harmonized perfectly with the pink hair of the wearer, who carried it with grace and style.

Some strands of her hair were braided back and tied with a small bow, while the majority remained open. Finally, Ran placed a golden necklace with a white diamond around her neck and adorned her arms with some golden bracelets.

Amu loved to look at herself in the mirror every time the three were done. She was always amazed at what they could create with her. "If Tadase doesn't fall in love with this sight, I don't know what will! You look stunning, Milady," declared Ran, scrutinizing Amu from top to bottom. Blushing, the pink-haired girl looked down. She wished more than anything for him to finally acknowledge her.

"Now, let's go! Otherwise, you'll be late!" Su positioned herself behind Amu and gently pushed her towards the door. The future Crown Princess nodded with a friendly smile and left the room.

Upon arriving at the dining hall, she made a polite curtsy while wishing Tadase a good morning, then took her seat at the table. Although they had known each other since childhood, they couldn't spend much time together, as Tadase always had to focus on becoming a proper successor. The engagement had been planned by the parents long ago, but back then, both of them couldn't really grasp its significance. However, Tadase was particularly opposed to having something seemingly significant imposed on him without any say. Perhaps, that alone made him predisposed against Amu, even though she was not to blame. As she greeted him, he only nodded silently and continued with his meal without giving her a glance. Amu sighed in disappointment. She thought she looked really pretty today, and he didn't even spare her a single look.

"Shall we take a walk this afternoon? We should try to get closer, don't you think?" The blonde prince looked up from his plate and regarded her somewhat incredulously. "I'm busy; I don't have time for such trivial activities," he replied. Amu looked down and nodded silently.

Shortly after, the door opened, and the Queen, Tadase's mother, entered with graceful steps. Amu had always admired the elegance she exuded. "Tadase, a word," she said. He sighed, set down his utensils, and followed his mother out of the hall. Only when she was sure no one would listen did she start talking to her son.

"You know it's important that she becomes the mother of your children. We

need her abilities. Pull yourself together and treat her appropriately, at least for appearances' sake," she scolded him with a serious expression.

"She can't do anything; I've never seen a hint of magic in her all these years!"

"Don't contradict me! We've tested her magic multiple times. She possesses it; it just hasn't awakened yet. If your son inherits her abilities, and you take charge of his upbringing from the beginning, it will bring significant advantages. Mastering all elements, changing the attacking element, creating illusions, and that uniquely large magical shield would change many things and open new doors."

His parents always talked about her special abilities, but now, for the first time, they were named. "We don't even know if it will pass on to my children. Maybe it will only happen in the next generation," he replied, sighing quietly to himself.

"Nevertheless, we have to try. I don't know what your problem is. She is a pretty, lovely girl." The brunette shook her head and briefly rubbed her forehead.

"I just don't like things being forced upon me, especially when it's been happening my whole life. I'll do something with her today, if it reassures you." Mizue smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You have to make her dependent on you. She must want to stay with you, even if it's hell on earth."

Tadase raised a skeptical eyebrow. How was he supposed to do that? Perhaps constantly showering her with niceties would make her believe that he was fundamentally a good person and that everything would be worthwhile someday.

After a few minutes, he returned to the dining hall and gave Amu a friendly smile this time. He approached her, knelt beside her, took her hand, and planted a gentle kiss on it. "My plans for today have changed, and it seems I do have time. I would like to spend the afternoon with my enchanting fiancée." Now that he took the time to look at her, it was only half a lie. He did find her quite attractive.

Amu felt her cheeks warm and her heart beat faster. "That pleases me," she murmured quietly, playing with her hair shyly.

Meanwhile, Ikuto regained consciousness. Unlike Amu, he found himself in a rather gloomy environment. The decor was noble, but everything was in black. Outside, there were only trees; he was in the middle of the forest. "Where am I...where is Amu?" he muttered softly as he looked outside in deep thought.

His clothing had noticeably changed, transporting him into a scene reminiscent of medieval fantasy. A long coat, splitting in two peaks just above the knees, drew attention. The upper part of the coat was black, while a gentle blue gradient extended from the hips to the peaks. Underneath, he wore slim black trousers and black boots that ended about 15 cm below the knees, adorned with subtle blue accents.

The coat hugged his upper body tightly and was held together in the middle by three black belts. A tight collar was surrounded by a scarf that formed a V-shape down to the collarbone, covering the shoulders. On the left side of the scarf, a long piece of fabric with elegant folds hung down. Subtle blue accents adorned the upper part of the coat.

He wore an earring on his right ear, consisting of two chains hanging at different heights and attached to the lobe and a bit higher on the ear. Three crosses dangled from the lobe part, while the upper part of the earring carried two more.

He pinched the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb, applying slight pressure. What was going on? One thing was certain: it wasn't the world he knew. "Why am I here...is Amu here too?"

"Oh, you're finally awake," a familiar yet unfamiliar voice echoed behind him, and he turned around. His eyes widened. "Yoru?!" he shook his head. This couldn't be Yoru; he had disappeared two years ago, and above all, he wasn't human? Half-human? Like Ikuto back then during his transformation, he had cat ears and a tail. There was a great resemblance between the two, yet their faces differed.

Yoru tilted his head, his expression becoming visibly concerned. "Are you okay, Master Ikuto?"

"Since when do you call me Master?"

"Always, I've been serving you since I was a child. How could you forget?" Yoru was even a bit older than Ikuto, his family always in the service of noble families.

Ikuto took a deep breath and sat back on the bed. He understood nothing at all. /What is the last thing I can remember? What on earth happened?/ he pondered silently. Pain, there was a sudden and terrible pain. Where did it come from? The more he tried, the clearer the last image in his head became. An iron rod in his body, and Amu right in front of him. He laughed briefly, desperate and a bit hysterical. "This can't be happening; is this supposed to be like one of her manga? It's ridiculous."

Yoru watched his master silently but with growing concern

. Ikuto leaned on both elbows on his thighs and buried his face in his hands, his fingers entwining in his hair. What should he wish for now? That his beloved also died and was somewhere in this world, or rather, that she survived and both were forever separated?

Yoru left the room and returned shortly after with a fresh cup of tea and the latest news in hand. "I don't know what's going on with you, but try to distract yourself and relax a bit, okay?" he smiled kindly and placed the cup on a table in front of Ikuto.

"I don't know how to explain my situation to you, but you'll definitely have to explain and tell me a lot." As he said this, his thoughts were still only on Amu. He regretted not having married her at least earlier.

"You look so tortured; I've never seen you like this." Yoru's voice was filled with pain; it hurt him to see Ikuto like this. Ikuto reluctantly reached for the newspaper. Why should he even look at all this; after all, he wasn't interested in this world at all. After some lifeless flipping through, he stopped, and his eyes widened.

'The first official picture of our Crown Princess' read the headline. The blonde crown prince had an arm around the girl's waist. His girl.

Yoru tilted his head again. "Since when are you so interested in the future royal couple?" Ikuto clenched his fist. "She belongs to me... not to him."

Yoru put the head down again. "But they've been engaged since childhood. The parents arranged it. Why didn't you act earlier? Although... with your banishment, everything is difficult, of course," the servant sighed.

"Don't address me so formally..." Ikuto muttered in deep thought. Yoru received this instruction quite regularly, yet he always fell back into old patterns. "Oh, yes, sorry."

He took a deep breath, trying to gather his thoughts and piece together the few shreds he had already picked up from Yoru. He had definitely taken on the role of a previous Ikuto. He was this Ikuto, but with the awareness of his own world. What about Amu? Was it just the Amu from this world? Everything seemed to point in that direction. Or was there also the possibility that she simply had no memories of her other life? Finally, he sighed aloud. "I have to fight for you again, huh? I thought I treated you enough like a princess."

"But... you've never met Amu..." Yoru was a bit desperate with his master because he no longer made any sense.

His attention finally turned to Yoru, and he began to explain what had happened. Yoru looked at him incredulously. He didn't want to believe it; it just sounded crazy, yet this Ikuto was different. He knew nothing about this world. He spoke of connections he never had. The cat boy had to admit that, absurd as it sounded, it was the truth.

Ikuto grinned a little. "I see, you've opted for the option that you have no choice but to believe me." By the way, in my world, you were much smaller and could fly. I'm glad to have you back, even if very different."

Yoru sighed and smiled back. He was aware that a hail of questions would soon descend upon him.

"Okay, let's start with that. Banished? Why on earth was I banished? Am I some kind of super-duper supervillain here, or what?" he raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"No. Actually, the opposite. Things were pinned on you; the 'royal family' didn't want you there."

"Uh-huh. Why?"

"Because you are the rightful successor."

"What?!"

"The Hotoris must have been planning this for ages. They were good friends with your family for a long time. Eventually, pictures surfaced. Pictures of your lifeless parents and you standing in front of them with a bloody knife. Of course, your face was full of tears, but in this context, no one cared. You murdered the royal couple. You're a demon; they should banish you. At the same time, shadow creatures and demons appeared in the kingdom, wreaking havoc. Of course, you were the responsible one. To your disadvantage, your magic is more inclined towards dark arts, but you were a child; you had talent, but not that much talent. People are just irrational. All the falsified evidence against you made everyone believe that the Hotoris' statements were true. They even staged a beautiful play; weeks later, they continued to publicly express their pain over the loss of their dear friends and shed tears." Yoru paused briefly and observed Ikuto's reaction. The latter held his index finger against his chin, looking pensive.

"How did they become the rightful royal family then?" he inquired shortly after.

"It's not quite clear. It was a mix of a popular vote and a document where your parents transferred the right to them in case something happened to the whole family."

"The whole. I was still alive."

"Yes, but you were considered a high traitor; you were no longer an option."

"Uh-huh. What happens if I approach the kingdom?"

"Why would you want to do that? You had accepted it, claiming the throne never interested you, right?" Yoru countered with another question.

"I have to get to Amu."

"I hate to tell you this, but she's absolutely in lovey-dovey mode with her prince. She'll hate you just like everyone else. Unlike you, she's just as she always was." Ikuto briefly looked down and sighed but then shrugged. "I'll try anyway."

Yoru narrowed his eyes and sighed a bit annoyed. This would mean a lot of trouble and probably a lot of work for him. "If they catch you, you'll be executed."

"Well, then I just won't let them catch me. Don't I have any cool tricks?" he grinned confidently as ever.

Yoru just shook his head and continued to have narrowed eyes, signaling an annoyed mood. After another loud sigh, he spoke again. "You can change your shape. Into animals, but also into a human who just looks different from you. In recent years, you've actually learned to communicate with demons. In essence, most of them are misunderstood and peaceful. Since you understand them, they're always ready to stand by your side. However, your main ability is blood magic. For you, it was more of a curse than a blessing. People don't think so far that you could use this power against enemies. They were convinced that it was only a power for villains who want to control others for their benefit."

Ikuto crossed his arms behind his head and listened silently, then nodded. "With shape-shifting, there shouldn't be a problem for me to get into the city."

"In principle..."

"What's the catch?"

"There are occasional magic sensors; they detect dark magic. They are mainly placed near the palace; they don't care about the slums, there they will rarely or not be found at all. Additionally, your shape-shifting only lasts for a certain amount of time. It's not exactly short, but I can already imagine you losing track of time and barely making it out of the city if you manage to meet Amu."

"Oh, so much trust in me right away?" he laughed and looked out the window again. "I just have to somehow make it happen; there's no way around it."