Seohyun always loved the peace and quiet that the forest provides her. She loved the smell of wildflowers in  spring, the shade the trees gave her in summer and the fresh breeze in autumn. 

She doesn't come during the winter. There's something different about the forest when it's trees are stripped off of it's green leaves, when everywhere you look all you see is cold white snow.

Today is an exception. Seohyun just had to get away from the Kingdom, away from her family. After she found out her parents had arranged her to marry a rich young merchant, she was devastated.

But she had no choice but to just agree to their decisions. Her family isn't wealthy and is part of the working class. They weren't royalty nor were they part of the nobility.

Marrying a rich man would help them pay their debts and would ensure a good future for Seohyun and her family. 

Tears fell down Seohyun's cheeks as she ran towards the forest. She stopped. 

She was at the end of the path that led to the forest. She looked at the uninviting forest infront of her. It's going to be her first time in the forest during winter.

She feels a bit afraid of what she would meet in the cold forest. She was afraid of the unfamiliar trees and the snow covered ground.

But she wanted to be alone and the forest was the only place where she could escape. She looked back at the Kingdom of Vermich. The whole kingdom was covered in a thick blanket of snow and the castle where the king and his family lived looked even colder than it usually is.

She faced the forest and started walking. It got colder and colder as she went deeper into the forest. She hugged herself, trying to keep warm.

A shiny white thing caught her eye. It was lying on the ground, it looked as if it was just a mound of snow but it was shiny.

"What could it be?" she thought.

She went closer to it and picked it up. It was a silver crown! A very beautiful silver crown with sparkling diamonds.

"A princess might have lost it..." she thought. But why would it end up here? No one comes into the forest during winter. Why would a princess come here in the first place...

The crown looked so beautiful, it was enchanting and Seohyun couldn't stop herself from wearing it.

She smiled as placed it on her head. It was surprisingly light even though diamonds were encrusted into it. Aren't crowns supposed to be a bit heavy? This is the first time Seohyun has ever worn a crown before so she doesn't know how it is supposed to weigh.

Seohyun suddenly felt ice cold, it was as if ice cold water was running through her veins instead of blood. She tried removing the crown from her head but it wouldn't. How odd.

She tried once more but it didn't even move an inch. Is this crown perhaps cursed by a witch? She has heard stories of things like this happening when she was still a child but they were only stories. Witches don't exist in the real world.

Seohyun suddenly saw an image that made every hair on her body stand. It was an image of her parents crying over a dead body. What made the hairs on her body stand was that the dead person lying on the ground was... her.

Seohyun screamed. The image was gone but she still felt afraid. It looked so... real.

She wanted to get out of the forest, away from the haunting feeling she had. She began to run but she was suddenly lost. Which way is out?

Her footprints were gone and she lost her sense of direction. The sun was beginning to set and night would fall soon.

"I have to get out of here"

She ran as fast as she could even though she didn't know whether she was going into the right direction. All she wanted was to get away from this nightmare, away from the forest.

Then she remembered she was still wearing the crown. It must be the reason why she saw that horrible vision. She tried removing it again and again but it wouldn't.

What is happening? I suddenly feel cold, so cold. I can't hear my heartbeat. Am I dying? Or am I already dead?

This crown! I want it away from my head! It feels like my soul is being into the crown, into the shiny diamonds sparkling.

It's so cold... so cold.