The Sleeping Beast
Two individuals held the same lowly station. Serena, a beggar orphaned and solitary, unexpectedly found kindness. A man took her in, becoming a father figure. One day, while purchasing provisions, Serena, amidst a throng, witnessed a horrifying spectacle: her adoptive father hanged alongside several knights. They had been accused of assaulting the princess, an act Serena knew her father, a beloved townsman, was incapable of committing. The princess, though weeping, displayed a peculiar, almost gleeful sorrow; her eyes glowed red. Disbelief consumed Serena. Her father's friends, however, believed in his innocence. They took Serena under their wing, offering her a position investigating the princess and the true perpetrators of the crime, fueling Serena's quest for vengeance. She became a spy, seeking justice for her adopted father's wrongful death.