The Hollow's words still echoed in my ears, the room wrapped in silence so heavy I thought it might crush us.
'The Hollow Princess...?' I repeated in my mind.
I didn't even know what that meant, but judging by the way everyone froze, it was something they all understood and feared.
My gaze flicked to Grandpa Venus. His jaw tightened, and his pupils narrowed like the sharp edge of a blade.
His voice was low, cutting through the silence.
"Who," he asked, "are you talking about?"
The Hollow's smirk stretched wider, his pale lips twisting in mock amusement.
He didn't answer. Instead, the eerie being tilted his head, as though mocking the question itself, and then his feet shifted back.
That was all the warning we got.
The Hollow spun, moving toward the edge of the platform, his sword gleaming faintly under the broken lights.
"STOP HIM!" King Philip's voice roared, shaking the auction hall. His command was like thunder rolling through the chaos. "HOLD HIM DOWN!"
