Richard, the ambitious third son of the House of York, believes he is cursed, damned from birth to eternal darkness. But is it truly fate that sets him on the path to personal destruction? Or his own tormented longings? Based on an early draft of Shakespeare's Richard III, Aya Kanno's dark fantasy finds the man who could be king standing between worlds, between classes, between good and evil.

Having taken care of Hastings's interference, Richard and his allies consolidate power. Meanwhile, King Edward V's coronation day is decided. For entertainment, a hunt is arranged, but behind the scenes the king and the royal princes have concocted a dastardly plot