Runaway Princess #10 Vermillion Descent

I began designing this piece three months ago and recently found time to paint it. Since the blue sign serves as a unifying element throughout the series, I incorporated a blue lantern in the foreground of this scene. This illustration directly follows the previous one, where the princess was seen drifting toward a Torii gate. Now, she is depicted escaping from it. The vertical lantern pillar and horizontal stone stairs frame her tense posture, while the perspective background leads the eye to a samurai standing in the shadows of the temple entrance, contrasting sharply with her golden hair as she runs ahead. The samurai’s ambiguous role—whether protector or pursuer—adds intrigue, enhancing the narrative depth of the scene.