My husband still hadn’t come back.

Just a few days ago, before leaving the estate, he’d promised to return within two. There had been no word from him since, which could only mean one thing—he would be back tonight, perhaps even in the middle of the night.

He was a man who never took his responsibilities lightly. He honored every promise he made, even the ones spoken casually. We’d only been married for six months, and while I couldn’t pretend to fully understand him yet, there was one thing I knew without a doubt:

No matter how hectic his schedule or how many meals he had to skip, he would always follow through on his word—even to me.

“I need to talk to you, Keigan.”

To a man like that, I had something I needed to say tonight.

“I think… we should get a divorce.”

For weeks now, that one sentence had haunted me. I had turned it over in my mind again and again, wondering how to say it in a way that wouldn’t spark a war between us.

But the truth is, there’s no such thing as a gentle ending. Divorce, especially in noble society, was a scandal—almost unthinkable. And for a man like my husband, it would be a blow to everything he stood for.

Keigan Steinway, Duke of Weyriver. Lord of the third-largest territory in the Viachera Empire. A man deeply rooted in tradition, loyal to the conservative Ingestan faith.

He would never take kindly to the idea of separation. When the Fourth Prince announced his own divorce, citing irreconcilable differences, Keigan had scoffed without hesitation.

“Is that how royalty behaves? They’re meant to set an example.”

“Until death do us part.”

He had meant every word. So had I—until now.

This wasn’t a decision I made on a whim. I, too, was a follower of the Old Faith. And whenever I recalled the vows we had exchanged on our wedding day, I couldn’t silence the voice of guilt whispering that I was breaking a sacred promise.

Those words—meant to last a lifetime—still lingered in my mind, like ink that hadn’t quite dried.

The sound of Keigan’s voice as he recited them, solemn and resolute like a knight taking an oath, still echoed in my ears.

“I will love and cherish you as I do my own body.”

I can’t deny it: for the most part, he had been a faithful husband. Diligent. Attentive. Even to the point of obsession.

I truly believe that even if my face were to become grotesque, like some swamp-toad creature from the mist-shrouded forests, Keigan would still stay married to me. Whether out of love or sheer duty, he would lie beside his toad wife, raise children and live exactly as our vows commanded.

“Oh my. Our baby looks just like you, dear.”
“No, nothing at all. Let’s hurry and try for a second child, Ruwan.”

He was a righteous and upright man. I never faulted his silent, stoic nature — if he had been charming and smooth-talking, I might not have felt so safe.

He had it all: wealth, status, strength, and beauty. Yet he remained immovable in the face of worldly temptations. Despite marrying a woman of humble origins, he always treated me with respect and courtesy.

At least, that’s what I believed.

“Please, Keigan. I want a divorce.”

But what kind of man was he really behind my back?

Not long ago, I overheard something that shattered everything I thought I knew. It made me question whether the man I married ever truly existed.

Had I been too naive to see the truth? Did I ever really know him?

As it turned out, I hadn’t known him at all.

“I just feel like… to you, I’m no longer—no longer, ahem.”

I cleared my throat, hoping to steady my voice. But even after rehearsing these words over and over in front of the window’s reflection, I couldn’t shake the awkwardness. The moment I imagined those pale blue eyes of his—so cold, so precise, like shards of ice—I wasn’t sure I’d be able to speak at all.

“I…”

Maybe he would just ignore me. Or maybe he’d sneer or pretend not to hear me. Honestly, that might be the best I could hope for. Because if he did respond, then maybe—just maybe—I’d finally see him drop his act.

Maybe he would drop the veneer of forced politeness that he always displayed when faced with unpleasantness. Maybe, for the first time, he would show me the side of himself that I had only ever sensed.

Yes, that side.

The one whispered about in drawing rooms and council halls.

They called him the ‘refined monster who tears apart the weak with elegance.

Would I finally see it for myself? Would he reveal his true self to me?

“You handed the task over to that woman?’ What a pointless thing to do! She can’t handle it. Don’t assign her anything.”

I heard it with my own ears.

I heard my husband speaking about me — his own wife — with such thinly veiled contempt when he thought I wasn’t around. And it wasn’t just once. As if fate itself had grown impatient with my ignorance, his words were placed right in front of me time and time again, daring me to open my eyes.

At first, I tried to make sense of it. Perhaps there was a context I didn’t understand. Maybe I’d done something wrong. I tore myself apart, trying to make sense of it all, silently enduring the pain. But it was futile.

You can’t explain someone else’s cruelty with fantasies born from your own illusions.

Eventually, I tried confronting him and speaking to him directly. But that ended exactly as I’d feared: it got us nowhere. The truth was that there was no room for honesty between Keigan and me. We never carved out time for it. Our relationship didn’t allow for it.

He was always busy and distant, and his formality felt more like armour than etiquette. Perhaps many noble marriages are like that, but ours was even colder than most.

“That woman.”

Was that why Keigan always seemed so cold and curt towards me? Was he stopping himself from shouting those words at me?

“I don’t think I’m suited to being the duchess.”

To be honest, that wasn’t even my idea.

It’s just that I now know you think that way.

“That’s why I want a divorce…”

“My lady.”

Suddenly, there was a knock, followed immediately by the door opening.

Mila entered, bending deeply at the knees in an apologetic gesture as if she had just been rude.

“You’ll want to come down to the main hall. Right away.”

“What is it?”

I put down the buffalo horn comb that I had been fidgeting with on the windowsill, turned around and asked. My ears burned with embarrassment — had I just been caught talking to myself like a petty thief mumbling her guilt?

“Sir Ben is waiting for you.”

Mila looked urgent. Her face and voice were both tense and tightly drawn.

A bad feeling stirred in my gut. If Keigan’s aide was asking for me this late at night, it couldn’t be trivial.

Had someone found out about my secret plan? What could it be, then?

***

Ben stood at the entrance to the first-floor lobby, looking rather out of place.

As usual, he had the bearing of a noble knight, but something was amiss. The muscles around his mouth were ever so slightly twisted.

The moment my eyes landed on the young knight standing beside him, I was struck by a chilling sense of dread.

He was the knight who had accompanied Keigan to the Mistwood.

Why was he kneeling there like a criminal?

“Duchess.”

“I need to leave for the Mistwood at once. I’ll report the full details upon my return tomorrow.”

“What happened, Sir Ben?”

Two days ago, Keigan and his knights set off for the Mistwood.

“But the duke should be back any moment now.”

It was also known as the Forest of Monsters.

Across the continent of Ereshia, there were forests shrouded in strange, magical mists that drifted like living creatures, concealing the heart of the forest where magical beasts resided. Our own region of Weyriver had such a forest in the Regrota Mountains.

Although these woods were considered dangerous and mysterious, the Mistwood had enjoyed a period of relative stability for decades. Since the Great War of Beasts ended around 120 years ago, the forests had been under the control of local lords and remained peaceful.

As long as no one ventured deep into the restricted zones, there was hardly any chance of encountering a monster. Thanks to this, most people could live their whole lives without ever seeing such a creature.

Even Keigan’s duties as a lord managing the Mistwoods had become routine. The magical beasts living in Weyriver’s forest were said to be less aggressive than wild boars. A yearly patrol and one seasonal ‘hunt’ during the beasts’ summer breeding season were usually enough to maintain order.

“Please… kill me, Duchess.”

But what on earth was this man saying?

I stared down at the pale, youthful face of the knight, speechless with disbelief.

“This happened because of my incompetence. I failed to protect my lord.”

“I don’t quite understand what you mean.”

“The Duke, he has gone missing in the Mistwood.”

My lips stuck together at the absurdity of his words and I was unable to speak.

The young knight’s voice trembled as he tried to hold back tears.

“This morning, we were on our way back after a routine sweep of the Mistwood. But then, suddenly, His Grace crossed the boundary into one of the monster dens. I was closest to him and tried desperately to follow, but he urged his horse forward at a speed I simply couldn’t match…”

“Enough! I didn’t ask for excuses.”

The knight’s voice still trembled with the vivid fear of what he had witnessed. Ben’s shout of reprimand for the young subordinate’s weakness rang out sternly beside him.

Was this a dream? Had I fallen asleep while waiting for Keigan and slipped into a nightmare?

I looked at the two men, doubting my own eyes and ears.

“In any case, I must leave for the Mistwood immediately, Duchess.”

Ben was already half-turned, as if ready to dive into the night air.

“Steward, I expect you to ensure this news does not leave these walls.”

I moved quickly, not wanting to let him disappear without saying goodbye.

“Bring me my cloak, Mila.”

“But, my lady—”

“Hurry.”

“No, I must protest! Absolutely not! Please, Duchess, stay here. I’ll check the situation myself and then come back.”

Ben and Mila tried to stop me. To be honest, I still had some sense left — enough to realise that it would be foolish to follow them into a forest infested with monsters in the middle of the night.

So I stayed behind, left standing alone in the entrance hall, leaning against the doorframe. I watched the two knights disappear into the darkness, their silhouettes consumed by the night.

“This can’t be real.”

It didn’t make any sense.

Keigan — missing?

“This has to be a mistake.”

How could something so absurd be true?

All of Weyriver lay under his command. Even the Mistwood, known for its ability to terrify inexperienced travellers and the monsters that made their dens within it, fell under his power.

He was no ordinary man who was handed a ceremonial title as a gift. A true knight and monster hunter, he had vanquished high-tier beasts in Nosca, the land where the king of monsters had once been buried.

Neither man nor beast would dare touch so much as a strand of his hair — not if they lived under the sky of Weyriver.

Words like ‘missing’ or ‘danger’ did not apply to him. They only brought with them a strange, unpleasant dissonance.

“My lady, my lady.”

Mila tugged on my sleeve, snapping me back to the present.

“Please go back to your room and rest. You don’t need to worry so much. I’m sure the duke will return in the morning as if nothing happened.”

I nodded slowly. Of course I wanted to believe that, too.

“Of course he will, Mila. He’ll come back.”

Even so, I stood at the entrance for a long time. Gazing into the darkness, I allowed myself to sink into a dull, disconnected daze. Perhaps it was just the lack of recent exercise that made my legs feel so heavy and unwilling to move.

Although the castle should have been silent at this hour, it felt as if a strange unrest had crept in. The halls buzzed faintly in my ears, as if the walls themselves were whispering rumours.

I wondered if the low, pounding sound I could hear was my own heartbeat echoing through my chest.

That was the night Keigan did not return.

It was the night when two young knights exchanged uneasy glances for the first time, filled with the fear that he might never come back.

“Keigan.”

I had something to tell him tonight.

I wanted to talk to him.

Even though the sun had set hours ago and the stars were now glittering across the sky, it felt as if the darkness was deepening by the second.

It was as if an endless night had just begun.