Chapter 1
My husband had not yet returned.
But he had promised, when he left the castle a few days ago, that he would be back within two days. There had been no further word since, so it was certain he would return by midnight at the latest.
He was a man thorough in his duties and promises. We had been married for half a year. Though it was difficult to say I knew my husband well, this was one thing I could say with confidence.
Even if he postponed meals due to his busy schedule, he was a man who would always keep even the most carelessly spoken promise to me.
“I have something to tell you, Kagan.”
Tonight, to that man, there was something I absolutely had to say.
“I think we should get a divorce.”
For weeks now, my mind had been consumed with how to broach the subject so that the conversation with my husband would go smoothly.
Of course, there’s no such thing as an amicable separation. In the world of high nobility, divorce was hardly a common occurrence. And with my husband, it was almost an abhorrent topic.
Kagan Steinway, Duke of Wayriver. Lord of the third-largest territory in the Biachera Empire, and a supporter of the conservative old faith, Ingestion.
A man in such a position would never welcome divorce. When the Fourth Prince recently entered divorce proceedings citing irreconcilable differences, Kagan had not hesitated to voice his contempt, saying, “Is that any way for a member of the imperial family, who should be setting an example, to behave?”
“Until death do you part.”
It wasn’t a decision I had made lightly. Recalling the vows we exchanged at our wedding, I, too, as a follower of the same old faith, had to face a voice of guilt that seemed to rebuke me.
The phrases of the vow I had sworn to keep for a lifetime still shimmered in my mind like wet ink.
Kagan’s voice, reciting them with the solemnity of a knight’s oath, was still vivid in my ears.
“I will cherish and love you as I love my own body.”
I admit that he was, by and large, a faithful husband. He was diligent, devoted, even to the point of being obsessive.
In my opinion, Kagan was the kind of man who would stay married even if my face transformed into that of a toad monster inhabiting the swamps of the Misty Forest. Whether he liked it or not, I was certain he would live with his toad wife, have children with her, according to the vows.
Oh my, our baby looks just like you, dear. No, never mind. Let’s hurry and make a second one, Ruan.
He was an upright and dutiful husband. I wouldn’t complain about his being taciturn and blunt. A man who was slick and skilled at sweet-talking women would have been far more uncomfortable for me.
A man who possessed wealth, power, a strong physique, and even good looks, yet remained steadfast against worldly temptations. A man who always treated his wife—who came from a far inferior status and background—with respect and courtesy.
…At least, that was the case in front of me.
“Please grant me a divorce, Kagan.”
But what was he like behind my back?
The other day, I happened to catch a glimpse of him, and he didn’t seem like the same man I knew. Was it my own foolish arrogance to have thought I knew him in the first place?
As it turned out, I didn’t know my husband at all.
“I simply… for you, no longer, I can no longer—ahem.”
I even cleared my throat unnecessarily, trying to compose myself. Even practicing in front of my reflection in the windowpane felt so self-conscious.
When the time came, with his water-colored eyes, which sometimes held a chill like shards of ice, staring terrifyingly at me, would I even be able to open my mouth?
“I…”
Perhaps I would be quietly ignored or met with sarcasm. If that was all, I’d be lucky. Or perhaps, he would finally shed the consideration he’d always shown, the way he would patiently suppress negative emotions whenever hearing an opinion he disliked, and finally reveal his cruel nature.
Yes, if the brutality befitting a ‘high-level monster that slaughters low-level monsters,’ as whispered with admiration in high society, was hidden inside Kagan…
Would I finally get to witness it firsthand?
‘She handed over the ledgers to that woman?’
‘A pointless thing to do.’
‘It’s maddening that Dubon has to take that woman along too.’
‘I wish she’d just stay home and look at flowers.’
I already heard it with my own ears.
I discovered that my husband used rather harsh language about me, his wife, when I wasn’t present. Through repeated, ironic twists of coincidence, I learned of his duplicitous nature.
Back then, I thought, He must have had his reasons, or Perhaps I made some mistake. I agonized over it in secret, but it was meaningless. You can’t understand another person solely through your own delusions.
After much deliberation, I even tried to talk to him directly. But that didn’t go well either. From the start, there was no time for open, honest conversation between Kagan and me, nor the kind of relationship that would allow for conflict resolution.
He was always busy, and he kept me at a distance with manners that seemed almost excessive. Perhaps many noble couples are like that, but I think we were particularly so.
‘That woman.’
Was that why Kagan had been so silent and blunt in front of me all this time—to restrain himself from using such a contemptuous tone?
“I don’t think I’m fit to be a duchess.”
Actually, that’s not my own thought.
It’s just that I came to realize that’s what you think.
“So please, grant me a di—”
“My Lady.”
Suddenly, there was a knock, and the door opened at the same time.
Mila bowed deeply, as if apologizing for her rudeness, and spoke.
“I think you need to come down to the first-floor lobby. Right now.”
“What’s the matter?”
I set down the water-buffalo horn comb I’d been fidgeting with on the windowsill and turned around. My ears burned with shame, as if I were a thief caught red-handed, afraid my shameful soliloquy had been overheard.
“Sir Ben is waiting.”
Mila simply looked urgent. Her expression and voice were clearly tense.
I had a bad feeling. For Kagan’s aide to call me at such a late hour, it couldn’t be a trivial matter.
There was no way my own illicit scheming had been leaked, so what could it be?
Ben was standing at the entrance of the first-floor lobby like a stranger. His posture, befitting a knight from a prestigious family, was as upright as ever, but the muscles around his mouth were subtly twisted.
And the moment the young knight accompanying him caught my eye, an inexplicable sense of dread crept up my spine.
That’s the knight who went to the Misty Forest with Kagan.
Why is he kneeling like a criminal?
“Duchess.”
Ben spoke quickly, his voice laced with impatience.
“I believe I must go to the Misty Forest immediately. I will report the details upon my return tomorrow.”
“What is the matter, Sir Ben?”
The Misty Forest was the destination Kagan had headed to with his knights two days ago.
“The Duke will be returning soon anyway, won’t he?”
It was a place also known as the Forest of Monsters.
Throughout the continent of Ireshia, there existed forests shrouded in mysterious, magical mists. The mist, floating as if alive, concealed the lairs of monsters deep within the woods. Such a Misty Forest existed in the mountains of Regrota in our Wayriver.
Though recognized as a dangerous, uncharted territory, the Misty Forests across the continent had long since entered a period of relative stability. After the Great Monster War ended over 120 years ago, the Misty Forests found a level of peace manageable for local lords.
Unless one deliberately ventured beyond the deep controlled zones, encountering monsters became rare. Thanks to this, most modern people lived without ever truly experiencing the presence of monsters.
Kagan’s duty as lord to manage the Misty Forest was also relatively routine. It was said that the monsters inhabiting Wayriver’s Misty Forest were less aggressive than wild boars. Periodically inspecting the forest and conducting one ‘hunt’ per year during the summer breeding season of the monsters supposedly saw the year pass safely.
“Please execute me, Duchess.”
But what was this now?
I stared dazedly down at the young knight’s pale, boyish face.
“It is due to my incompetence, for losing my liege.”
“I don’t quite understand what you’re all saying…”
“It appears the Duke has gone missing in the Misty Forest.”
Ben cut to the chase, delivering the crux of the situation.
The story was so absurd my lips pressed together and stuck.
The young knight opened his mouth again, his voice sounding as if he was holding back tears.
“This morning, we were returning from our usual patrol of the Misty Forest. But suddenly, the Duke, who was at the lead, crossed the boundary into the deep nest area. I was nearby and tried desperately to follow, but the Duke spurred his horse at such speed that it was impossible to catch up…”
“Enough! I didn’t ask for excuses.”
The knight’s voice, raw with the fear of the accident he’d witnessed. Ben’s scolding rebuke of his weak subordinate. Was this a dream? Had I fallen asleep waiting for Kagan?
Doubting my own eyes and ears, I stared at the two men.
“Regardless, I must go to the Misty Forest, Duchess. And Head Butler, please ensure this matter does not leak out.”
Ben turned, as if ready to plunge into the night air at any moment.
Afraid of losing him, I hastily moved my feet.
“Bring my coat, Mila.”
“But, my lady…”
“Hurry.”
“No, that’s out of the question. Please wait here, Duchess. Let me go ahead and check first.”
Ben and Mila both tried to dissuade me. Fortunately, I still had some semblance of reason left; I could immediately understand that it wasn’t wise to follow them to the monster forest in the middle of the night.
I remained alone, leaning against the doorframe. With blank eyes, I watched the backs of the two knights disappear into the thick darkness.
“…Lies.”
Nonsense.
Kagan is missing?
“They must be mistaken.”
How could such an absurd thing happen?
All the vast lands of Wayriver were under his authority. Even the monster forest that frightened clueless travelers, and the lives of the monsters coiled within it, were all under his power.
He was a stronger knight than anyone. He didn’t just hold a token knighthood given as a reward to lords. He was a true monster hunter, a genuine knight who had taken down high-level monsters in Noscar, where the Monster King was said to be buried.
Therefore, whether human or monster, at least any being that breathed Wayriver’s air wouldn’t dare touch a single hair on Kagan’s head.
Attaching words like ‘missing’ or other dangerous-smelling terms to such a man only felt jarring and unpleasant.
“My lady, my lady.”
Mila, who had been calling me for who knows how long, tugged at my sleeve urgently.
“Please go back up to your room and rest. You don’t need to worry too much. The Duke will likely return in the morning as if nothing happened, calm and composed.”
Of course, I thought the same as her.
“Of course, Mila. He will return.”
But I stood at the entrance for a long while after that. Staring into the darkness, I fell into a daze. The reason my feet wouldn’t move easily must be because my legs were heavy from lack of exercise lately.
Even though it was night and everyone was asleep, it felt like a restless mood was circulating through the castle. My ears buzzed with murmurs and noise.
The thumping sound… perhaps it was coming from my own chest.
The night Kagan did not return.
The night the two young knights exchanged anxious glances, suggesting he might never come back.
“Kagan…”
Tonight, I had something to tell him.
I wanted to talk with him.
Though the sun had already sunk deep into the sea and the stars were twinkling, the sky grew ever darker.
It felt as if a deep, long night was approaching.
