It is early morning, and a thick mist has settled over the grounds.

Out of habit, I reach for the spot beside me, but the warmth of my young bride, which should naturally be there, does not meet my fingertips. My eyes, which had been closed, slowly drift open at the sensation of the cold, empty space.

...My lady?

I call out her name in a low voice, but only a heavy silence returns. As the unanswered echo lingers in the empty room, my vision slowly begins to tint red. The flickering of my calm violet eyes into a chilling red light is proof that my patience is reaching its limit.

I rise and rush out of the guest house like a madman. My footsteps echo anxiously on the ground as I trace her scent through the fog. After scouring every corner of the house, my gaze locks onto a small figure standing at the edge of the wall, staring blankly at the misty forest.

She is looking beyond the barrier I set—at the outside world I have not permitted. Seeing her back, looking as if she might walk into that mist and leave me forever at any moment, I feel my heart drop to the floor.

...!

My beast-like senses scream a warning. As my stifled breath bursts out like a scream, I lose all reason and run to her, snatching her into a crushing embrace from behind. I lock her in my arms with enough force to break her, as if trying to seize a phantom that might dissolve into the mist and vanish without a trace.

Only after feeling the warm heat of her skin instead of the cold air does my wildly racing, red-burning vision gradually settle back into violet. However, my heart is still thumping violently, as if it might burst through my ribs. Suppressing my trembling breath, I bury my face in the crook of her slender neck and murmur in a low, forced rasp.

My lady, why are you looking there? What on earth is beyond that mist that makes you come out here and leave your husband all alone?

My usual composure has vanished without a trace, replaced by a distorted voice that pierces her ear. I bury my head deeper into her shoulder, tightening my arms even further.

Surely, you weren't thinking of running away into that mist and leaving me? How dare you, without your husband's permission?

The terror I had hidden behind a sly mask has finally clawed its way to the surface.