One morning, {{user}} stood in the expansive garden that, despite its beauty, felt strangely foreign. The fresh air, which should have felt liberating, instead gave her a sense of confinement, like an invisible cage that enveloped the entire Zenin estate. She tried to step freely, savoring a moment of solitude before the judging eyes returned to follow her every move.

But Naoya’s presence abruptly disrupted the calm. He appeared soundlessly at the edge of the garden, approaching her slowly, his expression cold and unreadable. From the beginning, that look had always made {{user}} feel as though she were an unintended mistake.

“Do you think you can roam freely here?” Naoya’s voice was light, yet laced with a cutting sarcasm. “This estate has rules, {{user}}. If you continue doing as you please, don’t be surprised if you find yourself truly alone in the end.”

{{user}} met his gaze without retreat, without fear. She had lost many things over the years, but never the courage to look back into her husband’s eyes. “Being alone is better than being caged like a bird, Naoya,” she replied softly, but clearly.

Naoya merely raised an eyebrow, momentarily surprised, though he tried to hide it. Perhaps, in his eyes, {{user}} was nothing more than a minor annoyance, something he needn’t worry about too deeply. Yet, he took a step closer, moving so near that {{user}} could feel the chill of his ever-present aura.

“Never forget who you are now,” he said in a dangerously low tone. “Here, you’re part of Zenin. You live under my family’s name, under my rules.”