Killing Your Sweet Breath - Chapter 14

Chapter 7.2

The tea he left behind had been brewed with great care, not too bitter, and with a full, rich aroma.

Winter subtly nodded to herself and switched Van’s teacup with hers.

“Have you developed a sudden gluttonous streak that I am somehow unaware of?”

“I checked, it’s not poisoned with anything lethal. Though, if you’re unlucky, you might drop dead before making it home.”

“I feared you’d steal all my food after we’re married, but here you are, concerned for me. There’s no need to do this in the future. It’s ridiculous for a wife to be taste-testing her husband’s meals for poison.”

Winter didn’t reply and instead focused outside the window, fiddling with the new ring on her finger. She noticed an indent on the ring, and upon closer inspection, she realized the name “Helgram” had been engraved into the metal.

The nobles of the capital, being the authoritative figures they were, loved to flaunt their family heritage. This ring must be an emblem of that tradition. Without putting much thought into her question, Winter asked,

“What’s the story behind this ring? It has ‘Helgram’ engraved on it—some kind of family crest?”

“It’s a family heirloom. My mother gave it to me just before she passed away.”

“…What?”

A family heirloom enchanted with ancient magic. It held the same significance as the necklace Winter had given to the emperor’s knight.

Only a couple of families secretly possessed one of the ancient mysteries of the empire, and it seemed that Helgram was one of them.

Just as she was about to ask about the magic, someone came rushing up the stairs. It was a man, and his disheveled appearance made it hard to believe he was the owner of the boutique.

As soon as he reached the top, he straightened his clothes and approached the two, bowing deeply.

“Huff, huff. Apologies for my delay. I’m Jean Paul, the owner of Paul Boutique. I understand you’ve been waiting?”

“It’s alright. I’d like to request an order of custom-made dresses for this lady here.”

“You’ve come to the right place. Our boutique is widely known for setting the fashion trends of the capital. When do you need them?”

“My lovely fiancée only brought this from home, so we’d like several new outfits made.”

“Certainly! I’ll do my utmost to ensure you’re satisfied.”

Jean, out of habit, extended his hand to Winter but then quickly withdrew it. His face paled, as if realizing he’d made a terrible mistake, but Winter stood up and gave him a smile.

They entered a room prepared for taking measurements, and it was surprisingly spacious. After getting her measurements taken, Winter went to riffle through the sample dresses.

Jean asked several questions about her preferences, but Winter only responded with variations of “that’s fine,” until he finally said, “I’ll prepare everything myself, is that okay?” She nodded and returned to Van.

“I’ll cover any additional costs if you can have the dresses made as quickly as possible. As I previously mentioned, she hardly has anything suitable to wear at the moment, so I’d appreciate it if you could send each dress as it’s completed.”

“Additional costs? Nonsense. I’ll make sure everything is delivered to the Helgram estate as soon as it’s ready. If there are any issues, let me know, and I’ll handle it personally.”

Van stood, and his hand naturally extended in Winter’s direction.

Her lips twitched as she tried to form a smile, and Winter placed her hand in Van’s.

It’s a good thing she was wearing gloves. If their bare skin had touched, that would’ve made it impossible to even uphold a forced smile.

“My future wife is very shy. She can’t even maintain eye contact.”

Van teased with a gentle smile.

* * *

Once they finished their meal and they were back in the carriage, Winter was hit by a wave of exhaustion.

Throughout their meal, various nobles, knights, and many of Van’s subjects recognized him and approached to greet him, forcing Winter to keep up her act.

She tried to limit her interactions to simply exchanging names with those who were merely curious and then ignoring them, but Van steered the conversations in a way that forced her to speak.

It was clear this wasn’t out of necessity but purely for the sake of his own entertainment.

‘He’s doing this on purpose.’

Like an actress in a play, Winter had to force herself to smile brightly and act shy while conversing with people.

“You did good, Winter. No one would ever suspect this is just a contractual relationship.”

In the carriage on their way back to the estate, Van watched Winter with a satisfied expression, a face so annoyingly perfect it infuriated her.

“If it weren’t for the contract, I would’ve taken a knife and sliced you up right there in front of everyone instead of the meat on my plate.”

“Well, it’s a good thing my fiancée has such great patience.”

“I suggest you tone it down unless you wish to die before achieving your goal. Doing that was entirely pointless.”

Her threat made Van chuckle and lean in closer, eliminating the space between them. He gazed down at Winter with hooded eyes, and he tilted his head, bringing his lips to the shell of her ear. They looked like lovers sharing a secret.

“When you feel like stabbing me, try to imagine plunging that knife into the emperor’s heart instead.”

The moment he whispered in her ear, a shiver ran down Winter’s spine. The image of driving a dagger into the emperor’s chest came naturally, and the scene flooded her mind.

She imagined his arrogant face filling with surprise before his lips turned blue. It quickened her heartbeat.

“Thrilling, isn’t it?”

Van Helgram’s lips curved into a smile. Was he imagining the same thing? His beautiful golden eyes had a bright gleam in them.

“Oh, and there’s something I forgot.”

That infuriatingly handsome face of his drew close to Winter, their noses just barely touching. The smile he wore was gone, leaving a serious expression in its place

“What is it— mmph!”

In the next second, Van Helgram shot forward, his lips capturing hers.