Killing Your Sweet Breath - Chapter 19
Chapter 10.1
Winter’s brow twitched as she dropped her head.
‘…So that’s what it meant?’
Now that Winter understood the ring’s significance, she also realized how deep Van’s desire for revenge ran.
After all, he had given Winter a ring meant for his lifelong partner.
Given the circumstances, the emperor suggested postponing dinner for another time, but Van outright refused, saying that there was no need since they had already met His Majesty.
It made sense.
If dinner were to take place, they would have to face the empress consort, the woman who had taken his mother’s place.
But with Antonio’s brutality ruining the plan, the current situation ended far more satisfyingly.
Winter also didn’t have the confidence to sit and eat across from the emperor at the same time, so she kept silent.
After that, the conversation turned formal. The emperor asked when the wedding would take place and what they thought of the palace’s banquet hall, to which Van responded that they would need more time to consider.
As they were leaving, Van refused to take the new clothes the palace had prepared, opting instead for the ruined shirt he had on.
He didn’t want to accept anything from the emperor. He did, however, let Winter keep the bracelet the emperor had given her, choosing not to comment on it.
He likely hoped it would fuel Winter’s desire for revenge even more. And just as he wished, the cold flames of vengeance burned fiercely within Winter’s heart.
She stared down at the bracelet given to her by the enemy. The entire way back to the estate, Winter vowed that one day she would stand over the emperor’s cold, lifeless body and laugh as she sent him off to the afterlife with this bracelet as his fare.
“You did well today, Winter. Rest well.”
As soon as Van stepped foot onto the estate, he spoke his piece and retreated inside first.
Perhaps the wound caused him a fever since his face looked slightly redder than usual. His voice also sounded noticeably drier. But Winter was quite tired herself, so Sheeran escorted her back to her room.
She tore off the suffocating dress and corset and sank into the bath. Sianna had heated the water using a different fragrance than usual, but it wasn’t unpleasant. It had a slightly bitter, herbal aroma.
“I’ll prepare some tea.”
Winter hesitated for a moment before simply replying, “Thank you,” and then submerged her entire head into the water.
As her tension eased and she relaxed, the image of the burning Castle Ruhen began to muddle her mind. She needed to shake it off to maintain her sanity.
Van Helgram must’ve felt the same way. He, too, had to feign smiles and a calm demeanor in front of his enemy.
Winter rose from the tub, and the water dripping from her body fell onto the floor. She dried herself off with a towel, slipped on a robe, and stepped out just as Emma brought in the tea on a trolley.
“You didn’t dry off completely.”
“It’s too much of a hassle. It should dry off on its own.”
Sianna instructed the youngest maid to apply a scented oil to Winter’s hair while she poured the tea into a cup.
A faint floral scent wafted from her damp hair, and the tea had a similar bitter fragrance to the bathwater.
She thought the fragrance had smelled differently, but it turned out to be because of the expensive tea leaves Sianna had put into the water.
She had said she would prepare tea to help her sleep, but she’d gone the extra mile by infusing it into the bathwater as well. She was a meticulous woman in many ways.
“Sir Ian is very worried about you. It might be a good idea to speak with him for a bit.”
Though she spoke as if Ian were the one concerned, Sianna had her own motives.
According to Sheeran, Winter had no one else to rely on at the duke’s estate, so upon seeing Winter distressed, Sianna immediately sought out Ian, asking him to talk with her.
In fact, Ian had heard about what transpired at the imperial palace, and as soon as Sianna approached him, he became restless and asked about her well-being.
“Let him in. The rest of you are dismissed.”
The tea slowly seeped into her mouth.
She assumed it contained special properties since the tension that had been weighing down on her shoulders all day began to ease a little.
* * *
Ian often wore a look of sadness whenever he saw Winter, but today, he had a particularly dark expression.
He was probably worried about what kind of humiliation or disgrace she might have suffered at the imperial palace.
And that worry only snowballed when he learned that Van Helgram had been seriously injured by the crown prince.
How could small and fragile Ilisias endure such a storm?
If she were a rose blooming among the vines, couldn’t he be the solid wall that lets her take root and ensures she doesn’t wither?
Various thoughts raced through Ian’s mind, but the words he actually spoke were disappointingly trivial.
“…Are you alright?”
As soon as Winter saw the burly man slowly walk into the room, she averted her gaze.
Looking into his earnest eyes made her feel as if the gloomy, revenge-filled estate had transformed into the beautiful snow-covered fields of Ruhen.
But that was the past.
Winter clenched her eyes shut.
When she first saw Ian here, it wasn’t just him who remembered those days. Winter, too, couldn’t help but recall the years she spent in Ruhen, even if only for a moment.
But waking from a nightmare brings people back to reality.
Winter fixated on Ian again. His blue eyes were framed by long lashes, and they currently were focused on her.
The emotion she found in those eyes was unmistakable. It was love.
Even if he couldn’t bring himself to speak, even if he was repeatedly ignored, his sincere affection never wavered.
“My lady, leave with me. Please.”
And perhaps, it would remain unrequited forever.
His plea for her to leave with him—no, to leave for him, caused Winter to tilt her head to the side. She watched Ian’s mouth straighten into a firm line as he finished speaking.
“Leave. With you?”
Ian’s eyes confirmed her question.
Winter chuckled softly, but her brows furrowed as if she had heard something unpleasant.
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