Killing Your Sweet Breath - Chapter 2
Chapter 1.2
“I’ll do it.”
“How fast can you take care of it? The client wants it done as soon as possible.”
“Then, about two weeks should be plenty of time.”
Cloud looked up at the sky. He brushed his silver hair from his face, and the moon, no bigger than a fingernail, peeked through the dense leaves.
“About two weeks…”
He pulled out a small piece of paper and jotted down Winter’s words. As soon as he left the forest, he would relay Winter’s message to the client who had requested Van Helgram’s assassination.
“Oh, and give me a poison pill.”
“I’ve got expensive, moderately priced, and cheap ones.”
“Give me the cheapest one.”
“You choose to save money on the strangest things. But why do you need poison? You’ve never used it before.”
“So that I can kill myself.”
Cloud handed over the drug with a look of displeasure, but Winter, maintaining a calm expression, tucked it away.
If this mission failed, it would be better to die. Van Helgram wouldn’t let her escape easily.
If he captured her, he might uncover her identity this time. It was sad that her younger sibling would have to survive alone, but it was better than being tracked down and causing her sibling’s death.
Suddenly, the thought of dying didn’t seem so bad as she imagined the possibility of a failed mission. She closed her eyes against the starlight filtering through the leaves.
It seemed she would dream of nightmares tonight.
* * *
Duke Van Helgram. Once a sun that plunged itself into darkness—now a darkness that has returned to consume the aging sun.
In recent years, his name has been one of the most frequently mentioned among the people of the capital.
There was a reason he lived as a duke rather than the crown prince, despite being born the only legitimate son of the emperor.
It was the sudden death of the former empress, followed by the immediate appearance of the emperor’s mistress and her illegitimate children. Then, before the grief could subside, the emperor made his mistress the empress consort and turned her children into princes.
Van’s anger was justified. Even villagers in the countryside secretly whispered that the emperor had gone mad over another woman and killed the empress, given that his actions seemed precisely planned.
After requesting to inherit the Helgram territory, which belonged to his mother, and the ducal title she held, Van left the imperial palace without looking back.
He also abandoned the last name “Niello,” which proved his imperial lineage.
Three years after he left for the Helgram territory, he suddenly returned to the capital, and as people expected, a storm of blood followed.
Two of the emperor’s illegitimate children, who had become princes, died in mysterious accidents, and now only one illegitimate child remained, awaiting his ceremony to be appointed as the crown prince.
“I didn’t expect to meet you like this.”
Winter smiled bitterly as she watched Van through a window, perched on a tree.
For the first five days, she monitored his movements morning and evening as he went to and from his residence. For the last five days, she had been holed up in the shadows and rooftops of the Helgram estate, not missing a single moment of his activities.
“You still live such a boring life.”
He would wake up at dawn, train with his sword at the training grounds to build his strength, and then eat a simple breakfast before locking himself in his office.
After that, excluding meals, he never left the office until bedtime.
He had always been an uptight person, even as a young crown prince, but who would’ve thought he’d remain the same? The only noticeable difference might be his expression.
The kind, innocent smile of his childhood had vanished, replaced by a constant cynical smirk that hung on his lips all day, almost as if it were permanently etched on his face. Sometimes, it felt like looking in a mirror.
But now was not the time to relax and dwell on their similarities. She was studying his daily routine. Not for personal reasons but to find the right time to kill him.
Along with his routine, she also perfectly memorized the guards’ patterns to the point where she could find them with her eyes closed.
There was no reason to delay this any longer.
He finished his day and headed to his bedroom.
Winter pulled the mask up to her nose.
At the same time, as if on cue, clouds covered the moon.
The only remaining sounds were the piercing cries of a mountain cat and the flapping of a bird’s wings as it took flight in front of Winter.
Naturally, Winter’s footsteps were quieter than these noises, and as she opened a window of Duke Helgram’s estate, drawing up a dagger to pierce his heart, all surrounding sounds seemed to hold their breath.
Standing over him as he lay still in bed, she lifted the dagger high above her head.
His long, pale throat protruded from the luxurious, gold-threaded quilt. Thump, thump, his pounding pulse was visible beneath his thin skin.
If she stabbed him accurately, right there, not even the most skilled doctor could save him.
Winter held her breath. She moved even more cautiously, considering he knew what she looked like. She re-adjusted her grip on the dagger, tightening her hold using both hands.
Her palms were sweaty, which was unlike her. Her eyes remained fixated on him, and she gathered her strength, swiftly bringing down the blade toward his neck.
But–
Before Winter could stab him, the dagger was knocked out of her hand, flying into the window with a shattering sound.
And then Van Helgram was suddenly awake, moving in one single fluid motion as he grabbed Winter’s slender neck and buried her face into the mattress.
At least she hadn’t hit the floor.
But soon, the grip around her neck made her vision go black.
Crack.
With the last bit of strength she had left, she managed to bite down and swallow the poison pill. Through her fading consciousness, she heard a familiar voice.
“It’s good to see you, my fiancée.”
It was Van Helgram’s awfully gentle voice.
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