Killing Your Sweet Breath - Chapter 36
Chapter 18.2
Lillian, too, had been unable to sleep through the night.
The fear she had felt for the first time in her life had quickly turned into shame once she returned home, and now it gnawed at her.
How dare they treat her like this—her, Lillian, the sole heir to House Antherden—especially after she had gone so far as to say she liked Winter?
From Lillian’s perspective, she had been incredibly generous.
She could have used Antherden’s influence to quietly have Winter killed or sold off without anyone noticing. She could have even resorted to threats instead of attempting to negotiate.
Lillian had thought of Winter as innocent but intelligent when she first saw her at the banquet. So, out of pity, she decided to offer her a proposal.
‘I really want to kill her.’
But it seemed that the innocent act was just that—an act.
Every time Lillian closed her eyes, the emotions she felt in the carriage on her way back to Antherden came rushing back.
Her hair and dress had been soaked with tea, and the cut on her neck still stung where Van’s sword had grazed her. But what truly irritated her was the way Winter’s voice kept replaying in her head.
When Lillian finally mustered the strength to rise from her crumpled position, fueled by anger toward Winter, she found herself grateful she was neither locked in Helgram’s dungeon nor without her head.
She was suddenly back in the Antherden carriage, just as she had been when she confidently set off to persuade Winter at the Helgram estate.
However, unlike when she had left Antherden, a knight now rode alongside the carriage, and a butler sat beside the coachman, rubbing his forehead and sighing heavily.
They were the attendants Van had sent to explain the situation.
Lillian stuck her head out of the window.
“Pardon me, um…”
“I am Ian Gunthers, a knight of the Helgram territory. Duke Helgram has ordered me to escort you back home.”
“Thank you for clarifying, Sir Ian.”
The thought that flashed through her mind was simple: she couldn’t return home humiliated and empty-handed.
She had already investigated Winter’s background and found it completely ordinary, but she figured that as a knight of Helgram, Ian might know some of her flaws.
A loyal knight would surely resent his lord marrying a woman of unsuitable rank. With a little coaxing, Lillian believed she might be able to extract some useful information.
And if he wasn’t loyal, he would be even easier to manipulate. For these knights, chivalry was a thing of the past, and money spoke louder.
Lillian decided not to waste the opportunity, not knowing when she might get another chance.
“But, you see, when talks of marriage were underway between the duke and me, there hadn’t been any mention of a fiancée. So where exactly did Lady Winter come from?”
“…You should ask His Grace about that yourself.”
“I doubt I’ll have the chance to see him again after the grave mistake I made at the Helgram estate.”
“In that case, I have nothing more to say.”
Even now, as she thought back on it, Lillian found it intriguing how Ian had remained silent, holding the reins to his horse, staring straight ahead.
His expression could not be easily broken by a single question, and the firm set of his lips showed a resolve that was uncommon to see among knights nowadays.
“Haah, I see. To me, they seem like a terrible match, don’t you think? How could the Van Helgram marry some country bumpkin?”
Lillian leaned against the carriage window, grumbling as though gossiping about something trivial.
However, her eyes remained fixed on Ian’s face, watching carefully for any changes in his expression.
“Your words are out of line.”
“Oh, come now. It’s not like I insulted the imperial family or His Grace’s parents. No need to draw your sword.”
Even as Lillian joked lightly, Ian’s focus remained straight ahead.
But her sharp senses caught a brief flash of coldness in his eyes and the way his grip tightened on the reins.
She had been hoping for a sly smile, but Ian’s reaction was the complete opposite.
A knight of Helgram, displeased by mere gossip about Winter?
Was it because she was bad-mouthing the woman who would become his lord’s wife?
Or was it because she had once again crossed a line after Van’s earlier warning?
‘No, this is something different.’
In that moment, Ian’s cold, trembling eyes resembled those of a man in love, the kind of man Lillian so easily mocked.
Her intuition confirmed her suspicions.
There was definitely something going on between Winter and this knight.
But lying in bed wasn’t going to help her figure out their connection. By the time dawn broke, Lillian hadn’t slept a wink.
She pulled the bell cord, summoning the maids much earlier than usual.
She dismissed all the fancy dresses they brought and instead chose a simple dark beige one she normally wouldn’t wear.
Once she was fully dressed, she left the estate without eating breakfast, accompanied by her guards.
“Take me to Gidro.”
He was known among the high-ranking nobility for doing anything for the right price.
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