Killing Your Sweet Breath - Chapter 39

Chapter 20.1

Lillian’s relaxed smile vanished and so did her crow’s feet. Her expression shifted to pure shock in an instant.

“What… are you saying?”

“Ilisias Ruhen. That is Lady Winter’s real name.”

Once the words were out, Ian couldn’t stop.

* * *

Lillian was a smart woman.

She had promised to hand Winter over to Ian, so she didn’t rush straight to the emperor.

If she had, Winter would have been arrested immediately.

Instead, she used rumors to ensure Winter would leave the capital on her own.

These rumors spread faster than the emperor’s decrees, and even though they lacked evidence, they were believed to be true.

High-ranking gossip always makes for an entertaining topic of conversation among the public.

“A red ghost from the snowy mountains has come to strangle its enemy, and the son-turned-demon wields a sword to pierce his father’s heart.”

Sianna recited the short melody to Winter.

One of the maids who had recently visited the market overheard children singing this song and reported it. The more Winter thought about it, the more unsettling it became.

No one could decipher the first part, as Winter’s true identity was unknown, but the second part clearly pointed to Van Helgram.

“What an interesting song. The emperor might just pick up a sword and dance if he hears it.”

It suddenly made sense why more people had been hovering around the Helgram estate recently. Their stares were more persistent than before, and now she realized it was because of this song.

“It may seem like a silly children’s rhyme, but the lyrics are meaningful.”

“A ghost from the snowy mountains… simple, yet symbolic. Even after ten years, the fall of the Ruhen family was such a shocking event that even the people of the capital haven’t forgotten.”

Winter squeezed her eyes shut.

Her father, Duke Ruhen, was accused of treason and executed under the guillotine in the capital’s square. It only took a moment for the cold, sharp blade to sever his head.

The executioner had collected the blood from his severed neck and splashed it all over Duchess Ruhen, who was tied up and forced to watch.

It was a truly grotesque sight.

Though Duchess Ruhen wasn’t executed, she was driven to despair and eventually starved herself to death in the dungeon of the imperial palace.

The duke’s betrayal alone was enough to leave a lasting mark, considering his loyalty as the emperor’s closest confidant. But the emperor’s cruelty, even for such a crime, was so extreme that even the most ignorant peasants turned away, disgusted.

“Yes, I am the ghost they left behind, just like my mother, covered in blood.”

Winter dismissed Sianna and ordered Ian to be summoned. She spent the time alone, drinking cold water and trying to calm her racing heart.

Only a handful of people knew she was alive in the capital. Van Helgram, Sheeran, Sianna, and Ian.

Out of all of them, the first person she thought of after hearing that song was Ian.

Van Helgram was out of the question, and neither Sheeran nor Sianna had any reason to betray her or Van Helgram.

‘Could he really have betrayed me?’

Their connection went all the way back to Ruhen.

Even if they didn’t always see eye to eye, and even though Winter had never returned his feelings…

Could Ian Gunthers, of all people, have set her up…?

No, it must have been a mistake. Perhaps the knights around him had grown curious about Van Helgram’s fiancée and pestered him with questions. Maybe, without meaning to, he had drunkenly let something slip.

But Ian wasn’t the type to do that. He certainly wasn’t the kind of man who would betray Winter.

Shaking her head, Winter waited for him.

What should she ask him?

Could she even ask at all?

Would it hurt him, not just to have his feelings rejected, but to also be thought of as a traitor?

Her thoughts were a tangled mess.

She didn’t love him, but her trust in him was as strong as ever.

Before she could organize her confused thoughts, there was a knock at the office door.

“It’s Ian.”

“Come in. Sianna, wait outside.”

Sianna gave a slight bow and stepped out of the room. Only then did Winter take a closer look at Ian’s face. He looked gaunt, noticeably thinner than before.

She realized it had been a long time since they had last seen each other, even though they lived in the same house.

Since that night when his unrequited love and her pain had driven them to avoid one another.

“Have you been well?”

“Yes. And you, my lady…”

He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

He must have heard the song before her. He was more aware of the outside world than Winter, who had been holed up inside the estate, focused on preparing for the wedding.

In times of peace, when there’s no war, a knight’s day is filled with either sword training or drinking. Naturally, rumors spread quickly in such circles.

“I called you here because I wanted to ask you something. Is that song popular among the knights?”

Ian didn’t answer right away. His gaze dropped, and his straight brows twitched as they furrowed.

“…You mean the song about the ghost from the snowy mountains.”

Winter nodded.