Killing Your Sweet Breath - Chapter 42

Chapter 21.2

As soon as Winter finished speaking, she felt the piercing gazes of two people—the emperor, who sat before her, and Ian, who stood nervously behind.

A moment of silence followed.

And in that brief moment, the emperor’s faded eyes gleamed with the intensity they had back in his prime.

In that brief pause, the emperor’s faded eyes gleamed with an intensity they held back in his prime.

“So, you mean to say you’ll hold the ceremony at the temple?”

“Y-yes, Your Majesty.”

“Has Van, my son, agreed to this?”

“I haven’t spoken to the duke yet… but I believe if His Grace is innocent as well, he won’t refuse.”

“And if he does?”

“Then I’ll call off the marriage. My adoptive mother always said it’s better to break an engagement than go through a divorce… But I’m certain His Grace won’t refuse!”

At this, the emperor let out a near-manic laugh.

Van was his son by blood, but even so, there were moments when that man instilled fear in his own father.

The emperor had always wondered what kind of woman would marry someone like Van. Now, he realized she was a little too naïve.

“You truly have a pure soul. Do you trust your future husband that much?”

“Your Majesty may find it childish, but I wouldn’t consider marrying him without that level of trust.”

“Van might not even need to prove his innocence to me. Even if that boy harbored murderous intent toward me, he’d hide it so well that I’d never suspect a thing. Just as I found no evidence when I lost my other two sons.”

Winter bit her lip and bowed her head, just for a moment, before cautiously glancing back up at the emperor.

Such an act could be seen as disrespectful, but she knew that, to him, it would spark curiosity rather than anger. Her expression suggested she had something to say, but was too wary to voice it outright.

“I know this is strange of me to say, but don’t concern yourself with my feelings. If you have something to say, feel free to speak openly.”

“T-then, may I carefully express my wish?”

The emperor nodded with a warm smile that Winter found revolting, though she returned it naturally.

“Your Majesty, as you may know, being at the highest position in the empire, I grew up without both of my biological parents and was adopted at a late age by my foster parents.”

“Yes, I’ve heard.”

“Then Your Majesty can imagine that, despite the blood ties between you and His Grace, it pains me to see you both so estranged. I know I lack political insight, but I hope you can understand my personal feelings.”

“Haha, from Helgram’s perspective, I suppose the imperial family’s affairs must look quite cruel, just as you said.”

Winter took a loud, obvious breath, preparing herself for her final words.

“Therefore, if God proves our innocence and your relationship with His Grace can be restored, I would ask for nothing more.”

“You have a beautiful heart. May you pass God’s Trial. I will sincerely pray for it.”

The emperor gently closed his eyes and made the sign of the cross.

As they left the imperial palace, Ian hovered nervously around Winter. Finally, as she was about to climb into the carriage, he grabbed her arm.

“What on earth are you thinking? God’s Trial isn’t something to be taken lightly!”

“There are many eyes watching, Ian. Lower your voice.”

“You cannot deceive God! No one can pass that trial!”

“Yet, my parents did.”

“That’s because they were genuinely innocent.”

Winter narrowed her eyes at Ian, her gaze cutting through him. Ian froze, waiting for her next words.

“True, I may not be innocent. But you’re the one who put me in this position.”

“…My lady.”

“Your greed has thrown me into danger, all to satisfy your own selfish desires.”

“How can you say that…?”

Winter ignored his words, climbing into the carriage with a smile that seemed to dismiss him entirely. The coachman cracked the whip, and Ian stood there, stunned, as Winter’s final words echoed in his ears.

“How can I trust someone who schemes behind my back? I know your feelings are sincere, but your methods are wrong, and I have no intention of playing along.”

Winter’s firm words were like a dagger to Ian’s heart.

Though she had acknowledged his sincerity, she had rejected him entirely, declaring she would not “play along.”

“So, you’re telling me to just stand by and watch as you fall apart?”

He called out, his last desperate plea. But as she looked out the carriage window, Winter’s eyes remained cold.

The look she gave him was one he had never seen before—one he had never imagined receiving—and it hit him like the fierce snowstorms of Ruhen’s mountains.

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

While his frozen heart screamed, the carriage had already begun to move away.