Killing Your Sweet Breath - Chapter 5

Chapter 3.1

The client was Van Helgram.

Winter felt as if she had been struck upside the head, and his nonchalant demeanor made his statement even more shocking.

Haha, the sound of soft laughter filled the room.

“Finally, you’re smiling, Winter.”

He gently cupped her face and ran his thumb along the seam of her mouth. Thwack, Winter slapped his hand away in irritation.

It was absurd.

How he ordered his own assassination, the gentle look he gave her in response to her dumbfounded laughter, and the way he naturally traced her lips as if they were lovers—all of it was absurd.

“Enough with the nonsense and explain.”

Even with Winter’s agitated voice, Van only slightly shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s just as I said. The moment I saw you that day, I sent someone to look for an assassin, and as soon as I heard the nickname ‘Winter,’ I knew it was you.”

Winter breathed a low sigh upon hearing Van’s words.

She hadn’t expected him to recognize her.

It made sense for her to recognize him. His golden eyes were rare throughout the empire, while her own purple eyes were relatively common.

But for him to recognize her face, when only her eyes were visible that night, just from the few times they’d met in their childhood?

It was unbelievable.

“So I contacted a broker. I wanted to meet you, but no matter how much money I offered, they said a client couldn’t meet an assassin. There was no other way but to put out an order for my assassination.”

“…You’re out of your mind.”

“I was sure from the moment our eyes met. But just in case I was seeing things, I chased after you and swung my sword, needing to catch a glimpse of your hair. Do you remember how much I liked your hair? The colors of dawn and the setting sun. It’s still the same. Oh, but I used too much force and cut a few strands. I’m sorry for that.”

Van fingered a piece of Winter’s long red hair and gently kissed it. His face was so close now, and he wore an expression of genuine regret.

“I’ve never felt my heart race so fast, and I made a mistake, which is unlike me.”

Winter held her head in her hands.

Just when she thought everything was finally over, she had managed to survive but found herself in an even more complicated and dire situation.

Her hair was the least of her concerns. What mattered was why he had risked his life to see her again. His purpose mattered.

If he had wanted to hire an assassin, he would have approached the matter differently from the start. And it didn’t seem like he intended to capture and then kill her, either.

If that were the case, he would have let her into his bedroom, only to kill her, without engaging in any playful banter. Or perhaps he wouldn’t have needed to call a doctor to get his hands dirty; she would have died on her own.

Her mind was spinning. Every time she met his purely sinister gaze, a cold sweat broke out across her spine. His eyes revealed nothing of his true feelings.

“What do you want from me? If you really ordered your own assassination because you truly want to die, I’d be more than glad to end your life right now.”

A brief, heavy silence settled. Winter’s expression remained rigid, but Van continued to smile as if he were enjoying himself.

“Winter.”

“Out with it.”

“I think it was fate that brought us together.”

“Hah.”

His unexpected answer released the tension she had been holding up.

How could this man, of all people, not realize how cursed the word “fate” meant to her?

Winter recalled the nightmares that haunted her every night.

One of the emperor’s older knights had saved young Winter and her sibling from the flames, and as he stood against the blaze, he had said, “Accept your fate, abandon any thoughts of revenge, and live as if you were already dead.”

Winter watched the flames consume Ruhen, and she could only nod helplessly as she handed over the family heirloom necklace.

Pulling along her weeping sibling, Winter escaped barefoot, turning her back on the gruesome scene where her parents and the servants of Ruhen were burning to death.

That cursed fate—how could she forget what it had done to Ruhen? Even in death, she wouldn’t be able to rest in peace because of it.

Winter huffed, her mouth forming into a bitter smile.

“I’d heard rumors that you’d lost your mind, but I never expected you to return such a complete fool.”

“We’re meant to be. What other explanation could there be for our paths to cross again so miraculously?”

His touch felt cold, and her body stiffened as their eyes met, feeling like a white snake was coiling around her.

As Winter hesitated, he climbed onto the bed and grasped her wrist. His fingers were thicker than she remembered from when they were kids.

“Stop your nonsense. You might want to reminisce about old times with me by your side, but too much time has passed for that.”

Winter could do nothing but try to annoy him, watching as Van climbed over her body. He held her wrist firmly, so it wouldn’t budge, and her body was still weak from the poison. She remained powerless against him.

When Van pushed against Winter’s shoulder, she had no choice but to lie back down on the bed, just as she had before she woke up.

The unusually warm bedding now felt uncomfortable beneath her.

But Van wasn’t satisfied with just that. He lifted both Winter’s wrists above her head and only used one of his large hands to keep her in place. Defenselessly pinned beneath him, Winter glared up into his eyes.