Chapter 90 

Benjamin had not forgotten Edmund’s order. For the past three days, he had hardly left Beth’s side. At times, they spent the entire day together under the pretense of showing her around the estate.

During those three days, Beth had behaved impeccably. Wherever she went, she left word, returned on time, and was always accompanied by a maid. Even when Benjamin questioned the accompanying maids, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

As the peaceful days passed, Benjamin's guard inevitably began to lower.

“…It seems she disappeared while I briefly stepped away. I apologize.”

Knowing full well the fault was his, Benjamin bowed deeply. At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

“Has something happened?”

It was one of the imperial knights who had accompanied Yureit to the North. Edmund and Yureit exchanged swift glances.

“My Lord, are you all ri—”

“These terms are unacceptable for negotiation!”

Yureit cut off the knight’s words with a sharp outburst.

“Not a hint of courtesy for someone who traveled all the way to the North. Let’s continue this discussion tomorrow.”

Yureit flung the door open. Seeing Edmund’s grim expression, the knight seemed to grasp the situation and hurriedly followed after Yureit, his footsteps brimming with irritation.

Watching the knight disappear, Edmund gave his command.

“Search the estate first discreetly. Avoid the eyes of the imperial knights.”

Sending people outside now would only invite suspicion. The Emperor had already stationed imperial knights to monitor the relationship between Yureit and Edmund.

“Yes, understood.”

Benjamin quickly exited the room.

* * *

‘What am I doing?’

Damian trudged through the blizzard, dazed and lost in thought. At some point, he had come to his senses and tried to turn back, but by then it was already too late. The mansion and Beth were nowhere in sight, buried beyond the snow and distance. Damian hesitated.

In the end, he decided to follow Beth. Fortunately, he had two magic stones in his possession, enough to handle three monsters on his own.

But something strange was happening: the distance between them remained fixed. Beth's figure ahead of him, barely visible through the snowstorm, looked just the same as when he first began following her. It felt like the moment he took his eyes off her, she'd vanish into the blizzard. Whether he sped up or slowed down, the gap between them did not change.

A sense of unease, like being under a spell, crept over Damian. He quickened his pace on purpose. Snow piled halfway up his calves, and the blizzard showed no signs of relenting. He was soon out of breath. Yet the distance between them did not shrink.

Just as Damian slowed his pace to return to his original speed, he lost sight of Beth. She was simply gone.

‘Where did she go?’

He quickly scanned his surroundings, but saw only white snow in every direction. He strained his ears, but heard nothing but the sharp howl of the wind. Not a single sign of another soul.

Damian continued walking blindly in the direction he had last seen her. Before long, he realized where he was: the back of the estate, the burial ground of the House of Winter.

‘The Saintess?’

Then, through the tombstones, he caught sight of Beth slipping inside.

They called it a grave, but in truth, it was just a stone marker. The bodies were entombed underground. The entrance to the underground vault could only be opened by someone who bore the title of Duke Winter.

It was confusing, but something instinctual told him he needed to go inside. 

Damian dashed forward and slipped through just before the door shut. With a loud slam, the door closed behind him, and the cutting wind outside was instantly silenced. He hesitated. He had heard of this place but had never entered it himself. Carefully, he stepped into the long corridor before him.

As he passed through the corridor, he froze at the sight of countless gems piled high. He’d heard that the vault contained not only the bodies but also personal belongings. Apparently, it was true.

He spotted a portrait and pulled a torch from the wall to take a closer look. It depicted the former Duke and Duchess with black hair and gray eyes, and beside them was a young child, about three years old.

Damian stared closely at the child. That boy should have been his father…

‘Why does he look different?’

Just as he began to reel back in confusion, another portrait caught his eye. The boy had grown, he now looked about six.

Damian moved to the next one. Strangely, the Duke and Duchess appeared older, but the child had become younger, back to around three years old. And this time, Damian recognized the child’s face.

“…Father.”

It was Edmund.

The rest of the portraits, stretching out along the wall, all depicted Edmund, save for the first two, which only deepened the mystery of the unidentified child.

Then, atop a chest brimming with jewels, Damian found something old.

A weathered diary.

He remembered hearing that the previous Duke had suffered from dementia before he died. It seemed the diary had been kept at a doctor’s suggestion. Most of its pages were filled with regrets from the past.

[Bringing Vanessa into my life was the greatest mistake I ever made.]

Damian flipped quickly through the pages before stopping again.

[If I had only been more patient, Edmund would have been the perfect child. No, if only that girl had been a boy, we could have proudly declared the birth of the second Winter heir in centuries. Even if she was born out of wedlock.]

It felt as though the puzzle pieces in Damian’s mind were finally falling into place.

“Not once did you find it strange?”

The sudden voice behind him made Damian whirl around. In the darkness stood the Saintess, or rather, a woman.

“Did it never occur to you to question whether Edmund is truly your father?”

Damian said nothing.

“Let me introduce myself properly.”

She stepped out of the shadows and lowered her hood.

Gone was the platinum hair. In its place was jet-black hair and gray eyes, the very same face as the child in the first two portraits.

“Pleased to meet you, Damian. My name is Vanessa.”

A faint smile played on Vanessa’s lips.

* * *

Chris shook his head, and Edmund shut his eyes tightly before reopening them.

While searching for the Saintess, they realized Damian was also missing. From that moment, Edmund had paid no heed to the imperial knights and scoured the surroundings, but found not a single clue.

“The sun will be setting soon.”

The passage of time only heightened their anxiety. Once the sun went down, the cold would reach lethal levels unimaginable during the day. This time of year, more people froze to death than at any other.

Damian had two magic stones. It wasn’t nearly enough to endure the long northern night.

Knock knock.

At the height of their tension, someone knocked on the door. It was Yureit. He slipped inside quickly.

“The imperial knight has fallen asleep.”

He must have used some trick to slip away unnoticed.

“I heard the Young Lord is also missing.”

“That’s correct.”

“Any signs of him?”

Chris shook his head again.

“The snow is falling harder. It’s difficult to track anything now, and the sun is nearly gone…”

“A grim situation.”

There was nothing more they could do. All they could do was wait and hope Damian returned soon.

“Send men to patrol around the outer walls.”

“Yes, sir.”

With Edmund’s final command, everyone dispersed.

Edmund let out a quiet sigh and wiped his face with his hands. Just then, he felt something strange stir within the mansion. It was undeniably Damian’s presence, but somehow, it felt unfamiliar.

Edmund immediately stood and rushed out. As the sensation grew stronger, so did his stride. He flung open the door and a cold gust of wind brushed past him.

“…Damian.”

Damian stood inside the room.

“Father.”

Snow still clung to his hair and shoulders, not yet melted. His voice as he addressed Edmund was strangely low.

“Where have you been?”

“Just… went out for some air.”

As Damian lifted his head, the wind rushed through the open window, swirling madly between them.

“The Saintess is missing. Do you know where she is?”

“She said she had to return. I escorted her halfway.”

“…I see. That’s fine, then.”

Edmund turned to leave, but Damian stopped him.

“I have a question, Father.”

“Speak.”

Their eyes met.

“Is there… nothing you wish to tell me?”

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