After striding quickly through the corridor and leaving the antechamber behind, Eden came to an abrupt stop.

Parker, who had hurried after him unable to comprehend the situation, quickly studied his expression.

The Duke hadn’t even put on a coat.

To Parker, he looked like a man who didn’t know what to do next.

At least, that’s how it seemed.

Just then, a servant came running up and offered him a coat, and an order was suddenly given.

“Take me to Ellen Haven’s atelier.”

“Your Grace, do you mean personally? If you’ll leave a message, I can go on your behalf—”

“Parker.”

His voice was cold.

It was clear from the single word that any further objections would not be tolerated.

Parker immediately lowered his head and led the way.

During the time he had been seeing Miss Wood, the Duke had never personally visited the atelier before.

It was that unusual.

For this reason, Parker silently took hold of the carriage reins.

The moment the carriage stopped, Eden opened the door and stepped out before anyone else could move.

Parker hurried after him, picking up the coat that had been left crumpled in the corner of the seat.

Fortunately, despite his fear that the trip might be pointless, the atelier was still open.

Ellen couldn’t hide her surprise when she saw the unexpected visitor.

She had assumed the news had already reached the Mayer estate once the obituary was published.

But she had never imagined he would come in person.

“Good afternoon, Your Grace… Please, come this way.”

She moved to guide him toward the guest table.

But the man standing in the doorway didn’t take a single step.

Instead, he asked,

“Who informed you about Miss Winter Wood?”

The calm composure usually present in Eden’s voice was gone.

His words came out strained.

There was only one thing he wanted to confirm.

The moment he learned that the Royal Academy of Arts had received its information through Ellen, every other thought had vanished.

“Ah… Miss Wood’s father called me.”

Even as she answered, Ellen studied the man standing before her uneasily.

She was taken aback by how quickly he had brought up Winter.

The look in his eyes.

None of it resembled the Duke of Mayer she knew.

At first, she had been too startled to notice.

Now, however, she realized that he was wearing nothing but a thin collared shirt, despite the weather.

Her gaze shifted briefly to the coat being carried by the secretary standing several steps behind him.

At first glance, it looked as though he had rushed out without a moment’s thought.

Pale-faced, Eden asked again.

“Jeffrey Wood?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Are you certain? What exactly did Jeffrey Wood say?”

“Well… I was told that an employee handling the aftermath of the accident personally visited him. That was how Mr. Wood received the news.”

Standing before a Duke who sounded more as though he were interrogating her than asking questions, Ellen swallowed nervously.

Despite her calm explanation, Eden still looked unconvinced.

No.

He looked desperate.

As if he wanted to deny reality itself.

The next question only confirmed Ellen’s suspicion.

“Why was Winter in the eastern region instead of Ceres? She had no reason to go there.”

“I’m sorry. I… don’t know the reason either. From what I heard, even Miss Wood’s father said he had no idea why she was there.”

“So…”

Eden’s voice tightened.

“Are you saying this was actually verified?”

Ellen chose her words carefully as she became increasingly aware that they were talking past each other.

The man standing before her seemed as cold and rigid as ice.

The atmosphere made it difficult to speak, but she forced herself to continue.

“The obituary came directly from Miss Wood’s father, Your Grace.”

The implication was unmistakable.

As her father was her only family member and legal guardian, he must have verified the facts before delivering such devastating news.

His answer was calm, sorrowful, and resolute.

At those words, a muscle in the duke’s cheek twitched.

The shock he had been trying so hard to deny finally surfaced on his face.

How could everyone…

How could they all accept Winter’s death so easily?

A sharp ringing filled his ears.

At the same time, the world seemed to fall into complete silence.

Eden slowly tilted his head back, his eyes vacant and unfocused.

Drawing in a deep breath, he glanced around frantically, as though trying to convince himself that it was all just a nightmare.

Watching the Duke’s uncharacteristic behavior with growing alarm, Parker hurried quickly to his side.

“Your Grace, are you all right? Let’s return to the carriage first.”

Unable to say proper farewells to the owner of the atelier, Parker guided the Duke outside.

The duke stood frozen to the spot, and considerable effort was required to help him into the carriage.

Only once he was settled inside did Parker practically run to the driver’s seat.

Just as he was about to set off for the Mayer estate, Eden spoke.

“Take me to Greyburn Street.”

Greyburn Street…

There was only one place there that the Duke had visited from time to time.

Parker’s eyes widened.

It was the house Miss Wood had left behind after returning the key.

***

A cold, unsettling chill lingered in the deserted house.

After dismissing Parker at the door, Eden entered the house alone. He slumped onto the sofa in the drawing room, not bothering to turn on a single light.

This was the first time he had come here alone.

Whenever he had visited before, Winter had always been with him.

A rough, uneven breath tore through his constricted throat.

Was Winter dead?

He had thought she would return to her hometown, where her only family lived, and settle down there.

But why had she gone to the eastern region?

Why had she gone there?

Suddenly, Eden jumped up and headed towards the bedroom at the end of the corridor.

The room had remained untouched since their last meeting.

Cold.

Silent.

Lifeless.

He crossed the bedroom and entered the dressing room, where Winter’s belongings had once been kept.

She had never truly lived in this house, even when she stayed here, so only a few items of clothing remained on the hangers.

On the opposite side were the jewelry, hats and accessories that he had given her over the years.

She had left every single one of them behind.

As though none of it had ever mattered.

As though she had walked away without the slightest lingering attachment.

His gaze lingered on her abandoned belongings.

Then, as if all the strength had drained from his body, he finally crumbled.

He sank to the floor and buried his face in his hands.

Even after reading the obituary, he had refused to believe that Winter was truly gone.

But here, surrounded by the traces she had left behind, reality was slowly catching up with him.

For the first time, there was nowhere left for him to run to escape it.

“You… I…”

His eyes burned with unshed tears and he found it hard to breathe.

After all, it was he who had severed the long-standing bond between their families.

He had chosen the cruelest possible way to end it.

Every decision had been his.

Every choice.

And yet, not once had he imagined an ending like this.

Even after they parted ways, he believed that Winter Wood would continue to live her life and paint with the same passion as always.

Winter had always been strong.

Independent.

Resilient.

Eden had genuinely believed that one day she would look back on their break-up and realize that it was not worth dwelling on.

She thought she would be the one to move on and thrive.

And after enough time had passed…

He thought that simply watching her from afar would be enough.

How foolish he had been!

“Everything was nothing more than my own illusion.”

The last image he had of her was her lonely figure walking away.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t forget the pain etched on Winter’s face.

Nor could he forget the silent tears that had fallen one after another down her cheeks.

At the time, he had convinced himself that the memory would eventually fade.

That time would lessen the pain.

But now, after ending their relationship himself, the emotions he had struggled so hard to bury were tightening around his heart like a vice.

With every passing moment, he was forced to confront the same unbearable reality: Winter no longer existed anywhere in this world.

This cruel truth relentlessly pursued him, wearing him down and tearing his heart apart piece by piece.

***

After hearing the news of Winter Wood’s death, Eden stopped acting like the Duke of Mayer that everyone knew.

Born into immense wealth and exalted status, he had never needed to assert his authority.

He had lived a life in which nothing needed to be fought for, earned or flaunted.

Having served a master who seemed to possess no weaknesses, Robert and Parker were becoming increasingly worried.

“Has His Grace gone to Greyburn Street again today?”

“Yes. I stopped by Mayer Corporation to collect some documents that needed to be delivered.”

Looking noticeably worn and exhausted, Parker quickly gathered the necessary papers from the Duke’s office.

As they walked together, Robert spoke cautiously.

“Still no word from the lawyer sent to the accident site?”

“No. It’s a considerable distance away, and it will likely take time to verify everything His Grace requested.”

At the proper response, Robert gave a faint shake of his head.

He hadn’t asked because he expected a different answer.

The Duke had personally ordered his legal advisor to investigate the accident site, so it was only natural to check on the progress.

‘To think His Grace would order the list of deceased passengers to be reviewed again.’

Robert sighed deeply, his expression clouded with concern.

The Duke had seemed to accept Winter’s death.

Then, without warning, he summoned his lawyer.

The bewildered lawyer left for the accident site that very day, unaware of the reason for his summons.

All Robert wanted was simple.

He hoped that once Eden had confirmed the facts for himself, he would finally be able to compose himself and move forward.

After seeing Parker off, the butler carefully schooled his expression.

More than a hundred servants lived and worked within the estate.

The last thing he wanted was for rumors and speculation to spread among them.

‘Surely things will settle eventually.’

Straightening his back, Robert resumed his duties.

After checking the locks on the windows and doors one by one, he set off to inspect the mansion, just as he did every day.