Late in the evening, the specially chartered train from Vartz arrived at Santero Station.

As it gradually came to a halt, the station master and his staff lined up neatly on the platform to receive their distinguished guest.

Standing beside them was Marquis Regner.

Thanks to his cooperation, the Mayer family had been able to secure such a vast stretch of land in Santero in such a short period.

Having received a personal message from the royal palace, the marquis was obliged to give the matter his full attention.

“The Royal Family requests the full cooperation of Marquis Regner regarding Duke Mayer’s visit to Santero.”

“The trust placed in the Duke reflects the will of the Royal Family. The Marquis’s efforts shall be rewarded with the honor they deserve.”

In other words, he was expected to make sure that the Duke had a smooth stay in Santero.

Of course, he had no reason to refuse.

There was nothing to be gained by falling out of favor with either the Royal Palace or the Duke.

A moment later, the signal announcing that the train had come to a complete stop sounded, and plumes of pale steam billowed upwards, cutting through the freezing night air.

The first person to step onto the platform was a tall man dressed in a long coat.

Before the station master, whose brows had already drawn together, could say a word, Marquis Regner recognized the man and immediately bowed.

“Duke Mayer, welcome. You must have had a tiring journey.”

The Marquis stepped forward with an affable smile.

‘Was Duke Mayer always this intimidating?’

He had crossed paths with Eden Mayer several times during visits between Vartz and Santero, but this was the first time the Duke had given off such a taut, razor-sharp aura.

The last time they had seen each other was at the autumn military review, though that hardly counted since they hadn’t even exchanged greetings.

Unaware of the rumors circulating among the noble houses in Vartz, the Marquis quietly swallowed his curiosity and maintained his courteous smile.

“Marquis Regner, thank you for coming to receive me at such a late hour.”

After returning the greeting, Eden bowed briefly.

This gesture, directed at the elderly nobleman who had settled in Santero long ago, was restrained yet impeccably dignified.

Marquis Regner was immensely wealthy and held tremendous influence throughout Santero.

Yet despite his carefully cultivated powerful connections in the capital, he had long been treated with subtle condescension.

After all, he had spent most of his life keeping his distance from central politics.

If he could use this opportunity to build a close relationship with Duke Mayer, it would undoubtedly work to his advantage.

Having made up his mind, the Marquis smiled broadly and replied to Eden’s greeting.

“Of course I had to come in person. Since Your Grace’s visit was not meant to be made public, I’ve taken measures to avoid attracting unnecessary attention. I heard this is your first time in Santero.”

“Yes. I simply never had the opportunity before. I’ll likely be visiting more often from now on.”

After giving a measured reply, Eden took a deep breath.

Perhaps because he had been confined to the train for so long, his head felt unusually heavy.

The salty sea air quickly filled his lungs.

The ocean’s unfamiliar scent.

An unfamiliar city.

He felt neither anticipation nor excitement.

His eyes, reflecting the bright station lights, slowly swept across his surroundings.

Winter.

The season in which he had left had come around once again.

As Eden steadied his breathing and looked ahead once more, the station master stepped forward from behind the marquis.

Upon hearing that all the luggage had been unloaded from the train, the marquis naturally turned towards him.

“The weather is rather cold. Shall we head straight to the carriage that’s waiting for us?”

“That sounds fine.”

Although he didn’t think this level of cold was anything to worry about, Eden set off first.

Compared to Vartz, Santero was milder.

The wind blew strongly in from all directions, but it wasn’t sharp enough to cut through his clothes and reach his skin.

With each long stride he took, the hem of his long coat swayed heavily behind him.

As he walked in silence, those behind him moved in unison.

Led by the butler and his secretary, a line of smartly dressed attendants followed closely behind the duke.

Their steady footsteps echoed across the platform.

***

The gentle bubbling of the boiling water filled the room with a comforting warmth.

Morning sunlight filtered through the gap in the curtains and fell across the clothes left to dry by the window.

After confirming that steam was rising from the rattling teapot lid, Winter busied herself around the dining table.

She placed the slices of bread she had prepared earlier on a plate, along with the last piece of egg pie.

After laying out a napkin and thinly slicing an apple onto another plate, Winter had laid out a simple yet neatly arranged breakfast.

Sipping her hot tea, she mentally reviewed everything she needed to do that day.

She was planning to stop by the salon in the morning before adding the final brushstrokes to the painting that was waiting to dry completely.

Outdoor painting sessions had already become noticeably less frequent.

With the shorter daylight hours and increasingly strong winds, it was no longer possible to work on delicate brushwork outside for long.

Once she had finished applying the final layer of paint, she planned to spend the rest of the day organizing the sketches she had neglected while she was busy.

If she had time, she thought it would be nice to help out at the salon more often.

After finishing everything, Winter put on her coat and wrapped her scarf around her neck.

She chose not to wait for the tram once again, setting off along the long, straight road instead.

The white puffs of her breath quickly dissolved into the cold morning air.

***

As she pushed open the sturdy door, a clear bell chimed overhead.

The salon was already bustling with activity.

“Good morning.”

“You’re here?”

“Welcome, Winter.”

After exchanging brief greetings with the busy employees who were carrying boxes and organizing documents, Winter headed further inside.

Mrs Roche and Joanna were sitting opposite each other at a large oval table, carefully wrapping something.

“You’re here already, Winter?”

“Yes. You mentioned there’s a reading event tomorrow afternoon, so I thought you’d be busy preparing for it.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. Come sit down for a moment. We’re preparing something that Marchioness Regner requested.”

“Ah, alright.”

After replying to Mrs. Roche, Winter greeted Joanna with a familiar smile.

Returning the smile with a wave, Joanna carefully wrapped the box in decorative paper.

“Will this do, ma’am?”

Mrs. Roche nodded.

“There’s a glass bottle inside, so make sure it doesn’t break. And since the tea leaves need to be brewed a certain way, don’t forget to explain that when you deliver it tomorrow.”

“Yes, don’t worry. But it must be for someone important.”

“I wasn’t told exactly who it was for. I was only asked to have it delivered to the address written here tomorrow morning.”

Careful not to interrupt their conversation, Winter quietly stood up.

A little later, after finishing the wrapping, Joanna followed her out.

After carefully placing the box into a drawer for safekeeping, Joanna lowered her voice and continued.

“You remember the tea party we hosted here the other day?”

“When I served the tea, you helped me, remember?”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“Well, the tea that our salon prepared was a huge hit with Marchioness Regner. Apparently, it was imported in very limited quantities from overseas, so it’s almost impossible to get hold of right now. That’s why the Marchioness contacted the salon herself. She wanted to send it as a gift.”

“I see. So that’s why you wrapped it separately.”

Winter understood the situation and didn’t ask any more questions.

Mrs. Roche had spent years serving customers with refined and discerning tastes, and had often introduced exquisite teas and elegant decorative pieces to the salon before they became widely available.

Apparently, one of those teas had caught the Marchioness of Regner’s fancy.

Without giving it much more thought, Winter joined the busy staff and helped out wherever she could.

***

The following day, as the salon bustled with preparations for the reading event scheduled at noon, a telephone call came in.

After an employee handed her the receiver, Mrs. Roche listened for a moment before speaking gently.

“I see, Joanna. If your child’s fever still hasn’t gone down, then there’s nothing you can do. Have you taken them to the hospital?”

After listening to Joanna’s reply, Mrs. Roche nodded reassuringly.

“Stay with your child today. Don’t push yourself. Everything is under control here, so don’t worry.”

Once the call ended, Mrs. Roche quietly gathered her thoughts.

Joanna, who had been scheduled to deliver the package requested by Marchioness Regner, would not be coming in today.

Unfortunately, it also happened to be the day of the reading event, making it difficult to spare any of the other employees.

‘Since the request came directly from the Marchioness herself, it wouldn’t be appropriate to simply send the package with a courier…’

Just then, someone came to mind.

After a brief moment of consideration, Mrs. Roche called over Winter, who had arrived early that morning to help.

“Winter, do you happen to have some free time this morning?”

“Is something wrong?”

“Joanna won’t be able to come in today because her child is sick. We need to deliver the package we wrapped yesterday, but we’re rather short-handed. I’ll have a carriage prepared for you. Would you mind delivering it for me?”

“Of course.”

Winter, who had tensed at the unexpected request, readily agreed.

Mrs. Roche had never asked her for a favor like this before, so she was genuinely glad to finally have a chance to be of help.