“Thank you, Winter. I’m sorry for asking such a sudden favor.”

“It’s alright. It’s not difficult at all. I’ll just grab my coat and be right back.”

Winter checked the time and hurried to the staff lounge, where she had left her coat and hat.

Although it wasn’t particularly cold, Santero was constantly swept by strong winter winds due to its proximity to the sea.

Having once made the mistake of stepping outside without a hat, only to end up with her hair in complete disarray, Winter firmly tied the ribbons beneath her chin this time.

Her grey woolen hat had a wide, curved brim that shaded much of the lower half of her face.

“Winter, you remember that these tea leaves need to be brewed a little differently, don’t you?”

“Of course. I still remember the instructions from the person who brought them.”

“Good. I’m counting on you. Just go to this address and tell them you’ve come to deliver a gift from Marchioness Regner. The Marchioness has already informed the estate steward that someone from the salon would be coming.”

“Understood.”

While Mrs. Roche gave her final instructions and arranged for a carriage, Winter carefully picked up the wrapped package containing the box.

Logan, who had served Mrs. Roche for many years, drove the carriage to the address written on the note.

To be honest, the address alone meant little to Winter.

She had spent most of her time travelling only along familiar streets and had hardly explored Santero beyond them.

Holding the package securely on her lap to stop it moving during the journey, she waited quietly for the carriage to arrive.

Leaving the bustling main roads behind, the carriage turned onto a quieter route.

After travelling for quite some time, it finally came to a halt.

“We’re here. I believe this is the estate.”

“Thank you. I’ll deliver this and be right back.”

Winter quickly stepped down from the carriage upon hearing the driver’s instructions.

As she approached the main gate of the estate, which was enclosed by towering stone walls, it appeared even more magnificent.

Through the massive wrought-iron gates, she could catch only a glimpse of the sprawling gardens beyond.

As she walked towards the entrance, a man opened the gatehouse window and leaned his head out.

“What brings you here?”

“I’m from Roche Salon. I’ve brought a gift from Marchioness Regner.”

“Ah, we’ve been informed. Please follow me.”

Fortunately, the man immediately led Winter through the gate.

The neatly trimmed garden, its shrubs stripped bare of their leaves, possessed an overwhelming grandeur through its sheer scale alone.

A question suddenly crossed Winter’s mind.

‘If Marchioness Regner had gone to such lengths to prepare a gift, then who exactly lived here?’

As one thought led to another, the entrance connected to the main residence came into view.

The estate was magnificent, with stately stone columns, broad steps, and elegant curves flowing along the walls in perfect harmony.

As they reached the gray stone manor, a well-built, middle-aged man stepped forward to greet her.

“Welcome. Are you from Roche Salon?”

Adjusting the package in her arms, Winter politely stated her purpose once again.

“Hello. I’ve come to deliver a gift from Marchioness Regner.”

“Yes, I was told the Marchioness is recommending a special tea. I’ll take you to the tea room. The maid in charge of preparing the tea is waiting there, so you can explain everything to her.”

When he invited her inside, Winter hesitated for a moment.

It seemed as though it would take longer than she had anticipated.

She had thought she would just hand over the package and give a quick explanation.

Composing herself, she silently followed the steward.

He climbed staircase after staircase before finally stopping at the end of a corridor on the third floor.

“It’s this room.”

Opening the door for her, he gestured for her to enter.

“This is the lady from Roche Salon. She’s brought the gift from Marchioness Regner, so make sure you listen carefully to her instructions.”

“Yes, understood.”

While the steward was giving instructions to the maid, who was hurriedly wiping her hands, Winter placed the box she had been holding on the table.

After glancing around the room, the steward turned to leave, indicating that the maid could take her time with the explanation.

Perhaps because she had come bearing a gift from the Marchioness of Regner, no one seemed particularly wary of her.

“Then I’ll head downstairs first. We still have luggage to move through the guest corridor. When you’re finished, please use the servants’ passage over there. She’ll show you the way. I’ll be waiting in the first-floor hall.”

The steward was clearly busy and left the room promptly.

Winter noticed another door in the direction the steward had indicated and walked over to the maid, who was boiling water.

The pale, peach-colored tea leaves were made from the petals of a flower that grew only on a remote island.

This tea had a rich, delicate fragrance and flavor, but even the slightest mistake in the water temperature or brewing process could result in a bitter or weak brew.

Following the instructions she had learnt, Winter carefully explained how the tea leaves should be stored, how long they should be brewed for and the exact water temperature required.

“Will that be alright?”

At Winter’s question, the maid calmly checked both the aroma and the taste before looking up.

“Yes, thank you. To be honest, this is my first time preparing this tea, so I was a little nervous.”

Winter answered her honest confession with a gentle smile.

Only after relaxing did she realize that she was still wearing her hat and hadn’t even taken off her coat.

Winter didn’t think there was any point in tidying her appearance now.

“Then I’ll be on my way.”

Winter had just finished putting everything away when she turned to leave. She saw the maid wiping her hands dry before opening the door to the inner corridor.

“Take care. Just follow the hallway straight to the end, and you’ll find a door on the right. It leads to the stairs. Go down about a floor and a half, and you’ll reach a corridor running through the middle. Take the second door on the left from there and it will lead you to the front entrance. Alternatively, you could go out through the garden. However, since the steward said he’d be waiting in the hall, the route I just explained is probably the easiest.”

Taken aback by the detailed directions, Winter nodded almost instinctively. Then, with one hand still on the doorknob, she paused for a moment before stepping out.

‘A floor and a half… the crossing corridor… the second door on the left…’

Although the explanation had been clear enough, Winter still couldn’t picture the route in her mind.

Not knowing which way to go, Winter eventually stepped into the corridor.

The maid was bent over a notebook, writing busily, so it was difficult for Winter to interrupt her and ask again.

The narrow hallways and staircases were far more confusing than she had expected.

Doors of various sizes were spaced irregularly along the passageway, and staircases descending from both sides merged into the same corridor.

‘The crossing corridor… the second door on the left.’

Repeating the directions to herself, Winter walked forward with complete concentration.

The small windows were spaced far apart, and with only a few lamps lit, even the patterns on the walls were difficult to make out.

Just then, she noticed a door at the far end on the right, with a faint light spilling through the gap.

‘I think it’s this way…’

She glanced back over her shoulder, but all of the doors she had passed looked almost identical.

After hesitating for a moment, she gently pushed one of them open.

A flood of brilliant light poured over her, obscuring her vision.

For a brief moment, everything dissolved into white.

Frowning, she took a cautious step forward to get her bearings, but her foot caught on the threshold.

It was only then that her blurred vision gradually began to clear.

As the dazzling light faded, the outlines of the room slowly came into focus.

Bathed in bright midday sunlight, the room appeared expansive.

In front of the enormous window, which seemed to occupy the entire wall, there was a long sofa facing the view outside.

Fortunately, the room appeared to be empty.

Apart from the sofa, the spacious room was empty.

Relieved that she hadn’t caused too much of an intrusion, Winter took a step back.

At that moment, a voice as cold as sharpened steel cut through the silence.

“Did I ever summon you?”

The very air seemed to freeze.

A shiver ran down her spine.

‘That voice…’

It was so unmistakably clear that the feelings she had buried, convincing herself they all belonged to the past, came to an abrupt halt.

She couldn’t see anyone.

‘Was the speaker on the other side of the sofa, where she couldn’t see?’

Startled, Winter froze before lowering her head.

She didn’t need to see his face to know who it was.

The person in the room was him: Eden Mayer.

Her only thought was that she had to leave before he stood up.

She had to get out of there before the man who saw her as nothing more than an uninvited servant turned to look at her.

“…My apologies.”

Burdened by shock and panic, the hastily spoken apology bore no resemblance to her usual voice.

Winter quickly closed the door behind her.

There was no reply from the other side.

She didn’t want to see him under these circumstances.

Opening another door a few steps away, she ran down the stairs.

As the uninvited visitor hurried farther away, Eden, who had been lying stretched out on the sofa, slowly sat up.

Raising his upper body at a relaxed pace, he bent his long legs, placed his feet on the floor, and sat up straight.

His nerves were already stretched to their limit, and this had made them worse.

First, the door was thrown open without warning.

Then there was the sound of hurried footsteps fleeing down the stairs.

Brushing back the strands of hair that had fallen across his forehead, he slowly turned his head.