“…My apologies.”

Those faintly spoken words lingered in his ears.

For some reason, they felt strangely familiar.

“…Am I hearing things now?”

Eden rubbed his temple roughly.

After enduring each day in a reality that was continuing to crumble around him, only one truth remained.

He would never see Winter again.

He knew that better than anyone.

And yet, he found himself searching for traces of her in the voice of a stranger.

The thought disgusted him.

Suddenly, his reflection caught his eye in the window.

There stood a man, alive and breathing as though nothing had happened.

His lips twisted with suffocating revulsion.

He wanted nothing more than to smash the glass and strangle the man looking back at him.

***

“Have you finished everything?”

Waiting in the first-floor hall was the steward who had said he would meet her there.

“Ah, yes. I’ve explained everything.”

The answer slipped out before Winter even had the chance to steady her breathing.

Her heart was pounding wildly.

Even her own voice sounded distant, as though it belonged to someone else.

She had believed she would never see him again.

She couldn’t understand why a man who should have been in Vartz was here.

“You’ve gone to a lot of trouble. Please have a safe journey back.”

“I’ll be going now. Goodbye.”

Winter turned away, offering only a brief farewell in response to the steward’s parting words.

She wanted to leave this place as quickly as possible.

Pulling her hat low over her face, she headed straight for the front gate.

She tried to maintain her usual composed stride, but her hurried pace left her breathless, as though she were fleeing from something.

She heard footsteps approaching from the other side of the garden, where the stepping stones were neatly laid, but she kept her eyes forward and continued walking without looking up.

At that very moment, Robert, the Mayer family’s butler, was crossing the garden towards the main residence.

He passed her at a distance.

As he glanced back at the woman, who appeared to be a guest, the guide continued to explain the estate.

“As you just saw, the rear entrance leads directly into the garden. Just as you came from the annex, there’s also a direct passage from that side.”

Robert was so focused on the explanation that the woman’s retreating figure quickly faded from his attention.

He turned back and continued across the garden.

The Mayer family’s servants followed him in an orderly line.

***

“Sorry to keep you waiting. It took longer than I expected.”

“Not at all. I stepped outside, had a cigarette, and enjoyed the view. Wow, this place is incredible. I was born and raised in Santero, and I never even knew an estate like this existed. Just look over there. The view of the sea is absolutely breathtaking.”

Unlike Winter, who was still shaken by the unexpected encounter, Logan looked completely at ease.

Following the direction he pointed out as a matter of courtesy, Winter briefly glanced toward the sea before opening the carriage door.

“Shall we head back now? You said there were still places you needed to stop by this afternoon.”

“Oh, I nearly forgot. I have something to pick up at the harbor. Let’s get going.”

Logan quickly stubbed out his cigarette and hurried into the driver’s seat.

The grand estate, surrounded by towering walls, gradually receded into the distance behind them.

Even after they got into the carriage, Winter remained silent.

Logan, on the other hand, looked as though he had plenty of questions.

“By the way, who exactly was the person Marchioness Regner sent the gift to? Did you happen to hear anything inside?”

“…No. I only went up to the tea room, explained how to prepare the tea, and came straight back down.”

After answering briefly, Winter slowly steadied her breathing.

She had spoken as calmly as she could, but the shock lingering in her chest refused to subside.

“I see. Well, if the Marchioness personally went to that much trouble, they must be someone important.”

Logan nodded to himself, turned his full attention back to the road and decided not to ask any more questions.

Winter remained silent too, gazing out of the window.

The peaceful scenery drifted past outside.

She had thought this would be nothing more than a simple delivery job.

‘I never imagined Eden Mayer would be there…’

The moment she heard his voice, the memories she had struggled so hard to bury came flooding back.

It was as though something that had long been asleep had suddenly awakened, stirring the emotions she had forced deep inside until they rose to the surface once again.

As the familiar streets gave way to the salon’s sign coming into view, Winter quietly repeated the words to herself.

Whether Duke Mayer was in Santero or not changed nothing.

What had existed between them was already over.

The man who had so much also had so much to lose.

And she was no longer anything to him.

***

“The area around the western harbor has become quite busy. The steel mill the Mayer family is building looks enormous.”

As he spoke, Vincent neatly gathered the thick stack of documents before him.

He managed Gabriel’s assets, so conversations between the two friends naturally drifted between casual banter and financial matters.

“Land prices near the harbor have already started climbing. If you’re thinking about investing, now might be the perfect time.”

“I don’t know. I’m not particularly interested in land.”

In response to the earnest advice, Gabriel merely shrugged.

The red markings scattered across the map did nothing to capture his interest.

“Still, give it some thought. With the amount of capital you can move around, it’s the kind of investment that’s almost guaranteed to bring substantial returns in a few years.”

“Hmm.”

“I’ve warned you. Don’t say I didn’t.”

After adding a few more remarks, Vincent decided to let the subject drop.

If Gabriel had no interest from the start, there was no point pressing him further.

Watching his friend, who possessed enough wealth to spend a lifetime in comfort, Vincent absentmindedly rubbed his chin.

The truth was, there was something else he really wanted to ask.

“Gabriel, how are things with Miss Roche these days? Do you see her often?”

“We run into each other from time to time… We’re good friends.”

“Friends?”

Vincent frowned at the unexpectedly deflated answer.

He had noticed long ago that Gabriel had feelings for Winter.

And now they were just friends?

“It’s… complicated. Not something I can easily explain.”

“Is it because of your parents? If that’s the case, I can’t really argue with that.”

Seeing that Gabriel had trailed off without finishing his thought, Vincent readily accepted the explanation.

He had been wondering whether things were going well between Gabriel and the young woman he cared about. However, there were undoubtedly many practical concerns to consider.

Unlike Vincent, who thought he understood the situation, Gabriel simply laughed as if to say, ‘What are you talking about?’

As the salon’s sign gradually came into view along the familiar streets, Winter quietly reminded herself:

Whether or not Duke Mayer was in Santero changed nothing.

What they had shared was already over.

A man who had so much also had so much to lose.

She was nothing to him anymore.

***

“The area around the western harbor has gotten pretty busy. The steel mill the Mayer family is building looks massive.”

As he spoke, Vincent neatly organized the thick stack of documents before him.

He was in charge of managing his friend Gabriel’s assets.

Because of that, their conversations naturally drifted back and forth between lighthearted banter and financial matters.

“Land prices near the harbor have already started rising. If you’re looking to invest, now might be the perfect opportunity.”

“I don’t know. I’m not really interested in land.”

Gabriel merely shrugged at the earnest advice.

The red markings scattered across the map did nothing to pique his interest.

“Still, think it over. With the amount of capital you can invest, this could easily turn into a substantial profit in a few years.”

“Hmm.”

“I’ve warned you, alright?”

After saying a few more words, Vincent decided to drop the subject.

If Gabriel wasn’t interested to begin with, there was no point pressing the issue.

Looking at his friend, who possessed enough wealth to live comfortably for the rest of his life without lifting a finger, Vincent absentmindedly rubbed his chin.

The truth was, there was something else he was much more curious about.

“Gabriel, how are things with Miss Roche these days? Do you see her often?”

“We do see each other from time to time… We’re good friends.”

“Friends?”

Vincent frowned at the oddly subdued answer.

He had realized long ago that Gabriel had feelings for Winter.

And now they were just friends?

“It’s… complicated. There are too many subtle things to explain.”

“Is it because of your parents? If that’s the reason, then I can’t really say much.”

When Gabriel trailed off without finishing his sentence, Vincent immediately accepted the explanation.

He had been wondering whether things were going well between his friend and the woman he cared about. Realistically, though, there were bound to be many things on Gabriel’s mind.

Unlike Vincent, who thought he understood the situation, Gabriel simply smiled as though to say, “What are you talking about?”

“Your parents? Why would they have anything to do with it?”

“Well, I assumed there were practical reasons.”

“That’s not it. Miss Roche sees me as nothing more than a good friend. I don’t feel the same way, so of course it’s difficult.”

Gabriel quickly set his friend straight.

His parents had never stopped him from doing anything he really wanted to do.

If that had been the issue, he wouldn’t have hesitated in the first place.

Initially, he had genuinely believed that starting over as friends who could comfortably spend time together would be enough.

The problem was that he kept wanting to cross that line.

He wanted to become someone who could tell Winter how he truly felt.

After thinking it over for a moment, Vincent finally nodded.

“I see. So you’re worried that if you make the wrong move, you might lose even the friendship you have with Miss Roche.”

Gabriel didn’t answer.

But his silence was answer enough.

Absentmindedly rubbing the bridge of his nose, Vincent let out an incredulous laugh.

“What’s so difficult about that? This doesn’t sound like Gabriel Regner at all.”

The Gabriel Vincent knew was cheerful and easy-going.

He had a natural talent for putting people at ease and striking up conversations with complete strangers.

That was exactly why Vincent liked him.

“This isn’t like you. The old you wouldn’t have danced around it. You would have gone straight for it from the beginning.”

With a faint smile, Gabriel took a sip of his cold tea.

Now that Vincent had mentioned it, Gabriel realized that, when he had first met Winter in the salon’s library, he hadn’t been nearly this cautious.

Back then, curiosity had outweighed everything else.

That’s why he had kept talking to her and teasing her with light-hearted jokes.

“I’m afraid that if I take one wrong step, I won’t even get the chance to begin.”

“Maybe that’s why I’m being so careful.”

Hearing the sincerity in his voice, Vincent straightened in his seat, realizing he could no longer brush it off so lightly.

Gabriel’s gaze, which had been fixed on the view outside the window, slowly returned to him.

The smile faded from Vincent’s face as he scratched his cheek.

‘So… does Winter really not have any feelings for him at all?’

Tilting his head thoughtfully, he reflected on the winters he had spent visiting the salon and the Roche household.

He wanted to help his friend, but he knew almost nothing about her.

The only things he knew were that she was related to Mrs. Roche and helped out at the salon.

Rather than pressing Gabriel for more information, Vincent simply stayed by his side.

Matters of the heart were rarely straightforward.

He wanted to offer advice, but lecturing someone as capable as Gabriel seemed ridiculous.

Ultimately, he offered the only encouragement he could.

“Sincere feelings always get through in the end. No matter how hard you try to hide them, they show in your actions. So don’t keep taking the long way around. Just do what your heart tells you.”

Gabriel merely raised an eyebrow.

‘That’s easy enough to say.’

After all, it wasn’t as though he didn’t already know that.

The reason he kept lingering uncertainly at Winter’s side was precisely because of that knowledge.

His feelings for her were growing ever stronger, yet their relationship remained exactly as it had always been.

The strange distance between them was becoming difficult even for him to bear.

Still, knowing his friend meant well, Gabriel gave a small nod.

Vincent casually patted him on the shoulder.

Only then did Gabriel let out a quiet chuckle.

It was a fleeting smile, but it revealed feelings he could no longer hide.