~Chapter 4~
Winter sank down weakly but tried to get up, insisting she was fine. It was just exhaustion from preparing for the exhibition—she didn’t want her teacher to worry.
But when Ellen saw her stumbling again, she grabbed Winter’s wrist without hesitation.
“Your health comes first. Let’s go to the doctor.”
“No, I’m fine now. Really.”
“Winter, how many times have I told you? Artists like us, who work for long hours, need to take care of our bodies more than anything else.”
Ellen made it clear she wouldn’t take no for an answer. She grabbed her coat and led the way. Winter couldn’t refuse and followed her to a nearby clinic.
“You’ve probably overworked yourself. Just get some medicine, go home, and sleep for a few hours, alright?”
Ellen patted Winter’s thin shoulder as they waited. She doubted Winter would’ve gone on her own, so she pushed her to come. Still, she thought it was nothing too serious.
But when they entered the doctor’s office and came out again, Ellen hadn’t spoken a single word.
Her gaze was fixed on Winter’s flat lower belly, then on her pale, shocked face.
“You… really didn’t know, did you?”
“……”
“It’s Duke Mayer, isn’t it? What on earth was he thinking, Winter…”
Even as she scolded her, Ellen lowered her voice in case anyone overheard.
She had already sensed Winter’s relationship with Eden Mayer wasn’t just casual. But she had believed Winter could handle herself. Pregnant? That was another matter.
And wasn’t the whole city buzzing about the Duke’s engagement talks?
Ellen rubbed her temples, clearly at a loss. Looking at her silent student, her disappointment only deepened.
“Go home. We’ll talk later.”
Her face was much darker than when they’d entered the clinic. Winter just stood frozen, unable to move.
“You’re in early pregnancy. Aside from dizziness, have you had any other symptoms?”
The doctor’s words still echoed in her head. Winter walked out into the wind, numb.
Even when her period was late, she hadn’t thought much of it. She’d been taking medicine to prevent pregnancy—after all, it wasn’t a relationship that was headed for marriage.
But then… Winter stopped in the middle of the street as the realization hit.
Ah. It must have been that night. The night she went straight from the studio without bringing anything with her.
“Winter.”
He had grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms, his desire completely unhidden.
Heat, breath, eyes tangled together. His touch had been too overwhelming to resist, and she hadn’t pushed him away. They kissed, and one thing led to another.
Yes… it could only have been that night.
Her heart felt like it had been punched through with a huge hole.
The cold wind on her bare skin was nothing compared to the freezing chill rising inside her chest.
“…A baby.”
She whispered blankly into the air. It didn’t even feel real yet—what scared her was what to do next.
Her father’s train wasn’t due until five in the evening.
Until then, she couldn’t think of anything else. She needed to hear the truth directly from him before she believed anything Eden had said. She prayed desperately that it was all some terrible mistake.
***
“Winter, you look pale. Is city life too hard?”
In the quiet atelier, Winter sat with her father, her mind in chaos. They had just finished dinner and moved into the studio.
“So this is where you spend your days painting,” her father said, looking around curiously.
As she watched him, a fragile hope began to grow—maybe Eden had been mistaken.
After all, her father didn’t know anyone in Batz, as far as she knew. Their life and memories in Seres had been simple and ordinary.
She clung to the thought. Maybe Eden’s story wasn’t true.
Winter’s eyes trembled as she looked at Geoffrey. After long hesitation, she finally asked:
“Father… do you know someone named Harriet Mayer?”
Just one answer was enough. If he said no, she wouldn’t press further. But instead of answering, a heavy silence filled the room.
Winter’s eyes widened, her face tightening. She could already tell from her father’s stiff expression.
Geoffrey coughed awkwardly, trying to dodge.
“Why would you suddenly… I don’t know what you mean, Winter. Where did you even hear—”
“Father.”
“Did someone tell you nonsense?”
He tried to feign ignorance. He didn’t know where she’d heard it, but to him it was all in the past.
But Winter’s tearful question froze him in place.
“Archer Helburn… is that really your old name?”
The moment he heard the name, Geoffrey’s hand gripped the edge of the table hard.
It was a long time ago. He had fled Batz and settled in a small rural town. Winter had just been about to turn five. He had changed his name and lived quietly. He picked up a glass of water with trembling hands.
“Father, I have a dream. I want to go to Batz and become a painter.”
When his daughter announced her plan, he had worried. But after all these years of living peacefully, he thought nothing could come back to haunt them. Harriet Mayer was long dead, and the Duke had also recently passed away.
What could possibly go wrong?
But even decades couldn’t bury the shame of his past. Exhausted, Geoffrey realized he couldn’t keep lying anymore.
“…I’m sorry.”
He dropped his head, too ashamed to meet her eyes.
He had met Harriet when he worked as an art dealer, traveling across the region.
The Duchess had wanted certain items, and that’s how they met.
The king’s sister, the Duchess of Mayer, had been beautiful.
Behind her graceful smile burned an intense passion, and their affair spiraled out of control.
She was powerful and noble, yet clung to him, wanting to run away together. At the time, he hadn’t taken it seriously. To him, she was just a fleeting indulgence.
But Harriet had been dead serious.
“Let’s leave next month, the first weekend. Here, this is all the emergency money I could gather. You hold on to it.”
That’s when he realized the gravity of it. He hadn’t wanted to become the man who seduced the king’s sister and ran away with her.
So he ran instead—taking his unsuspecting wife and young daughter to start over in a new town. With Harriet’s money, he changed their names and opened a shop.
Memories came rushing back, but Geoffrey steadied himself.
“Winter, it was a mistake from my youth. But since then, I’ve only been a husband and father.”
“Father…”
“You know I took care of your mother during her long illness.”
His desperate excuse made Winter sigh weakly. She thought of her mother’s last days and asked in a trembling voice:
“Did Mother know? About all this?”
“…”
“Did she really not know, even to the end?”
He pressed his lips shut, then finally admitted:
“It was a secret I meant to take to the grave.”
So yes—he had hidden it completely.
Winter’s mind reeled.
Her mother hadn’t even questioned why they’d changed their names, why their lives had shifted so drastically? No—surely he had lied countless times to cover one lie.
“Father… why? Why would you do that?”
Her voice cracked with grief and anger. The man she had trusted most was suddenly a stranger, carrying a shameful past.
The disappointment tore at her heart. Her only family, her beloved father, was also someone’s betrayal.
From the beginning, she had never belonged at Eden Mayer’s side.
Now she didn’t even have the right to hope.
Even the child inside her felt like someone nobody would ever welcome.
As tears burned her eyes, Geoffrey reached out a hand toward her.
