Winter Verdandi/Story

**WARNING**

This page is ***incomplete***, you have been warned!

## **The Second Prince's Birthday Banquet**

He first encounters Penelope after her close death encounter with Callisto Regulus in the garden. He gives her his handkerchief so she can stop the bleeding from her throat.

## **Meeting at the White Rabbit Guild**

To establish a backup plan, Penelope makes contact with Winter, she contacts the information network he runs using the handkerchief he left her, not revealing that she knows his true identity. When he is doing business related to White Rabbit Guild he wears a white rabbit mask on his face.

## **The Hunting Tournament**

### **Eve of the Hunting Tournament**

Winter meets the Duke and compliments him on the brooch from Penelope that he is wearing. Being a knowledgeable sorcerer, he is able to identify that it has special protections. When Duke Eckhart brags that it was a gift from Penelope, Winter is taken aback.

### **Day of the Hunting Tournament**

Unbeknownst to Penelope, Winter sees Callisto and Penelope being attacked by the bear and hunting it down. However, he gives Penelope and Callisto some privacy when they are talking. Penelope comes to the conclusion that one of the love interests would've stepped in if it weren't Callisto to continue the scenario.

### **The Trial**

Winter enters the room in the middle of the trial and testifies for Penelope's side. He affirms that he saw Penelope and Callisto taking down the bear together, proving that the nobles were lying about Penelope attacking them. Winter's actions makes the trial dismiss quickly in Penelope's favor.

### **The End of the Hunting Tournament**

Winter gifts all his game to Penelope and lands third place in the tournament.

## The Sorcerer's Mysterious Invitation

Pennel reports that the purchasers of the high-quality emeralds that they have purchased were from the White Rabbit Guild, a group that had previously not been in the business of handling precious stones. While Pennel doesn't know of the name, Penelope is shocked that Winter had gotten involved. She thinks about how to meet him to inquire about the stones, as well as to figure out if he's found Ivonne yet.

At her desk, she picks up the handkerchief that he had given her, reminding herself to return it. Just then, the handkerchief blows up a storm of wind morphs itself into a rabbit and tells Penelope to visit the guild, and a quest for her pops up. Penelope is startled and annoyed by his ways of communication. Since Penelope's mask from last time was taken away by Derrick, she uses a magical gem with camouflage abilities to hide her identity instead.

When she arrives, Winter does not recognize her and almost attacks her. She observes that his affection score is in purple.

Winter is surprised she had come so early again. Penelope returns to the handkerchief to him and asks how he had found out that she owned the emerald mine, accusing him of spying. Winter is offended because the guild only does legal business. As it turns out, Winter had guessed it from previous conversations, showing that he had an inner knowledge of high society. He says that he had bought the gems because he was interested in Penelope since she was hard to figure out. Winter argues that he has more knowledge of sorcery than anyone, so that he could surpass the limitations of the gems and make the most out of them more than any other guild, and Penelope agrees to do business with him.

Penelope also asks him to do a separate contract with him on the diamond mine that she recently acquired. Winter asks if this means she trusts him, but Penelope doesn't think she could ever trust him when he was the one who brought Ivonne back. She instead tells him that she trusts his title. Winter agrees, but only if he gets to see her more often and have meetings. The deal between them is finalized.

As they shake hands, Penelope views his affection score with 2 million gold, and it's 52%. Winter teleports her back to her desired location and then meets up with the kids. It's revealed that Winter had recently met Ivonne.

### Volunteer Work

At the estate, Penelope receives a purple letter, this time teleported discreetly. In it are the contents of the contract and some instructinos, which Penelope assumes are for a date. Penelope agrees to go to Hamilton Street, and sneaks through the dog hole the next day, fancily. Winter and Laon are there waiting for her. Winter is surprised about her dress, and it is clear that Winter had not asked her out on a date like Penelope had expected. A new quest pops up for handing out bread in the slums, because they are doing volunteer work.

Winter teleports them to a city at the edge of the sea because it had been the most damaged by war.

Laon tells Penelope more about Winter. He says that Winter was upset after Penelope's first visit, because had lost the trust of someone that had helped him, which makes Penelope speculate that Winter's affection score color could mean guilt. Winter discreetly sets up a bread stnad with his sorcerer magic and they hand out a lot of bread and soap to the peasants in the town, mostly children. Winter warns her that she is giving some children bread multiple times, but Penelope already knows that and still sympathizes. Winter describes someone that would have said something similar, thinking of Ivonne.

Winter takes her to a different town next, a town of outcasts whose people who have high mana levels. He gifts Penelope a star shaped necklace and tells her to wear it at all times. He says that it's a relic that detects if there's poison nearby. At the end of the day, Winter talks to the mayor of the town for a bit, also a sorcerer.

### Saving the Kidnapped Children

A moment later, Laon goes missing and Penelope finds him at the beach kidnapped by Laila. She tries to warn Winter, but he offers to teleport her back to the capital instead, not worried since Laon is trained for situations like this. Penelope is angry and asks if this was a setup and test by Winter. He says that it was not, and this is proven to be true later by Laon. He asks her how she was able to use high level magic without the use of mana (the necklace he had given her had the additional ability to detect mana use, and it had not glowed at all). Winter had instead felt a high amount of demonic energy, just like what he felt when her and Callisto encountered the bear.

Penelope doesn't fault him for being suspicious since her actions were very suspicious. She is sad that Winter didn't trust her enough to harm the children in the first place. Penelope says that she knew how to utter the spells without her knowing why, and Winter believes her. He also now believes that she would not harm the children.

Penelope refuses to go back to the capital and goes to rescue the children with Winter, because the punishment for not rescuing the children is a 10% drop in Winter's affection score. Winter gives her his shoes before they enter the cave, since she had lost hers. He apologizes for thinking that she could've been involved with the children-kidnapping Laila sorcerers. Penelope observes that Winter is tired of living a life where he has to be on guard all the time.

Winter tells her about the kidnapper's plans to take mana from others so that they don't have to use their own, and tells her about Valta. His description contradicts Callisto's, who had said that sorcerers had created Valta, and he tells her that it's twisted history that was used to oppress sorcerers. Since Winter was lucky, he dedicated his time to helping sorcerers that were less fortunate.

They are suddenly separated because of a trap, and Penelope has to defeat demonic beasts to get the location of the children as a quest reward. Callisto surprising saves her even though Penelope thought the episode was supposed to be about Winter. Penelope ends up leaving without Winter to find the children. While walking through the tunnel again, they bump into Winter and Penelope almost calls him by his real name. Instead, she calls him Winston and lies and says that he cannot take his mask off because of a tradition. Callisto doesn't quite believe it because Winter speaks the language too well and instead guesses he is a sorcerer. While walking, Callisto whispers to Penelope to be careful of Winter because he is walking barefoot, which he pretends not to hear.

At the entrance to the children's location, Winter casts an invisibility spell on all three of them before they enter. However, when Laon is about to be sacrificed, Winter breaks the invisibility spell to use magic to destroy a conscious sealing relic that they were going to use on him. Winter teleports the children away to a safe place, but the consequences are that he and Callisto are surrounded by huge beasts. Winter is knocked into a wall by a beast and Penelope is worried that he had died. Winter regains consciousness and goes to find the children.

### Escaping the Island

Winter appears just as Callisto leaves, and he hadn't witnessed the kiss between Penelope and Callisto. Winter and Penelope are alone after he tells Laon to leave. She is given his shoes to keep and this time he teleports Penelope to her room directly. Since Pennel had found out that she had left, Penelope asks Winter to alter the memories of everyone in the estate so that they would never find out that she had left. Winter doesn't accept anything in return, saying that he hopes he will regain her trust by doing this. He says that he will terminate the contract because of his shameful actions, but Penelope says to continue it with the change that they have no more meetings. She almost tells him about Ivonne being the goddess, but doesn't want to foster mistrust and changes her mind.

## **References**

1. ↑ Episode 63
2. ↑ Episode 64
3. ↑ Episode 107
4. ↑ Episode 107
5. ↑ Episode 108
6. ↑ Episode 108
7. ↑ Episode 108
8. ↑ Episode 109
9. ↑ Episode 109
10. ↑ Episode 109
11. ↑ Episode 110
12. ↑ Episode 110
13. ↑ Episode 111
14. ↑ Episode 111
15. ↑ Episode 112
16. ↑ Episode 113
17. ↑ Episode 122
18. ↑ Episode 112
19. ↑ Episode 113
20. ↑ Episode 113
21. ↑ Episode 113
22. ↑ Episode 114
23. ↑ Episode 115
24. ↑ Episode 116
25. ↑ Episode 117
26. ↑ Episode 118
27. ↑ Episode 121
28. ↑ Episode 122
29. ↑ Episode 123