Aden did not leave the mansion from that day on, as he could not ignore the woman he’d met with the beautiful warm violet eyes, but he couldn’t approach her either, which was strange. Ilyin knew him as the leader of the Red Delrose knights, it was not a lie, as when he’d shown his face to her, he was so. In hiding his identity, Ilyin was not afraid of him as a result.

Aden tapped the hard wooden table, and the knights held their breath as they realized that their master was irritated. He could not stand in front of a bride who believed that The Duke of Biflten could freeze a person just by meeting their eyes, and who would not treat him as Den. That rumor had been convenient for him when he’d received his dukedom at a young age, however, it bothered him now to no end.

“Sir, the three elders are here,” one of the knights announced.

Aden stopped tapping on the large mahogany table and told him to let them in. The room now bustled and Aden found the presence of those who were not knights, annoying. He thought of the woman’s faint presence and thought that if they were quiet like her, at least he would not want to kill them.

“Sir,” the three elders said in unison as they bowed before him, but Aden knew that it was fear that motivated them and not loyalty.

“What is it?”

“Your marriage is near,” Lidan spoke first, but the Mille’s elder intercepted.

“Let the Mille prepare your marriage ceremony.”

“What do you mean? I had thought Elo would do so.” They hadn’t discussed this before coming and Aden looked at them in confusion.

“Mille has overseen the marriage until now,” the elder replied. “When the bride was from here, didn’t the Duchess like the Elo hall the best?”

He talked about Aden’s mother, and the Duke’s gaze turned to the Elo elder, who then coughed.

“That’s because she had stayed here for a long time. Would a lady who had stayed in the Empire until recently, like that light?”

When Mille’s elder retorted, Aden raised his hand to shut him up, “I do not know why you talk like that.”

Aden thought of Ilyin, who was trying to get used to the cold in her way. However, she could not go out without that blue cloth, and Aden had no intention of making her go out until the first night, “I will skip other procedures and will marry in this mansion.”

***

This marriage was a strange case; the fact Ilyin was from the Empire was not surprising, as the previous duchess had been the same. However, the previous duchess had married for love, and she moved to Elo’s halls after getting used to the weather. Their halls were filled with lights that looked like miniature suns which she’d adored. But this time it was a contract marriage and she could leave when she wanted. Aden knew though, from her strong eyes, that Ilyin would not leave yet.

“She’s weak against the cold,” someone commented.

“Please be nice,” Aden requested.

Everyone gave him unwarranted advice as he skipped over all the ceremonies. Ilyin agreed to the contract even after hearing that she had to endure the cold weather outside if she wanted this. This was a contract marriage after all and she had come here for something, and Aden had done this to silence the elders. Nothing mattered after this, while the elders would request an heir, the succession ceremony would only come in three years and they had to keep silent until then.

Aden saw his bride, who was reading the marriage documents. She wore the divine blue cloth and a light white coat. He thought that she looked like she was drowning in the coat as he approached her in silence, and he had mixed feelings about how she’d react when their eyes met. Well, marriage was only a contract and Aden left things at that, but his heart began to beat faster unexpectedly.

***

“There won’t be a marriage ceremony?” Ilyin had thought that meant she had to go out of Biflten, but that wasn’t the case.

“Biflten is cold in the third month, and people here do not go out much in the fourth month when the preparations will be nearly finished,” Idith explained.

Ilyin looked at the man’s clothes. It was the second time Ilyin had spoken to a Red Delrose, and Idith had bowed after introducing himself.

“He told me to ask you if you feel uncomfortable.”

“Did His Highness say that?”

Idith hesitated for the briefest of moments, “Yes, he did.”

Ilyin looked outside. The snow was still too harsh and cold for her. The weather in Biflten was divided into four months rather than four seasons. While she thought them the same, the coldest weather was late in the third month and continued through the fourth month.

She knew that they weren’t following traditions because she wouldn’t be able to endure the cold, “I understand.” Idith looked surprised, and Ilyin bowed her head a little, “Thank you for being considerate.”

Had the Duke ordered this or someone else from the Delroses? Either way, Ilyin knew that they were thinking of her, although she was marrying despite the lack of ceremony now. She had to go through all skin nourishment treatments that Biflten required her to indulge in, from the day before her marriage, and her skin was now more beautiful than when she had been in the Empire.

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