Ilyin touched her hand as she remembered his hand on hers. She didn’t know if she would bed someone whose face she hadn’t seen and whom she didn’t know yet, and she feared that she might freeze up.

Sighing loudly, she held the small cup in her palm. She looked at the light green liquid before drinking it and immediately felt heat spread through her body. She took another sip and her tongue tingled, and her breath smelled sweet.

She wondered whether she could do this. Ilyin would only meet the Duke tonight, and how she acted as the mistress would decide things other than her relationship with her husband and she would need to balance her position among the four families. Could she honestly do this? He must’ve been looking for a bride in the empire because he needed an heir and he couldn’t marry another Delrose, and he certainly didn’t want to give power to other families.

That was not the only reason he was nice to her though, as the Arlen estate had been in turmoil after Sid’s death. Servants had died or disappeared, and all of them had known about her dreams. Only those who had served the family for generations had survived.

Ilyin had heard a maid, who had been with the Arlens for three generations, categorically say that the place was cursed. She now knew that her father had blamed her dreams for all the deaths and he’d said that evil things happened due to her rashly looking into the future.

Ilyin’s smile was bitter. If she had been truly at fault, why did only those who knew about Sid’s death disappear or die? She sighed and looked up at the ceiling and then at the curtains hiding the bed. She had no intention of hiding things about her family but she wouldn’t say anything about her dreams, since no one would believe her here. She had come here alone to marry the worst bachelor in the empire!

Was he though? She wasn’t certain about this and felt like she was walking on a tightrope, blindfolded. Ilyin still didn’t know anything about Biflten yet.

Suddenly, all the lights in the room went off and she was surrounded by darkness since the curtains at the windows had already been drawn closed. She didn’t know what to do. Was he here? She hadn’t heard anything though.

“Are you nervous?”

Ilyin flinched as the voice had been nearer than she’d expected. “Yes,” she whispered.

“You may go if you don’t want this.”

She was silent, as she had heard this before more than once. “Do the Delroses, not like people from the empire?” She recalled that Den had said the same thing. The Duke was silent for a while, and Ilyin waited. Was he surprised?

“Why do you think that?” he asked.

“It seems to be a common opinion among the Delroses.”

He was silent, but it was shorter than earlier. “Delroses have no reason to dislike you, and if you want, I will take steps.”

What steps was he referring to? Even though he was nice and kind towards her, he still could kill people with his sword. “It’s all right,” she replied calmly.

The Duke spoke as Ilyin rubbed her hand, “You’re now the mistress of the Biflten, and the Delroses are under you now.” It was natural that she would be closer to her husband’s family, and she nodded in acknowledgment. “Your duty is to be my bride, Ilyin.”

Her face turned towards the voice, as that sentence sounded odd, coming from someone else.

“If you do your duty as my wife, the rest is up to you. Since you’re the Duchess, others have to serve you. If not, throw them out.” The voice came nearer, and she felt a hand on her shoulder. He was touching her like she was made of glass. “That will uphold your position.” Another hand followed her collarbone, and she felt his warmth.

“Is there anything I should not do?” She had to ask, as Biflten was different from the empire.action

“No.” The hand that had been on her shoulder now touched her hair. “You may use my knights.”

He was saying that she could use force if necessary, and Ilyin felt her hair cover her neck after he removed the silver hairpin. Then, she felt the bed against her back and a hand moved gently through her soft hair.

“Do you regret this?”

She felt his arms around her and Ilyin closed her eyes in the darkness. She did not regret it, as this moment seemed like her dream and she thought she may wake up in her room in the Arlen estate, where the sunlight had been bright but the air damp.