Ilyin had spent long nights with the Duke afterward.

“Call my name.” He’d requested as he’d explored her body. He’d seemed dissatisfied with her calling him ‘Your Highness.’ When she’d called him by his proper name, he seemed to kiss her more tenderly. He acted differently, since the day he’d asked her to share secrets with him, and seemed even more careful than before. Ilyin thought she knew the reason and she vaguely recalled his words, “Do you want to know whether he is safe? He is safe. He may be happy now.”

Ilyin did not remember how she met the morning. Aden had taken her multiple times, and while he had stopped whenever the sensations were too much and had waited until Ilyin’s breathing had calmed down, he would come inside her again and again after each pause. Another long night passed like that, and Ilyin had to bring the doctor in as her muscles ached all over.

“Mistress!” Ves looked like he would burst into tears as he ordered the Delrose people to bring in all the good herbs from the Empire. Aden may have heard something from Ves to have become so careful.

“Aden,” Ilyin murmured the still strange name. “Aden de Biflten.”

They had shared small secrets the past few nights. Aden had mainly asked her about her dreams. He seemed to think that she was lying, even after seeing the avalanche. Ilyin’s heart skipped a beat whenever she thought of that day. She had dreamed of the future all her life but was worried about whether she had told him the wrong thing or not. Ilyin was afraid that he may suspect her, even just a little bit, as she didn’t want to be treated as a liar or someone cursed here, as she had been at home.

She had first thought that any treatment received here would be better than the treatment she’d received at the Arlen Estates. She told herself that she would be satisfied with mere indifference.

“Are you afraid?” He’d asked her. “Do you have a question about me?”

While the servants in the mansion didn’t meet his eyes, Ilyin found herself more certain of something, especially seeing the knights returning, without anyone being frozen.

“I will be back safe today.” Aden had told her his scheduled battles, most of them unknown to the mansion. He’d been going out more often than she’d realized.

Aden had trusted her with the information, despite needing to control who heard the information. Also, there were three other families. However, Ilyin was not trusting him completely.

“Really?” she’d muttered.

“Mistress, this is Annie.”

Ilyin looked at the door as she came back to the present moment. Annie, her manners teacher from Delrose, was someone she’d spent as much time with, as she had with Aden the past few days. If she had spent the night with Aden, she’d spent the day with her.action

“You’re earlier than usual today.” Ilyin looked at the clock and saw that Annie had arrived two hours earlier today. Biflten’s day started at ten o’clock because it was so cold. Therefore, Annie usually arrived around one o’clock, but today she’d come even before lunch. This was not her usual punctual self.

“I apologize for not notifying you earlier,” Annie bowed in apology, but Ilyin waved her hand. She would be up already in the Empire and wouldn’t be bothered by this.

“What brings you so early?” she asked.

“I have been selected as the Delrose maid who will help with your succession ceremony.”

Ilyin blinked as she knew Annie was considered one of the nobles by the Delroses. Ilyin now knew that the Delroses and the other three families were more of a group, as opposed to blood families. Many families belonged to each of the four, and the Red Delrose, Blue North, the Bright Elo, and the Green Mille, were more of a group name. Of course, some families used ‘North,’ ‘Elo,’ and ‘Mille’ as their surnames. Those were the families of the elders. Annie had taught Ilyin that in the past few days.

“Do we need to prepare anything?” Ilyin asked.

“Nothing much, but…” Annie spoke after thinking things over, “there is a procedure whereby the bride receives the Divine Objects before for the ceremony.” That would be the items belonging to each family, and Ilyin looked up at the blue cloth on her head, “The Blue North has already given you theirs, so we can skip that,” Annie explained further with a smile. “The carriages carrying the Bright Elo and the Green Mille’s Divine Objects have just left, and thus the procedure will be delayed. The ceremony will begin as soon as they arrive.”

Ilyin tilted her head, “What about the Red Delroses object?”