Although Ilyin wore a thick fur cape she still felt chilly because of the current cold weather in Biflten and she wondered if that was the reason for the ceremony being such a small affair. She had been perplexed about why the ceremony was held during this time of the year but had then realized that it was a ritual that needed to be performed, to maintain the power needed to protect humans from monsters in these wintry lands. It would be disastrous if the power disappeared or weakened due to postponing the ceremony.

“This is the Divine Object ‘Eltose.’” The girl from Elo assisted Ilyin to wrap a golden bracelet, that was long and thin, like a necklace, on her arm, and then she disappeared without saying another word. Ilyin looked down at the item, and the bracelet looked like it would light up in the dark on its own. She hesitated for a moment, pondering whether or not she could touch it, and then carefully raised her hand to cover the bracelet. Like the family name, the bracelet shone like faint sunlight.

“I am from the Green Mille,” a strange voice said.

Ilyin jumped in surprise and moved her hand away from the bracelet, which then made a strange sound when she heard the knock on the door. “Come in.”

The lady from Mille walked in quickly, yet quietly and Ilyin looked at the green garland on her head, which was rarely seen in a place like Bilften. Only when the lady came nearer, did Ilyin notice that the garland was made out of jewels, instead of leaves and flowers.

“This is Mille’s ‘Setoze,’” she said proudly.

The names of the objects sounded so similar to each other. Ilyin looked up at the lady who held an item that she didn’t believe could be considered to be a divine item. Dark green hair cascaded over her shoulder, showing her ancestry, and Ilyin was in awe of her beauty.

With a soft murmur, the lady handed Ilyin a flower. It was a real flower, and she looked down at it in confusion. How could such a flower exist in these wintry lands? “The flower is the Divine Object?” she asked.

“Yes,” the lady spoke in a silvery voice, “it’s a flower that never withers.”

She turned around and walked out before Ilyin could ask her another question and she noticed that the girl’s cheeks had flushed a deep red. Ilyin looked down at the flower, and the red petals centered around the golden stamen looked like a work of art. It looked fresher than any bloom Ilyin had seen in the empire, and she breathed in its wonderful scent.

“You will go to sleep if you continue like that,” a deep voice said.

A hand came between her and the flower, and Ilyin saw the white skin that showed how little sunlight shone in Bilften. He was wearing a white shirt, and Ilyin stared at the arm in surprise. She thought she knew who he was. “Aden?”

“Yes.” He seemed happy as he answered her, and she kept herself from turning around. Aden was behind her back now. “Aren’t you cold?” Ilyin heard something clang softly behind her, and Aden chuckled.

“You are the only one to ask me that question,” she said as she nodded. He was right in what he asked and the blue cloth shook as she did, then the clanging stopped.

“Please excuse me.” Aden placed his hand on her head for a moment to remove the blue cloth. Ilyin blinked as she wondered what he wanted to do. “It is a nuisance.”

Aden brushed her hair as if to calm her down as he did in bed sometimes. Her soft hair was lush against his fingers as he played with it. He fingered her long hair and ear before gently trying to tie her hair up. “Can you lend me a hand?” he asked politely.

Ilyin did so and now held her hair up with one hand. She shook as her neck felt cold. Aden gently touched the nape of her neck, as if he wanted to warm her before putting something around her neck, “A necklace?” Ilyin briefly saw a gold pendant with red decorations. It was simple but looked like something from the Delroses.

“This is ‘Mitoze’, the Delroses Divine Object,” Aden whispered as Ilyin looked down at the necklace. The red decorations looked like branches with leaves, and Aden tapped her hand only after putting her cape around her shoulders and placing the blue cloth on her head again. Ilyin let go of her hand to let her hair flow.

“Shall we go?” Aden’s hand on her shoulder made her less nervous, and Ilyin nodded with a softer smile.

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