HSMDW 9

chapter 9“

Illin initially thought that meant she was being told to leave Bifalten.

But after hearing the circumstances, she realized it meant something else.

“March in Bifalten is very cold. If we were to properly prepare for a wedding, it would be close to April. In weather like that, even people from the northern regions avoid going outside.”

Illin’s gaze briefly fell on the speaker’s clothes.

A knight wearing red decorations.

He was the first person from Red Delrose to speak with her since she had arrived.

The man, who introduced himself as Aegis, bowed deeply.

“If you find it uncomfortable, His Grace said that you may inform us separately.”

“The Duke said that?”

Aegis hesitated for the briefest moment, almost enough to make Illin wonder if she had misunderstood him.

“Yes. He gave the order personally.”

Illin looked outside.

The snowstorm swirling beyond the window was still far too fierce and cold for her.

Unlike the four seasons she was accustomed to, Bifalten’s climate was divided into January, February, March, and April. At first glance, the weather seemed to remain consistently cold, but there was still a distinction between the coldest period and the time when outdoor activity was at least somewhat possible.

Apparently, late March and April were the coldest periods.

And now it was March in Bifalten.

The lord of the territory was getting married.

No matter how different Bifalten was from the Empire—or perhaps precisely because it was different from the Empire—it might have traditions of its own.

The reason they were skipping all those procedures was simply because she was a sun-dweller.

A person from the warm regions would have difficulty enduring Bifalten’s cold.

“I understand.”

Aegis looked rather surprised.

Illin lowered her head slightly.

“Thank you for being considerate.”

Had the Duke really given the order himself, or had the decision come from somewhere within Red Delrose?

Either way, she understood that they were taking her circumstances into consideration.

Of course, not having a grand wedding ceremony did not mean they were not getting married.

From the day before the wedding, Illin had to go through practically every skincare treatment Bifalten had to offer.

They could not completely erase the small injuries caused by snowstorms and harsh winds, but they were more than enough to soften the skin that had become somewhat rough from stress.

In fact, she looked even better than she had when she was at the Arlen Viscount’s residence.

For warmth, she had no choice but to wear a piece of blue Noz fabric around her head.

Illin was startled when she learned that it was a sacred item belonging to the bride.

“I knew it was valuable, but…”

She had never imagined that it would actually be regarded as a sacred object.

Her dress was chosen to be white, matching the blue Noz sacred item.

According to tradition, an ornament incorporating the colors of all four families was placed around her wrist.

It was a tradition intended to ensure that the bride would not become the spark that caused discord.

“I still can’t believe this is happening.”

Illin was sitting at a table.

There were many unusual things about this marriage, but the strangest thing of all was that she could not face the man she was about to marry.

Because of that, there was no chair on the opposite side of the table where the marriage vows had been placed.

[Aden de Bifalten]

[Illin de Arlen]

Once the Duke of Bifalten made his vow, the name Arlen would disappear from her name and be replaced with Bifalten.

She really was getting married.

There were no butterflies in her stomach, no extravagant wedding hall, and no noisy crowd of guests.

It wasn’t as though she had never had any romantic fantasies about marriage.

Everyone dreams about it at least once when they’re young.

A long wedding dress trailing down the aisle, candles decorating both sides of the aisle flickering freshly among blue flowers.

And beside her would stand a beloved person dressed in a black suit, while the bouquet she tossed would become a happy story no matter who caught it.

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t disappointed.

There would be no second marriage for her.

The Arlen Viscount’s family was hardly a prestigious enough household to marry off a bride who had already returned after breaking off an engagement. Besides, her father had no intention of providing her with a dowry.

So this was the end of the road.

Illin read the marriage vows in a quiet voice.

“The bride, Illin de Arlen, vows to spend the rest of her life with Aden de Bifalten, Lord of Winter.”

The wording was simple.

I vow to spend the rest of my life with you.

Unbelievably, the prophetic wedding night she had seen in her dreams was now right before her.

“There’s no need for it to be for the rest of your life.”

For a moment, Illin thought everything had gone dark before her eyes.

Something touched her eyes, so she instinctively closed them and opened them again.

Her vision was covered by something warm.

A hot hand had slipped beneath the blue Noz cloth.

The voice that followed was low and serious.

It was surprisingly gentle for the voice of a man known as a savage beast, the mad Duke of Winter, and a man followed by all sorts of terrible rumors.

Perhaps because of that, she did not feel the chilling sensation of having a stranger standing behind her.

It felt almost as though they had met several times before.

Of course, there was nothing she could do about her heart pounding.

“Are you the Duke?”

Illin asked without trying to turn around.

Since his hand was directly touching her, she could clearly sense his movements.

She thought he had hesitated.

“…Yes.”

After a brief pause, he introduced himself.

“I’m Aden de Bifalten.”

Being introduced to someone without looking at their face felt extremely strange.

Illin replied in a slightly trembling voice.

“I’m Illin de Arlen.”

Because the hand covering her eyes was large, plenty of light still filtered through.

Through the gaps between his fingers, she could see the marriage document.

She could also clearly feel the other hand touching her right hand, which held the pen.

[Aden de Bifalten]

Aden gently guided Illin’s right hand holding the pen.

The strong hand of a swordsman rested over her small, slender one.

The veins standing out on the back of his hand made it look rough and powerful, but his touch was light and gentle.

He was as careful as if he were holding a feather that might scatter at the slightest pressure.

“If it ever becomes too difficult, you may leave this place at any time.”

His voice came from above her head.

Through the cloth behind her head, she could feel the Duke’s chest against her.

He was close.

“This isn’t a place where someone from the warm regions should have to live.”

The Duke had finished signing.

All Illin had to do was sign with the pen, and the marriage document would be complete.

The two of them would become husband and wife.

Before picking up the pen, Illin asked,

“Then why did you summon a bride?”

Even though she was from the warm regions.

He paused for a moment before answering.

“Because I didn’t expect someone like you to come.”

The warmth covering her eyes disappeared.

She wondered if he was leaving the room, but the Duke approached her again.

He came close to her ear.

Although she could not see his eyes, she could make out his masculine jawline and moving lips.

She could also see that the top two buttons of his shirt were undone.

In this winter region, it was probably a luxury only the Lord of Bifalten could afford.

Illin tried not to let her gaze linger on him.

It would be troublesome if their eyes happened to meet.

“See you later.”

Preparing for the wedding night was not complicated.

The maids from the four families gave Illin a gown made of lighter material than the one she had worn earlier.

Then they tied her long hair high on her head.

In Bifalten, wearing a hairstyle that exposed the nape of one’s neck was a symbol of a high-ranking woman who lived in the warmest place, deep within the residence.

The maids took the prepared Illin to a place she already knew.

It was the room she had seen in her dream.

Several layers of thin white curtains surrounded the bed.

If the lights were bright enough, she imagined that the silhouette of a person might still be visible through them.

When the maids drew the curtains aside, a soft, fluffy blanket was spread across the bed.

It wasn’t an extravagant room, just as she had seen in her dream.

But now that she was actually here, she understood.

This place resembled Bifalten.

It was like a soft field of snow.

“His Grace may be late.”

A maid from Blue Noz spoke in a dry voice.

She gave Illin a completely different impression from Lizzy, who had guided her previously.

He doesn’t seem like someone who will be late.

See you later.

He had whispered those words as though he would be back very soon.

Illin thought about the man who would soon become her husband, whom she had met only briefly.

He wasn’t as frightening as she had expected.

Perhaps it was because she had not looked him in the eyes.

He was completely different from the rumors.

Of course, the man she had seen in her dreams had been quite gentle, so she had already suspected as much.

But by this point, she couldn’t even understand why such rumors had spread about him.

Or is he only kind to me?

It sounded romantic at first, but Illin quickly banished the thought from her mind.

She was not a young girl naive enough to be consumed by fantasies about love.

“Drink this.”

The maid who poured the alcohol came from Green Milre.

The unfamiliar maid poured liquor into a tiny glass and placed it on the nightstand beside the bed.

“It is a drink that many young ladies request on their wedding night.”

In other words, she did not have to drink it.

It was simply a consideration for a nervous bride.

Illin nodded slightly.

“Thank you.”

The maids bowed deeply and left.

Even though the room had been quiet when all five of them were there, the moment everyone except Illin left, the silence became overwhelming.

She was the only person moving in the room.

Illin looked around the bedroom again.

The Duke will come through that door, won’t he?

“Aden de Bifalten…”

Since they had signed the marriage document, that was now her husband’s name.

But it still felt unfamiliar.

More than anything, they knew nothing about each other except each other’s name and voice.

No.

Perhaps she knew his hands, too.

Illin gently rubbed the back of her own hand.

She remembered the warm hand that had covered hers while they signed the marriage document.

She had never imagined she would spend her wedding night with a man whose face she didn’t even know.

And perhaps she never would.

If their eyes met, her body would freeze.

“Hoo…”

In the end, Illin picked up the glass of alcohol from the nightstand.

It was a tiny glass, only about two and a half finger-widths tall.

She swirled the translucent pale-green liquid, watching it ripple, then drank it in one gulp.

“Ah.”

Heat rushed through her.

The burning liquid traveled downward, but the heat itself seemed to rise upward instead.

She let out a short breath.

A sweet fragrance lingered in her mouth.

Will we be able to get along?

In practical terms, she would probably only meet the Duke at night.

If so, her life here would likely be determined less by her relationship with her husband and more by how well she performed her role as the Duchess.

Her position among the four families would also matter.

Will I be able to do this well?

The reason they had recruited a bride was undoubtedly to produce an heir.

She had heard that the Duke could not marry someone from Red Delrose, while he also did not want to give the other three families additional power through a child.

So he had chosen to marry someone from the warm regions.

Then, how much authority will I actually have?

In Bifalten, does the desired Duchess really mean nothing more than someone who will give birth to an heir?

Clack.

The sound of the glass being set down seemed unusually loud in the room.

By now, they must have finished investigating her.

She didn’t know how thoroughly they had looked into her, but they would certainly have discovered long ago that the Arlen Viscount’s family was a small household with nothing worth gaining.

Then did they also find out what my position in that family was?

Information naturally arises and spreads when people interact with one another.

But the Arlen Viscount’s family consisted almost entirely of people whose families had served the viscount’s household for generations, and they rarely interacted with outsiders.

It wasn’t that no one ever visited the residence.

Whenever someone did, Illin had to show her face and receive the guests.

The Viscount was obsessed with maintaining the family’s image, so in front of guests he treated her like his one and only precious daughter.

But that wasn’t the only reason information was difficult to leak.

After Sid died, the atmosphere within the viscount’s household became extremely unsettled.

One or two servants disappeared from the household at a time.

Some were found dead after hanging themselves, while others vanished without leaving a trace.

They were all people who knew about Illin’s dreams or the Viscountess’s dreams.

The only people who survived despite knowing the secret were those whose families had served the viscount’s household for generations.

“It’s cursed!”

Illin clearly remembered hearing a maid who had served the viscount’s family for three generations say those words.

She must have been around eight years old at the time.

She hadn’t understood what the words meant then.

But now she did.

The Arlen Viscount had blamed the deaths of the household servants on Illin’s dreams.

He said that terrible things happened because she recklessly looked into the future.

“…”

Illin smiled bitterly.

If that were really true, if the fault lay with her, then why were only the servants who knew about Sid’s death dying instead of her?

Illin looked up at the ceiling.

The curtains, scattered like a bride’s veil, covered the bed in layer upon layer.

She had no intention of hiding anything about her family.

As for her ability to have prophetic dreams, she wouldn’t mention it. They wouldn’t believe her anyway.

Besides, she had come here alone with nothing to offer.

She had come to marry the worst possible groom in the Empire, the man everyone avoided marrying.

Was he really the worst?

She honestly didn’t know what kind of person he was.

It felt like walking a tightrope while blindfolded.

Three families were trying to get closer to the Duke, while Red Delrose alone seemed uninterested.

And she, Illin, had ended up marrying the head of that family.

There was still so much she didn’t know about Bifalten.

Click.

At that moment, every light in the room went out.