Ilyin touched his hand when she remembered his hand in hers.
She didn't know if she would go to bed with someone whose face she hadn't seen and didn't know yet, so she was afraid she might freeze.
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 throughout her body.
She took another sip and her tongue tingled, her breath smelled sweet.
She wondered if she could do it.
Ilyin would only meet the Duke tonight and her performance as a lover would decide other things besides her relationship with her husband and how she would need to balance her position between the four families.
Could she honestly do that?
He must have 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.
‘How much authority do I have?
Am I just someone to give birth to an heir?’
She placed the cup on the table, thinking he must already know how small her family was.
Was he aware of his position in the Arlen family?
Information was collected and spread through meeting people, but the Arlens rarely communicated with the outside world.
Although there were visitors that Ilyin had to greet, the viscount had only been nice to her in front of them so that they could maintain their good reputation.
That wasn't the only reason he was nice to her, as Arlen's estate was in turmoil after Sid's death.
All the servants who knew about his dreams died or disappeared, leaving only those who served the family for generations.
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 blamed her dreams for all the deaths and he said that bad things happened due to her looking too hastily into the future.
Ilyin's smile was bitter.
‘If she really was to blame, why did only those who knew about Sid’s death disappear or die?’ She sighed and looked at the ceiling, then at the curtains that hid 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 came here alone to marry the worst bachelor in the Empire!
But would he?
She wasn't sure about this and felt like she was walking a tightrope, blindfolded.
Ilyin still knew nothing about the people of Biflten.
Suddenly, all the lights in the room went out and she was surrounded by darkness as the curtains on the windows were already closed.
She didn't know what to do.
‘Is he here?’ She hadn’t heard anything, though.
“Are you nervous?”
Ilyin flinched when the voice was closer than she expected.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“You can go if you don’t want that.”
She was silent, as she had heard this before more than once.
“The Delroses don’t like people from the Empire?” She remembered 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 before:
“Delroses have no reason not to like you and if you want me to, I’ll take action.”
What was he referring to?
Even though he was kind to her, he could still kill people with his sword.
“It's okay,” she replied calmly.
The Duke spoke while Ilyin rubbed her hand:
"You are now the lady of Biflten.
The Delroses are under your command." It was natural for her to be closer to her husband's family and she nodded in recognition.
“Your duty is to be my bride, Ilyin.”
His face turned to the voice, as that phrase sounded strange when coming from someone else.
"If you do your duty as my wife, the rest is up to you.
Since you are the Duchess, others have to serve you.
If not, throw them away." The voice got closer, and she felt a hand on her shoulder.
He was touching her as if she were made of glass.
“That will maintain your position.”
Another hand followed her collarbone and soon she felt its heat.
“Is there anything I shouldn’t do?” She had to ask, as Biflten was different from the Empire.
"No." The hand that was on her shoulder was now touching her hair.
“You can use my knights.”
He was saying she could use force if necessary.
Ilyin felt his hair cover his neck after he removed the silver hairpin.
Then, she felt the bed against her back and a hand gently moved through her soft hair.
“Do you regret this?”
She felt his arms around her and Ilyin closed his eyes in the darkness.
She had no regrets as this moment felt like her dream.
She even thought she might wake up in her room at the Arlen estate, where the sunlight was bright but the air was damp.