Aden knew death.
As he had killed many times, he was now unaffected by it, even though he had thought that those he killed could speak and have willpower.
He knew he had to kill to survive.
“Fortunately, she will live.” The doctor stood in front of Aden with obvious tension.
"I don't know what made her stop breathing, but it was just for a moment.
She's sleeping now."
Aden motioned for him to leave, looking ready to explode or decapitate someone with a glance if they dared disturb him now.
“She just needs to wake up.” Doctor Ves tilted his head, trying his best to comfort his master.
Aden heard several people walking around as Ves opened the door to leave, but the sounds didn't bother him as he was focused on Ilyin's well-being.
The Delrose family went into emergency mode after Ilyin passed out and the seventh floor was full of people moving around.
Normally, only the smallest amount of people necessary would walk quietly through these halls on a given day because the owner didn't like noise, but now speed was of greater importance and the need for tranquility fell by the wayside.
Idith managed to contact the Empire and even in the raging snowstorm, Milo quickly arrived with medicinal herbs in his carriage, despite not planning to return for a year.
Wearing long-sleeved shirts and thick winter coats, due to the mansion being colder than ever, they vividly remembered the fact that the Duke was the only person in Biflten who could influence the temperature, which made them fear him.
They knew he could make them freeze to death inside the mansion if he wanted to and they would have preferred to stay outside in the snow because it was warmer.
“Sir, it is Idith.”
Aden was in Ilyin's room and Idith opened the door after knocking gently.
He saw Milo through the crack in the door, who had an inexplicable expression as he faced disaster when entering his fiancée's room not long ago.
“Report,” Aden growled.
The room was much warmer than the hallway and Idith took off her thick winter coat as he spoke.
“The succession ceremony records were stored in the Blue North estate, so it took some time to locate them.”
"AND?"
Idith hesitated as he looked at Ilyin.
"This is an unprecedented event.
While Idith was reporting, Milo handed the herbs to the maids and explained to them what the properties of each herb were and what they could be used for.
No matter how much experience the maids had caring for someone from the Empire, they were winter locals after all, so he had to explain it to them in more detail.
Beside him, Ves was also busily examining the herbs, because despite also belonging to a winter place, he was better than no doctor.
“And a doctor from the Empire?” Aden asked.
"I tried to bring one," Idith chose her words carefully, "but no one was willing.
People may have suspected who I was, but it's almost April here, sir.
This is the coldest month in Biflten, and no one from the Empire would willingly come during this godforsaken season."
“You can all leave,” Aden instructed.
Her breathing was even and she was in a deep sleep, but he couldn't help but wonder what would happen if she didn't wake up.
Biflten had always been cold for as long as Aden could remember and he assumed he would live and die in this climate, he had never thought about summer before and didn't understand why his mother wanted to go somewhere warm.
When he was young, she told him stories about how the sun was bright and warm, the wind cold, and how sometimes you had to squint to see the scenery.
Aden thought it would be a nuisance and found the idea of wearing thin clothes very peculiar, so he never looked forward to summer like she did.
However, his first contact with this unfamiliar heat had been an unforgettably powerful experience.
He thought it was the smell of the sun and not summer itself that attracted him and when he looked at Ilyin, who seemed cold at first glance but was warmer than anyone here, he remembered that.
The experience was magical.
Aden thought that Biflten would be unbearably cold if she wasn't here and he felt uncomfortable with the cold for the first time.
***
Ilyin had no idea how long she slept, as her dreams seemed long and there were many.
At first, his dreams showed beautiful landscapes of Biflten, but they gradually distorted into nightmarish scenes at Arlen's estate.
Among them were past events that she had never experienced before and she desperately searched for the mobile to reassure herself whenever she saw Viscount Arlen, but it eluded her.
The darkness grew as her brain slowly came out of her dream state, which quickly dissipated and she began to feel scared and disoriented because she wasn't sure where she was.
Ilyin then felt something against her back and realized that she was lying on a soft bed, as she cautiously opened her eyes.
“Ilyin?”
She heard the voice in the dark and even forgot to close her eyes when she turned her head.
“Aden?” He didn't respond and she felt anxious thinking that this was another dream.
“Aden, are you there?” she asked, starting to panic.
“Yes, I am,” his answer finally came with a deep sigh, as if he seemed relieved.