The room was much hotter than expected and seemed stuffy, which reminded her of the midsummer heat at Arlen's estate and she asked fearfully:
“We’re in Biflten, right?”
Aden realized that she didn't know where she was:
“Yes, this is your room.”
“But it’s so hot.”
"I know." In an instant, the air turned cold and Ilyin blinked in surprise.
‘Aden did this?’
"I wasn't sure how hot the Empire gets.
I apologize." Judging by his words, which sounded strangely shy, she deduced that he had changed the temperature in the room.
‘So this is the Duke’s power,’ Ilyin laughed, but it sounded more like a dry cough.
"I am fine." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, no longer afraid of the darkness, and murmured:
“I woke up, right?”, she needed to confirm whether this was her reality or not and with a simple “yes”, he assured her and she smiled and relaxed in the present moment.
“Have you never left Biflten?”, she asked curiously.
"No."
“Have you experienced Biflten Summer before?”
“We don't have summer here, Ilyin.” Aden's voice was soft but clear and now he was holding Ilyin's small hand.
“Didn’t you see it during the succession ceremony?”
His response was slow in coming this time:
“Why, did you see anything?”
"Yes.
I saw a lot until I woke up," Ilyin let out a short sigh.
She had had nightmares, but she was sure that the first dream occurred at the succession ceremony, where she had seen a mansion in the bright summer sun and a wonderful beach where white foam lapped against the shore.
“I saw the bright summer of Biflten.” She remembered searching endlessly for the mobile throughout her dreams, but she had come up empty-handed.
"I could see the cliffs from afar.
Did you know there's a beach in Biflten?"
She wasn't sure if it was the exact location, but she was sure it had been in Biflten and she remembered the vision clearly, unlike the fragmented dreams of Arlen's estate in which she was afraid.
But it had all been mere dreams and she grabbed Aden's hand, grateful to know this was reality.
“This is the first time I've heard of it,” he replied, seeming interested in what she was telling him.
“The sea is wide with a long beach.” Ilyin wished she could see the scene again, with Aden, and she also wished she could see the mobile.
“Do you want to see summer?” Aden asked after a while, in a distant voice.
Ilyin realized that he might not have liked the question and said:
“Biflten is a good place.”
She worried that this might sound condescending, but Aden smiled as he whispered to Ilyin:
"My father was someone who looked forward to summer.
He admired it." Ilyin tilted his head as he listened to him.
“While he was pleased to show the lights of Elo to my mother, but this was not the real sunlight.”
His eyes widened at the familiar words.
“I'm going to bring summer back to this place.”
Ilyin's heart beat faster when she realized that these were the same words she heard Den say in her dream.
***
Ves was working hard these days and felt like he was skating on thin ice in the mansion:
“She got a lot better.” He waited a long time to say this and remembered that the Duchess was a healthy person compared to other visitors from the Empire when she arrived at the mansion and seeing her quick recovery calmed his nerves a little.
“You still have to be careful at night, please,” Ves added, realizing that Aden wasn't going to listen to his advice and as if hearing his thoughts, the Duke motioned for him to leave.
"You know you can't, right?
Please let her rest," Ves spoke louder so the Duchess could hear, but Aden remained impassive and motioned for the doctor to leave and Ves had no choice but to do so.
Aden sighed deeply when Ves left the room.
He knew that the doctor would have tried to lie down in front of Ilyin's room to prevent him from coming in to be with her.
Ilyin's question had been special last night:
“Do you have a secret I should know?”
He didn't hesitate for a second when he told her that he didn't have any secrets and although he had been curious all night, Ilyin didn't tell him why she asked that question and it bothered him a little, but then he thought about the deep smell of summer last night.
“Sir, it is Idith.”
Idith had been the busiest person in a while since Aden left her to oversee the running of the mansion while he stayed in Ilyin's room.
Idith didn't look at Aden with desperate eyes, unlike Milo, however, Idith looked worn out, that was why Aden asked her to rest and so she wasn't sure why she was here now.
"Between."
Seeing the fresh snowflakes on her coat, it was obvious that she had just come in from outside.
“The Yesters sent a messenger for you.”
***
“Is this enough water?” Etra asked as the large bathtub was being filled by the maids.
Ilyin smiled awkwardly and nodded as the Delrose maids stood in a line, holding massage items or creams to pamper her.
Etra stopped a maid who was holding a familiar cream, because she wasn't from the Empire.
“She used it well last time,” said the maid, looking a little confused.
Etra would have none of it and she ordered her to confirm with Dr.
Ves and instructed her to only use items known to be safe.
While two other maids chatted animatedly among themselves:
“Isn’t it too hot?”
“They say the Empire uses the hottest water.”
“Get out!” Etra shouted as she chased away the maids.
Ilyin blushed, feeling embarrassed for them as she said gently:
“It’s okay Etra, they can stay.”
N/t¹: Cliffs are steep cliffs formed by the erosive action of sea water, rain and winds.
Cliffs are forms of coastal relief derived from the process of marine abrasion, which is erosion caused by the continuous action of sea water on a rocky surface, such as Farol beach – Prado (BA)