“What’s going on?”
Despite not seeing Ilyin for a week, Baron Arlen did not welcome her and to be honest, he seemed quite unhappy about her visit and Ilyin looked at his father warily.
‘Was he a good father when I was a child?
No way.’
He cared more about our family's image than anything else and instead of feeling sorry for my mother, he was angry at the fact that she had ruined our family's reputation.
Ilyin did not remember being loved by her father.
“I’ve already decided where to go.”
"What?" Baron Arlen was rightly surprised, as the wedding was a celebration of aristocracy.
Depending on which family you married into, what you would have to show the outside world was very important.
“Where to?” He asked, his curiosity now peeking through.
“The north.” That was all Ilyin said.
Baron Arlen clicked his tongue, there was already a mistress on the Boro farm, the largest territory in the north.
The other small estates around them were small families that were much less famous than the Arlen family.
‘I’d rather not reveal where exactly’ she thought to herself.
Barlon Arlen waved her to conclude, it meant he wanted her to leave the house no matter what, there was nothing good in declaring marriage.
“The family’s reputation will only be ruined further.”
"It is clear." Ilyin didn't even think about receiving a greeting and turned his body to leave.
Then, unexpectedly, Barlon called his name:
“Ilyin.”
She stopped suddenly, it had been over a decade since she was called by her father.
“Yes” she replied.
Without realizing it, Ilyin responded in a soft voice and when their eyes met, Baron Arlen asked:
“Have you ever had a prediction dream about me?”
IIyin smiled, even the slightest expectation of a greeting had disappeared and she coldly replied:
“None.”
Baron Arlen did not call her a second time.
***
Not a single person left Arlen's house when she left and now my father will probably live a life without me, just as he lived without my mother and turning away from the window, Ilyin never once looked at the house.
‘I’ll never go back!’
“Biflten…” she whispered to herself as she looked out of the carriage that was quickly passing through the capital and heading north.
The knight, who wore a sword engraved with the Biflten family seal on the tip of the hilt, sped up without saying a word.
The road was well paved, so it didn't rattle the carriage, but it was unknown whether this would continue to Biflten.
Ilyin grabbed the thickest jacket she had, Biflten was notoriously known for cold temperatures as well as frozen bodies that were sometimes found in the landscapes.
The winter weather, which Ilyin had experienced in the past, would probably be warm compared to the weather in Biflten.
She noticed that the knight was not wearing a thick jacket, it may have been because he was used to the cold.
Ilyin looked around the carriage.
The seat was fluffy and covered with black velvet fabric and the walls were also made of velvet fabric containing soft cotton as well, perhaps for protection from the wind and not for decoration, it was meticulously handmade to keep the cold wind from coming in, she guessed.
"What is that?" Ilyin asked aloud, looking at the fabric on the opposite bench.
It was a beautiful blue fabric that looked silky and shiny, but felt more like cotton.
The luxurious fabric was decorated with silver and was warm enough for her to shiver at his touch.
‘Is it something made in Biflten?’
There could be no strange fabric for a nobleman, who always needed to be informed about the latest fashion trends and although Ilyin did not get involved in social activities, she had several experiences of receiving guests on behalf of her mother.
However, despite her countless experiments with clothing, this fabric was something she had never seen.
It didn't seem logical for someone to lose a valuable item like this.
Furthermore, there seemed to be no place to store the fabric in the carriage.
‘Is it something to cover yourself with when you’re cold?’ Ilyin carefully spread out the cloth.
It was almost sky blue, but it was a mysterious cloth and reflected violet glow when illuminated by daylight, it looked more like a head veil than a mere blanket and it was also thin enough to see through.
Ilyin carefully placed the cloth on his head.
At the same time, her vision was slightly tinged with blue and a warm feeling spread across her throat and she choked in astonishment.
If this was a common item in Biflten, the clothes people wore must be very different.
I'm going to a completely different place.
Biflten was a rather isolated place that had little or no contact with outsiders.
‘I would like to know if I can adapt well?
And I wonder if I can survive there.'
A strange land, but in the same empire, where there was no one to punish the Duke of Biflten for not abiding by imperial law and it seemed like Biflten itself was more of an empire in its own right.
Especially since he is Duke Biflten.
I shouldn't even make any eye contact.
It was dismissed as a false rumor that the noble who first made eye contact with Duke Biflten had died.
Later, however, the knights under the command of the dead man were also found dead, the interest and attention on the duke were suddenly silenced.
Who wanted to die of curiosity?
“Never make eye contact” she said to herself out loud.
Ilyin knew in the back of her mind that it would be difficult for someone from the Biflten family to kill her, but at the same time, she was not completely at ease, she opened the blue cloth on her head.
She didn't know how fast they were going, but she could feel her legs start to shake.
"He is well." She took comfort in the knowledge that her dreams had not yet predicted her death.
***
The landscape outside the window turned white as the somewhat peculiarly shaped carriage continued to move towards the north.
To ride in the blizzard, the rider was equipped with a separate compartment and the horse was also covered with protective equipment, she couldn't believe it was near the end of summer.
Instead of racing north in a carriage, it felt like she was going back in time and turning the calendar to winter.
Riding through the white snow, they left a trail behind, each with a rough appearance.
As the temperature in the carriage plummeted, Ilyin couldn't believe she was able to see her breath in late summer.
She rubbed her hands together and breathed into them, which seemed to warm them momentarily as the white vapor touched them, but quickly cooled again.
Exhaling again, Ilyin quickly hid his hands in the blue cloth.
It was the only warmth she could find in the carriage.
Then, out of nowhere, there was a loud thud.