“You don't have to tell me if you're not comfortable,” Aden told her cautiously, but she just laughed.
“It’s okay now” she said confidently and he felt the gentle beat of her pulse.
"I don't know why I have this ability.
They say my mother, my grandmother and the generations before them had these types of dreams." The origin of this ability was inexplicable.
Instead, she told him about the incident that happened when she was seven.
"I saw my younger brother die in a dream.
After that, in all the dreams with the mobile, everything came true," Ilyin whispered.
"Mom wanted to stop Sid's death.
Because she didn't allow him to go near the terrace, he fell down the stairs instead." Aden held her shaking hands tightly.
"I'm scared of having a nightmare again.
Because if I predict something, I can't stop it from happening."
“You must have been scared seeing the snow,” Aden said calmly.
"At least I didn't see anyone getting hurt in that dream.
So, it was okay." Ilyin buried his face in her embrace.
“Please don’t hurt yourself, Aden.” She held it and shook her head slowly.
“I don’t want to see something horrible again, whether in my dream or in reality.”
“I promise I won’t get hurt.” He placed a deep kiss on her neck and pulled her trembling body closer to him, hugging her tighter.
The hand that reassured her was gentle.
It was so gentle that Ilyin momentarily forgot the “punishment” from earlier that night and she laughed:
“Naughty hand.”
Her hand stopped and felt a little disappointed.
This was his third attempt, but Ilyin just laughed at him and by the fourth “naughty hand” he was wiping the tears from her eyes.
Ilyin continued to tease him throughout the night and he attempted a small rebellion, but eventually gave up after she scolded him and they spent the rest of the night cuddling.
***
The succession went through as planned, much to his relief.
The elders of the three families feared that there would be problems in the succession, because of the strange experience Ilyin had, but Aden's power was immovable.
However, they still needed to get to the root of all the strange phenomena.
Aden decided not to bother confirming with the three elders whether the power had been restored correctly or not, because his power had returned to him.
So if they cried at the thought of losing their protector, that wasn't his problem and he burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Idith hurried to ask him a question:
“Your Highness, is everything okay?” He was not worried about the Duke inheriting his power, nor about his bride falling apart, but his concern was his well-being.
Aden knew that without the power of being the head of a family, it would be difficult to survive in Biflten.
Furthermore, the northwest wind was especially strong that winter and the Yester family, running wild, added to their worries.
Aden banged the table in frustration as he replayed everything Ilyin had told him in his mind.
After listening to his dreams and hearing how Viscount Arlen had reacted, it was clear that he had married the viscountess without knowing of her ability to predict the future, but it was also true that many women from the sun empire had become brides in the winter lands.
Aden opened his palm and pondered the unanswered questions he had, he wondered about the magical power that came with family leadership because the source of that power was not known, as well as the abilities of the monsters that were said to be unable to survive the sun.
“Idith.”
“Yes,” Idith responded immediately from outside the room.
“Learn more about Viscountess Arlen, especially the area she came from.” He would have asked Ilyin directly, but the reason he was asking would be very obvious and he didn't want to hurt her out of mere curiosity.
There were many instances where he wanted to ask more questions but kept his mouth shut.
As if she had sensed him backing away, she gave him an adorable smile, which suggested that she understood.
After Idith left, Aden opened his palm once again and looked at the fine lines on his skin.
After the succession, his power became more stable and therefore, his residence became brighter and today his house would be warm.
***
These days, the Arlen estate was booming.
It was all thanks to the excellent achievements of the Viscount after he introduced a new crop from the south, known as “carrots”.
The weather at Arlen's estate, which was close to the capital, was unusually hot.
The four seasons were very distinct there, as was the case on neighboring properties, but the winter was particularly hot and the summer was scorching, with endless sunshine.
Just like on southern farms, there were few days of the year when it rained a lot and the viscount took advantage of the climate to cultivate southern crops.
This clever idea came unexpectedly after he asked doctors for help in caring for his crazy wife.
When he was looking for help in the south, it was by pure coincidence that he heard about carrots and it was not difficult to find qualified doctors who could hold their tongue and keep quiet if necessary.
The seeds of the wonderful new crop could be planted anywhere, so the viability of the carrots was exceptional and their plump roots were healthy feed.