“This is my first time trying,” Aden said as he took another sip.
The taste didn't improve the second time, so he put down the cup of floral tea.
Suddenly, a fork was thrust in front of her face and peering over the top, Ilyin's eyelashes fluttered as she said:
“Try this too.”
Aden thought the person who said the cake was sweet looked sweeter and smiled warmly.
When he didn't respond, Ilyin tilted his head and frowned slightly.
She then looked at him as if remembering something very important, and quickly pointed to the silver cake fork:
“This is the one I used and the one I’m holding now is clean.” Before Ilyin could continue, Aden suddenly reached out and picked up the fork in front of her and the clean fork with the fresh cake in Ilyin's hand also changed direction and was now heading towards her mouth.
“If Elo didn’t have the manpower to hold off the Yesters, they wouldn’t have established their main base there.” Aden put down his fork and looked at the map Ilyin was studying.
“Have you heard of Bright Elo?”
Ilyin turned her attention away from the map for a moment, she had heard about it in her dream and she remembered something about Elo's wedding hall that had light.
“Sort of” she replied while raising an eyebrow.
“This light is not as bright as the sun of the hot region, but it is hot and strong enough that the yesters do not like it.” Aden looked at Ilyin again as she drank her tea.
He wondered how she drank something so bitter without a change in her facial expression.
Putting aside the thought, he continued:
“Also, the temperature is quite high for April and even though the northwest wind is too much, why couldn’t they handle a small invasion while they have their main base in the northwest?” Aden squinted his eyes as he spoke, it was his way of expressing his displeasure with Elo.
It was a sure thing that the Delroses' power was so great because they had a master with divine power, but it wasn't like the other three houses were old and weak.
However, they didn't want to waste their resources, so they always asked for the Delroses' support.
Aden was startled when a fork was pushed in front of him again when he was about to open his mouth to speak and Ilyin said:
“So what you are saying is that there is no need to support Elo now because the succession that required a divine object is complete, right?”
She summed it up well, Aden thought as he took a bite of the cake she had offered, despite himself.
He didn't really like sweet things, but he seemed to like the cute cake she gave him.
"It is true."
"Still, I'm a little worried.
Not just about Elo, but about the mansion's safety as well."
Aden placed a finger on her worried mouth and his wet lips brushed against her hand.
“Forget it, have you already decided?”
Ilyin put the cup of tea on the saucer and looked out the window.
She looked like she needed cake when her expression changed to a more serious one.
“About whether I go to the hot region or not, right?”
"Yes." Aden had told Milo that he would accept the exchange for now, but only on the condition that he met the Viscount himself.
Of course, he wasn't planning on meeting the viscount as Duke of Biflten.
Aden began to share his thoughts about Viscount Arlen's House with Ilyin.
He said that if she wanted to, he wouldn't mind if she said she was in Biflten.
Ever since Aden became the Duke of Biflten, the connection between the winter region and the warm region had disappeared, but this was because of Aden's personal preference and had nothing to do with any political situation.
Ilyin said that she wasn't ignoring his question just because it was about the Viscount's House and she explained that her heart was broken in two because she couldn't decide whether she should meet the Viscount in person or not.
She knew Viscount Arlen well.
If he found out that she married the Duke of Biflten, he would only be interested in how he could profit from it.
Ilyin could read him like a book and knew that the Viscount would ask about how the couple's relationship was going and whether or not they were on good terms and then he would try to manipulate the situation to see what he could get out of the Duke.
Ilyin's hair stood on end just thinking about it and most of all, she didn't want to become Biflten's weakness.
“Are you worried?” Even with Aden's offer of cake, she didn't light up.
Then he pushed the cake and map aside and kissed her on the cheek.
“Should I help you a little?”
"As?" Ilyin looked at him with big sad eyes.
Aden was silent for a moment and he placed his hands on the table and leaned forward, kissing her until her heart was beating fast and as their warm tongues intertwined, he could feel her slowly relaxing.
After some time, when he thought she was feeling better, he spoke again:
“Ilyin.”
"Yes."
“What do you want Viscount Arlen to look like in ten years?” Aden was aware of many things from Ilyin's small talk every night.
She didn't bother hiding how she lived on the estate, nor how she was treated by the people at Arlen's house.
Even so, Ilyin's situation was still too complex for Aden to understand, as he lived a life of lifting the sword, to kill or not to kill was all he knew.
Although Ilyin seemed to dislike her father, it didn't seem like she would stab him to death if the opportunity arose.