Now, they were the ones on edge.
“Okay, that’s how it is.”
The fate of this agreement was in Ilyin's hands.
She nodded slightly and then walked past him to a slightly elevated seat, careful that the veil covering her did not move.
It seemed like the viscount had no idea that the person underneath was his daughter.
"I believe my offer is quite fair for Acid.
After all, since the shipping cost is so low, the cost should be different from the south."
It was true.
Aden reluctantly nodded his head in agreement and seeing this, the Viscount smiled from ear to ear.
"This winter is unusually harsh.
I heard that carrot consumption in the north has increased," said Viscount Arlen.
‘Was that tough?’ Aden couldn’t imagine how warm a normal winter would be in the otherwise warm region.
He just responded with a nod.
The viscount scratched his chin worriedly, as he couldn't get the reaction he wanted.
"How about we go to my mansion?
We can talk more over dinner.
What do you think?"
The sun was already low, as it was winter.
Warm orange light flooded the room.
Aden turned to Ilyin:
“Is it okay if I go?”
She knew he was asking just to make sure she wasn't uncomfortable.
Aden's eyes met hers over the black veil.
She remembered her dream and how he was hit by an arrow and hesitated for a moment.
Preventing it, he was attacked while returning to the winter region.
Aden seemed fine and I trusted him to be careful.
‘It’ll be fine.’ Ilyin gave a curt nod.
“I’ll be back soon.” Aden reassured her after seeing the worry in her eyes.
The warm and comforting smile he displayed could only be seen by her.
***
Viscount Arlen had a clear intention of inviting Aden to his mansion.
He would try to appeal that it was quicker to get to his mansion by carriage as it was nearby and the shipping cost would be much cheaper.
‘Yes, it was close for sure.’
“It’s Arlen soon,” said Viscount Arlen.
Aden smiled at Viscount Arlen's words as he imagined another person in his mind.
According to Milo's account, Ilyin used to walk this road alone.
A knight was to accompany her, but Aden heard that the knight did not take care of Ilyin properly.
Even though it was close, it was still a long way to go alone, especially with an untrustworthy knight.
Aden remembered Ilyin's thin pulse and shallow breathing that sounded like it could stop at any moment.
She got better after the Delrose maids started taking care of her, but when they met, she looked like a fragile ice sculpture that could break with just one touch and it was Viscount Arlen who left her like that.
The idea made Aden fill with rage.
“Ah, do you see that over there?” Viscount Arlen pointed to the window, a joyful expression on his face.
His attempt to belittle Aden as a noble was almost pitiful.
Aden turned to look outside.
The viscount pointed to a tree with some fallen leaves.
It was a large leaf still attached that caught Aden's attention.
“I heard that in the winter region, the broad leaves are the ones that sprout first, like this one.” The viscount pointed.
Before Aden could question what the Viscount meant by “like that”, Viscount Arlen announced that they had arrived.
As the carriage passed the tree, Viscount Arlen opened his arms welcomingly.
Aden couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows as he looked outside.
“Isn’t this a completely different scenario from a moment ago?” Aden asked.
“It is indeed.”
He turned his outside gaze towards Viscount Arlen, “Could you stop the carriage at that tree for a moment?”
Before he could tell the Viscount that he asked to stop to examine the carriage for safety reasons, the Viscount stopped him.
"Of course!"
Viscount Arlen called out to the knight loudly and made him turn around and stop at the tree.
“Would you like to inspect it?” The excitement in Viscount Arlen's voice was evident.
Aden got off the carriage and walked towards the tree.
Due to divine power, he was sensitive to the surrounding temperature.
As I passed the tree, the weather became considerably warmer.
Like being in front of a fireplace, the heat that the wind carried was different.
He looked at the tree in confusion as the wind was quite warm even though it was winter and then crossed the border of Arlen's territory.
The wind became noticeably colder.
Aden laughed.
"How it is?" Viscount Arlen shouted with a smile, “During the summer, the place after this tree gets especially hot, and believe it or not, you can’t grow carrots there.”
The border of the winter region was always clearly visible due to the snowstorm during all seasons, but it was not the case here.
It was only subtle differences, such as different harvests, that alerted the region to change.
While the Viscount talked about the tree's broad leaves, in Aden's eyes everything was the same, it was only the change in temperature that made it clear that the tree was the border.