Ilyin woke up with a start when she opened her eyes, it seemed like she was thrown out of the dream as soon as she met his eyes.
"Madam?" Etra immediately rushed to Ilyin's side, but Ilyin stopped her by raising his hand.
“Is something wrong?” Etra asked, her voice full of concern.
Ilyin shook his head as he tried to control his harsh breathing.
Then she thought about the last thing she saw in the dream.
The almost white blonde hair that waved in the wind and the deep violet eyes that looked straight at her as if he could see her.
"Madam?" Etra placed her hand on Ilyin's forehead, "Did you...
have a dream?"
She was now one of the few people who knew what it meant for Ilyin to have a dream.
Ilyin let out a shaky breath, looked at Etra, and then nodded.
“I did, but…” Ilyin couldn’t help but speak.
It was different than usual.
Ilyin remembered the eyes that bored into her and the feel of the soft fabric against her fingertips.
She got goosebumps.
His physique looked like a human from behind, but the eyes definitely didn't belong to one.
‘Who was it?
No, what was it?’
“Ilyin, are you sleeping?” Just at this moment, Aden's voice was heard outside.
Of all things, the most important was this.
“Etra, how long have I been sleeping?”
"Forgiveness?" Etra blinked at the sudden question.
“Just a few hours,” she replied quickly.
She then looked at her watch and did the math, “just over two hours.”
“…Two hours?” Ilyin muttered.
‘Not a few days?’ Ilyin’s gaze quickly went to the door where Aden’s voice came from.
“Has Aden been treated?” It was the first thing she asked.
Etra laughed, "Of course.
He's fine now."
'Already?
He was bleeding a lot.' Ilyin's eyes widened in surprise.
“Ilyin?” Aden's voice returned, this time a little more anxious.
Ilyin, still surprised, looked at the door again and quickly replied, “I’m awake.”
Aden then opened the door.
There was no way he couldn't have heard the conversation with the supernatural hearing he had, but for him to wait until she said everything was fine was just out of courtesy.
Aden stuck his head in the door and knocked on the door twice again.
He smiled and asked, “Can I come in?”
"Of course." Ilyin couldn't help but laugh.
Etra bowed deeply to her as she retreated to give them some privacy, she did the same to Aden and left the room without making a sound.
“Are you feeling better?” Aden immediately went to the bed Ilyin was lying on, his eyebrows furrowed in concern.
He was wearing a thin shirt, which made him look like he was from the hot region.
“I wasn't hurt,” Ilyin shook his head as his gaze went straight to his left arm.
It was that arm where the arrow hit him for sure, but there was no sign of injury.
There should have been at least one bandage on him, but through his thin shirt, nothing could be seen.
It was too cold to just wear a shirt.
Ilyin took his hand away from the comfortable blanket.
Her hand carefully touched his shoulder.
“Does it hurt?”
Her hand slowly traveled up and down the arm, her eyes fixed on Aden's face for the slightest sign of pain, but no matter how much she touched him, Aden's expression remained unchanged.
In fact, he seemed mildly amused by Ilyin's behavior.
Aden looked at Ilyin's hand that was holding his shoulder.
There was no pain, it was a while ago.
The wound began to heal quickly the moment they entered the winter region.
After Ves observed it, he concluded that it was poison that his blood reacted to.
He said he needed to take a better look at what kind of poison it was.
It looked like there was poison in the arrow, but the effect was almost non-existent, that meant it was a uselessly low amount that was in it.
In the end, he was completely fine.
There was no reason for Ilyin to look at him and touch him with so much concern, but Aden didn't stop her.
The tip of his hand brushed his shoulder with a slight tremor.
Ilyin's hand ran down his arm, but she gently rubbed the place where she thought the wound would be:
“Does it hurt?”
Ilyin quickly flinched as Aden's face, which was calm at first, slowly changed.
His look was the same, but his lips started to get tighter.
As if he was holding back.
“No,” his voice was strong and firm.
‘Really?’ Ilyin tried to take her hand off his arm, but Aden grabbed her retreating arm and pressed her entire hand against his arm.
She swallowed a surprised breath when she felt him pressing harder than she thought was okay.
"Are you well?" she quickly let go.
"Of course." The answer came a beat later suspiciously.
Ilyin looked up, the eyes covered by long eyelashes seemed a little hazy for some reason.
She finally forced her hand away from his arm.
“If you're trying to make me less worried, that's fine,” she murmured.
Aden shook his head and let out a short sigh, he grabbed Ilyin's hand.
“You don’t seem to believe me.” His expression showed determination, “Would you take a look yourself?”
"Forgiveness?" Ilyin raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“Whether there is a wound or not.” He placed his left hand on the button.
‘Why would you use your injured arm?’
Ilyin quickly placed her hand on his, “Wait.”
She unbuttoned it for him, she had to check if the wound was treated.
She felt uncomfortable that he was letting out short breaths unlike him.
She quickly but carefully unbuttoned his shirt.
“I'm really fine,” Aden whispered to her, who continued to sigh in worry.