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Chapter 5
If Ilyin had not seen it in her dream, she might have ignored it.
But she already knew the answer.
“If you don’t believe me, would you like to inspect the wagon yourself? We’re preparing it right now.”
“Alright.”
The merchant leader personally guided her to the wagons.
Everything looked exactly like her dream.
The only difference was the time.
In the dream, it had been dawn.
Now, it was late afternoon.
The wagons were steadily being filled with thick cotton buffers.
When Ilyin touched the cotton, the leader smiled.
“These are necessary when traveling north. The roads there are terrible.”
“I know.”
Ilyin pressed her hand deeper into the cotton.
The wagon was larger than she expected, and her hand sank deeply inside.
“Even if the weather is cold, it’s still too warm to transport fresh goods like this,” she said calmly. “If you use this much cotton while only traveling to Borough, everything inside would spoil.”
The leader watched her carefully as she pulled out a piece of cotton.
“I don’t know why you’re suddenly interested in our business, but—”
Ilyin interrupted him.
“If you’re heading to the Winter Region, then this preparation makes perfect sense.”
The Winter Region.
Another name for Biflten.
A land where winter never ended.
Compared to names like “Land Abandoned by God” or “Land of Monsters,” it was the most formal name for the territory.
Ilyin slowly took out two letters.
One was written by herself.
The other carried the seal of the Biflten family.
She showed the sealed letter to the merchant leader.
“If I wished to become this man’s bride… would that change your mind?”
At that moment, the merchant leader’s expression changed.
Most people would think he was about to laugh.
But Ilyin knew otherwise.
She had seen many servants suddenly change their attitudes after discovering her true position in the Arlene mansion.
But this reaction was the opposite.
The leader had become serious.
“Biflten does not trade with many places,” Ilyin continued quietly. “Most people avoid dealing with them.”
Instead of the sealed letter, she handed him the letter she personally wrote.
“It’s difficult to believe that someone transporting goods to Biflten during this season has no connection to them.”
Even during summer, Biflten was known for its terrible weather.
So if supplies were moving there now—
The connection was obvious.
“You must at least be trusted by the Biflten family,” said Ilyin. “Which means you have a reason to deliver my letter.”
“How so?”
This time, the merchant leader did not deny anything.
Ilyin answered softly.
“If no one else agrees to become the bride this time, then I’ll enter Biflten without competition.”
She lowered her gaze slightly.
“At the very least, I’ll become the mistress of the Biflten family… or remain there as a guest.”
Then she tilted her head.
“Is that still not enough reason to deliver my letter?”
After a long silence, the leader finally bowed his head.
“As you wish.”
He accepted the letter carefully.
“We will deliver it immediately.”
“You may read it if necessary,” said Ilyin calmly.
It was not a secret love letter.
The merchant leader shook his head.
“No… but…”
He hesitated before asking carefully,
“How did you know?”
He meant the relationship between himself and Biflten.
But Ilyin only smiled faintly.
“I’d rather hear the Duke’s answer first.”
Even if she explained her precognitive dreams, no one would believe her anyway.
Exactly one week later—
A letter carrying the seal of the Biflten family arrived.
It normally took three days to reach Borough from the capital.
Yet somehow, the reply had traveled all the way from distant Biflten in only a week.
The contents of the letter were simple and polite.
[We will send a carriage to wait outside the Arlene mansion. You may board it whenever you wish.]
The words were respectful.
But strangely cold at the same time.
It almost sounded like—
“Come if you want. We won’t wait for you.”
Ilyin wondered if she was simply imagining it.
She lowered the letter and looked outside the mansion window.
A strange carriage was parked outside the gates.
There was no noble family crest on it.
However—
The horseman carried the symbol of the Biflten family.
That alone was enough.
There was no possibility of mistake.
And there was no reason to delay any longer.
The thing she had been waiting for had finally arrived.
Ilyin quietly stood up from her seat.
