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Chapter 9
“Biflten is ruled by four families.”
Ilyin could not immediately understand Lizzie’s explanation.
Wasn’t Biflten ruled only by the Duke of Biflten?
The maid with the red hair ribbon had disappeared earlier, and now maids wearing blue ribbons attended to her instead.
Colors seemed important inside this castle.
Lidan had introduced himself as part of the Blue North and wore blue tassels.
The man with the crystal-blue eyes had worn red tassels.
“The Blue North, the Red Delrose, the Green Mille, and the Bright Elo.”
Lizzie carefully continued her explanation.
“Sir Lidan and I belong to the Blue North.”
“And the head of the Red Delrose is Sir Aden de Biflten.”
Ilyin slowly looked at the blue bracelet around Lizzie’s wrist.
Then she remembered the man she met outside the castle walls.
If he wore red—
Was he one of the Duke’s people?
“If you decide to stay in Biflten, you will marry him.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then you will return to the Empire.”
Lizzie smiled kindly.
But to Ilyin, the smile felt overly careful.
Almost unnatural.
“Do you have any questions?”
“I have many.”
Ilyin quietly answered.
“But I’ll ask one for now.”
At the moment, Lizzie was applying warm scented cream onto Ilyin’s cold body.
Even with the fireplace burning strongly, the room still felt freezing.
“Please ask.”
“Why does the Duke want to marry a noblewoman from the Empire?”
Ilyin already understood something important.
Biflten was barely influenced by the Empire.
The existence of four ruling families itself would never have been permitted under imperial law.
If the Empire officially recognized this system, everyone would already know about it.
Biflten truly felt like another country.
So why would the Duke suddenly seek a bride from outside?
Lizzie answered simply.
“Because he cannot marry one of the Red Delroses.”
“And he has no interest in the other families.”
Ilyin quietly lowered her gaze.
The Duke may not care about women—
But noble families always mattered.
And from what she had observed, the Red Delrose and the Blue North were clearly not close.
Perhaps the same was true for the other families as well.
“Who exactly is Lidan?”
“He is an elder of the Blue North.”
Ilyin slowly nodded.
Now she somewhat understood the structure of Biflten.
The Red Delrose appeared to be the true ruling bloodline.
The other three families seemed more like powerful retainers serving beneath them.
What a strange place.
“Are you warm enough now?”
Lizzie smiled gently.
Ilyin nodded quietly.
Later, Ilyin asked Lizzie to guide her around the castle.
As they walked, she carefully observed her own position here.
Aden de Biflten seemed determined to marry a woman from outside Biflten.
And no noblewoman in the Empire wanted him.
That made Ilyin valuable.
Rare.
The Blue North family treated her kindly because they likely wanted to stay close to the future Duchess.
Especially if they could not marry one of their own women to the Duke.
But Ilyin already knew something important.
“Kindness always has a price.”
She had spent her whole life learning how to recognize people.
Who hated her.
Who pitied her.
And who wanted to use her.
In this unfamiliar land, many people would blindly trust those who treated them kindly.
But not Ilyin.
If the Blue North and the Red Delrose were enemies—
Then the Duke would never marry someone closely tied to the Blue North.
“You should wear a coat from here onward.”
Lizzie stopped walking near a corridor lined with huge glass windows.
Outside—
Heavy snow endlessly covered the landscape.
“The cold becomes much harsher from here.”
“Are you cold?”
At the question, Ilyin looked down at her own clothes.
Surprisingly, although the clothes were thinner and lighter than expected, she still felt warm.
It almost felt as if hot water bottles wrapped around her body.
Only her hands remained cold.
But manageable.
“I’m alright.”
The blue tassels attached to her clothes gently swayed as she nodded.
“Thank you.”
“Please tell us if you need anything.”
Lizzie lowered her head politely.
That politeness only made Ilyin more uncomfortable.
The Blue North clearly wanted something from her.
Then suddenly—
Someone appeared ahead of them.
Ilyin gasped quietly.
It was him.
The man she met outside the castle walls.
The man with crystal-blue eyes.
His cold gaze narrowed slightly as he looked at the two women.
Like a wolf staring at prey.
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
“This is not a place for the Blue North to wander.”
The man spoke slowly.
Lizzie immediately bowed her head.
Ilyin hesitated.
She was only a guest here.
And she still did not know who this man truly was.
The man did not introduce himself either.
Instead, his icy gaze slowly examined her.
The blue cloth.
Her clothes.
Her face.
Ilyin suddenly felt exactly as she did while running from the red monsters.
Like prey being hunted.
And this time—
She instinctively knew she could not escape.
The man was that dangerous.
“She is the lady from the sunny lands.”
Lizzie carefully introduced her.
“She is?”
The man looked at Ilyin again.
His expression remained indifferent, but there was faint surprise in his voice.
“I am Ilyin de Arlene from the Empire.”
Ilyin forced herself to meet his eyes.
Her gaze silently asked him to introduce himself too.
The man’s blue eyes slightly gleamed at the change in her attitude.
“I am Den of the Red Delrose.”
His tone became slightly more polite afterward.
Perhaps because he now realized she was not connected to the Blue North.
Then suddenly—
“Thank you for saving my life.”
The words escaped from Ilyin before she could stop herself.
The man paused.
Those crystal-blue eyes returned to her once again.
“You shouldn’t stay outside long during winter.”
His voice remained cold.
Then he walked past her.
Lizzie quietly released the breath she had been holding.
Ilyin tilted her head slightly.
Strangely—
She preferred his cold warning over the Blue North’s warm kindness.
At least his intentions felt honest.
As she followed after Lizzie again—
Ilyin silently remembered his name.
Den.
