Chapter 71

Right now, it was them that were on the edge.

“Right, it’s like that.”

The fate of this deal rested in the hands of Ilyn. She nodded slightly and then walked past him and made her way to a slightly raised seat, all the while being careful that the veil that covered her did not move.

It seemed that the Viscount had no clue that the person underneath was his daughter.

“I believe that my offer is quite fair for Acid. After all, since the freight cost is so low, the cost should be different from the south.”

It was true. Aden reluctantly nodded his head in agreement and seeing that, the Viscount grinned from ear to ear.

“This winter is unusually harsh. I heard that carrot consumption in the north has increased,” Viscount Arlen said.

This was harsh? Aden couldn’t imagine how warm a normal winter would be in the warm region otherwise. He just responded with a nod.

The Viscount stroked his chin worriedly as he couldn’t quite get the reaction he wanted. “How about we head towards my mansion? We can talk more over dinner. What do you think?”

The sun was already down as it was winter. The warm orange light had flooded the room. Aden turned to Ilyn, “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. In the foresight, he was attacked while they were returning to the winter region. Aden looked okay and she trusted that he would be careful.

It’s going to be okay. Ilyn gave a short nod.

“I’ll be back quickly.” Aden reassured her after seeing the worry in her eyes. The comforting warm smile he flashed could be only seen by her.

***

Viscount Arlen had a clear intention for inviting Aden to his mansion. He would try to appeal that it was that faster to reach his mansion by carriage since it was close so the freight cost would be that much cheaper. Yes, it was close for sure.

“It’s Arlen soon,” said Viscount Arlen.

Aden smiled at Viscount Arlen’s words whilst picturing someone else in his mind. According to Milo’s report, Ilyn used to travel this road by herself. A knight would accompany her, but Aden heard that the knight didn’t take care of Ilyn properly. Even though it was close, it was still a long way to travel alone; especially with a knight that couldn’t be trusted.

Aden remembered Ilyn’s thin wrist and shallow breathing which sounded as if it could stop at any moment. She got better after the Delrose maids started taking care of her, but when they first met, she looked like a fragile ice sculpture that could break at just one touch. And It was Viscount Arlen who made her like that. The thought of it made Aden fill with cold rage.

“Ah, do you see that over there?” Viscount Arlen pointed out the window, a joyous expression on his face. It was almost pitiful, his attempt, to look down on Aden as a noble.

Aden turned to look outside. The Viscount was pointing at a tree with a few fall leaves left. It was a wide leaf still attached that caught Aden’s gaze.

“I heard that in the winter region, the leaves that are wide are the ones that sprout first, like that one.” The Viscount pointed.

Before Aden could question what the Viscount meant by “like that one” , Viscount Arlen announced that they had arrived. As the carriage passed the tree, Viscount Arlen spread his arms welcomingly. Aden couldn’t help his creasing eyebrows as he looked outside.

“Isn’t this a completely different scenery from a moment ago?” Aden asked.

“It is indeed.”

He turned his gaze from outside to Viscount Arlen, “Could you stop the carriage by that tree for a moment?”

Before he could tell the Viscount that he asked to stop so that he could examine the carriage for security purposes, the Viscount cut him off.

“Of course!”

Viscount Arlen called to the horseman loudly and had him turn and halt 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 the divine power, he was sensitive to the surrounding temperature. As he passed the tree, the weather became considerably warmer.

As he stood beside the tree that Viscount Arlen had pointed out, the feeling became clearer. Like standing in front of a fireplace, the warmth that the wind carried was different. He looked up at the tree with confusion as the wind was quite warm even though it was winter. He then proceeded to cross the border of the Arlen territory. The wind got noticeably colder.

Aden laughed.

“How is it?” Viscount Arlen called out with a grin, “During summer, the place past this tree becomes especially warm and believe it or not, you can’t grow carrots over there.”

The border of the winter region was always very clearly visible due to the snowstorm during every season but that wasn’t the case here. It was only subtle differences such as different crops that made one aware of the change in region. While the Viscount kept mentioning the wide leaves on the tree, in Aden’s eyes it was all the same. It was just the change in temperature that made it clear that the tree was the border.