Chapter 19

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 19

Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Wife of the Monster Duke

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“Eni?”

Ilrin called out to her again as Eni’s silence stretched on.

Startled, Eni jumped and quickly replied.

“Yes. It seems the Molri Tribe members we missed that day have joined forces with the Yester Tribe.”

Ilrin walked silently over to the bookshelf in response.

She didn’t bother assigning minor tasks to the maids.

The maids felt apologetic about it but served her all the more diligently.

Above all, Ilrin treated them like people.

It was different from how the elders somewhere or people from influential houses acted.

“Yester...”

Ilrin spread out a map of Biplten and searched for the word “Yester.”

Fortunately, Biplten used the same script as the Empire.

She soon found the letters for Yester in the north of the map.

“They’re monsters that originally lived in the north. They keep coming down seeking even colder regions, but this year, the northwest winds must have been strong, so they’ve come all the way down there.”

And met up with the Molri Tribe in the west.

Ilrin stared at the map.

She’d heard that while monsters formed their own colonies, they weren’t completely hostile to each other.

This was definitely bad news.

“Yester move several times faster in the cold.”

Eni explained while looking at the map.

Ilrin glanced at Byeon and Biplten Castle, which were relatively close by comparison, before asking.

“So each tribe has different abilities?”

“Yes.”

Eni tried to keep it brief, figuring young ladies disliked such talk, but Ilrin said it didn’t matter if it was long.

Eni’s face lit up with joy as she began speaking.

“There are six races living in Biplten, humans included...”

Originally, there had been seven.

Ilrin listened intently to the long explanation.

Eni pointed to the area between Byeon and Biplten Castle in the southeast.

“This region used to be home to the Milton Tribe. They say even humans found them beautiful. Their ability was...”

She nodded as if remembering.

“They could foresee the future.”

Foresee the future? Ilrin’s eyes widened for a moment as she looked down at the map.

It was the southeast—the closest place to Byeon.

The succession rite was a ritual to inherit the house head’s name and power.

Perhaps because they were near the room where it was held, a reverent atmosphere settled in as silence fell.

Ilrin sat in a lone chair that stood almost isolated in the otherwise empty room.

This was the place to receive each house’s sacred relic.

The Delroz maids attending her bowed politely and left the room.

Ilrin thought it was surprisingly quiet for such an important event.

Above all else, wasn’t the house head’s power vital to Biplten’s survival?

One would expect a grand ceremony, yet it was unexpectedly subdued.

The room for the rite was underground, and rather than the manor growing busier, the people seemed to have cleared out.

It was a stark contrast to the wedding, when the manor had been so lively.

Ilrin had stayed in the bridal chamber during the wedding, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t sensed the manor’s atmosphere.

This was definitely different.

“From Luminous Ello.”

If red symbolized Delroz and blue symbolized Noz, then Luminous Ello was represented by a brilliant yellow bordering on gold.

The nameless young lady from Ello wore a dress adorned with dazzling ornaments, embodying the house itself.

Her shoulders were draped in a thick fur cloak, but it was still rather thin attire for Biplten as April approached.

Was the reason they didn’t hold the succession grandly because of the cold?

Ilrin pondered delaying it instead, then realized something.

The succession rite inherited the house head’s power.

In other words, delaying it might cause the power to vanish.

That power protected humans from monsters invading the Winter Lands.

Delaying the succession would be a problem.

This must be why they were rushing the belated rite.

“The relic ‘Eltos.’”

The Ello lady fastened a bracelet befitting Ello’s relic—radiant gold—to Ilrin’s wrist.

She wrapped the long, thin bracelet like a necklace several times around her wrist before silently backing out.

Ilrin looked down at the bracelet on her wrist.

It seemed to possess its own glow, as if it would shine brightly even in pitch darkness.

Wondering if she could touch it, she hesitated before carefully placing her hand over it to block the light.

“Ah...”

So that’s why they called it Luminous Ello.

The bracelet truly emitted a faint light.

It wasn’t blindingly bright, but a soft, sunny yellow glow.

“From Verdant Mille.”

Ilrin startled at the knock and pulled her hand away from the bracelet.

It jingled softly, the sound echoing through the room.

“Come in.”

Mille must have been waiting just outside, as she entered immediately with silent steps.

Ilrin’s eyes widened at the circlet of flowers on the Mille lady’s head.

In Biplten, where even green or light-green grass was rare, it must be incredibly precious.

Only as it drew near and reflected the light did Ilrin realize it wasn’t real leaves and flowers but gems crafted to look like them.

“It’s Mille’s ‘Setos.’”

Do all relics have similar names? Ilrin looked up at the Mille lady.

Nothing among what she held looked like a relic.

“...?”

She might be fifteen? She truly looked the part of Mille.

Her deep green hair flowed down to her shoulders.

“Here...”

Even though it felt like she shouldn’t say anything else during the rite, she let out a small voice.

Ilrin finally accepted the flower the Mille lady offered.

It was a real flower.

Ilrin gazed in astonishment at the single bloom, moist with life.

How could such a vibrant flower exist in the Winter Lands?

“Is this flower Setos?”

“Yes.”

The Mille lady spoke in a tiny voice.

“...A flower that never wilts.”

A flower that never wilts? Before Ilrin could repeat it, the Mille lady fled the room.

As if embarrassed, her cheeks flushed red and she bowed her head deeply to hide them.

Alone once more, Ilrin looked down at the flower.

Red petals bloomed one by one around a golden tassel center, intricately crafted like fine art.

Though it ended in a green stem without roots, it looked fresher than any flower she’d seen in Byeon.

Ilrin inhaled its fragrance deeply.

“Then you’ll fall asleep.”

A hand suddenly intruded between her and the flower.

The pale hand, veins prominent like those of someone rarely seeing sunlight in Biplten, caught her eye.

Only a white shirtsleeve wrapped its wrist—no thick fabric.

Ilrin, startled, lifted her gaze slightly to his arm.

Just a thin shirt.

“Aden?”

She guessed the identity of the one who’d entered silently.

“Yes.”

It was Aden, as expected.

He sounded pleased as he answered.

Ilrin turned her gaze to follow his hand retreating behind her but froze midway.

He was right behind her.

“Aren’t you cold?”

A small jingle sounded from behind—not loud, but something shaking.

What was that noise?

As Ilrin puzzled over it, Aden let out a low chuckle.

“You’re the only one who’d ask the Winter Duke if he’s cold.”

...Well, true.

Ilrin nodded slightly.

As she moved, the Azure Noz fabric rustled.

The jingling paused for a moment.

“Pardon me for a moment.”

Aden placed a hand on her head.

It was only for an instant.

A thin blue cloth vanished before Ilrin’s eyes.

He had removed the Azure Noz relic.

Ilrin blinked.

What was he doing?

“It was in the way, so I removed it.”

Aden brushed her silver hair reassuringly, as if to say it was fine.

It was like the playful things he sometimes did in bed.

Sweeping her long hair down.

Her silky strands never tangled, no matter how he toyed with them.

He fiddled with her long hair and ear for a bit before neatly gathering her hair up.

“May I borrow your hand for a moment?”

Ilrin happily offered her hand behind her.

The hair he’d gathered settled demurely into her palm.

Should she hold it?

With her long locks out of the way, her nape felt cool.

Ilrin shivered slightly.

Aden gently stroked the back of her neck with his hand.

Wrapping her in both hands as if to share warmth, he fastened what he’d been holding around her neck.

“...A necklace?”

She’d glimpsed it clearly, if only for a moment.

The necklace with a pendant of red ornaments and gold was a bit rough-looking, but that suited Delroz.

“Delroz’s relic, ‘Mitos.’”

Aden whispered softly.

Ilrin looked down at the necklace.

Its red ornaments resembled tree branches with tiny leaves upon closer inspection.

After replacing the Azure Noz cloth, he draped a cloak over her shoulders and tapped her hand.

As Ilrin relaxed her grip, her long silver hair cascaded back over the cloak.

“Shall we go?”

His hand patting her shoulder to ease her tension felt nice.

Ilrin’s expression softened a little as she nodded.

The room where the succession rite took place was inherently dark.

The faint light from the corridor barely illuminated it, revealing a single round table.

Behind it sat the elders of the three houses.

The three waiting inside rose and bowed deeply as Aden and Ilrin entered.

“Sit.”

Aden said curtly.

As the door closed behind them, the room plunged into darkness.

Not as absolute as night, but dark enough.

The round table in the center emitted a faint glow.

Ilrin stared at the black table casting an eerie light before realizing it was a mirror.

“Then we shall begin the succession rite now.”

Ridan of Azure Noz rose slowly from his seat.

“―”

Do mages look like this when chanting spells? Ilrin couldn’t understand a word from Ridan’s mouth.

As a noble, she’d studied not only the continental common tongue but also some regional languages, yet she couldn’t even guess at Ridan’s.

Was it unique to the Winter Lands?

“Once the chant ends, place your hand on it.”

Aden whispered softly beside her.

Ilrin gripped the hand holding Mille’s relic tightly.

Should she place this hand? Or an empty one?

As if reading her confusion, Aden took her empty hand.

“No need to be nervous.”

Nothing will happen.

Aden soothed her just as he did on nights, whispering reassurance.

“―”

As Ridan’s long chant ended, Aden guided Ilrin’s hand.

The table’s surface felt shockingly cold against her warm palm.

“!”

In that instant, Ilrin felt a flash before her eyes.

Even squeezing them shut couldn’t block the dazzling light.

Unthinkingly, she raised the hand with Mille’s relic to shield her face.