Chapter 89

“Den!” Ilyin gasped breathlessly. In the brief moment when their lips were apart, Ilyin’s voice danced around the two of them.

“Yes?” Aden smiled down with a devious smirk.

Aden was well aware of what he was doing and the effect it had on Ilyin. He took advantage of her muddled mind and leaned down to attack her with another passionate kiss. Aden’s tongue explored Ilyin’s lips and teased them to the point where Ilyin shut them close out of embarrassment.

The brazen kiss was so intense it almost felt sinful. Ilyin protested in vain before eventually giving into the pleasure.

“Den.” Ilyin’s voice came out shakily as they slowly pulled apart.

The breathlessness in Ilyin’s voice was a big tell. Her shaky voice held a strong mixture of emotions. It was an embarrassment that Aden could easily detect through her flushed cheeks and avoiding eyes.

Aden was satisfied with just that. He had no intention of further teasing her anyway. It was this shy, innocent side of Ilyin’s that was Aden’s favorite and he wanted to keep it all to himself.

“We’ll continue this when we get back to the mansion,” Aden whispered to her a mischievous smirk playing on his lips.

He laughed. His breathing came out choppy as well. That made Ilyin blush even more. It was making her mind hazy.

“Do I look like someone who wouldn’t keep their promise?” Aden looked down at her as he carried her in the carriage. Ilyin shook her head as he sat her down on a cushy chair.

“Not at all,” she said.

“Then, do you feel a little assured?”

There was nothing more she could do about it. Ilyin still felt uneasy but like Aden said, he wasn’t someone who didn’t keep his promises. Ilyin ended up nodding in the end.

“Shall we go then?” Aden waved his hand to the outside. Upon his signal Etra got on the carriage. In the driver’s seat sat Idith who became the driver for the day. It was only the four of them in the carriage.

Thump!

That was the moment Ilyin’s foresight began.

***

Aden kept the window open. Even though he couldn’t see what was behind the carriage from inside, keeping the window open allowed sound to enter the carriage to warn them if need be.

The cold night air slowly filled the quiet carriage.

On Ilyin’s head was Blue North’s cloth and beside her lay the mobile that was given to her by the Viscountess. It was the object that was passed between Bertha and her during their conversations.

‘A mobile.’

Ilyin had told Aden that for a dream to be a foresight, the mobile had to show up. Since the ability of foresight was passed down by the Viscountess, it was hard not to relate the mobile to the ability of foresight.

Out of all the things, what bothered Aden most was that when light shone on the mobile it reflected the same purple light that was emitted by the Blue North’s cloth.

Aden turned his gaze outside the window and squinted. He could distinctly hear the sound of people approaching and it was bothering him. It sounded like a little less than ten. The sound could be heard from all directions.

Aden quietly observed the few galloping horses that were getting closer. Aden’s eyesight was better than most people would probably imagine. The eyesight of the person who had to battle in the middle of a snowstorm where it was hard to even tell apart land from sky was something quite incomparable.

“Ilyin,” Aden grabbed Ilyin’s nervous hands. He noticed that her hands were rather cold.

“Are they coming?” she carefully asked. She would have been lying if she said she wasn’t nervous.

Aden stood up and spoke, “In the dream, were we riding on the same horse?”

Ilyin nodded slightly.

“I see,” Aden paused to think, “I think we should get ready.”

At his words, Etra stood up. Right that moment, as if the carriage hit a rock, it rattled heavily but Ilyin was the only one who lost her balance.

Ilyin gasped as Aden quickly grabbed her before she could fall. During all that, Etra had opened a hatch underneath the chair. Ilyin’s eyes widened as she didn’t realize there was a drawer there. In the small compartment was an assortment of various small weapons like knives and daggers.

“Ma’am, please take this.” Etra handed Ilyin a small familiar looking dagger. Ilyin immediately put up her hand to stop her.

“I think you should use it, Etra,” she said as she recalled how Etra was using this dagger in the dream.

At her words, Etra’s eyes widened for a moment as if to ask how she knew but it was only for a moment. This was Ilyin. It was no use trying to hide anything from someone who could see the future.

“Ilyin, a moment.”

Aden lifted Ilyin who was leaning against the wall to the driver and moved her to where he was sitting. He then knocked on the partition separating the driver from them. The carriage was designed in such a way where there was a window between the driver and the passenger seats.

Idith who was at the driver seat glanced back at the sound of Aden knocking. No words were exchanged except a nod from Aden but Idith looked like he had understood.

Aden then began unsheathing his sword.

What is he doing? Ilyin couldn’t help wondering.

Aden looked over the carriage again. He had faith that Idith would be fine on his own, but he had to be careful so as to not hurt Ilyin.

Aden cleared his throat and said, “Then, excuse me for a moment.”

As he finished his observation, Aden didn’t hesitate as he lifted his sword and swung towards the wall in full force.

Thump!

His strength was enough.

Ilyin gasped as her shoulders shrunk. There was almost no debris that flew towards her. Etra, who was covering Ilyin with her body, dusted off the little dust particles from Ilyin’s clothes.

Upon Aden’s swing, the front of the carriage had collapsed and there now stood a whole big enough hole for a person to go through. A wind so strong blew in that it felt like the three of them were going to be blown away.