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Aden only contacted Idith when he went out of the estate and not when he went back and forth between the main mansion and the knights’ mansion. Therefore, Idith had to search for him.

“This is a medicine often used at the capital, so it would not discomfort you. However, if you feel an itch…” Milo continued. Idith witnessed something he shouldn’t have, as Milo spoke in front of the bride’s room.

“Come in and speak.” He heard Ilyin command.

If any other bride had done that, rumors would’ve spread through the building rapidly, before reaching across the land, that the new bride had let another man enter where she’d spent the first night with her husband! Of course, there was a bigger problem. Milo’s response directly opposed Aden’s words. It was all right for Aden to enter the room since he was her husband!

“Yes?”

Idith wanted to knock Milo, who didn’t realize what was going on due to having just returned, unconscious, and drag him outside. The only good thing was that only the Red Delrose maids were present.

“M… me?” He heard Milo stutter.

“Yes.”

The maids’ eyes were wide open, and Idith grabbed a maid who almost dropped the silver tray from her hands. Idith put his finger on his lips to signal her to be silent. The maid nodded, and Idith pointed to the other maids again to order her to silence them too. Her voice shook as she agreed to do so.

“Are you asking me to enter the Duchess’s room in front of Delrose maids?” Idith was shocked to hear Milo say this.

“Milo, the master is asking for you,” Idith called to him.

“I’ll be right there!” Milo looked relieved. Idith couldn’t even show himself as he asked Ilyin for permission for him to leave. She hesitated for a moment but then said yes, with poise.

Idith dragged Milo away until they couldn’t be seen; the merchant was like a log. Milo must’ve felt like Aden’s sword had been on his throat during that awkward moment with Ilyin.

“What just happened?” Milo asked, looking bewildered.

Idith ignored him and went to look for Aden. It didn’t matter why Aden was lying, as he would’ve had a good reason to do so. Idith only needed to follow his orders, but Milo had just opposed that lie. The bride was not stupid, and Den, the knight’s leader, would be the one questioning all of this. He could guess how Aden would react, and Milo may very well freeze to death. While Aden had to be notified, Idith and Milo were both in trouble, and Idith let out a rare cuss.

***

Aden had been looking over the information he had received from Ecid while he sat in the knight’s mansion. Although he hadn’t been too curious about outside lands, his bride made him question things. He was looking over the information about the Arlens, as he had ordered for a deeper and wider search of their history. They had no connection to the Imperial family, and she was most certainly not an assassin.

Aden had been patient the previous night and had held himself back, otherwise, he would’ve been like a whirlwind on his bride. He’d had to control his urges so that she would feel something other than pain, but it had only driven him wild. The night had been intense, despite his control, but now his delicate bride couldn’t get out of bed. Of course, the Blue North and the nened had made things worse.

The Viscount Arlen’s family had lived there for generations, but the Viscountess’s heritage seemed to be a mystery. The fact that information regarding the Viscountess kept popping up bothered Aden. Nothing else alerted him except the fact that her name kept appearing although the Arlens were somewhat questionable, despite being a weak house. Even though the investigation had been short, there was too little information to go on, unless someone was blocking information intentionally, and the easiest way to do that would be to kill someone to keep them silent.

The Arlen family’s highest-ranking maid had gone missing. Milo was by no means an incompetent man, and he’d narrowed the scope of his investigation down but had found nothing of interest. He looked to the day he’d first met Ilyin, for clues. The Arlen’s knight had escorted her but didn’t come into the Ecid building. While Ilyin may have ordered him to stay out, he should’ve insisted, to avoid punishment if she was their beloved daughter.