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The estate was large, there were five large halls on the first floor, and the main building was seven stories high. The Duke lived on the seventh floor, and therefore Ilyin was only allowed to go up until the sixth floor. Lizzie’s words were short regarding the seventh, “Only the Red Delroses can go in. You can go in if you marry.”

It meant that guests were forbidden to enter, and Ilyin wondered why there was only one large mansion. There were many areas reserved only for the Red Delroses, and it meant they had more authority than everyone else. Even some of the corridors that led to those areas were implicitly off-limits.

“Thank you for guiding me,” Ilyin said her thanks, and Lizzie bowed. Walking the mansion had been hard work, and after a few rests in between, it was already the evening.

“Things are different here, isn’t it?” Lizzie placed a small glass in front of Ilyin, and she nodded. However, Ilyin knew that the North and the Delroses were enemies. She would have to maintain the balance between the two if she wanted to live here peacefully.

“I want to meet other families tomorrow,” Ilyin spoke with a modulated voice, as she did not have enough information to cement her position. She was surrounded by maids of the Blue North, and it was not a coincidence that she had not met any other family members except Den. The Blue North were blocking her from others, and if things went like this, Ilyin would be regarded as one of the Blue.

The lands were ruled by Aden de Biflten, a Red Delrose and Ilyin asked, “Would he like someone close to the Blue North?” No, she thought to herself.

“That’s…” Lizzie spoke and then hesitated.

Ilyin observed her response with a smile, “Would that be a problem?”

“Since I belong to the Blue North, I would need to ask our elder first,” Lizzie continued, sounding like she was tripping over her tongue.

Ilyin hid her smile upon hearing those words and spoke with a disappointed-looking face, “Since there are other families in this estate, I want to meet someone from one of them. I’m curious to see who they are, but you don’t need to bring a high-ranking individual.”

“I’ll try to set a meeting,” Lizzie said smiling, and Ilyin knew she would do no such thing. Ilyin had to find another way or just walk around the estate herself.

“I’ll be waiting,” Ilyin kept her thoughts to herself and turned her gaze to the window with a smirk on her face.

***

Nightfall came and only the Biflten estate was lit up by torches that burned at regular intervals, but only dimly, looking like a faint smear in the dark snowstorm.

Ilyin stared far away as Lizzie gave her a sideways glance, “This will ease the cold.”

“Thank you,” she said, taking a sip, thinking that it was small for a teacup, and almost spat it out. “Liquor?” It was not tea but hard liquor at that.

“This is a wine that ladies often drink around here,” Lizzie explained.

It seemed that women in the wintry lands could drink. Ilyin sipped just enough to wet her lips, and it felt like a fire spread through her body instantaneously. Ilyin’s gaze turned to the window perchance and she spotted one of the torches suddenly being extinguished.

“A messenger has come, probably to apologize for the ambush,” Lizzie enlightened her.

A messenger? The silhouette Ilyin saw did not look human. As it drew closer with soldiers watching over it, she saw red scales glistening in the estate’s light.

Ilyin set down the cup with a loud clang. She then saw a man come out from the estate, and while she could not see his face, she could see that he was a tall man. She could see from the silhouettes of those around him that they were wearing thick clothes, while he wore only a light coat. Then, everyone bowed to him, and Ilyin could see that the monster turned its gaze to him specifically.

“Who is it?” Ilyin half expected Lizzie’s answer, and the maid told her that it was the Duke of Biflten. She could see that no one could meet his eyes, and she would’ve done the same if in that situation. The Duke and the monster stood for a while in silence.

“Can you communicate with a monster?” Ilyin asked.

Lizzie nodded, “Of course, they are different from the ones from the sunny lands.”

Ilyin was astonished at Lizzie’s straightforward answer. The monster bowed, and she could see that it was a gesture to apologize. Then, something other than its red scales glistened and Ilyin’s eyes opened wide as the Duke swiftly drew his sword; the monster collapsed in front of him. While Ilyin did not know the Biflten lands, she knew that killing a messenger meant war.

As if Lizzie knew what she was thinking, she said, “Please don’t worry, we’re safe here.”

Ilyin drank from the cup again and felt fire flow through her, it seemed that she was the only one surprised about what just happened. It’s different here.

The peaceful atmosphere of the capital, where words were the only sharp things, was nowhere to be seen. While people were surprised at being wounded in the capital, here, people ignored corpses. That monster would be buried in snow by tomorrow. Ilyin now realized how cold and strange this place was.