How to Survive as the Wife of The Monster Duke

When Ilyin arrived, the Delrose knight Emil didn’t ask for the purpose of her visit nor if she needed anything.
For if Ilyin, a person from the warm region, had travelled here through the cold already meant that she had some sort of business and a very important one at that.

This was the first interaction and the first order that Ilyin was giving to the Knights.
He was nervous.

“I’m sorry for barging in like this,” Ilyin lifted the Blue North’s cloth a little and smiled warmly at them.
The knights bowed deeply to her.

“Not necessary ma’am.
We are always at your service, be it dawn or dusk,” he responded with a slight bow.

“Thank you,” she smiled softly but the smile slowly disappeared.
What came from her mouth next, made their hearts drop.

“It seems like there’s a problem with the Mansion’s defense.”

“…Pardon?”

If what Ilyin said was true, this was a real emergency for the Delrose knights.
Not only would their Master personally scold them for not having guarded Ilyin properly but also would have risked endangering her life.

Emil and the knights that stood behind him turned white as a sheet.
These were the knights that were trusted with the job of protecting the mansion while Aden was away.

“I am not sure I understand, ma’am,” Emil answered calmly despite his racing heart, “Which part of the Mansion…?”

This was quite a shock to him as the Delrose knights always carried out their duties with utmost sincerity and was the main reason why Aden had entrusted them with the security of the mansion.
Emil was quite confident that there was no hole their defense.
However, Emil didn’t let his confidence in Delrose’s ability discard Ilyin’s words.

“Elo’s territory,” Ilyin answered carefully.

“Ah.”

A myriad of emotions crossed Emil’s eyes before eventually disappearing.
Ilyin was sensitively able to read it.
She could make out it was a mixture of relief, but he was also slightly flustered.

“Is it a little too much to ask for the Delrose knights to guard Elo’s territory?”

Ilyin didn’t know everything about the politics in the winter, so she had to ask carefully.

Emil shook his head, “No ma’am.
That is also a Knight’s duty.”

“But not Delrose’s.”

Emil was not sure how to express it to Ilyin.
It was clear that Ilyin was not informed or aware of the situation.
Even Aden, who had the duty to protect all of Biflten, showed displeasure at Elo’s request for back up.

‘If the Elo weren’t able to handle the Yesters, they wouldn’t have put their stronghold there.’

As Emil thought about it, he realized that Aden hadn’t been worried about Elo even as they were leaving for the warm region despite it being the season when the Yesters were most active.
Despite his attempt at weakening them by increasing the temperature of the winter region, the Yesters were still very active.

‘The temperature right now is high for April.
With the rough northwestern wind, it is hard to pull off even a small invasion when the stronghold is northwest.’

Aden had said before heading to the warm region.
Rather than belief in Elo, he had said it rather coldly as if it was a fact, an unwritten rule.

Den did not agree with how each of the families tried to save their own soldiers at the risk of others and more than anything, it seemed like there was an unwritten rule in the winter that families did not interfere in the business of other families.
Even an outsider could see the clear division in Bifelton and how even the territories were clearly divided by the families.

“I understand.
I understand how hard it must be to see the families as Delrose’s allies,” Ilyin spoke, her voice full of sympathy and sincerity, “but the Delrose knights that I know are brave and benevolent.”

The knights looked at each other, Ilyin’s compliment catching them off guard.
Ilyin tilted her head a little.
Her soft silver hair, with Blue North’s cloth, lightly bouncing off her shoulder in the process.

“Delrose, because of its master with Divine Power, has an unspoken responsibility of protecting Biflten.”

Unfairly, Ilyin’s eyes seemed to be saying as she patted Emil who was trying his best to hide his displeasure.
Her small, frail-looking hand surprisingly held so much strength and protectiveness.

“Thankfully, they have become the only family who can naturally enter into the knight-less, empty territory of Elo,” Emil said after feeling inspired by Ilyin’s kind heart as he gave her a small smile.

“Isn’t that so?” Ilyin laughed, her heart swelling with pride at his words.

***

There was life in Biflten Mansion once again.
It was thanks to Ilyin, who had ordered the Knights to work on filling in the hole that was left in the Mansion’s defense by the absence of the Elo knights.

Whilst expanding their defense, the Delrose knights were never forceful.
This was thanks to Ilyin’s constant reminder to them to never make any of Elo’s maids feel threatened.

She had also given a secret order only known by the Delroses.

‘Investigate the Elo’s within the Mansion.’

Ilyin was sure to make it clear that she did not want the use of any force and if it couldn’t be done naturally, then it was okay just to guard them.

This whole situation could have been misinterpreted as an invasion of other family’s territory, but Ilyin cleverly used the rumor of her that was being spread around in her favor.
She was now popular as the ma’am who was so kind, she worried about the defenses of the families fighting against the Yesters in April.