How to Survive as the Wife of The Monster Duke

The low voice kept ringing in her ears.
The voice in the dark that had called her seemed to have amplified in her ears.
It was ringing in her head.
The bed rocked.
Ilyin knew that it was the Duke of Biflten in the dream, where he had come upon her bed.
Aden de Biflten.
His hands passionately hot against her body.
His fingers on her cloth were gentle.
He touched her like she was a fragile glasswork. 

“Ah…” 

In her dream, she exhaled a deep breath.
The hand carefully reaching for her clothes were huge.
Ilyin couldn’t tell if the sound was coming from her clothing or her blanket, the sound of clothes rustling against each other stuck in her ears.

Ilyin’s back arched.
The touch of her clumped bedclothes was vivid.
The night was long.

 ***

 Ilyin opened her eyes.
She had a letter in her hand for the recruitment of a bride for the Duke of Biflten.
Ilyin double-checked the name on the letter, baffled.

‘Ilyin de Biflten.’

The last name had changed.
It meant she was the bride of the Duke of Biflten.
Ilyin leapt out of bed.
The long old mobile touched her forehead. 

 ***

Rumors then spread like wildfire about the Biflten family, while a blizzard covered the outer walls of the Biflten Castle.
The castle was only visible in mid-summer, if at all.
It was said that the castle was almost inaccessible because of the winter and harsh climate.
The only people who ever reached Biflten Castle were those escorted by the Biflten family.
They were the only ones who knew how to get around the castle and its surroundings.

The curious thing was that these harsh conditions were only limited to the Biflten lands.
Outside their territories it was always sunny and warm.
‘Land forsaken by the Gods’ were what people said about the Biflten estates.
The name fit it well and it remained in Ilyin’s mind.
A land with monsters.
The Duke…

There were rumors that he was scary and hideous, that he was a medusa of Dukes.
He preferred his sword to talking with others.
It was said he was so brutal that he would behead anyone that went against opinions.
The Mad Duke of the North, they called him.
That was the reputation that preceded Aden, the Duke of Biflten.