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Chapter 588: The Young Princess of the North Sea Ice Palace

After finishing up my work, I returned to the Baekhwa Sect.

Well, the first thing on my mind was, of course, to find Moyong Hi-ah.

“I really need to eat.”

I had just come back from something pretty off-putting, but meeting with her was a priority.

However.

“Deputy Lord.”

“…Yes, Sect Leader.”

Given the current atmosphere, it definitely wasn’t the right time for that.

“If you have something to say, just go ahead.”

With Lady Mi’s icy words, the mood crumbled in an instant.

Even though it’s summer, it felt like a cold wave was crashing down.

“…”

Upon hearing this, Moyong Hi-ah fell silent for a moment before speaking to Lady Mi.

“I’m sorry. It was my negligence.”

No excuses there.

That was such a classic Moyong Hi-ah response.

‘Looking at the situation…’

It seemed she was being scolded for letting the Young Princess slip away.

‘Hmm.’

The Young Princess had made a mistake by running away in the first place.

But there was a degree of fault on Moyong Hi-ah’s end for not capturing her.

No matter how unfair it felt.

‘That’s just how responsibility works.’

If you’re in charge of something, when things go wrong, you have to take the flack.

And Moyong Hi-ah knew that and accepted her role, so I had nothing more to say.

Tap-tap.

The sound of Lady Mi tapping her fingers on the desk.

Is she drumming with her fingers?

That reminded me.

‘Just like Father.’

Father had a habit of doing that when he was deep in thought.

What a strange coincidence.

“I’ve understood the situation from the report.”

“Yes.”

“You know this was an unexpected turn of events, but you understand your position of responsibility, right?”

“I’ll accept any punishment.”

“I see. Then….”

‘…’

Listening up to that point, I pulled back my Qi Perception.

Eavesdropping any further felt like I was crossing a line.

I leaned against the wall, closing my eyes as time passed.

Creeeak.

The door opened, and Moyong Hi-ah walked out.

“Oh.”

Upon seeing me, Moyong Hi-ah paused.

“…What? You were here?”

“I just had nothing to do.”

Even I thought that was a lame excuse.

Hearing this, Moyong Hi-ah raised an eyebrow slightly.

“So, you heard everything, huh?”

“…What?”

As I gave a trivial response, she couldn’t help but chuckle.

“You really can’t lie, can you?”

“No, what lie did I tell?”

“It’s okay. It’s better to mess up than to do it right, you know.”

She didn’t seem inclined to believe whatever I said.

Can she really tell that easily? Talk about a pain…

‘Should I be wearing a mask all the time?’

Such thoughts crossed my mind.

As I turned to follow Moyong Hi-ah, she tilted her head at me.

“Aren’t you going to visit the Clan Leader?”

“I’m good.”

It didn’t seem like the right time for that, anyway.

‘If needed, he’ll call for me,’ I thought.

“Well, it might be better to visit.”

“What?”

“Nothing. I just meant to eat together, right?”

I tried responding to her mutter, but she soon realized why I had come and began walking ahead.

“Okay. I happen to be a bit hungry after all that scolding.”

I wondered what scolding had to do with being hungry at all.

But now wasn’t the time to nitpick.

Getting caught up in that would just lead to more trouble.

Even someone as dense as me could tell.

‘She’s definitely feeling a little off right now.’

I could sense Moyong Hi-ah was fighting her emotions.

As she walked calmly, she suddenly turned and looked at me.

“Speaking of which, what are you planning to eat?”

Hearing her, I answered matter-of-factly.

“Dumplings.”

“…”

The moment she heard that, her face scrunched up.

What’s wrong with dumplings…?

Though I said that, in the end, I didn’t get to eat any dumplings.

The usual inn was in a bad spot, and on top of that, Moyong Hi-ah was resistant.

She really seemed to hate dumplings that much.

So, we had to settle on the restaurant located inside the Sect.

At that time, it was almost lunchtime.

We settled around the largest table, waiting for our food.

Swish.

Moyong Hi-ah carefully poured water.

First to me, then to herself.

Finally, she poured for Tang Soyeol.

“Here you go.”

She handed the water jug to Seongyul.

It was a hint to drink at your own discretion.

Watching that made me click my tongue internally.

‘She’s still so straightforward.’

For someone I barely knew, even the smallest actions created such a thick wall.

Always the same Moyong Hi-ah.

Seongyul didn’t seem to react much.

It was safe to assume he didn’t care.

“So, who is this person?”

“Oh.”

Moyong Hi-ah asked about Seongyul.

Thinking back, I hadn’t really introduced them.

“Just a friend?”

I answered vaguely out of annoyance.

“…Oh, I see.”

After hearing my reply, Moyong Hi-ah looked at Seongyul.

For some reason, there was a hint of sympathy in her eyes.

“What’s up? Why are you staring like that?”

“Hang in there.”

She even offered encouragement to Seongyul.

“What do you mean, hang in there? What are you hanging in for?”

“When is the food coming? It’s taking a while today.”

“…We ordered right before the water was poured. Why would it already be here?”

How ridiculous could this get?

“And yet, this new slave… I mean, this friend feels a bit different.”

“You just called him a slave….”

“It’s hot. It is summer, after all.”

“…”

I decided to drop the subject.

It was definitely summer.

It was so hot I felt like I’d explode from frustration.

Since nothing I said could come out in my favor, I resolved to get to the point.

“…Can you explain what happened?”

I spoke calmly, and Moyong Hi-ah coughed a couple of times.

The reason I bothered to eat together was to hear the explanation.

“What should I explain?”

“The Young Princess.”

“Um.”

Moyong Hi-ah sighed softly.

Seeing that, I continued.

“If you’re not going to explain, then forget it.”

Saying it flatly made confusion appear in her eyes.

“Are you not curious?”

How could I not be curious?

That was definitely true.

“Even if you don’t say it, I’ll find out the truth one way or another.”

“…”

Sigh.

Upon hearing this, Moyong Hi-ah let out a short sigh.

“…Those methods won’t be peaceful, will they?”

“That’s a matter of personal preference.”

I spoke with a smile.

Yeah, it’s all about personal taste.

It’s just a matter of perspective.

“Most people don’t usually wrap things like that in preferences, Prince.”

“Anyway. Are you going to talk or not?”

Even if Moyong Hi-ah didn’t speak, I would inevitably figure it out.

Lady Mi had mentioned that this incident was tied to me, making it necessary for me to find out.

Could the clever Moyong Family’s lady be unaware of this?

No way.

‘But if she’s hesitant to speak…’

That would imply something was up.

Oh, of course.

‘Even if I find out, I’m not backing down.’

I gazed at Moyong Hi-ah with that sentiment lingering in my heart.

“…”

A few seconds passed as our eyes met.

“…What are you so curious about?”

In the end, Moyong Hi-ah was the one who raised the white flag first.

Thank goodness.

Looks like I wouldn’t have to deal with annoying matters.

“Prince.”

“Yeah.”

“Even if you listen to me now, you’ll just hear it again from the Clan Leader later.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“But still, are you going to listen?”

Moyong Hi-ah had a fair point.

I’d eventually hear a version of the explanation.

But.

“Before that, it’s important to hear it from you first.”

“…”

Rather than listening to what others would say, it was necessary to hear Moyong Hi-ah’s perspective first.

She was the one among them who was most likely on my side.

“…Oh, come on.”

Upon hearing my words, Moyong Hi-ah averted her gaze slightly.

I could faintly see her ears blush.

It seemed she understood my meaning to an extent.

“What do you wish to ask?”

“Oh, the first question is….”

This was a question I was already set on asking.

Why exactly did the Young Princess end up here?

How did a non-Alliance of the Upper House like Baekhwa Sect get involved in this?

That was not something to ask later.

What I was asking now was.

“Why did you let the Young Princess slip away?”

“…”

Hearing my question made Moyong Hi-ah’s eyes widen in shock.

Right, that was the first thing I wanted to ask.

“You crossed the barrier, didn’t you? Am I wrong?”

“…Yes.”

“When did you do that?”

“It’s been a few months. It was right after I parted ways with you, Prince.”

“Hmm.”

Moyong Hi-ah had eventually reached the Peak.

Her inherent ailment that had troubled her had been fully melted away by my patient efforts.

Afterward, she resumed her martial arts training and managed to cross the barrier.

Considering she hadn’t trained for several years and had suddenly picked it up again,

It must have taken tremendous effort on her part, which was definitely worth congratulating.

“The Young Princess was at the elite level.”

Now wasn’t the time for light congratulations, though.

“Moreover, the surrounding guards were no slouches either.”

Both from the personnel deployed in the Sect and the Young Princess’s own guards.

There was no way the Young Princess would come alone from the Ice Palace, so it stood to reason that her guards were no pushovers as well.

Yet, how did this elite-level Young Princess manage to escape amidst all that surveillance?

“It’s something that shouldn’t usually happen.”

“Umm.”

“So what happened?”

This wasn’t meant to blame Moyong Hi-ah for her incompetence.

I had to ask because the situation was so unusual, especially…

‘That sensation I felt from the Young Princess at that moment.’

When the Young Princess’s body seemed to radiate light.

At that time, I caught a hint of that strange energy.

It felt like she was trying to do something.

That kept nagging at me.

As I proceeded to ask, Moyong Hi-ah opened her mouth carefully.

“You’re right, Prince. It was definitely a situation we shouldn’t have let slip… I even arranged for more personnel intentionally.”

“But.”

“There was nothing particularly abnormal about the situation. We were encircled and patrolling. I was right at her side.”

Even from her perspective, there was obviously no way to escape.

For anyone else, that might be understandable, but I knew Moyong Hi-ah would never let her guard down.

Given that I knew her well, it only made things more confusing.

“Then… at some point, I looked to my side and the Young Princess had vanished.”

Hearing her words, I tilted my head.

“Vanished?”

“Yes, she really disappeared in an instant. There wasn’t even time to sense her presence….”

“Hmm.”

She vanished just like that.

That means she must have done something.

‘She must have used something to get out.’

What could it be? What tactic did she employ?

‘A treasure, perhaps?’

That seemed like the most likely possibility.

‘If that’s the case…’

Why on earth did the Young Princess run away?

What could possibly drive her to flee all the way to the Central Plains?

Questions piled up, but that wasn’t something I could ask Moyong Hi-ah.

She probably didn’t know the answer yet.

“Is that the end of your questions?”

With me no longer asking anything else, Moyong Hi-ah spoke up.

“No, there’s still one more.”

Sadly, it wasn’t time to wrap things up just yet.

The most important question remained.

“The Young Princess’s face. She looked a lot like you.”

“Ah….”

I noticed a slight change in Moyong Hi-ah’s expression upon hearing my question.

I didn’t miss that.

“Was that just a coincidence?”

It was a question that might seem a bit far-fetched.

It would appear as though I was suspicious just because she looked similar.

Even if only partially, Moyong Hi-ah was also from the North Sea.

And her light blue eyes were proof of that.

I didn’t know what context the Young Princess had with her, but considering she was of the same lineage as the Demon Lord, it wasn’t all that strange for them to resemble each other.

It just felt a bit too much alike.

It seemed stranger to wonder if there were any peculiarities about that.

But when I looked into Moyong Hi-ah’s eyes, I could tell.

“That….”

She also had her own doubts.

“I’m not sure.”

“You’re not sure?”

“Yes. I was really surprised when I first saw her.”

That was understandable.

I’d be shocked too if I met someone who looked like me.

The mood wouldn’t just be pleasant either.

“But curiously, the Young Princess didn’t seem surprised at all.”

“Hmm.”

That part caught my attention significantly.

Moyong Hi-ah was startled upon seeing her, but the Young Princess had remained perfectly composed.

“She didn’t seem surprised to see my face. Instead, she simply asked me something.”

“What did she ask?”

“She asked me something that was definitely…”

[Truly…. You’ve escaped the curse of the Ice Spirit?]

she said.

‘The curse of the Ice Spirit?’

Upon hearing those words, I found myself momentarily taken aback. The Ice Spirit. I had definitely heard of that before.

It’s said to be a treasure from the North Sea that contains an immense chill.

What could she have meant by the curse of the Ice Spirit?

That was mentioned after seeing Moyong Hi-ah?

Tap-tap-tap.

As I recalled the implications, I absentmindedly tapped my fingers against the table.

‘Could it be related to her constitution?’

The Cold Pulse Syndrome that Moyong Hi-ah had suffered from.

Could that have been what the Young Princess was talking about?

But how did the Young Princess know that?

The very person who mentioned the curse was at stake here.

The fact that she even remarked that the curse was gone implied she was aware that Moyong Hi-ah had received treatment.

When viewing it that way.

‘It means she’s not simply here to take a stroll.’

It seemed the Young Princess had a much heavier purpose in coming to the Central Plains than I initially thought.

Doubts piled up.

Something didn’t feel right.

Just as I continued to ponder, suddenly,

“Excuse me.”

Someone approached us and spoke up.

“I have a message from the Clan Leader.”

Everyone turned to look at him, curious about what it could be.

Speaking in a calm voice, he conveyed the message.

“The Young Princess has regained consciousness. The Clan Leader instructed me to relay this.”

Upon hearing that, I frowned deeply.

The person directly involved had opened their eyes, and it was time for us to go up.

That was surely the meaning behind it.

The problem was.

“…But our food hasn’t arrived yet.”

Not a single spoonful of what we ordered had even made it to the table yet.

 

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