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Chapter 585: Nice to Meet You.

Finding the woman wasn’t too difficult.

No matter how vast Hanam County was, she was too distinctive to miss.

A little bit of information spread, and it wouldn’t take long to figure it out.

Indeed, her attire was strikingly obvious.

Sky-blue eyes.

A subtle chill in the air around her.

The captivating gaze and the aura that surrounded her.

It reminded me of the delicate beauty of the Moyong family.

If anything made her different, it was just her white hair. No, if I focused, I’d surely find other differences, but I’d really have to look closely.

Which meant that she resembled her a lot.

Moyong Hi-ah.

That woman looked remarkably like Moyong Hi-ah.

Not identical like the Heavenly Demon and Wi Seol-Ah, but still…

‘Is she the Young Princess?’

The Young Princess of the North Sea.

Specifically, the fourth daughter of the Ice Palace Lord.

A pureblood from the North Sea Ice Palace that returned to the Central Plains after several decades.

And…

‘A runaway troublemaker.’

The one who caused an incident the moment she stepped into Hanam.

That kind of woman was now scrunching her nose as if something displeased her.

As I watched her, wondering what was bothering her, the woman spoke up.

“Nice to meet you.”

It began with a light greeting. Then she continued.

“Oh, I’m caught….”

Her voice was filled with disappointment.

“I thought I could hide it until dinner.”

I tilted my head at her words.

“How was I caught? The plan was so thorough… Hmm.”

Something.

What can I say?

“Hmm… Running away isn’t as easy as I thought, right?”

“…”

Listening to her, I felt like I had a lot to say.

How should I express this?

‘Ah.’

I got it.

‘It’s a sense of alienation.’

This was an alien feeling.

Her playful tone carried a somewhat scattered vibe.

You might wonder what the problem with that was, but it stemmed from her appearance.

She could easily pass as a twin of Moyong Hi-ah.

With a voice that seemed sharp and cold, she acted like a brat, producing a subtly uncomfortable feeling.

I peered at her, slightly frowning.

‘The North Sea’s Young Princess.’

A bloodline of the Ice Palace Lord known for facing the Sword Sovereign on equal footing.

‘Hmm.’

Judging by her realm, she’d only reached the top level of elite martial artists. She likely just crossed into adulthood.

‘Not a bad level for her age, though.’

It was hard to say she was outstanding.

Even if I wasn’t well-versed in the North Sea’s standards, she could be seen as a fledgling of a distinguished family in the Central Plains.

That seemed to be the extent of my assessment.

While I was contemplating that and watching the Young Princess, she spoke to me.

“Excuse me.”

The Young Princess approached me.

“I know I’m pretty, but isn’t it a bit much to stare so intently?”

“…?”

What was that? Did I just hear something odd?

“You’re gonna poke a hole in my face! Really… men are…”

With a sigh, she spoke, and the surroundings fell silent.

As I grimaced at her unexpected words, Tang Soyeol cautiously stepped closer and said to me.

“Uh, Prince… I think that Young Lady is a bit strange.”

I agreed.

Especially with her resembling Moyong Hi-ah so closely, it felt even more dizzying.

‘Things aren’t easy.’

She was undeniably beautiful.

It was true that she possessed a beauty that warranted confidence.

A look like that was extremely rare in the Central Plains.

‘It’s amusing that so many of them are around.’

I had built up an immunity from seeing so many.

If I were like the foolish version of myself from my previous life, I might have just been staring at her for her beauty.

Of course.

It wasn’t for that reason now.

‘How did she manage to run away with just that level of skill?’

I heard that the guards from the Baekhwa Sect, as well as her own, had been brushed off while she escaped.

I couldn’t fathom the reason.

‘No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem plausible.’

I even checked the martial artists from the upper house, and most of them were top-tier experts.

They were definitely not at a level where the Young Princess could escape from.

How on earth did she manage that?

‘Could it be that she’d become a transformation realm artist?’

Undeniably, she was a bloodline of the Ice Palace Lord known to hold her own against the Sword Sovereign.

I thought it was possible, yet it didn’t seem like it.

It seemed like she must have used some other method.

‘I don’t really care about that.’

Digging deeper felt too cumbersome, so I abandoned the thought.

I didn’t want to waste any more time thinking about it.

I looked at the Young Princess and said.

“You should head back now. There are quite a few people waiting for you.”

I couldn’t help but let a hint of irritation slip into my tone. I tried to hold it back, but it wasn’t easy.

Then I noticed a curious expression on the Young Princess’s face as she looked at me.

“Are you… angry?”

Those were eyes filled with wonder.

What’s with that?

“It’s not anger. Just a bit annoying.”

I answered frankly.

I wasn’t at the point of being angry yet.

“Wow.”

As I replied, the Young Princess suddenly exclaimed in amazement.

What the heck? What is she even doing?

‘Should I hit her?’

Before I knew it, that thought crossed my mind.

It didn’t seem like she was trying to tease me, but something felt certainly off.

“Honestly, I’ve never met someone who gets annoyed at me before. The Central Plains is truly fascinating.”

“…What are you even saying?”

This was my first time encountering such an annoying person.

“Enough already… Let’s go.”

I walked closer.

Coming nearer, I felt she resembled Moyong Hi-ah even more.

She even had a beauty mark under her eye. I vaguely remembered that Moyong Hi-ah had a similar mark.

Just a coincidence, perhaps?

‘…Well, that’s not important right now.’

I sensed a strange question bubbling, but I chose to ignore it.

As I approached to grab her, the Young Princess smiled slightly and asked me.

“Are you going to let me go, or…?”

“No.”

I replied firmly, causing her to scrunch her nose in disappointment.

At least she seemed to want to be compliant…

“That won’t do then.”

Zoom-!

“…Huh?”

Just as I prepared to take her in, there was a sudden flare of light coming from the Young Princess’s body.

What the heck is this?

Swish-!

A chill surged at the tip of my nose.

It was so sudden.

Simultaneously, her physical form began to change.

Her body gleamed white.

What on earth is happening?

As I stood there flabbergasted, the Young Princess looked at me and mumbled.

“Sorry, I didn’t want this to happen….”

I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I quickly slapped the back of her neck.

Thwack-!

“Eek!?”

The Young Princess let out a cry and rolled her eyes, collapsing to the ground.

Naturally, I didn’t bother to catch her.

I looked at the fallen young woman sprawled awkwardly on the floor.

“Is she really insane?”

I had no idea what she intended to do, but my irritation had risen sharply.

What on earth is this?

As I frowned while gazing at the Young Princess, someone rushed forth from behind.

“Your Highness…!”

A familiar voice called urgently, causing me to turn my head. It was Moyong Hi-ah, leaning against a wall, panting heavily.

“I found… huh?”

Moyong Hi-ah’s eyes widened when she looked at my direction.

There was the collapsed Young Princess on the floor and me, standing there watching.

She furrowed her brow, as if she couldn’t comprehend the situation.

Seeing that, I waved my hand.

“Long time no see.”

It had been quite a while since I last saw Moyong Hi-ah, even if not as long as others.

I’d been busy and hadn’t had a chance to see her in a while.

Although I was filled with joy to see her, before I could say more—

“Prince.”

“Hmm?”

“…That’s not the Young Princess, is it?”

No, we hadn’t met in a while, and she was asking me such a serious question without even a greeting.

I felt a bit let down but also thought it was quite like Moyong Hi-ah.

“This?”

I nudged the Young Princess with my foot, and Moyong Hi-ah nodded.

“Probably.”

“…”

I wasn’t entirely sure since I didn’t ask for confirmation.

But judging by her state, it must be right.

Maybe it was just a guess after all.

Moyong Hi-ah’s eyes were filled with uncertainty.

“Then… what’s the Young Princess doing like that?”

“She seemed to want to escape, so I knocked her out.”

“You hit her? Do you even know who she is?”

“When I say hit, I just gave her a little nudge.”

I had controlled my strength so that she wouldn’t be injured.

If I hadn’t, she probably would’ve suffered more than just a bump.

As I casually mentioned this, Moyong Hi-ah held her forehead as if she were feeling a headache.

It seemed like she was having a hard time with the idea of touching the North Sea’s bloodline.

“Ugh.”

Even with that thought in mind, Moyong Hi-ah couldn’t say much to me.

That’s only natural.

‘If that were the case, you should’ve never let her go in the first place.’

The fact that they lost track of the Young Princess was already an issue.

‘It looks like Moyong Hi-ah was also involved in bringing her here.’

I didn’t hear the specifics, but I could guess.

Moyong Hi-ah had been part of the group tasked with bringing the Young Princess here.

‘Was that what Lady Mi had sent her for?’

I had thought she was sent far away for some reason, but it turned out to be for this.

Understanding that didn’t feel great.

‘Were they using Moyong Hi-ah’s lineage from the North Sea?’

I had a vague sense of what Lady Mi intended when she sent Moyong Hi-ah.

Since their opponent was a member of the North Sea bloodline, she probably figured it would be more helpful to send Moyong Hi-ah along.

That seemed like a reasonable conclusion, but the fact that Lady Mi had used Moyong Hi-ah didn’t sit well with me.

Of course, I wasn’t going to bring that up.

It was clear that she was more aware of this than I was.

For her to go along with it meant she had accepted it herself.

It wasn’t something I had the right to interfere with.

I reached out and activated the energy I had gathered.

Boom—! The Young Princess’s body floated up.

I hurled her over toward Moyong Hi-ah.

“…!”

Moyong Hi-ah startled and caught the Young Princess’s body.

“Your Highness…! What are you doing, throwing her like that?!”

“What? It feels uncomfortable to touch someone else’s body.”

It wasn’t about being uneasy touching a woman’s body.

I just felt uneasy about touching it myself.

Moyong Hi-ah stared at me with a bewildered expression.

“Have you gone mad? You use powerful martial arts for that reason?”

It was a technique that could only be used by those who reached the transformation realm.

Using that to avoid touching someone else’s body seemed absurd to her.

But how I used it was up to me.

“What’s with the lecture? Just take her away. We can talk later.”

I waved my hand dismissively, yet Moyong Hi-ah looked at me in confusion.

“Later? You’re not coming with us?”

That question inferred that she knew I was involved in this business.

I was curious about the kind of mess that had entangled me.

“I still have some things to take care of. I’ll be there soon, so just leave.”

I still had unfinished business at this place.

[Your Highness.]

Tang Soyeol’s voice called me.

It seemed she had figured out why I wasn’t leaving.

[I know.]

[Should I go retrieve her?]

As I listened, I turned my head toward the ceiling of a nearby building.

“No, that’s fine.”

I wondered if I shouldn’t have glanced up.

Thud-!

I felt a slight presence there.

Then it quickly faded away.

Were they trying to escape?

“I’ll go check it out myself.”

With that, I pushed off the ground and leapt into the air.

Whoosh—!

A masked man dashed through the building, moving at breathtaking speed.

The ever-changing scenery indicated just how fast he was.

As he moved rapidly, the masked man swallowed hard.

‘How did they find out?’

How on earth did they become aware?

His concealment skills were supposed to be flawless.

He clearly hadn’t sensed anything amiss until just moments before.

The masked man felt cold sweat trickling down his back as he recalled what just happened.

‘Our eyes met.’

With no warning.

The young man suddenly turned and locked eyes with the masked man.

Realizing he had been spotted, he immediately tried to flee.

Those were eyes that had captured the very moment he was staring.

Did he already know I was here?

I didn’t know.

But right now, I had to escape.

‘I need to get back to the headquarters.’

I had to return and report.

Those thoughts fueled his legs to move.

‘Damn it.’

Even when the woman had been near the formation, the masked man hardly felt the need to be wary.

When she’d looked directly at the location of the formation, he hesitated to move.

That moment hadn’t lasted long.

His task had been clear: keep an eye on the formation until tonight to ensure it ran smoothly.

For that to be disrupted was frustrating.

‘At least it’s fortunate there’s nothing wrong with the formation.’

While it was a problem that they had noticed him, they would not discover any issues with the formation.

That was all that mattered.

As long as he returned to report only the caveat, there wouldn’t be any major issues.

“Where are you going?”

“…!?”

A voice suddenly struck from right beside him.

He turned his body in surprise.

Crack-.

Someone grabbed the masked man’s neck and slammed him into the ground.

Boom—! The impact left a long trail in the ground.

The unexpected blow caught him off guard, and he struggled to process what was happening.

As he tried to regain his bearings, he felt another gripping hand at the back of his head.

“Guh…!”

“In the midst of all this, you covered yourself with strong energy? Not bad.”

Upon being caught, he had activated his defensive technique.

Someone recognized this and let out a slight compliment.

Danger!

Reacting instinctively, the masked man tried to move.

Yet!

Squeeze—!

“Crack!?”

A hand suddenly grabbed his cheeks, forcing his mouth shut.

Then.

Bang-!

“…Noo!!”

The intruder’s hand shot into the masked man’s mouth and pulled out one of his molars.

That was where the poison pellet was hidden.

All happened within mere seconds.

The masked man didn’t have a chance to regain his composure.

The only thing left for him to grasp—

Was the gaze he saw.

Even through his blurry vision, the clarity of those eyes stood out.

Bright blue, yet inexplicably burning.

A sense of alienation overwhelmed his entire body just by looking at them.

“Huff… huff….”

The masked man’s breath grew erratic with an overwhelming sense of dread.

His opponent inspected the tooth he had just extracted.

Crush!

The assailant squeezed it with his fingers, and once again returned his piercing gaze to the masked man.

“Interesting.”

With that, the young man wore a chilling smile that sent tremors down the masked man’s spine.

 

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