Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 181

“Wow.”

As they passed through the Ice Palace’s gates, Je Gal-giho looked up and exclaimed in admiration.

The Ice Palace, seen up close, was incredibly tall, as if it reached for the sky.

Moreover, its snow-white exterior seemed otherworldly.

It wasn’t surprising that Je Gal-giho asked a somewhat absurd question.

“It’s called the Ice Palace, but it’s not really made of ice, is it?”

“It is.”

Je Gal-giho was taken aback by the Twelfth Palace Lord’s answer.

“What? This is ice?”

“It’s not *not* ice, but it *is* ice.”

“Huh?”

Un-hyeon and Je Gal-giho simultaneously turned to look at the Twelfth Palace Lord.

The Twelfth Palace Lord puffed out her chest, seemingly proud, and continued.

“This is different from ordinary ice. It’s strong and doesn’t melt.”

“Uh, even if you bring fire to it?”

Je Gal-giho’s question was what Un-hyeon had been about to ask.

The Twelfth Palace Lord nodded vigorously.

“Of course. It doesn’t melt. I’ve tried it myself.”

“Hoo. So it’s a special kind of ice?”

Je Gal-giho looked up at the Ice Palace again, marveling anew.

“Well, in the first place, it wouldn’t make sense for such a structure to be made of ordinary ice…”

Ice isn’t as strong as one might think.

Beyond a certain size, even in extreme cold, it can’t support its own weight and collapses.

So it’s impossible for such a building to be made of ordinary ice.

Especially in this warm weather.

‘Then what is it? Some kind of unique artifact from the Northern Sea?’

As Un-hyeon tilted his head, Je Gal-giho asked again.

“So, is the entire Ice Palace made of ice?”

As expected of the Je Gal Clan, his curiosity was insatiable.

Thanks to him, Un-hyeon was spared the trouble of asking separately.

He was curious too.

“Not really. Gods originally made it, and it didn’t look like this. But even now, the foundation is definitely ice.”

“Gods?”

Je Gal-giho frowned.

The sudden mention of mythology made him skeptical.

“Huh? It’s true. Nothing grows near the Ice Palace. No grass, no trees, no animals, no bugs.”

The Twelfth Palace Lord seemed upset and spoke earnestly, but Je Gal-giho remained indifferent.

However, Un-hyeon nodded.

‘Ah, so that’s why.’

The area around the Ice Palace was particularly desolate.

There wasn’t even a village that one might expect to find near a palace.

He had thought it might be for religious reasons, and it seemed he was right.

“Yes, yes. All rulers want to claim that their origins are divine.”

That was too difficult for the Twelfth Palace Lord to understand, and she tilted her head, frowning.

“By the way, is it okay to enter the Ice Palace in a carriage?”

Je Gal-giho subtly changed the subject.

But the Twelfth Palace Lord tilted her head.

“How else would you get in if you didn’t take a carriage? It takes a long time to walk.”

Je Gal-giho gave a wry smile.

Entering the Imperial Palace with horses or carriages was a privilege granted only to the monarch or special individuals.

But it seemed there were no such customs in the Northern Sea.

Clatter.

The carriage entered the Ice Palace and stopped in what seemed like a small plaza.

Click.

The Young Palace Lord, the Twelfth Palace Lord, Un-hyeon, and Je Gal-giho got out of the carriage.

Bingseol and Dokgo-rang, who had been on the driver’s seat, also jumped down.

A large staircase leading into the white Ice Palace revealed itself before the group.

Tap, tap, tap.

More than a dozen maids emerged from the Ice Palace all at once.

They descended the stairs with quick, light steps, lined up to the left and right of the Young Palace Lord, and bowed their heads.

They were clearly performing a greeting to the Young Palace Lord in the language of the Northern Sea.

Swish.

The Young Palace Lord stood tall and received their greetings.

She was still beautiful, but her eyes now overflowed with the dignity of a monarch.

“Hoo.”

Je Gal-giho murmured in admiration.

As the maids paid their respects, the Third Palace Lord slowly walked up the white stairs.

Shuffle, shuffle.

Her figure was incomparably dignified and beautiful.

The Third Palace Lord of the Northern Ice Palace, who had been away for a long journey, had returned to the Ice Palace.

***

Shuffle.

The Young Palace Lord stopped walking.

The maids following behind drew back the thick, ornate curtains to the left and right, and the Young Palace Lord slowly stepped inside.

The curtains quietly closed behind her.

No one followed.

“Welcome home.”

At the woman’s soft voice, the Young Palace Lord looked up.

A noblewoman dressed in a splendid white silk gown embroidered with gold thread was smiling.

Her captivating eye-smile, seductive red lips, and the extravagant, decadent way she exposed her shoulders would captivate anyone at first glance.

“Didn’t you bring your guests with you?”

The noblewoman said, widening her eyes.

It was a light gesture, but the decadent atmosphere vanished instantly, replaced by an almost childlike innocence.

“That’s a shame. I wanted to see them too.”

The noblewoman sighed softly, making anyone feel sorry for her.

It made you want to turn around and bring the guests back immediately.

But it didn’t work on the Young Palace Lord.

“Why.”

The Young Palace Lord said with a stern expression.

“Did you let it come to this? Ice Queen.”

The Young Palace Lord’s voice was cold.

As cold as her gaze.

“Just let it? That’s too much.”

The noblewoman, called the Ice Queen, sighed.

“Are you saying I neglected you to the point where you ended up like this?”

It was a look of such heartbreaking pity that it could melt the heart of anyone who saw it.

But the Young Palace Lord didn’t waver. No, she even let out a soft sneer.

“Well, I wonder?”

The Young Palace Lord said, staring straight at the Ice Queen.

“You wouldn’t let something so important that it could determine your fate happen beyond your control, would you? Mother.”

“Of course not.”

Rustle.

The Ice Queen turned her head.

Her gaze was directed towards a luxurious bed draped with thin curtains.

Lying on the bed was an elderly man.

Although his hair and beard were white, his frame was large, and even with his eyes closed, he did not lose his imposing presence.

“Especially not when it costs the life of your husband, you know.”

He was the Ice Emperor.

The master of the Ice Palace and the ruler of the Northern Sea was now lying with his eyes closed, as if dead.

Swish.

The Ice Queen reached out through the thin curtains.

Her slender, white fingers stroked the Ice Emperor’s face.

It was as if she was caressing a loved one, but the Young Palace Lord’s expression grew even colder.

Because there was not a trace of warmth in the Ice Queen’s gaze as she looked down at the Ice Emperor.

“Who is the culprit?”

“I don’t know.”

The Ice Queen said, looking down at the Ice Emperor.

She stared at the Ice Emperor as if he were a strange object.

“But if someone in the Ice Palace could instigate an assassination attempt on the Ice Emperor, it would ultimately be one of the twelve Young Palace Lords or the nine tribal chiefs.”

“Or several of them.”

At those words, the Ice Queen turned to look at the Young Palace Lord.

“Currently, the only people who know about the Ice Emperor’s condition are you, me, and that child, the Twelfth Palace Lord.”

“I see.”

The Young Palace Lord sighed softly.

“It really was an absurd gamble.”

The Ice Emperor had been attacked.

Normally, an emergency situation would have been declared immediately.

And the culprits would have launched a full-scale rebellion at the same time as the chaos.

However, the Ice Queen had concealed the Ice Emperor’s condition.

Perfectly.

Thanks to this, the culprits were bound to be confused.

Because they couldn’t know the results of the assassination attempt.

“If the Ice Emperor is still alive, then the Ice Palace’s silence is clearly a trap. To ferret out the real culprits.”

At this point, leaving the Ice Palace and starting a rebellion would be like admitting that you are the culprit.

If the Ice Emperor is alive, it would be suicide.

“So they must have decided to watch the situation for a while. If the Ice Emperor has passed away or is in critical condition, then it’s okay to move then.”

“Yes. That leeway was the only opportunity given to you and me.”

The brief moment when the culprits lowered their heads and watched the situation.

That was what the Ice Queen was aiming for, and it was the only opportunity given to the Young Palace Lord.

“Like you, Mother.”

“Oh my, thank you.”

The Ice Queen smiled.

“I’m so glad to hear you praise me.”

Her smile was so charming that it could steal a person’s soul.

The Ice Queen continued.

“So everyone is gathered here. Pretending not to know anything, trembling inside. But now they must all have realized it.”

Looking at the Young Palace Lord, the Ice Queen said softly.

“Because you’ve returned.”

Now the situation had completely changed.

The culprits must have realized their mistake by now.

Because the Young Palace Lord, who should have been far away in the south, had returned.

“Has anyone left the Ice Palace since the incident?”

“No. I guess they’re not that stupid.”

Rustle.

The Ice Queen stepped away from the Ice Emperor’s bed.

As if she had lost interest, she didn’t even look back at the Ice Emperor.

“They might try to assassinate you again. Those children are more afraid of you than they are of me.”

The Young Palace Lord bit her lip.

The Ice Queen’s point was correct.

No matter how much power the Ice Queen had, it was limited.

But the Young Palace Lord was different.

The Young Palace Lord’s position itself was nothing, but she was the one who could sit on the throne of the next Ice Emperor.

“I have something I want to ask more than that.”

The Young Palace Lord’s eyes became even sharper.

“Why…”

“Are you talking about sending the Twelfth Palace Lord to you?”

The Ice Queen sighed softly.

“That child wanted it first. And as you know, we have many enemies. The only people we can trust…”

“Don’t say ‘we’.”

The Young Palace Lord said coldly.

“How could you think of sending that child alone? No matter how much you needed me and Bingseol…”

“She had to be alone. No one could know.”

At the Ice Queen’s words, the Young Palace Lord bit her lip.

Until she returned, there could be no abnormal movements in the Ice Palace.

If the Twelfth Palace Lord was accompanied by guards, the news would inevitably leak out.

Besides, there was no guarantee that the guards wouldn’t turn into assassins.

Even if it was dangerous, sending the Twelfth Palace Lord alone was the best option.

“That child is stronger than you think. And I had no choice. To save the Ice Emperor, all of the Northern Sea Twelve Treasures, you, and your pipa [a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument] were absolutely necessary.”

The Young Palace Lord couldn’t argue.

The Young Palace Lord had no choice but to move because of the Twelfth Palace Lord’s tears.

Perhaps watching the situation as it was would have been a better choice for the Young Palace Lord’s political future.

“Thanks to that, I came here. As you wished, Mother.”

Those words were by no means respectful or friendly.

The Ice Queen smiled at the sharp words.

“If you remember that I am your mother, don’t forget that I am the only one who knows your name.”

The Young Palace Lord was silent.

The Ice Queen’s eyes instantly filled with curiosity.

“Oh my.”

Rustle.

The Ice Queen moved closer to the Young Palace Lord.