Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 186

186. Foolish and Lovely

The deepest part of the Ice Palace, the Ice Emperor’s residence.

The Ice Queen, who had been gazing silently at the Ice Emperor lying on the bed, raised her head.

*Rustle.*

The thick curtain opened without a sound.

And the Third Palace Lord entered.

“Oh, welcome.”

The Ice Queen said with a smile.

Her gentle appearance was that of a warm mother.

However, the Third Palace Lord’s expression was not gentle at all.

“What on earth are you doing?”

The Third Palace Lord did not hide her angry gaze.

The Ice Queen smiled.

“It’s obviously for you, me, and the Northern Sea.”

“Ha!”

The Third Palace Lord let out a hollow laugh as if she was dumbfounded.

And soon, she spoke with a sharp gaze.

“Do you think I’ll believe such a lie? What are you thinking!”

The Third Palace Lord did not hide her anger.

“Why did you reveal his identity? Why did you put everything on him? Why!”

*Clench.*

The Third Palace Lord bit her red lip and said.

“Why, is it because of him?”

Even in the face of the Third Palace Lord’s gaze full of resentment, the Ice Queen remained calm.

She said, without losing her smile.

“The reason I revealed his identity is so that everyone can understand. You must know what it would mean later to have a member of the Murim Alliance [a martial arts alliance] as the Ice Emperor’s guard, right?”

The Northern Sea is closed off and exclusive.

Having a member of the Murim Alliance as the Ice Emperor’s guard is unacceptable, no matter how urgent the situation was.

Unless he is the heir to the Sword Saint, the master of the Setting Sun.

*Rustle.*

The Ice Queen, who had been sitting, stood up.

“And I didn’t put anything on him. Just as it is natural for a high mountain to bear the sky, it is simply his destiny to stand in such a high position.”

It was sophistry, but it was a valid point.

If Unhyun hadn’t been the heir to the Sword Saint or the master of the Setting Sun, this would not have happened in the first place.

“But if you ask why it had to be him…”

*Step, step.*

The Ice Queen walked quietly.

And she gently reached out her hand towards the Third Palace Lord.

The Ice Queen’s white hand lightly touched the Third Palace Lord’s cheek.

“It must be because he is the person you love.”

The Third Palace Lord flinched for a moment.

The Third Palace Lord’s eyes, looking at the Ice Queen, were shaking violently.

“…What are you talking about?”

The Third Palace Lord said, frowning.

The agitation disappeared in an instant.

There was no tremor in her voice, and no surprised expression could be found.

But it was already too late.

The Ice Queen wore a seductive smile.

“Do you think I wouldn’t know?”

The Ice Queen said calmly, lowering her white hand.

“After he broke the ice flowers in Seohae, you never took your eyes off him. You investigated his background through Seolyeongdae, followed his tracks, and watched who he met, what he did, very meticulously, right?”

It’s not strange that the Ice Queen knows that.

Seolyeongdae is not a group that is only loyal to the Little Palace Lord.

“You must have thought very deeply. The conversations he had, the decisions he made, and the reactions he showed in various situations. You tried to understand the meaning of even the smallest things, to the point where you felt like you became him sometimes.”

The Little Palace Lord bit her lip.

“…Because that was my job.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

*Step.*

The Ice Queen took another step forward.

“After thinking about him so much, what did you feel when you saw him again? Didn’t he feel so familiar and comfortable that you surprised yourself? You even forgot that you hadn’t seen him for a long time, and you were angry at him for treating you like a stranger, weren’t you?”

“Ha!”

The Little Palace Lord let out a sneer.

“That’s just speculation without any basis. I’m very disappointed if that’s all. I never….”

“Really?”

The Ice Queen was still smiling.

“And yet, you brought him all the way to the Northern Sea. In a desperate situation where the Ice Emperor’s life was in danger, you chose him as the only person you could trust, and you brought him here without any feelings?”

The Little Palace Lord bit her lip.

There was an excuse.

At this point when the Ice Emperor was ambushed and the Twelve Northern Sea Guards had to focus on treatment, the only person she could trust was Unhyun, the heir to the Sword Saint.

But was there really no other way than to entrust it to Unhyun?

Was there really no other way?

The Little Palace Lord couldn’t answer yes.

So she had to remain silent.

“Ah, my foolish and lovely daughter. How can you be so like me?”

The Ice Queen reached out her hand towards the Little Palace Lord with an extremely pitiful look.

*Swish.*

The white hand lightly stroked the Third Palace Lord’s cheek, but the Third Palace Lord could not avoid it.

“If you really wanted to hide it, no one but yourself should have known. Not even that person. That’s how you can protect it. That’s how you can hide it.”

The Ice Queen looked down at the Little Palace Lord with a pitiful expression.

The Ice Queen, who had already come close to the Little Palace Lord, smiled quietly.

“But there’s no need to be afraid. I’ll make what you want come true.”

The Little Palace Lord raised her head with a start.

Her eyes were trembling slightly.

As if she had heard something she couldn’t believe.

“…What do you mean?”

*Rustle.*

She lightly stroked the Little Palace Lord’s head and pulled her into her arms.

“There’s nothing to worry about.”

The Ice Queen said in a whisper.

“Just stay there. Just stay by his side as if you don’t know anything. Then that person will be yours. A person who only knows you, who only looks at you, a person who is only yours.”

The Ice Queen’s voice echoed softly in the Little Palace Lord’s ear.

Like a secret whisper coming from a deep place.

“I’ll make it happen. Trust me. My beloved daughter.”

It was a fatal temptation.

But at that moment, the face of one person flashed before the Little Palace Lord’s eyes.

The smile of a person who knew nothing, but was more warm and gentle than anyone else.

—The Little Palace Lord won’t just stand by.

*Thud.*

The Little Palace Lord roughly pushed away the Ice Queen’s hand.

And she took a step back.

Looking straight into the Ice Queen’s surprised eyes, the Little Palace Lord said.

“You said it was for you, me, and the Northern Sea, right?”

At those words, the Ice Queen wore a gentle smile.

“Yes.”

“But why…”

The Little Palace Lord said, gritting her teeth.

“Didn’t you say it was for him and the Ice Emperor too?”

The Ice Queen didn’t waver in the slightest.

Rather, she said with a deep smile.

“Of course, it’s for him and the Ice Emperor too.”

“Liar.”

The Little Palace Lord said without hesitation.

“It’s for him and the Ice Emperor? Of course, it would be.”

The Little Palace Lord continued, with a light sneer.

“Only from your point of view.”

The smile disappeared from the Ice Queen’s face.

“Hoo.”

The Ice Queen, who was looking at the Little Palace Lord, let out a sigh.

“I know you won’t like it. But trust me. I….”

“You.”

The Little Palace Lord said, cutting off the Ice Queen’s words.

“You are someone who can use anything for your own sake. The entire Northern Sea, as well as your past, your love, and even the truth.”

*Clench.*

The Little Palace Lord bit her lip.

“And now you’re trying to use your own daughter to have everything?”

“That’s not it. I….”

The Ice Queen tried to say something with a pitiful voice, but the words couldn’t continue.

“I refuse.”

The Little Palace Lord said in a more resolute voice.

“I will not move according to your will. And I will not stand by and let it happen according to your will.”

The Little Palace Lord’s eyes were shining.

“I will never stand still.”

The Ice Queen and the Little Palace Lord’s eyes met in the air.

The smile had already disappeared, and the two were glaring at each other with sharp eyes.

But the result was already decided.

The Little Palace Lord had rejected the Ice Queen’s proposal.

Whatever it was.

“Hmph.”

A smile hung on the Little Palace Lord’s red lips.

“It’s late, so I’ll take my leave.”

*Rustle.*

The Little Palace Lord bowed her head and gave an exaggerated bow.

“Please have a peaceful night. Ice Queen.”

The Ice Queen’s beautiful eyebrows were distorted, but the Little Palace Lord didn’t care.

The Little Palace Lord turned her body.

*Step, step.*

The Little Palace Lord left the room as it is.

The Little Palace Lord never looked back until she disappeared beyond the curtain.

“Haa.”

The Ice Queen let out a small sigh and shook her head.

“Really, that child.”

*Rustle.*

The Ice Queen said, sitting on the bed.

“Why doesn’t she try to listen to me until the end?”

The Ice Queen turned her head.

The elderly Ice Emperor, who had lost consciousness, was lying on the bed.

Looking down at the Ice Emperor, whose intense impression remained despite his white beard and white hair, the Ice Queen murmured softly.

“Even though it would be much happier to have just one person, even if it means failing miserably, than to achieve your goals, rise to a noble position, and enjoy everything in the world.”

*Rustle.*

The Ice Queen gently stroked the Ice Emperor’s chin.

The master of the Ice Palace, who rules the entire Northern Sea, was defenselessly under her hand at this moment.

“You don’t seem to understand my sincerity towards you at all. Did you hear that? She’s talking as if I’m going to do something to you? Hehehe.”

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

“Of course, I think you’re cutest when you’re like this.”

The Ice Queen chuckled.

But soon, she let out a long sigh.

“Hoo.”

The Ice Queen murmured softly after a moment of silence.

“After all, that child is my daughter, but also your daughter.”

The Ice Queen’s white fingers were touching the Ice Emperor’s face.

But her gaze was directed far beyond the window.

“Your great daughter who has never been broken by anyone.”

The Ice Queen said in a whisper.

But no one was listening to her voice.

***

The news about the heir to the Sword Saint swept through the entire Northern Sea in an instant.

The Sword Saint, who had left a great scar on the Northern Sea in the past, his heir had come.

There was no one who was not surprised by the shocking news.

The elderly tribal chiefs gnashed their teeth and took up their weapons, and the spirited warriors, burning with ambition, kicked their seats.

The heir to the Sword Saint and the new master of the Setting Sun suddenly emerged as the core of the storm.

In conjunction with the Ice Palace’s intention to minimize the shock of the Ice Emperor’s ambush, the rumors about him were swallowing the entire Northern Sea like a huge storm.

However, the person involved, Unhyun, was quiet.

No, it was even boring beyond being quiet.

This is because no one could approach Unhyun after the banquet.

Even until now, when the Ice Emperor’s treatment has begun.

“Are you okay?”

Unhyun said to Dokgo-rang.

Dokgo-rang, who had a sharp aura like a single blade, nodded quietly.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“No, but how can Dokgo be alone….”

“I’m fine.”

Dokgo-rang cut off Unhyun’s words.

“I’m enough alone. There’s no need to worry.”

Unhyun gave an awkward smile.

Dokgo-rang said he would be on guard ahead of Unhyun.

If Unhyun was guarding the Ice Emperor’s room, Dokgo-rang would be at the entrance, far ahead of him.

In fact, there was no problem.

The place where the Ice Emperor’s treatment was taking place was deep underground in the Ice Palace.

From the room to the entrance, it was a single path made of wide corridors and stairs, so even if Dokgo-rang missed the ambusher, Unhyun could stop him.

“Wouldn’t it be better to be together? In case of emergency, we can help each other….”

“I.”

Dokgo-rang said softly.

“I prefer to be alone.”