A day had passed.
The night faded, the sun rose, and now it was just past noon.
Yuri, accompanied by her escort, was leaving the lodgings provided by the trading company, heading to the promised eting place.
It wasn’t a particularly long distance.
Even so, Yuri’s expression was far from pleasant.
Her face was shadowed with a deep gloom.
She seed utterly fatigued, as if she hadn’t slept at all.
“Phew…”
A sigh escaped her lips.
She had spent the night awake, devising a plan.
How could she change the Crimson Feather's mind?
She had devoted all her focus to that single thought.
The result?
"Three things…"
She had managed to co up with three possible outcos.
First, the contract between the Ice Palace Lord and the alliance that had allowed her to set foot on this land.
Second, modifications to the agreents with the trading company, offering terms so favorable that the other party might even question, “Are they seriously offering this much?”
Her escorts had strongly opposed her decisions upon hearing the conditions, but Yuri had judged this level of commitnt as necessary and pushed forward resolutely.
"This is the best I can do."
Nothing less would sway his heart.
It had to be this much.
Even then, the chances of success were slim. But—
"I have to…"
She had to turn his heart, no matter what.
That was the only thought driving her.
“Your Grace… Are you truly certain about this?”
Ubeom asked her, concern evident in his voice.
Yuri didn’t respond. She only nodded slightly.
It wasn’t a matter of whether she was certain. She had to be certain.
"I can do this."
She needed to approach this with unwavering determination.
Yuri bit her dry lips, organizing her thoughts as she walked.
Before long, they arrived at the trading company.
A staff mber who had been waiting for Yuri’s arrival stepped out to guide them.
It wasn’t the upper floor where they had conversed yesterday.
This level seed slightly more spacious.
Perhaps it was a space designated by the trading company for holding etings with others.
Soon, they arrived in front of a massive door.
Before entering, Yuri steadied her breathing.
"Don’t be too afraid."
The events of the previous day had left her feeling unnervingly tense.
Even if her impatience beca evident, she had prepared plenty of ways to smooth things over.
She kept reminding herself.
No matter the thod, she would steer the conversation to her advantage.
That was Yuri’s resolve. But—
Creaaak!
The door opened.
“…!!”
The sight inside imdiately erased all the thoughts she had prepared.
At the far end of a large table, the owner of the trading company, the Baekhwa rchant Leader, was seated.
Next to them, among a group of won, sat the Crimson Feather.
"…What is this…?"
Yuri struggled to suppress the trembling in her body as she looked at him.
From the mont the door opened, she could feel it.
The air in the expansive room was oppressively heavy, almost suffocating.
The Crimson Feather rested his chin on one hand, his gaze fixed on her.
An overwhelming aura radiated from his very being.
And those eyes—
Though he only stared at her, Yuri found it impossible to hold his gaze for long.
It was terrifying.
Dreadful, spine-chilling.
He was a predator in every sense.
The Crimson Feather before her now was like a ravenous beast.
And Yuri? She was nothing more than helpless prey.
“You’ve arrived.”
The Crimson Feather spoke, addressing her.
“…”
His voice was no different from the previous day, yet it carried sothing sticky, almost suffocating.
That sensation crawled over her body, binding her breathlessly.
Sothing was wrong.
“Take a seat.”
Yuri knew it. She felt it.
But by the ti she realized—
“I have a lot of questions I want to ask about last night.”
It was already far too late.
******************
The conversation that followed didn’t last long.
In truth, it could hardly be called a conversation.
Yuri would bring up points, but all the others did was listen silently.
“…So, if you were to agree to the contract for treatnt, exclusive trade rights with the Northern Sea would…”
“Lady Yuri.”
“Yes, rchant Leader.”
“We will need a clear na for the individual to be treated. Whom exactly are you referring to?”
“…The Ice Palace Lord.”
“Understood.”
Even when there was a dialogue, most of it was handled by Lady Mi, and all I could do was observe.
Having discarded the mask she had previously worn, Yuri now displayed a completely different personality.
If anything, her deanor resembled that of Moyong Hee-ah.
However, Moyong Hee-ah seed slightly superior—at least, that’s what I thought.
Perhaps it was my bias speaking, considering how favorably I view Moyong Hee-ah.
“I have a question.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“While the terms you’ve proposed are appealing overall…”
Lady Mi’s response made nod inwardly.
Yes, the terms were attractive.
Exclusive trade rights with the Ice Palace—a relationship that had been blocked until now by the alliance with the Northern Sea.
Furthermore, upon completing the task, the Ice Palace offered a substantial reward, including three rare treasures.
On top of that, Yuri had brought forth other terms so favorable they seed almost excessive.
Yet, there was one glaring omission.
“What about guarantees for safety and the current crisis in the Northern Sea? You haven’t addressed those.”
“…”
Lady Mi’s words caused Yuri to bite her lip.
This was the core issue.
No matter how advantageous the terms were, no matter how generous the offers seed—
“There’s no certainty they can deliver.”
Without trust, it was all just empty promises.
Yesterday, when they were unaware of the situation with the Ice Palace, they might have accepted such terms enthusiastically.
But now—
“It’s different, isn’t it?”
The situation was clear. There was a crisis in the Ice Palace, and even more troubling, the Ice Palace Lord was involved.
In such circumstances, accepting an offer based on empty assurances? Impossible.
“…You’re correct.”
Yuri admitted it easily.
Still, if neither Lady Mi nor I had pointed it out, she might have tried to gloss over it.
I didn’t fault her for that.
In business negotiations, such tactics were often necessary.
“I understand your concerns, but if the Lord’s condition improves, we can easily…”
“That is rely an expectation. What about failures? Or if complications arise during treatnt? You’re offering no guarantees of protection.”
Yuri’s request was straightforward. She wanted to travel to the Northern Sea and treat the Ice Palace Lord.
Lady Mi, however, was firmly blocking this request.
The reason was simple.
“It deviates from the original terms.”
The letters received through the alliance implied that Yuri herself would be sent for treatnt.
Now, however, they were asking to go directly to the Northern Sea, which posed a significant problem.
“Though the original goal might have been the sa.”
They likely wanted to confirm whether Yuri’s body could withstand treatnt.
If successful, they would attach specific conditions and bring her to the Northern Sea.
Conveniently omitting the fact that the Northern Sea was in turmoil.
And—
“The alliance likely isn’t aware of this.”
It was obvious.
If the instability in the Northern Sea beca known, it could be seen as grounds for invasion.
The alliance might not act aggressively, but from the Ice Palace’s perspective, it was a significant risk.
No doubt, the Ice Palace had provided a different narrative to the alliance.
This ant two critical risks:
The danger of misinformation leading to conflict with the alliance.
And the prospect of venturing into a perilous foreign land based on uncertain promises.
These two issues overlapped.
“Lady Yuri, your request poses too many problems for us to accept.”
“We have prepared a safe route to ensure your travel. Therefore, safety is…”
“If such a route exists, why did you end up in a battle?”
Clench.
Yuri’s fist tightened at Lady Mi’s pointed remark.
The injuries sustained by her escorts had beco a contentious issue.
Watching Yuri’s reaction, Lady Mi’s gaze grew colder.
It was over.
Lady Mi’s decision was final, and it was unfavorable.
I glanced to the side.
Moyong Hee-ah sat there, her expression similarly indifferent.
She showed no interest, signaling that the discussion was aningless.
No matter how advantageous the proposal seed, considering the circumstances, there was no need to accept it.
Even I would have made the sa decision in the past.
“Hmm.”
Observing the situation, I let out a small sigh.
I understood the logic, but the circumstances were different now.
It seed I had to intervene.
“This discussion—”
“I have sothing to ask.”
I interrupted just as Lady Mi was about to conclude.
For so reason, Yuri flinched when I spoke.
What’s with that reaction?
I looked at her curiously.
And then—
Slide.
I felt a hand brush against my fingertips.
It was Tang So-yeol’s.
“…Young Master, your energy is overwhelming.”
“Ah.”
Her words made realize it.
I had been suppressing my presence, but apparently, it was leaking out.
I reined in my energy.
Whooosh!
A faint breeze swirled through the space as I concentrated my energy into a single point, then dispersed it outside through the window.
“Phew… Hah…”
Yuri exhaled deeply.
She must have been feeling suffocated.
Was that why she had been glancing at so cautiously?
“It wasn’t intentional.”
I hadn’t done it deliberately.
I was simply that irritated.
Looking at Yuri, who seed utterly drained, I asked her directly:
“What exactly is going on in the Ice Palace? Start with that.”
“…That is…”
“If you add any unnecessary details, this conversation ends here.”
At my curt warning, Yuri quickly began to speak.
“…The Northern Sea is divided among three main families.”
Unlike yesterday, she had reverted to a more formal tone.
It was likely to clarify her position.
These families, each governing a region, were referred to as nobles in the Northern Sea.
“They are bloodlines entrusted with protecting the Ice Palace and maintaining its legacy.”
“Hmm.”
Unlike the alliance-affiliated four great clans—or rather, three great clans—these families seed exclusively focused on defending the Ice Palace.
“…One of the families has raised a rebellion, turning their blades against the palace.”
As I listened, I stroked my chin thoughtfully.
The Northern Sea was unlike the alliance.
In the alliance, a new martial artist would take the leadership role after the leader’s tenure ended.
In contrast, the Ice Palace adhered to hereditary succession, passing power through the bloodline.
It represented absolute monarchy.
For a family to defy this and openly display hostility toward the palace—
“Is it a rebellion?”
“…Yes.”
It could only an they intended to seize the throne.
The question was—
“If it’s only one family, not all three, what caused this situation?”
If the three families united, it might make sense.
But failing to suppress a rebellion from just one family? That was incomprehensible.
Yuri explained.
“…Because the rebels are the ones in charge of the military.”
Her words made my brow furrow deeply.
“All of the military power is concentrated in a single family?”
What kind of madness was this?
It was an absurd notion.
That statent implied that all the current military forces of the Northern Sea were under the control of a single family.
“And despite that insanity, no rebellion happened until now?”
The idea that royal authority had been maintained while all power was centralized in one family was baffling.
This was a situation where rebellion could have happened at any ti.
When there’s power, the desire for more inevitably follows.
And yet, the Ice Palace had maintained its legacy for generations.
How was that possible?
When I voiced my curiosity, Yuri responded.
“Because the survival of the Ice Palace ensures the survival of the Northern Sea.”
“What does that an?”
“…I can’t tell you more than that.”
Yuri withheld the most critical information.
I considered pressing further but ultimately restrained myself.
If she couldn’t say it even now, it was truly sothing she couldn’t divulge.
“That’s not the most important thing here.”
How the Ice Palace’s monarchy was preserved didn’t concern .
Why should I care?
That kind of thing held no significance to .
What mattered now was—
“Then let ask you this next.”
I took out the letter I had received yesterday and held it up for Yuri to see.
“The person who sent this—what’s your relationship with them?”
“…?”
Yuri’s expression changed at my question.
It was as if she was wondering why I was asking about that.
So I added a clarification.
“The sender of this letter—are they connected to the current situation in the Northern Sea?”
“…!”
Yuri’s eyes widened.
And within her gaze, a flicker of hope appeared.
I could sense it.
She had picked up on the implication behind my words.
This letter’s sender…
I had shown interest in Namgung Bi-ah.
By directly asking if the incidents in the Ice Palace were related to her, I had made it clear.
Naturally, Yuri would think about it.
She would consider using this to sway .
Perhaps she even saw this as a chance to discover my weakness.
Knowing full well what she was thinking, I still asked.
The reason was simple.
This wasn’t the ti to worry about petty calculations like that.
After gauging my reaction, Yuri finally spoke.
“That matter requires a separate discussion…”
“I’ll say this upfront.”
Sensing she might try to leverage it in negotiations, I cut her off.
“Don’t think about playing gas with this.”
I opened my heart’s flow, unleashing a surge of energy.
The power coursed through my ridians and erupted explosively.
The pain from my unhealed internal injuries flared up, but I ignored it.
Aura flooded through my body, and—
Whoosh!
The room filled with an overwhelming presence, far greater than before, saturated with killing intent.
“Huh…!”
The oppressive energy froze Yuri in place, her body stiff as stone.
Clank!
Her escorts imdiately moved to defend her, readying themselves—
But—
Shing.
The tip of Seong Yul’s sword was already at the neck of a guard nad Wooseok.
At the sa ti, Tang So-yeol had positioned herself in front of Ubeom without anyone noticing.
“I’m running low on patience right now.”
I was holding myself back, restraining the urge to act.
I clenched my fists tightly, forcing control over the arm that seed to move of its own accord.
If I didn't, I'd snap Yuri's neck right here and now.
I forced a smile as I asked her.
“Answer properly. This is your last chance.”
Otherwise—
Tonight, the Northern Sea’s star would die by my hand.
And I ant it.
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