Chapter 589: The Young Princess of the North Sea Ice Palace.

Inside a small room on a high floor of the merchant guild.

It was a place that seemed somewhat difficult for several people to enter.

Yet, within that narrow room, at least five or six people were packed inside.

A thinly spread sleeping mat.

Towards it, Madam Mi offered a brief bow.

“I am Hyoran of the Mi family, in charge of the Hundred Flowers Merchant Guild here. It is an honor to meet the Young Lady of the Ice Palace.”

As Madam Mi spoke, the person on the mat gave a faint smile.

“Oh my, you don’t have to treat me like that. You can be comfortable.”

A brat.

No, a child… no. The Young Lady of the Northern Sea waved her hand at Madam Mi.

Then.

“Absolutely not. Young Lady-nim, how can you speak that way to someone from the Central Plains?”

A figure standing behind spoke up.

“Wherever you go, you must receive proper treatment. Especially in a strange place like this.”

It seemed they were likely guards.

Their bearing when speaking was quite formidable. It felt like they had easily surpassed the peak level.

Then, was the person next to them also a guard? There was one more person whose attire was similar to the man’s.

Presumably, that person was also a guard.

At the guard’s words, the Young Lady showed a somewhat troubled expression.

“Woo-beom… this isn’t our land, you know. How could I possibly receive more respect than this? I even caused trouble?”

I don’t know why she’s saying that so confidently.

Swoosh.

The Young Lady carefully shifted her posture. It was to show respect to the other party.

“Young La…!”

The guard seemed surprised and tried to stop her, but the Young Lady spoke first.

“My name is Yuri. I’m called the Fourth Star of the Northern Sea. Thank you for welcoming me like this.”

Her white hair shimmered as her head bowed lightly.

Immediately after, she raised her head and smiled slightly.

“I didn’t expect to meet you like this… Heh heh.”

That’s understandable.

She probably didn’t expect to be caught after running away and then meet them.

“I feel a bit awkward. Oh dear.”

Yuri scratched the back of her head and spoke.

Silence followed her words.

Because no one spoke.

A few seconds passed like that.

A short time passed, and it was Madam Mi who broke the silence again.

“I express my gratitude once again for such a distinguished guest gracing the Central Plains with her presence….”

“Heh heh, it’s nothing.”

“However, there is something I wish to ask first.”

“What is it?”

“Before the welcome, I would like to hear why you attempted to escape. That part.”

“Ah.”

The reason she had disappeared after breaking through the guards earlier.

It seemed she wanted to hear about that.

“Perhaps, was it that you were displeased with the guild’s arrangements?”

“No, it wasn’t that.”

“Then. I wish to know why you acted that way.”

As Madam Mi calmly continued speaking, Yuri replied with a slight smile.

“I just wanted to sightsee.”

“Sightsee… you say?”

“Yes.”

Madam Mi herself failed to maintain her composure at the unexpectedly simple answer.

I wondered what kind of answer that was…

Yuri’s expression as she spoke seemed genuine.

“I really wanted to come to the Central Plains. Especially to Henan, where the Martial Arts Alliance is located! I thought I’d never get to go before I died. But now that I’m here, I couldn’t resist.”

Her face, smiling brightly, was full of excitement.

“So I wanted to see the Martial Arts Alliance… and the famous Shaolin Temple too.”

“…So, you’re saying you escaped?”

“I’m sorry about that. But I figured I wouldn’t be able to go outside once I arrived here. Which is probably true.”

Hearing Yuri’s words, I wondered inwardly.

‘You can’t go out once you arrive at the guild?’

Her confident statement seemed a bit strange.

“So… since things turned out this way. Couldn’t I just sightsee for today…?”

“Absolutely not.”

Madam Mi cut Yuri off decisively.

“The Central Plains are more dangerous than you think, Young Lady-nim.”

“Aww… but just for one day…”

“We have been entrusted with the request to ensure your safety during your stay in the Central Plains. Freely going in and out is not only dangerous….”

Madam Mi’s eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at Yuri.

“Considering what the Ice Palace asked of us for you, Young Lady-nim, it’s an action we absolutely cannot permit.”

“…Mmmph.”

Yuri groaned at the firm words.

I really don’t get it every time I see her.

‘She looks like that, so why is she so airheaded?’

The fact that she resembles Moyong Hi-ah means she’s a ‘cold beauty’ with a radiating chilly aura.

In fact, perhaps because of her hair, Yuri looked even colder in aura than Moyong Hi-ah.

How could her actions and way of speaking be so different from her appearance?

‘So. Why was I summoned here?’

While I watched the still incomprehensible situation unfold.

“But…! That person hasn’t arrived yet either.”

“Young Lady-nim…? What are you talking about….”

“The Central Plains’ Red Feather!”

…What feather? Everyone had to wear strange expressions at Yuri’s shouting.

“Isn’t the story supposed to progress only after that person arrives?”

Madam Mi’s brow furrowed at the bizarre epithet.

Red Feather? What kind of person is that?

It was an epithet I had never heard before.

‘It seems Madam Mi doesn’t know about this either.’

As Madam Mi pondered with a furrowed brow after hearing this.

“Ah?”

As if realizing something, she looked towards me.

What? Why are you looking at me?

Madam Mi, who had been looking at me for a moment, quickly shifted her gaze back to Yuri.

“Young Lady-nim. Could that perhaps be…”

“Since the story only makes sense when he arrives anyway…. We can sightsee until then, right? Even for a little while-.”

Yuri, who was about to throw a tantrum, looked away from Madam Mi and stared at me standing behind.

“Huh?”

Then she pointed directly at me with her finger.

“You…! You’re the one who hit me!”

When Yuri suddenly said that, the guards behind her reacted.

An unnecessary tension mixed into the already cramped room.

“Hit…?”

I could feel the guards’ eyes becoming increasingly menacing.

Ah, this isn’t good.

“No, that’s not it. The situation is a bit….”

Just as I was about to quickly make an excuse.

“What was it you do in times like these? Ah, right.”

Yuri suddenly began to change her posture.

She knelt down and clasped her hands demurely. And she did it while looking at me.

What is she doing now?

As I was momentarily flustered by her strange behavior.

“Excuse me, but.”

She spoke, looking at me.

“Could I perhaps…”

Her voice had also changed somehow. Should I say it felt like she was awkwardly imitating a male voice?

No, that was exactly it.

Why was this woman suddenly making that kind of voice?

Just as that question arose.

Yuri spoke, looking at me.

“Would it be alright if I married you?”

“…?”

The atmosphere rapidly turned cold.

Let alone spoken words, even breathing sounds became inaudible.

My thoughts froze.

It felt like it lasted for about a second.

Was that the problem?

“What the hell is this crazy bitch saying?”

Without realizing it, I couldn’t hold back and blurted out the words.

Harsh words spoken after a long time.

“Hut…”

I heard Moyong Hi-ah beside me gasp.

Yeah, I wanted to cover my mouth too, if I could.

Cold sweat trickled down my back from the words I’d blurted out.

Just then.

“Wow.”

Yuri, who heard the curse, reacted.

“You cursed! Wow!”

A reaction different from what I expected burst forth.

“Oh my, she called me a crazy bitch. How fascinating! This isn’t the answer I was hoping for, but it’s fresh, so I like it?”

“…”

“Hah, could you say it just one more time? It’s my first time hearing a curse word.”

At those words, I unconsciously took a slight step back.

It really seems like she’s genuinely crazy.

This is troublesome.

‘Even for me, I don’t want to deal with someone genuinely insane.’

She already looked similar to Moyong Hi-ah, making things awkward enough, but with a personality like that, it’s even more bothersome.

Yes, to put it bluntly, that’s it.

Someone I don’t want to get involved with.

That thing from the Northern Sea was the type of person I clashed with the most.

Sensing the difficulty, just as I was considering running away.

“Hey.”

The guard behind Yuri called out to stop me.

Woong.

My dantian suddenly reacted.

Feeling that, I looked at the opponent.

“Barbarian. What did you just say to the Young Lady-nim?”

“Barbarian?”

That’s another novel term. It was a word I’d never heard anywhere before.

I’d heard of thugs, hooligans, and lunatics. But ‘barbarian’? How novel.

“To spew such slanderous nonsense…! As expected, the people of the Central Plains are nothing but petty scoundrels.”

His choice of words was quite shitty. That thought crossed my mind.

His growling voice was mixed with energy.

“How dare you utter such words, not knowing who this person is?”

“She introduced herself, didn’t she?”

“Shut up!”

You asked, didn’t you? Why are you getting annoyed after asking yourself?

“How dare an insignificant race like yours spew slanderous remarks at the Star of the Northern Sea…! You should be grateful just for her presence, not spewing nonsense!”

“Uh, Woo-beom. Isn’t that going a bit too far…?”

“Stay put. I will defend the Young Lady-nim’s status against these people.”

“You don’t have to…!”

Yuri tried to stop him urgently, but.

Woo-beom, seemingly unwilling to listen, took a step forward.

At the same time, his hand reached for the sword tied at his waist.

“I will show you what the sword of the Northern Sea is.”

Chulgeok-!

Just as he was about to grab and draw his sword.

Uttuk-!

He couldn’t draw his sword and had to stop his body right there.

Just before drawing his sword.

Suddenly, the tip of a sharp dagger was touching his neck.

“Don’t move.”

Jureureuk.

A trickle of blood flowed slightly from his neck.

“This bitch…?”

Surprisingly, the one who subdued Woo-beom was Tang Soyeol.

At some point, Tang Soyeol had moved and was threatening Woo-beom with a dagger.

Was he flustered by the unexpected situation?

The guy started darting his eyes around.

Seeing that, I said.

“Three times.”

Then, all eyes turned towards me.

The Young Lady, Madam Mi, Moyong Hi-ah. Even that idiot Woo-beom was looking at me.

“First, I let slide the time you said shitty things to Madam Mi.”

I tried my best to use a gentle voice.

“Next, I overlooked you spouting nonsense at me.”

The guy’s expression contorted, seemingly unable to understand.

“And lastly, I let you try to draw your sword.”

It didn’t matter if he couldn’t understand.

“I’m in a really bad mood today.”

I said, looking at Woo-beom.

“But I’ve already held back three times?”

I said with a light laugh.

“If you say one more word here, you. Will. Actually. Die.”

There won’t be a next time.

Thinking that, I looked at the guy.

Then.

“What are you saying now….”

Unable to overcome his pride, he uttered a word.

I wondered if he wouldn’t say anything, but thankfully he did.

Along with that thought.

My hand was already touching his neck.