Isolation (5)

The underground of the Frost Palace.

In this secretive and hidden dark space, accessible only to the direct royal family of Adolveit, the sound of footsteps echoed widely.

Clack!

At both ends of the endlessly long corridor, flames burst to life.

As she walked down the corridor, Queen Hong Se Ryoo of Adolveit revealed herself. With each step she took, the torches on either side of the hallway ignited.

She tried to walk as leisurely as possible, but her steps betrayed her anxiousness.

Finally, she reached the end of the corridor, where a massive altar stood.

Women dressed in pure white nun robes bowed their heads to the queen without saying a word.

Rustle—

A court official quietly approached the queen and spoke.

"Your Majesty, the flames of the Fire Spirit Flower are growing more intense."

"...It appears so."

At the top of the altar steps was a large jade cup, and inside it grew a single flower.

The "Fire Spirit Flower."

A legendary treasure said to hold the slumbering 'Fire Incarnate' and an heirloom passed down through the Adolveit family for generations.

Only the royal family had the right to handle it, but no one had ever been able to fully control its power.

Those who accepted the Fire Spirit Flower immediately lost all magic and self, becoming consumed by its flames.

The only one who had ever controlled the Fire Spirit Flower properly was Adolveit, the first disciple of the founding wizard.

"It seems mixed blood cannot handle it."

Hong Se Ryoo snapped her fingers.

A silver staff materialized in the air and landed in her hand.

Whoosh!

As Hong Se Ryoo approached, the Fire Spirit Flower resisted by flaring up violently. She suppressed its flames with difficulty, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Since the day Adolveit inherited the Fire Spirit Flower into the family, its flames had grown increasingly violent.

Every king was tasked with suppressing the Fire Spirit Flower upon ascending to the throne, but...

"It's reached its limit in my generation."

The flames could no longer be controlled. Perhaps a 9th-class mage skilled in fire could handle it, but her level hadn't reached that far yet.

However, there might be one solution.

"The coast of Levian."

A place where the Ice Incarnate lay dormant, trapping the region in eternal winter.

The previous kings had warned never to disturb the coast of Levian, and no one had ever disobeyed, but now the limit had been reached.

If the power of the Fire Spirit Flower couldn't be suppressed any longer, an unprecedented catastrophe might occur.

Wiping the cold sweat from her brow, Hong Se Ryu withdrew her hand from the Fire Spirit Flower.

"It's impossible with my power."

Seeking answers from the Ice Incarnate was essential.

"I haven't made a wrong choice."

This was the only way, and she resolved to trust her own judgment firmly.

Baek Yuseul had been working part-time at Adolveit's Royal Library for about ten days.

Nothing much had changed, but if there was one noticeable difference...

"Hey, that's really the princess."

"Right..."

"Wow, that's amazing."

"She's so beautiful..."

"Shh, you're too loud!"

The Royal Library where Baek Yuseul worked had a level 3 entry restriction, allowing anyone with Adolveit citizenship to enter.

But what if Princess Hong Bi Yeon started coming there every day?

Rumors spread quickly among the citizens, causing a surge in visitors.

People often say they find healing in seeing cute animals like hamsters or cats, or beautiful people.

By that logic, Hong Bi Yeon might be a kind of 'healing totem.'

She would sit quietly in a corner of the Royal Library every day, reading with a fairy-like demeanor, providing visual refreshment for the visitors.

"But why does the princess keep coming to the library all of a sudden?"

"Who knows..."

"I heard she's supposed to have a very bad temper, but that doesn't seem to be the case."

"Right. She just quietly reads her books and leaves."

"Last time, someone accidentally bumped into her, and she handed them a handkerchief without a word."

"Really?"

The whispers of people were audible. They didn't know, but Baek Yuseul had a bit of an idea why Hong Bi Yeon kept coming there.

"She must be lonely."

He didn't know her well, but he figured there was probably no one to take her side in the Frost Palace.

Queen Hong Se Ryu must have socially isolated her on purpose.

How sorrowful and glad she must have felt to meet a familiar face in such circumstances. He thought there was probably no deeper meaning to it.

Baek Yuseul still remembered that night.

The library deep in the night with the lights off.

That girl, sitting under the moonlight streaming through the window, crying.

But as if it never happened, from the next day, Hong Bi Yeon showed the same cold and indifferent appearance as usual. She always had a cold expression and bluntly threw out her words...

Yet.

Something.

Something felt subtly different.

But no matter how much he tried to figure out what it was by staring at her with all his power, he couldn't tell. It seemed his abilities still had their limits.

"By the way, why does she dress up so much just to come to the library..."

Her attire always stood out.

She liked to wear the so-called 'princess dresses,' adorned with expensive and sparkling jewels.

Considering the ordinary formal attire of the common citizens, her attire was indeed extravagant, but it seemed others found her beauty outweighed it.

"Phew... I'm so tired today."

After finishing all the day's work, as the sun began to set, Hong Bi Yeon, who had been reading until then, finally got up. It was about time for Baek Yuseul to get off work.

As he was tidying up the now quiet library, Hong Bi Yeon suddenly spoke to him.

"Commoner."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"...Have you been working all this time since you got here?"

"Well, yeah, I guess so."

"That's pointless."

Thinking so spontaneously, Hong Bi Yeon suddenly spoke.

"Do you have somewhere to go after work?"

"Not really..."

"I'll show you around the castle. Let's go."

"No, I don't really..."

"People like you can never set foot in places like this in your life."

"Alright then..."

If Princess Hong Bi Yeon said so, what could a commoner do?

After finishing up the library completely, Baek Yuseul approached Hong Bi Yeon, who was waiting outside. She glanced at him and walked ahead without saying a word.

Baek Yuseul followed her, keeping a slight distance.

A cool breeze blew.

Stella must be suffering from the midsummer heat by now, but perhaps because of the 'Ice Incarnate' lying nearby, it was still chilly here.

It's pleasant in the summer but terribly cold in the winter, not an enviable climate.

Before he knew it, they had entered the area only accessible to the royal family and their attendants.

As they passed the bridge connecting the castles, looking down at the height of the palace, its majesty struck anew.

Whoosh...

The wind blew, making Hong Bi Yeon's silver hair flutter. Dozens of white birds soared into the sky.

Hong Bi Yeon, crossing through them, seemed like a painting, making her feel distant somehow.

At that moment, she turned back and asked me, "What do you think?"

She... wasn't a painting.

"Huh? What, what?"

"What are you daydreaming about? Isn't it beautiful?"

Only then did I properly look at the scenery.

Standing on a bridge that could be called the "Sky Bridge," I could fully appreciate the majesty of the palace towering like a spire. Built on a cliff, it looked precarious, but even that added to its thrilling charm.

In that beautiful palace stood Hong Bi Yeon.

She smiled gently, something uncharacteristic for her.

"A long time ago... I used to come here often with my sister. So, I wanted to show it to you too. This is a place you can never forget once you've seen it."

"...Yeah, I think so too."

The realistic beauty that couldn't even be compared to game CG. I stood there, mesmerized, absorbing the scenery of the Frost Palace.

She looked at Baek Yuseul.

Honestly... he was the face she missed the most after returning to palace life.

She never thought she would see him again, and it was such a shock when he suddenly appeared before her.

Baek Yuseul coming to find her made her so happy that she almost cried... no, she actually did shed tears. It was such a joyful and happy thing.

But that's it.

She had to accept her fate of leaving the palace.

She had decided to accept it.

Even though they didn't get to do much together during the short time, just seeing his face... and knowing he came to find her was already enough.

That was enough.

She didn't know how much time she had left, but if she could hold on to today's happiness for the rest of her life, she could find the strength to keep going.

"...Baek Yuseul."

Hong Bi Yeon called him.

She called his name...

Maybe for the first time.

"Now, go back."

"Huh?"

He looked confused.

"I'm leaving tomorrow. And I will never... return to Stella."

"So, if your purpose was to see my face... staying here any longer is meaningless."

Hong Bi Yeon spoke as if she had chosen this herself.

Maybe she didn't want to show weakness until the end. But Baek Yuseul had no intention of agreeing with her at all.

"I don't plan to do that."

"...What?"

"Wherever you're going, I know. It must be the coast of Levian. And, I also know what will happen to you after you leave."

"...I see. You know everything."

She didn't ask how he knew.

Hong Bi Yeon just smiled slightly and accepted it. Indeed, it might have been foolish to try and hide anything from Baek Yuseul. Was there anything he didn't know after living through countless cycles?

"And I think you're mistaken."

He stepped closer to Hong Bi Yeon, closing the distance.

"Do you think I came all the way here just to see your face because I had time to kill?"

"Huh, huh...?"

No? Is that not it?

She barely managed to hold back the sudden drop in her chest.

"I came to get you out of here."

His next words...

'Ah...'

This time, all the emotions she had been holding in collapsed.

"Wait..."

She tried to say something, but it caught in her throat and wouldn't come out properly.

'Do you know what that means?'

'No matter how skilled you are, it's impossible.'

'Don't say foolish things, you commoner.'

Countless sentences brushed past her lips, but in the end, the only word she managed to say was...

"Why?"

Why?

Why would he?

"I don't know."

Baek Yuseul responded with a mischievous smile. He didn't really know how to answer that question either.

"So, do you trust me?"

It was something Baek Yuseul always said as a joke. It was so playful and unserious that even if she wanted to believe him, she couldn't.

But there was a mysterious power in his words. It felt like anything he said would come true.

She thought it was impossible.

She thought she would live like this forever, accepting her fate with resignation.

It would be hard, but she would endure and persevere, no matter how sad and painful it was.

Because there was no hope.

Because the future was so bleak.

If she didn't, she wouldn't be able to endure.

But why could he so easily give her hope?

"...I trust you."

Hong Bi Yeon, as if entranced, responded without even understanding what she was doing.

But he shook his head immediately.

"No. Actually... you shouldn't trust me."

"What...?"

"With my power alone, I can't get you out of here."

"Then..."

"So, you have to save yourself. You might have to risk your life."

She couldn't understand Baek Yuseul's words at all. What kind of plan required risking her life?

"Do you still want to return to Stella?"

But she could easily answer that question.

If she didn't risk her life, she might live comfortably in the palace forever. But if she had to risk her life to return to Stella.

It was such an obvious choice.

"I want to return."

"Really?"

"...Really."

"Then, you have to be prepared."

Nod.

She bit her lip tightly and grasped her clothes, bowing her head.

Baek Yuseul looked at Hong Bi Yeon and burst into laughter again.

"Are you crying again?"

"...No."

"You look like you're crying."

"...I'm not."

"Okay, okay, why are you looking at me so fiercely..."

When Hong Bi Yeon raised her head again and spoke in a cold and threatening voice, Baek Yuseul flinched and took a step back. Honestly, she looked like a ghost filled with resentment, and it was a bit scary.

"...I'm going back now."

She walked towards the castle on the other side of the bridge without looking back.

Baek Yuseul didn't chase her, and Hong Bi Yeon didn't turn back.

There was no need to say goodbye, so that's why.

Anyway, today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow.

They would see each other again.