“Let's go up together!”
Seo Nak knew how strange these words would sound.
But now that he had seen the letter in Geom Mugeuk's robes, he couldn't just let him deliver it to the Ice Palace Master.
At his words, Geom Mugeuk, who was about to head up to the Palace Master’s Hall, stopped in his tracks.
“Didn't you just say you were on your way down from seeing the Palace Master?”
“I did. But didn't you express regret just a moment ago? That we couldn't see the Palace Master together.”
“I was just saying that out of courtesy.”
As Seo Nak’s smile grew more awkward, Geom Mugeuk made a light gesture with his hand, pretending it was a joke.
“Come, let's go up together.”
As Seo Nak followed Geom Mugeuk up the stairs, the habitual smile vanished from his face.
If that letter is about the Incense Snow Ice Wine, I must prevent it from reaching the Palace Master's hands.
Why?
Because I received the Incense Snow Ice Wine from the brewer.
I flatly denied receiving it in front of Geom Mugeuk and Han Seol.
If only Geom Mugeuk had been there, I could have claimed the Demon Sect was framing me, but Han Seol was there too.
If I, who is respected by all, go back on my word? It would look suspicious to anyone.
'Did he prepare that letter in advance? Or did he receive it by dispatch? Was there enough time for that? Could it be a different letter, and I'm overreacting?'
All sorts of thoughts tangled in Seo Nak’s mind.
When he first came to see him and brought up the wine, he had thought it was just a trick to test him.
'He really had a letter? And if the Palace Master sees that letter?'
How should I react? If the handwriting is examined, it will be revealed to be the brewer's.
Should I still insist it's a forgery? There is an advantage to the opponent being from the Demon Sect.
They would believe such a perfect forgery is entirely possible.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
At the entrance to the Palace Master’s Hall, Geom Mugeuk had turned to look at him.
What am I thinking? The thought of smacking you on the back of the head, taking that letter, and burning it.
Seo Nak smiled and said, “It's nothing. Let's go in.”
Geom Mugeuk and Seo Nak entered the Palace Master’s Hall.
As Seo Nak, who had just left after saying his greetings, returned, the Ice Palace Master gave him a curious look.
“Ah, I met the Young Cult Master at the entrance and came up with him.”
“I see.”
If they met at the entrance, isn't it normal to greet each other and go their separate ways?
Though the thought crossed her mind, she didn't say it out loud.
Rather, she was curious.
It seemed Geom Mugeuk had used some trick to make Elder Seo follow him.
'Young Cult Master, what trick did you use?'
Geom Mugeuk began to warm up, preparing to deliver the decisive blow.
He started with a pleasant anecdote to set a good mood.
“Did you know? I told the Palace Master that I found Elder Seo suspicious.”
Despite this, Seo Nak wore a relaxed smile that only an innocent person could show.
“And then the Palace Master told me. That Elder Seo is absolutely not that kind of person. She firmly rebuked me.”
Seo Nak smiled brightly and expressed his gratitude to the Ice Palace Master.
“Thank you for believing in me.”
“You are the only one I truly trust.”
He had indeed lived his life that way until now.
All the martial artists of the Northern Sea Ice Palace acknowledged it.
And now, Geom Mugeuk was beginning to saw at that ancient, sturdy tree.
“I will say it again here, Elder Seo is the person I trust the most. He is a man who has lived his entire life solely for the Ice Palace.”
At that, Geom Mugeuk asked Seo Nak, “Does Elder Seo also cherish the Palace Master?”
“Of course. I cherish the Palace Master and the Ice Palace more than my own self.”
Geom Mugeuk stared at him intently and asked, “Then why did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Why did you kill the brewer of the Hundred Wines Snow Courtyard?”
Now, Geom Mugeuk had taken another step forward, pointing to Seo Nak as the killer.
The atmosphere, which had started with smiles, instantly turned cold.
“What is the reason for insulting me like this?”
Both the accuser and the one deflecting were resolute.
In that moment, the Ice Palace Master felt a slight sense of dissonance.
She had known Seo Nak for a very long time.
Though he usually wore a cheerful smile, he was by no means an easygoing person.
He was especially sensitive when it came to his reputation.
If the accusation of killing the brewer was a false frame-up, the Seo Nak she knew would have been a little angrier.
No matter if his opponent was the Young Cult Master of the Demon Sect.
But right now, he seemed somewhat withdrawn.
Crucially, one phrase was missing.
—Then present your evidence.
That was a phrase Seo Nak could never say.
If he did, Geom Mugeuk would pull out the letter from his robes and say, 'Isn't the evidence right here?'
Unaware of these inner workings, the Ice Palace Master felt a strange dissonance.
It was strange from the start that he had followed Geom Mugeuk back up.
'Is Elder Seo being swayed by someone this young?'
It was a truly surprising and new experience.
Then again, she was in no position to talk.
She herself had spent a sleepless night after he told her to live while looking behind her.
The words themselves weren't that special, but the phrase that Han Seol was still standing behind her kept replaying in her mind, keeping her from sleep.
If that were true, she would have to look back before it was too late.
Not just glance back once as Geom Mugeuk said, but to look back, and look back again.
She had to keep looking back.
But she hadn't even been able to call her daughter separately yet.
Geom Mugeuk, who was confronting Seo Nak, turned towards the Ice Palace Master.
“Oh, I came to see you today…”
At the same time, Geom Mugeuk's hand moved toward his robes where the letter was.
Just then, Seo Nak quickly cut in and changed the subject.
“Young Cult Master, you said you spoke to the Palace Master about Seol, didn't you?”
In that moment, the Ice Palace Master noted two things.
First, Seo Nak was not one to interrupt while someone else was speaking.
Even if he had something to rebut, he was a person who would speak calmly after the other person finished.
Second, the topic he interrupted with was about Seol?
Dissonance piled on top of dissonance.
Did Seo Nak even want to bring that up? It was something he blurted out instinctively when Geom Mugeuk suddenly tried to pull out the letter.
He knew better than anyone that this was unlike him, but right now, he had to get through this moment somehow.
'Would it be a better choice to just let him deliver the letter and insist it’s a forgery?'
During a brief moment of silence, the Ice Palace Master saw it.
A smile forming on Geom Mugeuk's face as he looked at her.
His eyes seemed to say, Watch closely, and see what kind of person your Elder Seo is.
Geom Mugeuk turned towards Seo Nak.
The hand that was about to pull out the letter naturally came back down.
“I mainly told her that mother and daughter should get along well. The Young Palace Master is more delicate than she appears.”
“The Young Palace Master is delicate? I thought she had a strong personality, rare among the younger generation.”
“It seems our Elder Seo knows less about the Young Palace Master than I, who has only seen her for a few days. That's what happens when you don't look at people properly and just see them superficially. Preconceptions build up, making you understand the other person even less.”
“That's your arrogance speaking!”
Every single word was infuriating, but Seo Nak had to keep talking, no matter what, to prevent that letter from coming out.
If he could just make him forget to deliver the letter and leave this place, he might get a chance to somehow steal it.
Of course, even at this moment, the dissonance the Ice Palace Master felt towards Seo Nak was growing larger.
And another thought came to her.
The Ice Palace Master thought that what Geom Mugeuk had said just a moment ago might apply to her as well.
Because she hadn't looked at Seo Nak properly, she was in a state where only preconceptions had piled up.
Could this dissonance be the residue created by those preconceptions?
How could she deny that she too had carried the burden of being the Ice Palace Master and had run forward her whole life, looking only ahead?
The stone Geom Mugeuk had thrown had hit Seo Nak, creating continuous ripples, and those ripples were now reaching her.
“You said you were going to the Northern Blood Sect?”
“That's right.”
“You should go. It would be rude to them if you are too late.”
Geom Mugeuk looked at him and smiled meaningfully.
“I will.”
Geom Mugeuk bowed to the Ice Palace Master.
“I will see you next time.”
Seo Nak was relieved.
Even if the letter was delivered, he would prepare for it somehow, but it was best if it wasn't delivered at all.
'He's going to the Northern Blood Sect? How should I get that letter out?'
Just as he was feeling relieved, Geom Mugeuk turned back towards the Ice Palace Master and spoke quickly.
“This is a surprise gift! I came today to give you this.”
Only then did Seo Nak realize.
He had been toying with him, pretending to give it or not.
He had played with him until the very end, pretending to have forgotten.
That damn bastard! Did you think I would meekly admit it just because you gave it to her?
The Ice Palace Master took the letter Geom Mugeuk handed her and read it.
After checking the contents, she wore a startled expression.
From that expression, Seo Nak was certain it was that letter.
Only that content could startle her, a woman who rarely showed emotion.
“That letter is a forgery.”
Seo Nak said in a low voice.
“The last time he was here, the Young Cult Master threatened me with that forged letter. But I'll say it clearly, I never received any Incense Snow Ice Wine.”
His tone was calm and composed.
Now that he had said it to the Palace Master, there was no turning back.
The wine was now something he had never received, forever.
Then, the Ice Palace Master asked with a bewildered expression.
“What are you talking about? Incense Snow Ice Wine?”
In that instant, Seo Nak’s heart sank.
'It wasn't that letter!'
The real mockery was this.
It was something he could have just let be, but he had brought up the Incense Snow Ice Wine with his own mouth.
“May I see that letter?”
The Ice Palace Master handed him the letter.
On it were written the names of several dishes and nearby taverns and restaurants.
He now understood why the Ice Palace Master had been so surprised.
At the very bottom of the letter, it was written, ‘These are the dishes your daughter likes.
Please have a lovely time with her.’
“My subordinate, Lee Ahn, has been eating and sleeping with the Young Palace Master lately, so she found out. The inns and restaurants listed below are the best places around here for those dishes. I found them out myself. So you can have a meal with your daughter in a different atmosphere.”
For the first time, Seo Nak's expression crumbled.
It was not a smile, nor a hardened expression, but a new one altogether.
That emotion was fury.
He tried to smile, but he couldn't.
His anger was not just directed at Geom Mugeuk.
It was anger and disappointment at himself for being played by such a cheap trick.
He had clearly thought it might not be the real letter, yet he had been swept up in the strange atmosphere and became convinced that it was.
But he did not know.
Today's mistake was not just because of a single moment of misjudgment.
It was something that happened because his own sense of order had already begun to crumble under Geom Mugeuk's influence.
Still, the walls that Seo Nak had built over a long time were thick.
He composed himself, smiling as if it were no big deal.
“I overreacted, thinking the Young Cult Master was exceptionally skilled in stratagems. I hope the Palace Master understands. The Young Cult Master has been slandering me with the misunderstanding I just mentioned.”
The Ice Palace Master nodded as if she understood everything.
“No matter what evidence the Young Cult Master brings, I believe you, Elder.”
“Thank you, Palace Master.”
This time, Seo Nak glared at Geom Mugeuk. I lost this time. The words 'I really lost' came out on their own.
“Young Cult Master, I don't know what you're scheming, but you will not be able to break the trust between the Palace Master and me.”
After saying that, Seo Nak politely bid farewell to the Ice Palace Master and left the place.
He should have never come up in the first place.
But that detestable brat had been waiting at the entrance to hook him, so he had been caught completely.
Once they were alone, the Ice Palace Master asked Geom Mugeuk, “What is the reason for provoking him to this extent? Are you trying to show me what his true self is like?”
If so, she thought he was using a very dangerous and extreme method.
But Geom Mugeuk gave an unexpected answer.
“No.”
“No?”
“It's true that I'm trying to reveal his true self, but it's not to show it to you, Palace Master.”
“Then who are you trying to show it to?”
Instead of answering, Geom Mugeuk bid her farewell and left.
“Please be sure to visit the places written there. They are truly the dishes your daughter likes.”
Geom Mugeuk descended from the Palace Master’s Hall.
As he was leaving the entrance, Lee Ahn came running urgently from ahead.
Just by looking at her expression, he could tell the situation was serious.
“Where?”
“The Hundred Wines Snow Courtyard!”
He didn't ask what happened.
If something had already occurred, it was best to get there as quickly as possible.
He sprinted towards the place using Swift Step.
In an instant, he arrived at the Hundred Wines Snow Courtyard.
There was a reason why Lee Ahn had to come get him so urgently.
The place was a sea of blood.
Among the many corpses scattered around, one person stood.
The martial artists of the Ice Palace had surrounded him in layers, their swords pointed at him.
The person standing alone, covered in blood, was the Drunken Demon.