Episode 14
Out of the blue, Ga-eun felt like she had been hit in the back of the head by a random apology.
Yerin, who quietly lifted her head, met Ga-eun’s shaky gaze.
“I never expected Soldier to feel like he was being treated like a fool… not at all.”
“Oh, no. Just a moment…”
“I just… since I’m married to the lord, I thought I should think of the Northern Ice Palace as my hometown.”
With that, Yerin’s voice began to tremble with pity.
“I only studied a little in advance about the Northern Fortress and the Northern Ice Palace…”
“Ga-eun?”
“But the fact that Soldier misunderstood must be because I did something that would inevitably lead to a misunderstanding.”
At the same time, Yerin’s eyes became moist.
You’re not the only one who can cry, you know?
I won’t cry first.
‘There’s a saying that the one who sheds tears first wins, but that’s only when there’s a reason for those tears.’
Unfortunately, Ga-eun lacked that reason.
“I never even dreamed that Soldier would be so upset, I’m really sorry.”
But Yerin didn’t openly shed tears.
Instead, she just wiped away the tears and bit her lip tightly, putting on a great act of holding back the tears.
And that act had a great effect…
“Ga-eun Soldier.”
It provoked Doulyul’s anger.
‘Well, I deliberately acted angry, so it’s natural.’
Yerin stuck out her tongue in her mind.
“Lo… Lady of the Palace?”
The stern voice of Doulyul made Ga-eun freeze in place.
“No way, I want to believe that I’m just mistaken.”
Doulyul stared at Ga-eun with a piercing gaze.
“Could it be that you’re showing disrespect to the Lady of the Northern Ice Palace?”
And Yerin secretly cheered.
That’s right!
She really showed a lot of disrespect to me!
So, she better quickly get a grip on the rules of the Ice Palace as the Lady!
Meanwhile, Ga-eun jumped up as if her tail was on fire, like a startled cat.
“W-what?!”
“Really? You didn’t show disrespect to the Lady?”
“Of course not! As the Lady knows, I am not such an insolent person!”
Ga-eun appealed with a heart-wrenching sense of injustice.
Even Yerin, the actual victim of Ga-eun’s actions, was momentarily taken in by her acting skills.
Watching Ga-eun quietly, Doulyul’s eyes suddenly narrowed.
“But then why is the Lady still not properly dressed?”
“….What?”
At the piercing question, Ga-eun stiffened.
Doulyul asked again in a cold voice.
As Ga-eun knows, the Lady has traveled a long way from Sacheon Castle to the Northern Fortress.”
“W-well, that’s…”
“After soaking in warm water, she should be allowed to rest.”
The stern reprimand poured down on Ga-eun like a shower of ice.
“Why is the Lady still wearing dusty clothes?!”
Oops.
Ga-eun ruthlessly chewed on the soft flesh inside her mouth.
‘I messed up.’
Up to now, Ga-eun had been thinking of nothing but how to first kill Yerin’s spirit.
She hadn’t considered at all how Yerin would look in Doulyul’s eyes.
“In my eyes, it seems like you’ve been keeping the Lady under control under the pretext of educating her about the Northern Ice Palace,” Doulyul said coldly.
“Am I wrong in my assumption?”
Ga-eun asked, her lips drawn tight until they bled.
And rightly so, Doulyul’s words were absolutely correct.
But Doulyul’s words weren’t over yet.
“Furthermore, by what right does a lowly soldier like you presume to teach the Lady?”
“Y-Your Highness.”
“If the Lady needs education, it would be appropriate to go through the proper channels to hire a teacher.”
Doulyul tilted his head sharply.
“Since when did a lowly soldier like you have the audacity to act so arrogantly towards the mistress of the Northern Ice Palace?”
“I, I…!”
Ga-eun bit her lip several times.
But she couldn’t think of a suitable excuse.
“After all, isn’t Ga-eun just the daughter of a village headman and the niece of a district official?”
“Y-Your Highness?”
“Someone who has no clear connection to the Northern Ice Palace dares not even show the minimum respect to the Lady.”
Doulyul shot a fierce look at Ga-eun.
“Does Ga-eun find the Northern Ice Palace amusing?”
For a moment, Ga-eun felt her vision darken.
Doulyul was clearly drawing a line between them, saying “You and I are not the same.”
But Doulyul took it a step further.
“First, apologize to the Lady.”
As soon as he said that, sparks flew from Ga-eun’s eyes.
Even if it’s like that, apologize to that nasty woman’s concubine?!
As Doulyul looked at Ga-eun, he twisted the corner of his lips.
“Ga-eun, you’re really stubborn.”
“….What?”
If it were me, I’d apologize right away, even if I didn’t want to make the problem worse.
With those words, Doulyul turned to Yerin with an indifferent gaze.
“What do you think if the Lady officially raises the issue with the head of the household?”
At that question, Ga-eun’s face turned pale.
The head of the household.
Ga-eun, of course, belonged to the Jisukmyeong family, the current head of the household.
It was a prestigious family with considerable influence in the Northern Ice Palace.
‘Oh, if this gets to Father…’
Just imagining Father raging in anger, her spine chilled involuntarily.
On top of the recent failed attempt to reconcile Doulyul and Ga-eun, his mood has been consistently low…
‘That won’t do.’
In the end, Ga-eun bowed her head with a grimace.
“Sorry…”
But Doulyul had no intention of letting this go just with a bow of the head.
“Is that your idea of a proper apology?”
“Y-Your Highness?”
“Did you think you could show such disrespect to the Lady and get away with just bowing your head?”
At the stern reprimand, Ga-eun’s lips trembled.
‘No, does the Lady really consider that concubine as the Lady of the Northern Ice Palace?’
After all, Doulyul himself had not approved of this shameful scheme.
By giving some leniency to the beneficiary of this scheme, was there really a need for the Lady to be so angry?
Doulyul raised his voice again.
“Not one thing? Without kneeling before the Lady right away…!”
“Your Highness.”
At that moment, a calm voice called out to Doulyul.
It was Yerin.
“That’s enough.”
“But…”
It’s okay, Ga-eun soldier also apologized to me, didn’t she?
Yerin gave a cold smile.
I don’t want to cause trouble from the first day at the Northern Ice Palace.
No, the trouble is not the Lady’s fault, it’s Ga-eun soldier’s mistake.
But everyone else… they might think the trouble was because of me.
Yerin looked at Doulyul with a pitiful gaze as she spoke.
I don’t want to create such a misunderstanding.
Lady.
Above all, Ga-eun soldier is the niece of the current head of the household, and I know she has a long-standing friendship with the Lady.
Yerin subtly dropped her words as if trying to dissuade Doulyul.
I don’t want to cause a rift between you two because of me…
Suddenly, Doulyul’s face wrinkled.
Wait a minute.
Yes?
How do you know that Ga-eun soldier and I have a long-standing friendship?
At that question, Yerin tightly pressed her lips with a guilty expression.
That’s…
No, I think you probably know without asking.
Doulyul spat out his words after pondering.
Then he threw a sharp glance at Ga-eun.
Ga-eun soldier.
Ga-eun stiffened her body as if she had been slapped.
The Lady’s face is so cold… I’ve never seen her like this before.
No wonder, Doulyul was always a gentle ruler to the people of the Northern Ice Palace.
In a low voice, Doulyul asked a question.
Are you pressuring the Lady by flaunting our friendship?
No, it’s not…!
In a rush to make an excuse, Ga-eun quickly opened her mouth.
But then.
Lady!
Yerin raised her voice, grabbing Doulyul’s arm.
“Stop it now, Ga-eun soldier has already reflected a lot.”
“….”
Doulyul lowered his gaze and stared at Yerin’s small hand holding onto his sleeve.
The thin hand that trembled as it exerted force was shaking slightly.
“…Of course, I’m really happy that you’re doing this for me.”
Saying that, Yerin deliberately avoided Ga-eun’s gaze.
It was a bonus that she could shrink her body in embarrassment.
“No, that’s not it!”
Ga-eun’s gaze became fierce.
Doesn’t it look like she’s trying to stop Doulyul, unable to overcome Ga-eun’s glare?
Yerin lowered her head slightly and spoke in a gloomy voice.
“I just want to get along well with the people of the Northern Ice Palace.”
“….”
