I opened my eyes, sat up in bed, and looked beside me.
But Lady Seohyang wasn't there.
Huh?
When had she gotten up? I hadn't sensed her moving at all.
Just then, the door opened and Lady Seohyang came in.
“You're awake.”
“When did you get up?”
“About half an hour ago. You were sleeping so soundly.”
“I was?”
The truth was that I didn't usually sleep very deeply.
That had become even more pronounced after I reached the Profound realm. I was always acutely aware of the Qi and sounds around me.
Here at the North Sea Ice Palace, though, I could sleep soundly without any of that troubling me.
Did that mean I felt that much at ease with the Qi in this place?
“You need to do your Breathing Meditation, don't you? I'll stand guard for you.”
“Thank you.”
Lady Seohyang and I took turns standing guard while the other performed Breathing Meditation.
When we came back from washing, breakfast had already been laid out in our room.
“Thank you.”
The disciple responded modestly to my thanks.
“It's nothing. Please enjoy your meal.”
She went on.
“We expect the preparations for the Ice Palace Wedding to take about two days. We hope you will forgive the delay.”
It would put our schedule back by that much, but there was nothing we could do about it.
“Of course.”
“Once you've both finished eating, some disciples will come to take your measurements.”
“Pardon? Our measurements?”
“We need to make your wedding clothes.”
They were even going to make clothes specifically for the wedding.
Everyone was taking this Ice Palace Wedding much more seriously than I had expected.
“But is it possible to make wedding clothes in just two days?”
“Certainly. You needn't worry.”
After we finished eating, a group of disciples came to my quarters.
They seemed to have made all the proper preparations. They put up a screen and took the measurements of both Lady Seohyang and me.
Beside them, a disciple who appeared to be a painter was drawing our likenesses.
“You're going to paint us as well?”
“Yes. An Ice Palace Wedding is an important event for our palace, but it is also a rare one. That makes keeping records important. This is how we preserve a record of it.”
She continued.
“That way, future generations won't find themselves at a loss.”
“I see. In that case, the North Sea Ice Palace's library must hold a great many records like these.”
“Indeed it does.”
She spoke with a look of pride.
“I doubt there is another library in the martial world with a collection as vast as ours. And the weather here is ideally suited to preserving those records.”
Now that I thought about it, that certainly made sense.
When it came to storing books, moisture and insects were the greatest headaches.
Once they had finished taking our measurements, we had some free time to ourselves.
I would have liked to stroll around the Ice Palace. But the disciples were hurrying about, busy with preparations for the Ice Palace Wedding, so taking a walk would be a little difficult.
I felt that I would only get in their way for no good reason.
Then Lady Seohyang spoke.
“I heard before that there's a memorial here for Snow Wind Palace.”
“Yes, there is.”
“Could we go there for a little while? Since I'm marrying the Young Palace Lord of Snow Wind Palace, I feel I should at least go and pay my respects.”
Ah…
I'd forgotten about that.
It would only be proper to announce our marriage there, but the thought hadn't occurred to me.
She already knew that I was the Young Palace Lord of Snow Wind Palace. I had felt it would be wrong not to tell her about the dangers I carried with me.
“Let's go right now.”
We told a disciple where we were going and left our quarters.
The memorial where the remains of the members of Snow Wind Palace who had died in battle were enshrined was on the western side of the Ice Palace.
I had been there a couple of times already, so it wasn't difficult to find the way.
Soon, the structure that had been fashioned in the likeness of Snow Wind Palace came into view.
After becoming Snow Wind Palace's Young Palace Lord, I had come here to pay my respects formally.
I remembered how I had spoken of my own resolve back then.
“This is the place.”
I approached it, clasped my fist in my palm, and bowed my head. Lady Seohyang stood beside me and bowed her head with the same salute.
“I'm back again. You're probably wondering who this lovely young lady beside me is, aren't you? She's the woman who will become my wife.”
“I'm Gwak Seohyang… no, Dong Ja-ryeong.”
She gave her true name.
“I still have many shortcomings, but please look kindly on me and watch over us in the days to come.”
I gave a small chuckle at that.
“She has no shortcomings at all. In fact, she's far too good for me. If you don't approve of this marriage, I won't marry anyone for the rest of my life, so you'd better think it over carefully.”
Lady Seohyang's eyes widened at my half-threatening words.
“Um, if you say something like that…”
“It's all right. Besides, it's how I truly feel.”
Having finished paying our respects, we turned to go back to our quarters.
Then Lady Seohyang spoke.
“That writing on the wall… what do you suppose it means?”
“Pardon? What writing do you mean?”
“Over there.”
Lady Seohyang headed off as she spoke, and I followed her.
We soon reached a corner of the Ice Palace's wall.
“Here. There's writing here.”
She pointed at the wall, but I couldn't see any writing at all.
“I can't see it. It seems you're the only one who can, Deputy Gwak.”
“Then it seems only my Ice Crystal Eyes can see it.”
“That seems likely. What does it say?”
“Let's see… To you who have chosen to walk a difficult path together with the Black Dragon, I offer this gift. And it's signed Snow Blossom Star Sovereign.”
Snow Blossom Star Sovereign?
If that epithet meant what it said, this must have been a being with tremendous power, someone who could command the snow blossoms.
Someone who could move the snow blossoms…
Then was this someone connected to Snow Wind Palace?
“But what does Black Dragon mean?”
“Ah, I suspect that's referring to me. My constitution is actually the Black Dragon Star Body. I nearly died because of it.”
I smiled awkwardly.
“I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I told you about Snow Wind Palace, but it didn't occur to me to explain my constitution, the Black Dragon Star Body.”
“No, it's all right. You said you nearly died because of it. Are you all right now?”
“Yes. I'm all right now.”
I briefly explained what I had gone through because of the Black Dragon Star Body.
“The truth is, I don't understand everything about it myself. And I'd like you to keep this a secret, too. My master told me to keep it secret.”
“Of course. But hearing you mention a Black Dragon reminds me of something.”
She went on.
“My mother said she dreamed of a Black Dragon before she had me. So it was a Black Dragon that appeared in the dream foretelling my birth. She never told me the details, though, so I don't know more than that.”
“I see. But the writing mentioned a gift. Is there nothing here?”
“Oh, wait a moment. There's something inside here.”
She slipped her hand right into the wall itself and soon drew something back out of it.
It was a long object wrapped in a white cloth.
Could it be?
I took it from her and removed the cloth.
A sword came into view.
A white sword.
I drew it from its sheath with a soft metallic whisper.
The gleaming blade was as transparent as if it had been made of ice.
A name was engraved on the blade.
[Snow Rainbow]
Just as its name suggested a rainbow in the snow, the blade showed a whole range of colors whenever it moved and caught the light.
“It's a fine sword.”
I could tell that this was the work of a master, a truly exceptional sword.
Then the Snow Rainbow Sword suddenly began to tremble, as though resonating with something.
I felt the Silver Mist Sword at my waist trembling as well.
The Silver Mist Sword was delighted to encounter Snow Rainbow, and the Snow Rainbow Sword was answering its greeting.
Then could it be…?
“These… I think my Silver Mist Sword and this Snow Rainbow Sword may be a pair. They're resonating with one another.”
Considering that the Silver Mist Sword was passed down to the Palace Lords of Snow Wind Palace, couldn't the Snow Rainbow Sword be a treasure passed down to the wives of the Palace Lords of Snow Wind Palace?
Then the person who had put it here… could only have been the Patriarch.
Someone capable of hiding it inside the Ice Palace's wall.
Someone capable of using a method like a formation to conceal it from everyone else's eyes.
Someone capable of knowing in advance that Lady Seohyang would possess the Ice Crystal Eyes.
When I considered all those things together, there was only one answer I could arrive at.
Then this was a wedding gift from the Patriarch.
He was answering us in this way on behalf of those who had already passed away and could no longer speak for themselves.
Congratulations on your marriage.
In that case, I should accept it with gratitude.
“Deputy Gwak, this belongs to you. Our forebears have given it to you as a wedding gift.”
“Is it really all right for me to have it?”
“Of course.”
I nodded.
“Isn't that why he arranged things so that only you could see it, Deputy Gwak?”
“I suppose it is.”
She took hold of the sword.
For a moment, her eyes lost their focus. Then she smiled and spoke.
“I've met a wonderful friend.”
.
.
.
We returned to our quarters.
Then we sent word that we would like to meet with the Palace Lord.
A little while later, the disciple guarding the Palace Lord's quarters came to see us.
“The Palace Lord has asked me to bring you to her.”
“All right. Let's go.”
We headed for the Palace Lord's quarters.
With something like this, the proper thing to do was tell her without delay.
The Snow Rainbow Sword might be a treasure of Snow Wind Palace, but we had found it in the Ice Palace.
“Welcome.”
The Palace Lord greeted us.
“What is it?”
“We visited the Snow Wind Palace memorial on the western side today. We thought we should tell them about our marriage.”
“You did well.”
“But while we were there, Deputy Gwak found this.”
I held the Snow Rainbow Sword out before the Palace Lord.
The Palace Lord tilted her head and reached out to touch the sword, but she found she couldn't take hold of it.
It was like trying to grasp mist.
Startled, the Palace Lord spoke.
“Could this be Snow Rainbow?”
“Do you know this sword?”
“I've never seen it in person, but I've read about it in our palace library. They say it is a sword that cannot be held by anyone who isn't a suitable owner.”
She continued.
“And it is also the sword of the wife of Snow Wind Palace's Lord.”
So the sword really had belonged to the Palace Lord's wife, just as I'd thought.
“I heard that it vanished a very long time ago. To think it was here in our palace! Could you explain what happened in detail?”
Lady Seohyang told her the whole story from beginning to end.
But…
If you weren't its owner, you couldn't hold the Snow Rainbow Sword; it was like mist. And if someone other than its owner took hold of the Silver Mist Sword, they went mad.
Didn't it seem as though their names had been switched?
After all, a rainbow could also carry the meaning of bewitching someone and driving them mad.
Perhaps she had noticed what I was thinking, because the Palace Lord spoke.
“Those two names, Silver Mist Sword and Snow Rainbow Sword, each carry the meaning that belongs to the other sword. They say they were named that way to signify that a husband and wife share their fate.”
“I see.”
“But the owner of the Silver Mist Sword can hold the Snow Rainbow Sword. And the owner of the Snow Rainbow Sword will not go mad even if she holds the Silver Mist Sword.”
So that was why I had been able to hold the Snow Rainbow Sword.
Lady Seohyang spoke.
“It really is a remarkable sword, though. To think it scatters like mist for anyone who isn't its owner. But if its owner is the Young Palace Lord's wife, I haven't yet…”
The Palace Lord gave a broad smile.
“A ceremony and such formalities aren't what matters. You love each other in your hearts, and so it already regards the two of you as husband and wife.”
“Ah…”
I cleared my throat. At those words, both Lady Seohyang's face and mine turned red.
The Palace Lord looked at us as though she found us endearing, then continued.
“Those two swords were made by a smith named Cheong Tae, who belonged to Snow Wind Palace a very long time ago.”
“Snow Wind Palace had a smith?”
“Of course. In those days, it supplied weapons to our palace as well.”
“I see.”
“In any case, that smith's skill was said to have reached the heavens themselves. As I understand it, the Silver Mist Sword and the Snow Rainbow Sword were the finest expression of his craft.”
“To think that such skill was lost in the disaster at Snow Wind Palace… It's a great shame.”
At my words, the Palace Lord tilted her head.
“Lost?”
“Pardon?”
“No. Only some of Smith Cheong Tae's descendants remained at Snow Wind Palace. The rest left Snow Wind Palace and settled in the empire.”
“…What?”
Then that meant his descendants were in the empire even now, didn't it?
“Do you happen to know where they are?”
“I'm afraid I don't know that.”
Then there was nothing I could do about it.
There was one more thing I needed to ask the Palace Lord.
“Do you know someone called the Snow Blossom Star Sovereign?”
The Palace Lord asked me a question in return, looking puzzled.
“Are you asking me that because you really don't know?”
“Yes.”
Of course I was asking because I didn't know. Why would I ask if I did?
It wasn't as though I would dare test you, Palace Lord.
I valued my life, too.
“Ah, yes. I suppose you might not know.”
The Palace Lord nodded, apparently having understood something.
“Snow Blossom Star Sovereign is the epithet of the one Snow Wind Palace venerates as its Patriarch.”
I had wondered who possessed such an impressive epithet. As it turned out, my guess had been right after all.
“Then this really is a wedding gift for Deputy Gwak.”
.
.
.
We returned to our quarters once more.
After hearing the Palace Lord's explanation, Lady Seohyang's eyes sparkled as she looked at the Snow Rainbow Sword.
“I'd like to get a proper feel for this sword.”
“I've been itching to move around myself. Would you like to have a sparring match?”
“I'd love to!”
We headed for the training grounds.
The Ice Palace had fairly spacious training grounds, so we could move around as much as we liked.
And best of all, I would feel less guilty if we gouged the floor or brought down a wall by accident.
The building materials were lying all around us, after all.
.
.
.
The two days promised for the preparations came to an end.
Lady Seohyang and I changed into our ceremonial clothes.
I had no idea what the red ceremonial garments were made from, but they were remarkably light and soft.
I had never seen silk like this before, silk that sparkled when it caught the light.
“What kind of silk is this?”
“Would you like to try guessing?”
Then perhaps I should give it some thought.
Just then, the door to my quarters opened. My eyes widened when I saw the people coming inside.
–TL Notes–
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