He believed that Sang-je, the representative of God and a being close to the divine, should have been able to cure Anika’s illness. He thought Sang-je had abandoned his mother’s life. If the Kingdom of Flake hadn’t been invaded by larks, Myung King probably wouldn’t have joined the expeditionary force till the end.
Eugene now discovered the hidden truth that didn’t appear in her novel. It wasn’t that Sang-je had turned their backs on the sick Anika Liza; they simply didn’t know how to cure her.
“Kasser, please send another letter to Myung King. I want to tell him about a possible treatment method. If he sees the effectiveness of that method, he will trust my words more when we meet.”
***
Two days later, close to midnight, Myung King arrived in the Holy City. Myung King instructed dozens of baggage carriages and warriors to wait outside the Holy City, while he passed through the gates with only one carriage and fewer than ten companions.
Given the late hour and the news that Myung King was coming with a threatening force, the knights guarding the gates were on edge. However, when Myung King entered the Holy City without any troublesome incidents, the knights felt relieved.
“It’s too early to let our guard down. We can’t be sure if those warriors will spend the night peacefully as they are.”
“That’s right. Let’s wait until dawn and after Myung King proclaims his allegiance to Sang-je, then Sang-je will give us further instructions.”
The knights paid more attention to the warriors outside the Holy City, who had set up camp and gathered, rather than Myung King, who had entered the Holy City. The knights possessed special abilities thanks to the powers bestowed upon them by Sang-je, but in terms of sheer strength, they were no match for the battle-hardened warriors who had fought against larks one-on-one.
As Myung King entered the royal residence, he first attended to his mother.
“Mother, you must be exhausted from traveling late into the night. Please go in and rest.”
“What exhaustion could I have? It was you who suffered, traveling such a long journey with your ailing mother.”
“Suffering? I have no complaints as long as you recover, Mother.”
Liza smiled warmly and took her son’s hand, patting the back of his hand gently. Myung King watched her until he couldn’t see her back as she entered the mansion. Over the years, as the progression of her illness accelerated, it pained him deeply every time he saw his aged mother.
A steward approached quietly by the side of the king.
“The guests?”
“They are inside.”
Myung King nodded his head. The scheduled time of arrival in the Holy City was unclear, so he couldn’t arrange a precise meeting time with the royal couple. Therefore, he had instructed the steward of the mansion to sincerely receive and entertain the guests if they arrived before him.
Myung King went to the reception room where the guests were waiting. As he opened the door and entered, the man and woman who had been sitting on the sofa, engaged in conversation, stood up upon seeing Myung King.
The man had blue hair, while the woman had black hair. Even without an introduction, it was evident who they were.
Approaching the two individuals, Myung King first greeted Kasser.
“I failed to show proper etiquette by making you wait instead of receiving you. I ask for your understanding, Fourth King.”
“The one who requested a meeting at this late hour is us. We appreciate your kind acceptance of our unreasonable request, Myung King.”
Eugene subtly glanced at Myung King, observing his appearance. He was the fourth king she had met so far, and each one had a distinct impression, perhaps due to their different hair colors. Their personalities were also completely different.
Myung King had silver hair. The shiny silver-white hair was completely different from pure white hair, and his eyes were a pale gray. His appearance perfectly suited the image of the Ice Kingdom.
Looking at Eugene, Myung King spoke.
“I didn’t expect to see you again in a situation like this, Anika Jin.”
‘Again?’
Eugene was taken aback. She had no recollection of Myung King whatsoever. Reading Eugene’s expression, Myung King smiled faintly and spoke.
“It seems you don’t remember.”
“Ah… I apologize.”
“It was about a year before your coming-of-age birthday. I didn’t know you would marry a king.”
Kasser shot a disapproving look at Myung King, who said with a nuance, “If I had known you would, I would have proposed.” This guy, that guy. He felt extremely uncomfortable with these men who kept eyeing other men’s wives. He silently vowed to leave this damn Holy City as soon as possible.
Myung King’s name appeared on Kasser’s list of guarded subjects. Before escalating from a guarded level to a dangerous level, Myung King got to the point. His expression became serious at once.
“Anika Jin, do you really know the cure for that disease?”
“Did you follow the advice I provided in my letter?”
Myung King nodded his head.
“For the past two days, my mother hasn’t been drinking any linden tea at all. And when she sleeps, the temperature in the bedroom is lower than usual. It’s only been two days, but my mother said she feels the effects. The intense cold that used to make her shiver has noticeably decreased. She has never felt that much relief from any medication before. But… I don’t understand. The method you provided seems like it would worsen my mother’s condition, but why is she improving?”
“That disease is not actually a disease where blood freezes, as the name suggests. It’s caused by excessive internal heat in the body.”