The Frost Flower Knight

Chapter 2

He was a beautiful man with brilliant blond hair and eyes as blue and vibrant as the sea. But contrary to his gentle and handsome appearance, he was ruthless when getting what he wanted and put on an act to hide his true intentions.

Yulia had fallen in love with that predator. She knew the only thing that would await her was death if she went to the banquet and fell for him again.

No, not happening. She couldn’t die by his hands again. If she saw him, it was possible that she would be seduced by his sweet words again. The man had quite the irresistible elegance, and there was danger hidden beneath his charm. Even if a woman knew this, it was impossible to stay away from him.

No. I will not get involved with him again. To ensure that wouldn’t happen, she had to miss the banquet. Besides, she didn’t want to go to any party looking the way she did.

She suddenly remembered something she had been told at a banquet some time ago in her previous life.

“You are the beautiful sword that will shine on forever as long as the empire breathes—and I wish to be with that sword until my last dying breath.”

She couldn’t understand why she had been so delighted to hear those words from him. They were obviously sugarcoated lies like the devil’s whisper.

Yulia’s expression continued to change in foul ways, causing Judy to become concerned.

“Something clearly isn’t right. I will fetch a healer for you, my lady.”

As Judy began to walk toward the door, Yulia grabbed her arm and said, “There’s no need.”

Then she took a moment to think calmly about this situation. In the here and now, she was alive—that was an undeniable fact. But time continued to pass according to history.

Maybe this is a chance for me. It was a chance for her to avoid a cruel death.

Yulia stared at Judy blankly. The maid gulped, anxious due to her gaze.

“My lady?”

“Judy, I need to have a word with you. Everyone, please excuse us.”

The maids tilted their heads perplexedly, but as Yulia gestured for them to leave, they all bowed courteously and left, closing the door behind them.

“What do… you wish to talk to me about?” Judy asked, nervously glancing at Yulia.

What Yulia said next made her jaw drop.

“Judy. I will not be attending the birthday celebrations.”

“I’m sorry? What do you mean…?”

“I mean exactly what I said. I’m not going,” Yulia replied curtly.

“What will you do if you don’t go to the banquet?”

“I’ll leave.”

“I’m sorry? I didn’t hear you properly.”

“I will be leaving,” Yulia said slowly, enunciating clearly.

To nobody’s surprise, Judy jumped.

“What are you saying? Leaving to do what, my lady?”

“To train, of course.”

“Train?”

“Yes.”

Judy gaped at her master. She knew she had to dissuade her from this out-of-the-blue nonsense.

“What is this about training all of a sudden? And you know what an important day today is. If His Grace finds out, all hell will break loose!”

“I know it will. I know he’s probably going to try and drag me to the banquet,” Yulia said matter-of-factly.

“So how can you say you will leave, knowing all that?”

Yulia sighed and said, “Judy, look at me. Look at my face. Do you really think the people at the banquet will welcome me with open arms if I go there with this face? No. Most likely, they will just give me disgusted looks in my direction.”

“Who would dare?! Just who?!” Judy shouted angrily.

“Judy, be realistic.”

Judy couldn’t say anything to that because she knew Yulia was right. No one would openly point fingers at her and mock her, but it was obvious that everyone would be whispering things behind her back. This was the reason Yulia almost never attended public events.

“Judy. I will escape this curse no matter what. To do that, I have to leave this place for training.”

“Will that be enough to break the curse? I thought that was all just a myth.”

Judy was fully aware of the curse that plagued the Rosenthals. And it was not only her—anyone who had spent significant time working for them knew about it. But in the end, it was just a story passed down through generations as a myth.

“It’s not a myth. It’s the truth. If one masters Frozen, the body will change.”

“But, my lady, nobody has ever achieved that,” Judy said.

All the descendants of the founder of the house had been highly accomplished and skilled, but none had physically changed back to normal.

“Not even His Grace, a swordmaster, could accomplish it. But you’re saying it’s possible?”

The members of House Rosenthal believed that Yulia’s father, the duke, had mastered the technique because he showed strength and skill so great that they rivaled those of masters. However, Yulia knew that wasn’t the truth.

“Judy, Father has not reached that level of mastery yet,” she said candidly.

“I’m sorry? What do you mean…?”

“Do you remember the last time I sparred with him?”

Judy nodded. How could she forget? After an intense bout of clashing swords, the two had abruptly stopped their match in a tense mood.

“I had already surpassed him at that time. That’s why we stopped sparring,” Yulia remarked.

Judy’s eyes widened in astonishment. It made sense because the duke, who had always frequently sparred with Yulia, had suddenly stopped practicing with her. Yulia was named as a knight of the House of Rosenthal immediately afterward.

“I-is there really a way?” Judy asked hesitantly.

“Yes… So help me, please,” Yulia said as she grabbed Judy’s hands tightly.

“My lady… You aren’t lying, right? There really is a way?”

“Yes, there is.”

Then, Judy answered determinedly, “Okay, my lady. I will believe you.”

Yulia hugged her maid and said, “Thank you, Judy.”

“I will tell His Grace, so you don’t have to worry about that. Please do what you need to do.”

“Thank you, really. You are the best.”

“I really hope that you will be freed from the curse,” Judy said with all her sincerity, smiling warmly.

She really wished for her mistress to find happiness. She wanted to help her get to that point, whatever it took.

“Please get ready and go. Now is your only chance,” she said.

“All right.”

Yulia went to the wardrobe, took out a knapsack, and packed all the essentials. She changed out of her pajamas and into a shirt and pants. Then she walked over to the table, wrote a short letter, and put it in Judy’s hands.

“Make sure Father gets this.”

“Of course, my lady.”

Looking determined, Yulia put her hands on Judy’s shoulders and said, “I will achieve my goal. I promise.”

“I will pray for you. I know you will do it.”

“You better not act like you don’t know me when you see me with a different face, okay?” Yulia joked, smiling.

“Don’t worry. Of course, I won’t.”

Yulia slung her bag over her shoulders and opened the window. She took a moment to take in the full view of their estate, then bid farewell to Judy and climbed down a tree. Judy ran to the window and waved goodbye at her mistress. As Yulia disappeared from view, the maid immediately went to see the duke, clutching the letter in her hand.

***

Duke Rosenthal had finished getting ready for the banquet and was waiting for Yulia when Judy came to him instead with a letter.

“What is this?” he asked.

“Lady Yulia left it for you, Your Grace.”

The duke furrowed his brows and opened the letter. Its contents were concise.

—To my dear father.

I am truly sorry. I don’t think I can go to His Highness the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet. I will leave for training and come back free from the curse. Until then, please be happy and well.

- Your daughter, Yulia

The duke’s violet irises flickered coldly.

“She wrote this letter and left?” he asked.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“And what do you think you were doing, not stopping her?”

Judy’s face became glum. “My apologies, Your Grace. I was unable to convince her to stay. But you know as well as I do what Lady Yulia is capable of…”

The duke clutched the letter in his hands, clearing his throat.

Did you really want to avoid going to the banquet this much…?

It wasn’t like he didn’t understand why Yulia didn’t want to attend. After all, he had been the same way in his younger days.

“She knows what day it is today, yes? You have been by her side since she was a little child. So I’m sure you were also not quite convinced about her going to the banquet.”

Judy couldn’t say anything to this. Of course, she was well aware of the special occasion. All subjects of the empire had a duty to attend. Besides, the crown prince was on a direct path to becoming the emperor. It was Yulia’s duty to pledge her allegiance to him and remain loyal.

Despite all that, the duke still held some understanding for her because he knew how much hurt she would experience at such events because of her looks. Sometimes, the gossipy whispers were a greater source of pain than being openly insulted.

“If she even left a letter, she must have had conviction in her decision,” the duke said.

Ever since she was little, Yulia had never thoughtlessly caused trouble. There was always a reason behind whatever she did. The only times she ever did unconventional things were, for example, when she came to an important realization or when someone precious to her was in peril. If she was abandoning such an important event to go training, that could only mean she was confident she could undo the curse.

The duke sighed softly and said, “Judy. Yulia got hurt while training.”

“Pardon, Your Grace?” Judy asked, confused.

The duke looked at her with a grim expression and said, “I mean that no one must ever find out that she has left to go training.”

Judy nodded, realizing what he meant. “Y-yes, sir. I understand, Your Grace.”

“You may leave now.”

Once Judy left, Duke Rosenthal went to get on the carriage to travel to the imperial palace without his daughter.

***

The crown prince’s birthday banquet was held at the lavish grand banquet hall of the imperial palace. Nobles from various parts gathered to celebrate his birthday, bringing many gifts along with words of flattery. This was because he was next in line to be the emperor, and they had to get on his good side if they hoped to prosper with riches and glory under his rule. In addition, the seat of the crown princess was still vacant. Many of these nobles hoped that one of their daughters would be seated there. But to the prince, none of them was good enough.

“Duke, it is a shame your daughter, Yulia, has not accompanied you here today.”

He was curious about Yulia, the daughter of Duke Rosenthal. Based on the rumors he had heard, she was quite unsightly, which presumably was why she almost never showed up at public functions. As such, he never had a chance to see her. He had been secretly looking forward to today, having heard she would be attending, but he was sorely disappointed by her absence.

The duke expressed regret, bowing. “My most sincere apologies, Your Highness. Unfortunately, it just so happens that she got injured during her sword training…”

“Oh, dear… Has she been hurt badly?”

“Thankfully, she is fine, but it is difficult for her to move around with ease.”

“That is quite unfortunate. I must wait until her knighting ceremony to see her, then. My, how difficult it is to see her…”

“She is expected to make a full recovery by then, so please do not worry.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Yulia would soon be eighteen. On her eighteenth birthday, she was to go to the imperial palace and formally receive her knighthood. Duke Rosenthal had also gone to the palace on his eighteenth birthday and swore loyalty to the emperor as he was knighted. Yulia would also walk the same path.

She was his only child. Her mother and his late wife, Margarinne, passed away from an illness when Yulia was only eight. Ever since then, Yulia had been his only focus in life, as he never remarried.

He taught her swordsmanship along with everything she needed to know as a Rosenthal. At the tender age of fifteen, she had already begun training to become the successor to the duchy—that was how tremendous and incredible her talents were.