Chapter 32: The Frost Kingdom’s Intrigue

In the icy capital of the Frost Kingdom, within the palace of Icebound City, Princess Snow summoned an elderly woman in a long robe. “Maggie.” She called out after smashing the enchanted mirror. Then, Snow Princess walked toward the stairs leading to the basement, with the old woman following closely behind.

The basement door was bound by heavy chains, and the black obsidian statues, armed with weapons, guarded this entrance. This was a prison cell, guarded by magical constructs crafted by sorcerers. These constructs were loyal only to their creators, immune to the allure of witches.

In the cell, imprisoned, was the wild witch Samira.

Just days ago, the Frost King, Snow Princess’s father, was assassinated. The next day, Snow Princess and her confidants captured the new queen, accusing her of the crime. Unknown to others, the king’s death was a conspiracy between Samira and Snow Princess.

Snow Princess conspired with the witch to kill her father out of necessity. No one knew when the Frost King began to lose his mind. He was an ordinary, yet not incompetent, king. In his youth, he had pursued the empire’s princess, dreaming of one day reaching the imperial throne. However, the empire chose his brother instead.

Years later, the former imperial princess ascended to the throne as empress, only to abdicate due to power struggles with the church, handing the crown to her husband. This fueled the king’s jealousy toward his brother, who became emperor, to a fever pitch.

This jealousy, festering over time, drove him to lose his mental balance. He began to suspect that his brother, now the emperor, was plotting to take his kingdom and life. He suspected spies from the empire and assassins from the Holy Order lurking within his palace.

As his paranoia grew, these suspicions became certainties. To ease his mind, the king’s guards were forced to periodically “discover” spies within the military and the palace, torturing confessions out of them. Over time, his paranoia spread to those close to him. He suspected his ministers and generals of disloyalty, even questioning his wife’s fidelity. This pressure ultimately drove the already fragile queen to her death.

Finally, his delusions turned toward his own daughter. He not only doubted her paternity but also believed she was plotting to kill him to seize the throne early. Her excellence and competence did not bring him joy but terror. Initially, he tried to exile her through marriage, but when that failed, he considered killing her.

Upon learning of her father’s intentions, the Frost Princess, Snow, refused to wait for her fate. It was then that Samira, the great witch, approached the king as a female physician. More than her beauty and charm, she exploited the king’s fear of his daughter, convincing him he needed a skilled toxicologist by his side. Having sensed the growing rift between the king and his daughter, Samira attempted to widen this divide, manipulating both parties.

She fabricated several poisoning incidents, claiming to uncover them, increasing the king’s unease and dependence on her. Simultaneously, she pretended to sympathize with Snow Princess, leaking the king’s plans to gain her trust. After weighing their abilities, Samira sided with Snow Princess, and together, they found an opportunity to poison the king.

However, with the king’s death, Samira discovered that Snow Princess was even more cunning than herself. Long before eliminating her mad father, Snow Princess had uncovered Samira’s true identity and, despite appearing to trust her, had already planned to dispose of her once she was no longer useful. Thus, Samira was imprisoned by Snow Princess.

Under Snow Princess’s command, the black obsidian constructs opened the prison cell.

“You’ve finally come. I was getting impatient,” said Samira, the “evil” stepmother of Snow Princess, sitting at a table and smiling slyly at Snow Princess.

“You know that seeing me again means you’re about to be executed. Don’t you want to cherish your final moments? I offered to fulfill any last wishes you might have.” Snow Princess replied, her expression unchanging.

“Spare me your pity, my ‘daughter.’ What’s there to cherish about waiting in a cage to die?” Samira laughed, as if she had heard a joke.

After a moment of silence, Snow Princess asked, “Do you hate me?”

“Why should I? I tried to harm you, and you wanted to kill me. You won, and I lost. That’s all there is to it.” Samira replied calmly, “But…”

“But?”

“It’s a shame we met this way.” Samira stood up and approached Snow Princess.

Behind Snow Princess, the great sorcerer Maggie raised her hand, pointing at Samira, ready to issue a warning. Snow Princess, however, gestured to stop her.

“You and I are kindred spirits, willing to do anything for our goals. It’s been a long time since I found someone like you.” Samira stood before Snow Princess, grinning.

“No matter what you say, I won’t let you live.” Snow Princess replied without flinching.

“I know. If it were me, I wouldn’t let you live either.” Samira responded.

Samira was an ambitious plotter aiming to seize the throne. Even if she were subdued by force and made to serve, her ambition would remain a threat. Snow Princess knew this, and Samira was aware of it too. One plotter couldn’t tolerate another by their side. Although their alliance was brief, they understood each other well.

Snow Princess signaled to Maggie, who retrieved an apple from her sleeve and handed it to Snow Princess.

“How thoughtful, you even prepared my favorite fruit.” Samira smiled.

“The poison inside won’t cause you pain.” Snow Princess handed the apple to Samira and added, “There’s no antidote.”

“You’ve been more than kind.” Samira held the apple, staring at Snow Princess.

Snow Princess did not avert her gaze or show any intention of leaving.

“Are you going to watch me die?” Samira asked.

“I won’t be at ease until I see you dead.” Snow Princess answered.

“It’s a shame we didn’t meet sooner.” Samira smiled and began to eat the apple, taking small bites. Snow Princess watched intently.

Minutes passed, and Samira’s movements suddenly stopped. A moment later, her eyes lost their luster, and her hand dropped lifelessly. The remaining half of the poisoned apple rolled to the floor, and Samira’s body collapsed heavily to the ground.

Maggie approached and leaned over to inspect the body. She then nodded to Snow Princess, “She’s dead, Your Highness.”

“Bury her.” Snow Princess instructed, reciting the prepared lines.

“Shouldn’t we display her body?” Maggie asked.

“It’s unnecessary.” Snow Princess glanced at Samira’s corpse, her icy expression softening slightly.

“The kingdom can’t be without a monarch, Your Highness. When do you plan to ascend the throne?” Maggie inquired.

“The obstacles haven’t been entirely cleared. Let’s wait a bit longer. Announce that you will lead the Council of Sorcery to govern in my stead. Those who oppose me will eventually reveal themselves, and once the most troublesome are eliminated, I can ascend with confidence.” Snow Princess replied calmly, “Over the next two months, I have other plans.”

“Other plans?”

“According to our agreement with the empire, we still need to send a great sorcerer this year to help them train their mages.” Snow Princess explained.

“Yes, at the Imperial Saint Cathedral Academy. Next month, a new batch of professors will be sent to replace the current ones.” Maggie replied, then realized something, “Your Highness, you mean…”

“I plan to go myself.” Snow Princess said calmly.

“How can I let Your Highness handle such a trivial matter? I can select a few professors from the Council of Sorcery to suffice!” Maggie was surprised.

Snow Princess, at only seventeen, had already reached the mid-tier rank and earned the title of great sorcerer. While resources played a part, her tutor, Maggie, knew that Snow Princess’s true strength lay in her talent and dedication. By ability, she was fully qualified to teach at the Saint Cathedral Academy as a great sorcerer.

“A monarch is the face of the state. My image in the world has been that of a cold princess rejecting suitors from various countries. To become the queen of Frost, I need more factions to recognize me.” Snow Princess replied calmly, “The Imperial Saint Cathedral Academy is a suitable stage for my debut, isn’t it?”

“You’re right.” Maggie agreed.

The Ivory Tower of the Imperial Saint Cathedral Academy gathered the empire’s elite, including future leaders of noble families. It was also a place for young political figures from other Holy Alliance nations, some of whom were potential heirs to thrones. It was a political networking ground for the youth.

“Leave the rest to you.” Snow Princess finished and turned to leave.

Maggie, remaining in the dungeon, clapped her hands, and the black obsidian constructs entered the cell, carrying Samira’s body away.