Chapter 74 - A chance encounter

We flew away from the floating Nest on the Whitewing beasts, passing through the cold winds that now also had the addition of heavy snow as dark clouds hung overhead. My sight was locked onto this Skypeak Nest that I would most definitely visit for myself in the future

I was lost in my thoughts as we passed through the falling snow and became entranced with the scene playing out. The land floating in the sky receded from view as we approached the outline of the Frozen Kingdom. The minutes passed by in the skies as I introduced myself to the mercenaries I worked with today

We passed over the huge fortress wall and landed in the back of the [Mercenary's Hideout] in a few minutes, where 5000 gold was given to every participating mercenary as a surprised receptionist came out and saw us returning much earlier than expected

I was looking forward to learning the rank A skill books now sitting in one of my storage rings as I followed Captain Ryner's group. It was him and four other S rank hunters. After the extermination task was confirmed and the rewards handed out, we went further into the kingdom past the entrance town

The buildings became larger and grander the further in we went, and the beginning of one of the grandiose bridges that sn.a.k.e.d towards the sky to one of the floating lands above us appeared.

The bridge was wide and long, with rank two S guards decked in an exquisite white metal armor standing guard. Anyone that wanted to pass the checkpoint had to have proper authorization, or they would face the cold blades of the two guards if they tried anything funny

The boisterous attitude of Captain Ryner came to a stop as we neared the bridge and saw an escort taking place. An exquisite carriage waited besides the bridge a veiled woman that became surrounded by peak rank S guards got off and was walked towards the bridge

Captain Ryner's entire demeanor changed as his voice lowered before he respectfully called out to the figures in front of us in a tone I was hearing for the first time today

"Princess, it's my extreme pleasure being graced with your sight today"

His voice was low but clear, ringing out clearly in the ears of the figures up front. The guards standing besides the veiled woman showed annoyed expression as they turned to look at Ryner, seemingly this not being the first time they've come across something like this

The veiled woman turned to this direction and nodded towards Ryner, which made him breakout the largest smile as if he had won the lottery. I looked at this scene in fascination as it seemed this captain was completely stricken with the woman up front, but could only look from afar

The figures turned and began climbing towards the bridge, but not before I felt a gaze linger on me for a few seconds. I turned to the escort of people that were leaving and wondered if I had just thought wrong

Ryner moved with much more vigor after this as we entered into a much more expensive looking tavern than the ones I've seen on the way here. The tavern was much more high class, with private rooms that gave it an air of calmness

There were no boisterous noises from mercenaries as it seemed a noise canceling function was activated the moment the doors to the private rooms closed. We soon grabbed a private room of our own and sat on a thick soft furred carpet around a circular table

Ryner was animatedly moving around as the best dishes were ordered and the mercenaries began talking

"Hey hey hey, Captain Ryner seems to be completely taken in by the terrifying Ice Princess eh?"

"Bah, what do you know? I heard her highness's main guard would be retiring soon, and I just signed up for the possibility of being chosen when the selection happens"

Ryner had began biting down on the huge chunks of meat as he talked back to the jeering mercenary

"Oh, you actually think you stand a chance from all those geniuses that are fighting for the position?"

The burly captain gave a hard look to the voice that spoke as he snorted and replied

"My power is peak rank S, if I don't stand a chance, nobody does!"

The mercenaries continued their back and forth as I listened in and enjoyed the food. The Ice Princess was apparently one of the royalties residing and controlling the Snowy Peak that was floating not too far from us.

The subject of the people currently in power who controlled the forces of the Frozen Kingdom made me think about my own plans to increase my influence in the future. The easiest path was to rise to Epic rank or higher, obtaining a level of strength that would allow me to carry out many plans. But how do I go about it without causing bloodshed and strife on these people that were not the enemies I came here for?

Rising through the ranks in times of war would be the best possible outcome, but the Frozen Kingdom was surrounded by mountains and had tight defenses. The forces of demons that were spreading out might target this kingdom soon, but I didn't know when. For now, I would prepare as much as I could before events explode

---

There were many titles under my name.

The Ice Princess by the commoners. The Doted Princess by the nobles. The Frigid Bitch by my enemies. But none of that mattered to me. Because I was living on borrowed time. I had no energy to spare to those that fawned over me or those that criticized me

I held the Unique Skill, [GOLDEN RULE], that was passed down since my beloved mother met her death. On the bed when she lay with her life force slowly leaking out she screamed to the little girl who was in shock.

Be smart, she screamed. Be strong, she said. Use the power that I am passing down to the fullest, as a terrible calamity is coming towards us all. She said all of this to a frightened girl that was losing her mother, and then passed away

I imprinted those last words into my brain from that day forward, using the skill handed down to me to get through many of the political messes in one piece.

The skill showed a dark light whenever my older brother, the Crown Prince, looked at me. So I avoided him and anything to do with him like a plague. It showed a green light whenever my naive younger brother played with me, so I kept him close and made him rely on me

It showed a light blue light with my father, so I acted as the most perfect daughter and gained his affection, making me cruise through to my unshakable position that I have currently. Those that crossed me often met with misfortune or death, making those cowards utter the name of Frigid Bitch whenever they gossiped among themselves

I used my means to establish an extensive information agency that saw all the happenings of the kingdom and its surroundings, with more than half of its departments focused on my older brother who shone in a dangerous black light

But all of this wasn't enough. My own fate was still murky. My unique skill showed me that undoubtedly, all that I had done had changed nothing, and that death was still approaching. A calamity was still coming. No amount of information I collected was enough. This fostered something that was my only weakness to this day, the fear of the approaching death.

Even the strongest powerhouses of this kingdom did not deter the skill from sending me the same message. I worried about the demons that were constantly increasing their influence across the lands as I thought about the impending calamity

I exhausted all my resources. I surrounded myself with the best of guards from the kingdom that my escorts were no less powerful that those protecting the Crown Prince, the bastard that would most likely take control of the kingdom once my father passed

I could feel the malice he had towards me even though my position did not come close to threatening him right now. I could recently feel his malice towards our father, which made me even more cautious to the point that I began putting plans into place that would put my own life on the line

I didn't bring myself to act yet, as I continued calculating all the possible scenarios. Would it be regicide, corruption, or betrayal that I had to stop? No answers presented themselves over the years, as my fate continued to become darker and darker

That is, until today.