The doors of the Ice Palace slowly closed behind them, shutting out the wind and snow.
Icicles hanging from the dome refracted faint deep-blue light, stretching the two figures' shadows long across the mirror-smooth ice.
Ice Empress stood where she was, her emerald eyes fixed on the palace doors as though she could still see that moon-white figure beyond the thick ice walls.
She fell silent for a moment, then suddenly turned around and clenched her little fists, as if cheering herself on.
"Snow Empress."
She spoke, her voice several degrees more serious than before, carrying a conviction she rarely revealed.
"I want to leave the Extreme North."
Snow Empress had been slowly walking toward the ice table, but the instant she heard those words, she stopped.
She turned her head, her ice-blue eyes settling on Ice Empress's face. A rare, undisguised look of surprise surfaced within them.
"...What?"
Ice Empress met her gaze. There was no hesitation or uncertainty in her emerald eyes.
"I want to follow Brother Linyuan, whatever it takes."
She said it lightly, but the turbulent light in her eyes could not deceive anyone.
Snow Empress was silent for a moment.
She slowly straightened up, her gaze resting on Ice Empress's face for a long while, as though confirming whether she was serious.
She had known Ice Empress for hundreds of thousands of years. She had seen her bare her fangs and brandish her claws, and she had seen her act cute and throw tantrums, but she had rarely heard her speak in such a tone.
Ice Empress had always had her own mind.
Once she made up her mind, she would never change it.
Clearly, she was not asking for Snow Empress's opinion this time either.
"Why did you suddenly...?"
Snow Empress spoke, a trace