Me Too, I'm a Princess!
"Alright, let's sum this up."
"Very well."
"You're the last surviving blood relative of the previous palace lord who committed seppuku after failing to conquer the martial world, and if you go to the Ice Palace, you'll become the new lord?"
"That's right!"
"But since there are a lot of people who hold grudges against the previous lord, you're asking for an escort?"
"That's right!"
The self-proclaimed North Sea Ice Palace princess's proposal was pretty shocking. She claimed to be the sole heir to the palace lordship and wanted us to handle her protection. On the surface, it was like a skyrocketing altcoin rolling right into my lap...
"Nah, pass."
"That's ri—huh?"
The correct answer to a proposal like this is an automatic rejection. Asking for help because she's the previous lord's blood relative? Setting aside whether she's really the lord's daughter or not, there was zero reason for us to accept this commission.
"We're backing Han Yu-wol for palace lord anyway."
"What?!"
We'd already picked our candidate from the start. The Cheonam Guild and the Association had decided to support Han Yu-wol—the peak expert with the weakest faction but outstanding ability among those who could potentially become lord.
In other words, this was a rigged game of go-stop, and there was no room for a newbie to butt in.
"Whether you're really the lord's daughter or not, it doesn't look like we can walk the same path."
"Ha... Han Yu-wol?! Isn't that woman just from one of the three families?!"
Of course, Han Yu-wol wasn't the lord's daughter.
She was merely the descendant of one of the three prestigious families with the strongest influence in the palace aside from the lord himself—not royalty.
But at this point, that hardly mattered.
"So what? Everyone thinks the lord's kids are all dead."
"This lady lives!"
"Will the world even recognize you?"
The people of the North Sea believed the lord's children had all died in the Central Plains. I had no idea if it was true, but in politics, that kind of thing doesn't matter. Only what's right in front of your eyes counts as truth.
"So, Deputy. What do we do with her?"
"What do you mean? Kill her?"
"Not that, but leaving her be feels a bit off."
For us, who were supporting a rival candidate, her claim of being the lord's daughter was a potential obstacle. Better to handle it here.
Not kill her outright, but lock her up somewhere.
"Wh-what do you plan to do with this lady?!"
"Maybe toss her in a basement for a couple weeks?"
"Eek!!"
Now that she seemed to grasp the situation, she tried to bolt out of the inn, but Kim Hyeji's hand caught her, leaving her dangling helplessly.
Princess or not, she was just a frail little girl who'd been roughed up by third-rate street thugs.
"Let this lady go! I am to be palace lord!!"
"This little thing's awfully noisy."
The dangling Baek Ye-hwa thrashed around, desperately trying to escape, but of course, she couldn't slip free from senior's grip.
Honestly, I wasn't sure if she was really the lord's daughter, but her white hair and blue eyes matched the previous lord's features, so we couldn't just let her go.
"Let's just hand her off to Han Yu-wol."
"Sounds good."
It'd be awkward for us to get our hands dirty, so we decided to pass her to our rival candidate.
If something went wrong handling her ourselves, we'd be the ones taking the heat.
"Cheonam Guild should be here soon. Let's head to the rendezvous."
"Sion, you carry her."
"Let me gooo!!"
We stuffed a rag in the bawling Baek Ye-hwa's mouth, slung her over my shoulder, and set off for the rendezvous.
It looked pretty damn criminal, but... whatever, no big deal.
"We've arrived."
"Whoa, right on time—as expected from the Association's sharp operators."
At the rendezvous by the frozen sea, the Cheonam Guild hunters were already waiting.
I-hwa and a few others had gone ahead into the Ice Palace, so this wasn't the full raid team—just representatives.
Not my place to worry about as a lowly Association grunt.
"Who's the girl?"
"She claims to be the previous lord's last blood relative... but we're not sure."
"Hmm... We'll take her for now."
We handed over Baek Ye-hwa, still gagged with cloth, to the Cheonam Guild.
They were better suited to handle it as the security force, unlike our small group.
The guild decided to lock her in the prison tower until the new lord was selected.
Like two weeks in juvie back home... better than dying, I guess.
"So... where's Han Yu-wol?"
"She's under our protection at a nearby inn right now."
"Shouldn't we get moving?"
"She's packing as we speak."
The political scene in the North Sea Ice Palace was a total mess.
No proper heir meant they needed to prop up a new bloodline for lord, but they couldn't just pick anyone.
The three families' power balance was two strong, one weak. The Yu and Bang families were clashing, leaving the fragile Han family suffering.
Our pick, Han Yu-wol from the Han family, had negligible backing, so she needed protection from assassinations and such until the selection. That's where we came in.
"No point dragging it out. Let's head out now."
"First to the inn where she's staying. She should be ready by now."
After the deputy and Cheonam Guild wrapped up info exchanges and planning, we headed to Han Yu-wol's inn.
About three hours later, we arrived at a bigger, fancier city than our border village.
It had the tallest, most luxurious inn in our previous town... honestly surprised such a building existed up here in the North Sea.
"Whoa, just need a camera for the perfect life shot."
"Cut the nonsense and hurry up."
We climbed the stairs to the top floor. Ignoring Hyeji senior's scolding, the Ice Palace view was breathtaking—clusters of quaint buildings and endless white snowfields in the distance. No wonder rich folks love high-rises.
"Ahem, Han Yu-wol should be here soon. Get ready."
"Ah, sorry."
Right—we were technically on the job. Time to get serious.
After a few deaths from looping, my personality felt lighter somehow. A side effect of regression, I guess.
"The lady is entering!"
"Damn, she even has a personal servant."
The servant's booming announcement, like "Her Majesty arrives!", echoed through the room.
With that, in walked Han Yu-wol—the eldest daughter of the Anseol Han family, one of the three families and a peak expert.
Indigo-black hair, deep black eyes, a decadent aura, and a bust that rivaled mine (though not quite).
"Ooh."
She was right up my alley.
Hunter job satisfaction just skyrocketed.
"I am Han Yu-wol of the Anseol Han family."
"Nam Juyeong, leader of the Snow豹 Unit."
Our Association team's cover was survivors of a defeated army.
Specifically, elite guerrillas from the Snow豹 Unit. Like North Korean infiltrators back home.
Deputy Nam Juyeong, playing the unit leader, took the lead in conversation.
"I've heard much of the Snow豹 Unit's fame as heroes of the snow-covered battlefields since childhood. Your aid is like gaining a heavenly army."
"The Snow豹 seeks only the finest palace lord."
"Too kind, but we'll strive to meet expectations."
The first meeting went smoothly.
We'd already hashed out the alliance beforehand. Just some face-saving formalities.
"Oh, do you know a girl named Baek Ye-hwa by any chance?"
"...Baek Ye-hwa?"
"One of our members helped her out while eating at an inn. She claimed to be the lord's blood relative... not sure if it's true."
But the mood soured fast.
The moment we brought up Baek Ye-hwa, locked in the prison tower, Han Yu-wol frowned.
"The lord's blood relative... that's concerning."
"She's just a powerless little girl. If you command it, we'll handle her..."
"No, dirtying our hands would give the other families political ammo if they found out."
From the vibe, Baek Ye-hwa wasn't just some lunatic. We were in a tricky spot.
"Hmm... The populace resents the previous lord, so it was fortunate no blood remained."
"If she's truly his daughter, it could split the old lord's supporters from reformers, sparking infighting."
The Han family murmured worries, and we agreed.
If Baek Ye-hwa really was the Ice Palace Lord's daughter, her legitimacy would be a massive penalty.
Especially for our side with the weakest faction.
"It'd be easier if the lord's blood backed one of the three families."
"Given the lord's clan's temperament, unlikely—and why us over the others?"
"True..."
The meeting's conclusion was unanimous.
Help from the lord's daughter would be near-guaranteed victory, but unlikely.
Lock her away quietly and deal with her later.
"I disagree."
But at the last moment, Han Yu-wol spoke up.
"Our faction lags behind the others—undeniable. We need the lord's bloodline's support."
"We can manage without her."
"What if the other three families find out?"
"That..."
If word got out that a girl claiming to be the lord's daughter was captured by Han Yu-wol?
They'd rip us apart politically. It'd derail her lordship bid big time. Plenty of folks in that border village heard her shout it.
"...Then. Do you have a plan?"
"The lord's daughter supports us."
"Persuading her would be hard, and she's untrustworthy. Please reconsider..."
"I'm not talking about Baek Ye-hwa."
"Pardon?"
Han Yu-wol tilted her cup, her soft voice flowing as her finger pointed at me.
"The lord's children are said to have snow-white hair and blue eyes."
"Er... yes."
"We have one too. Someone who fits the description."
"Pardon?"
Uh...
Me?
"Miss, is this really okay?"
"It's fine."
The next morning, 30 minutes before entering the Ice Palace.
Han Yu-wol gripped my shoulder, whispering in her husky voice.
"Now, what is your name?"
"Er... Baek Sion, the previous lord's hidden daughter?"
"Perfect."
I'd become a princess.