Page 114 of Wicked Prince of Frost

The incessant gossip is cut off when I enter the Temple Tower. I remain in the hall outside the doors of the main room, waiting for my opportunity.

“It is time to begin. If you would, please take your seats,” a woman’s voice I do not recognize calls out.

Two seconds go by.

Voices hurry to finish what they are saying.

Five seconds.

Conversations draw to a close.

Seven seconds.

The padding sounds of leather-soled shoes fade.

After ten seconds, I slide the door open and stroll in. Imugi remains behind, waiting in the hall.

My footsteps are soundless on the carpet that runsthrough the middle of the room to the single empty seat around the table.

The king sits silently at the far end, and on the long edges of the table, the officials are in the process of taking their seats, three to each side.

Everyone, including my uncle, wears the official garb of the heads of state. The robes are made from a heavy material that has the appearance and shimmer of thick morning frost. It fits loosely, wrapping around the front of the chest, and is secured by a wide ribbon belt around the waist, knotted at the left hip, and bearing the symbol of their status and position on one of the dangling ends.

A sword crossed with an arrow for Kwan, the Minister of Hunts, and a balance scale for Ailan, the new Minister of Justice. Her face is unfamiliar to me, having only been recently selected as the replacement for Ilseong.

These two are positioned to the right and left of the interim king.

The next two are Molan, the Minister of Ceremony, and Jinshi, the Minister of History and Knowledge. The former, with the emblem of a dragon twisted in a sideways eight, eating its tail, and a quill resting over an open book, for the latter.

To the left of the empty seat is Seojun, Minister of Commonwealth, bearing the emblem of a skeleton key.

And to the right is Yeona, Minister of Shields, with the emblem of a shield. She is slight and somewhat timid in her demeanor, but rather than physical strength, her position requires powerful magical ability to continually reinforce the shields throughout and around the palace. She is a few years my junior, but that doesn’t keep her from taking her job seriously, perhaps more than anyone else on the council.

The seventh position is the head of them all, a role that canonly be filled by the standing monarch, marked by the symbol of a crown.

My uncle watches me without drawing attention to my approach.

The six officials turn, noticing me as I approach the table. One by one, they drop into their chairs with matching expressions of shock plastered over their faces. Only the Minister of Ceremony remains standing. She holds herself tall, shoulders back, chin lifted in a haughty air.

“What is the meaning of this interruption?” Minister Molan demands. “This is highly irregular. You cannot barge in here without notice and disrupt official business.”

I pull my chair out, but instead of sitting, I lean forward on my fingertips and let my head list to one side. “Can’t I?”

She blinks as if she is only starting to realize who she is talking to.

“I am theCrown Prince, am I not?” I say to help her along.

“Y-yes, Your Highness.” She clutches her hands in front of her and bows at the waist.

“However, I did give notice… before the trial.”

“Ah, yes,” my uncle speaks up. “His Highness did inform me upon my request. It must have slipped my mind with everything that has happened in the weeks since.”

Molan’s lip quivers until she pinches her mouth into a tight line. She gives a sharp nod to the table as she finally sits. “Very well. As long as His Majesty is aware, then this meeting may now proceed.”

I straighten to my full height and keep my voice clear and even as I project, so no one can later claim that they did not hear or understand. “I came here today to inform you of my intentions.” I pin each of them in place with my stare. “My wife has nothing to hide, and I will not abide baseless rumors or actions against her. However, as a show of good faith, I willintroduce her to the council and higher nobility in one month’s time—months earlier than is customary.”

My uncle gives me a barely perceptible nod of approval from across the table. The council members turn toward each other, looking for guidance in each other, and finding little.