The Citadel of Bingyeon (Ice Smoke)

Episode 20: Choice

The enormous cathedral of the solid stone fortress was completely submerged in a waterfall of golden and violet light, dazzling enough to make the eyes sting, pouring down beyond the stained-glass windows that reflected the afterimage of the sunset. The vast space was packed tight all the way up to the high rafters, a sea of cheers created at last by the countless nobles and commoners of the Court of Smoke and Ice (Bingyeon), along with the entire army, who had once been thought to be no more than an impossible myth. The kingdom’s ancient, long-rending division, which had torn it apart cruelly and violently, was, as of today, officially and completely brought to an end.

High on the royal dais, right at the very center, above my head where I stood proudly and majestically, the glass crown of stars was fixed and settled perfectly with not even a single centimeter of a misstep. It pulsed quietly, periodically releasing a soft, harmonious aura of twilight cosmic dust, as though mirroring the calm, absolute certainty beating in my chest.

"Long live Her Majesty the Queen!"

The commander of the Supreme Council shouted at the top of his lungs, and his voice, carried on a humming vibration, crossed between the massive stone pillars and echoed magnificently in every direction.

A huge, roaring, thunderous cheer burst from the countless crowd all at once, so immense that it made my ears ring, and the force of it was strong enough to shake the fortress’s deepest foundation joints. I calmly looked down at the very front row below the dais. There, Hyeonjin and Jiseok stood side by side, fully dressed in splendid, blinding royal formal attire adorned with silver embroidery. The very instant Hyeonjin spotted me, he broke into a bright smile, smoothly hanging a deep, proud, enormous grin aimed at me from the corner of his lips, and his cheeks were flooded with a soft, sweet flush so deep it seemed to pour over him, from the rush of instinct and taut embarrassment. Beyond the noisy cheers, he was already chattering out his own dog-like, flustered, lively, breathless laugh, and the tips of his ears were burning bright red.

Right beside him, Jiseok’s features likewise broke open beautifully as his signature proud, enormous smile burst forth. In the warm eyes looking up at me, a story of deep, absolute, unbreakable trust was packed so full it seemed impossible to escape, and they curved softly as he gently lifted one big hand, giving me a small, reassuring wave that centered me. The two young lords had already sealed the pulse of their firm vow to become the vanguard of my royal guard and my eternal protectors, and their dependable presence was like the most beautiful anchor holding up my heart in the middle of this dizzying, glittering court ceremony.

But as the ceremony’s splendid proceedings began to drag on and on into the late-night hours, the weight of the heavy royal cloak of velvet pressing down on my shoulders and the unending stares of rigid politicians sniffing around me wore my nerves down into exhausting fatigue. I sharply found the gaze of my right-hand commander standing firmly in the narrow space just a few steps behind the throne, and fixed my own eyes on him.

Chanyeon oppa was dressed in a spotless white-and-silver commander’s fur coat, exuding royal authority so overwhelming it was almost suffocating. The thousands of candle flames filling the hall reflected sharply over his intricate silver cochlear implant, which glittered like frost patterns. Even when he was taking a structured, unwavering stance toward me, the instant my desperate, fragile, pleading eyes met his, the commander’s rigid military mask melted away like spring snow. In its place came a sunlike smile that had always filled my chest with safety—blindingly bright, and so familiar and gentle to me alone. As if he already knew everything, he quietly gave a steady, certain nod.

Thanks to the barrier of huge, dark smoke and mist that Hyeonjin had timed perfectly to burst across the entire main entrance to divert the court record keepers’ attention, we’d gotten our chance perfectly.

Chanyeon oppa and I slipped out unseen by anyone, smoothly hiding ourselves beyond the hidden velvet tapestry curtain tucked away behind the dais. We had completely, utterly escaped the suffocating clamor of the crowd that had been hemming us in and choking the breath out of us.

The quiet stone balcony at the very top of the tallest tower, open to the night sky, was arranged in crisp clarity under a perfectly still silence that gave me goosebumps. It was a sanctuary sealed off like an insulation wall, keeping not even a single strand of the distant hum of the festival below from climbing up. Cool, refreshing night air swept fiercely across the plains, but the cold frost of the savage wasteland vanished before it could dare touch even a single ounce of our skin.

I leaned my body’s weight heavily against the edge of the stone railing and let out a long, breathless sigh of relief, feeling the tension at my shoulders finally loosen completely. Before I had even fully turned to look back, a warmth so familiar and deeply raw wrapped tenderly around me from behind.

Chanyeon oppa stepped into my space with quiet, unhurried footsteps, immediately and completely setting down every strict boundary and restriction he had worn as a lord and as Supreme Commander. His large, warm hand naturally and firmly locked around the back of my waist, supporting the weight of my body, and his palm steadied me so my posture wouldn’t falter while pressing my back fully against his sturdy, broad chest. It was a firm, unyielding embrace, one that wanted to share all the raw, immense heat of his body with me. He gently rested his chin over my shoulder with a soft gaze, and the frequency of his deep, even breathing rippled through my spine as a thrilling shiver.

"Ruling and governing a kingdom is truly an enormous amount of hard labor, isn’t it?"

Chanyeon oppa murmured softly, lowering his head by my ear. His voice dropped an octave, sweet and deep, shaking my chest dangerously hard, and the instant that tremor reached me, something deep inside my heart tightened gently as my pulse began pounding wildly.

I turned to face him in a smooth, soft motion from within his stubborn embrace. I lifted both hands and rested my fingers lightly along the sleek edge line of the finely crafted silver tunic he wore. I looked straight up at his face, and the starlight pouring down from the night sky transparently and beautifully illuminated the story of deep, pure attachment burning in his eyes, impossible to escape. All the chaotic memories of the bias battle on the platform’s edge and in the middle of enemy territory, and of that perilous, perilous journey, melted away and sank in an instant into the heavy, deep silence of perfect absolute zero.

"Chanyeon oppa."

I whispered softly. At that ultra-close distance where our space had been completely erased and not even a 1 centimeter gap remained, I faced his dark eyes straight on with a sharp, piercing gaze.

"Before the Supreme Council and all the court officials can trace our trail and find us again, I have one sure secret from my whole heart that I only want to tell you, oppa."

Chanyeon oppa tilted his head slightly to the side, and the very instant his large, gentle smile turned a little shy and reserved, his ears were already softly wrapped in a faint, sweet pink blush.

"What do you mean, Seoha?"

"The glass crown of stars may have chosen me as the ruler to govern this world,"

I whispered quietly, letting out a dry breath. Having stepped half a pace closer to him, my chest was pressed helplessly against his broad chest wall, and my heart pounded wildly along my ribs as if counting down.

"From the very first moment I was freezing in the blizzard, the only horizon my heart ever chose was you, oppa. You were already the certain winner of every battle in this journey long ago, Chanyeon oppa. In my heartbeat... there has always been only you."

Chanyeon oppa’s breath caught for a split second in perfect, absolute shock.

The commander’s always unshaken, unwavering dignity vanished without a trace in a single second, and the moment the raw, heavy weight of my confession registered fully on the inner wall of his brain, his jaw dropped slightly. As he stared fixedly at me, a vast wave of fierce, overwhelming devotion—coldly thrilling down my spine—took complete command of every nerve. It was a desperate, tender look, as if he were offering up a life-and-death prayer of thanks to the universe and the heavens for finally holding this absolute certainty in his hands.

He didn’t let a single word overrun his lips. There was no need to fill the story with any language at all, not even by one ounce.

His fingers clamped down hard and violently in the grip around my waist, and his hot palm firmly locked over the line of my waist and side, lifting me slightly upward. With a smooth motion that needed no friction or force, and with absolute strength alone, he pulled my entire body tightly into his sturdy frame. His other hand curled softly up along the back of my neck, and his fingers threaded tightly and firmly into the fabric of my long hair, fixing my head in place. Then he lowered his head carefully and swallowed my lips into his own, sealing them shut in a perfect, fierce kiss.

The kiss was quiet, sheltered and isolated in the tower’s dark curtain of shadow, but soon it burst outward like a terrifying waterfall of intensity, deep and passionate enough to steal every last bit of oxygen from my lungs at once. It was not the faint, certain relief like butterfly wings that had comforted me before. It was salvation itself, hungry and sweetly melting, as if to fully repay the entire story of how we had survived by cutting straight through harsh frost and enemy lines to reach this night. Chanyeon oppa pressed my lips down hard and deeply with the warmth of absolute gravity, and every moment his breath gently touched across my lips overflowed with the pulse of stubborn loyalty and absolute devotion that would never let go.

I desperately clung to both of his broad shoulders with my whole body. The moment I firmly anchored all the weight of my body like a certain mooring inside his enormous strength, the violet cosmic-dust flames of the crown pulsing brilliantly above my head softly hummed and flashed in every direction. The luminous brilliance of the galaxy spread and flowed around us like a secret, cozy private dome curtain, completely and forever sealing just the two of us away from every other sound in this cruel, noisy world.
When he finally eased my lips apart and drew back just a little, leaving only a few millimeters between us, his forehead against mine trembled faintly from his shallow, rough breathing.

A huge, sunlike smile bloomed again at the corner of his lips, so much brighter and far more intoxicated with victory than any gleaming golden crown in this kingdom. He moved a hand near my cheek, and his warm thumb slowly, gently traced a line of eternal protection along my skin.

"I truly prayed in secret every night for this very moment."

Chanyeon oppa whispered low and softly with his lips against my ear. His sweet syllables sank an octave deeper and more deliciously, syncing a pleasant shiver deep inside my mind, and his big hand once again locked my waist and side so firmly and stubbornly that they could never be separated.

"From now on, the entire universe and all of this kingdom will clearly know our certain trajectory. You are finally my complete queen, Seoha, the one who has reached my arms. And I will never, ever let you go far from my side, not even by 1 ounce."