On the other side, the port was frozen over.
After Linlang finished exploring the clock tower, she wondered why there were no guards here. She breathed warm air into her palm to ease the stiffness.
She bent down, lowering her body below the handrail of the outdoor corridor, using the stone bricks as cover, and moved to the other side of the castle with her legs bent.
"Your Majesty, something is amiss at the palace."
Linlang stopped in her tracks, adjusted her posture, and looked down from the sky corridor.
My entire focus was immediately drawn to the blonde woman on the snow.
Her face was aloof and cold, her long hair was piled high, every strand of hair was combed meticulously, her complex and exquisite crown was inlaid with a huge ruby, her thick fur collar was covered with a layer of snow, and her heavy red velvet cloak made Linlang's shoulders ache.
She lowered her head slightly as she listened to the guards kneeling in the snow report the situation: "A wall of the old palace has collapsed, and three bodies have been found in the garden path, one woman and two men, who have only recently died."
"face."
Her voice was as cold as the day.
"The three were of similar age, estimated to be around twenty-two or twenty-three. The two male intruders were twins, and all three had penetrating wounds in their chests."
"Yes, you may leave."
"...There is one more thing."
"report."
"The labyrinth behind your old palace has been destroyed; it looks like it's been corroded by something..."
The queen, who had been standing motionless, finally moved. "Corroded... is the edge of the crack bluish-black?"
The guard presented her with a white stone brick, its edges stained with a small amount of black and gold, and held it out to her for inspection.
The dazzling array above delighted me, especially the color!
This is in the bag!
Ah... no, that's not right.
She and Shekh are not on the same side!
Linlang clenched her fist in frustration, then turned her attention back to listening to the Queen.
"This color."
The Queen sounded somewhat relieved, her previous barely perceptible tension gone.
"Go down, I'll be back in a bit."
"yes."
The guards returned the way they came, leaving only the Queen in the same spot.
Linlang waited for a long time, only to find that she was like a statue that was not afraid of the cold, not even brushing off the snowflakes that fell on her body, which made people inexplicably scared.
Given the cold outside, Linlang lifted her foot, gripped the leaf around her neck, and began to quietly enter the castle on the other side.
She slowly spread her legs, taking one step at a time while cautiously observing her surroundings.
Just then, the blizzard subsided, a gust of wind blew away the dark clouds that had been blocking the sun, and a ray of sunlight shone down, passing through the corridor.
Linlang was nearly knocked over by the strong wind just now. She reached out to steady herself on the stone pillar, but as soon as she let go, the beam of sunlight shone on the golden leaves fluttering around her neck.
The golden reflection dazzled the Queen's eyes, and she quickly looked up in their direction.
Linlang had just pressed Jin Yezi down to observe the situation when she made eye contact with her.
The wine-red cloak twirled in the snow. Seeing this, Linlang took off running. There was only one path; she had to go into the castle.
Her breath hit her face, and as she ran, the wind felt like a knife cutting her cheeks. The soft carpet in the castle muffled her footsteps. She found the stairs and ran down.
The building was soon filled with the chaotic sounds of pursuit, and Linlang heard the guards arranging for them to split into multiple groups to search for people.
With nowhere to hide, she chose to first hide in a room and crouch inside a closet.
The door was quickly kicked open, and the sounds of rummaging through drawers and cabinets grew closer and closer.
Linlang gripped a sharp silk thread tightly with both hands, and the instant the cabinet door was opened, she lunged out, quickly twisting and binding the thread together to sever the intruder's head.
Footsteps continued outside. She opened the window and climbed out. Under intense tension, the surge of adrenaline made her ignore the bitter cold. After descending three floors, Linlang found the fourth floor to be very quiet, without any noise.
She opened a window and jumped onto the balcony. As soon as she landed, she heard a gentle female voice behind her.
"Let me see what's on your neck."
The window beside her was shut shut by an unseen force. Linlang turned around warily and saw a pale-faced woman holding a teacup, slowly sitting inside and drinking tea.
"Come here, I won't hurt you."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Mrs. Mo, routine check, please open the door."
Madam Mo gestured for her to look at her leaves, saying, "Let me see those leaves of yours."
The people outside kept urging him on, and it looked like they were about to burst in when the door slammed shut, slamming the guard who was knocking against the corridor wall.
She gracefully called out to the door, "Wait a moment."
When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Linlang obediently handed over the gold leaves, and just as she did, she heard Madam Mo tell her to hide in the inner room.
Almost at the same time Linlang entered the inner room, the door was corroded open.
The Queen entered slowly, lifted her skirt, and sat down opposite Madam Mo.
Where are they?
Madam Mo calmly made herself a cup of tea. "Which person are you talking about?"
"The one who enters your castle."
"So you knew this was my castle. I thought Her Majesty the Queen wanted to unify the country again." Madam Mo took a sip of tea and said in her cold eyes, "I won't be the fourth city to betray us. Don't worry, I'm dying."
"If you want to die, I can help you."
"Use the power you stole?"
The atmosphere in the room instantly plummeted to freezing point because of those words. Linlang, who was in the inner room, listened to the conversation between the two and experienced what it meant to be at loggerheads, in a physical sense.
The walls were covered with sharp, needle-like ice crystals, and a chilling aura emanated from them.
The Queen's voice tightened, "This is not a power I stole."
“I misspoke. This power was given to you by that inhuman thing. You can’t steal it. You just fueled the fire and deceived her.”
"When it comes to stealing, I am indeed no match for you."
The Queen's gaze swept across the room, stopping at the door as it passed the inner chamber.
"I was simply returning it to its rightful owner," Madam Mo said confidently. "No need to look. If you want me dead so badly, you can do it now."
She stroked the gold leaf, concealing her emotions. "Go ahead, what's wrong? Don't you know how? Or I'll teach you?"
Faced with her provocation, the Queen remained expressionless, with only a hint of displeasure visible in her slightly lowered brows.
"It's true that the longer you live, the better you can control your emotions." Madam Mo was unwilling to delay any longer. "Since you can't kill me, then please leave."
The fact that she couldn't kill the troublesome Lady Mo was the last thing the Queen wanted to mention. She closed her eyes briefly, then got up and left.
But before leaving, he unexpectedly opened the door to the inner room.
The broken door led to an empty room. Madam Mo smashed her teacup. "Your queenhood won't last long."
"Nonsense."
The Queen left those words behind without looking back.
A moment later, Linlang climbed back from the outdoor windowsill and saw Madam Mo leaning weakly against the back of the chair, taking several deep breaths, her expression even more lifeless.
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