Exiled Prince: I'm the Unexpected Extra in the Novel-Chapter 128: The Ice Queen’s Tease and the Secret Promise

Chapter 128: The Ice Queen’s Tease and the Secret Promise

The War for the North[16]

In the secret hot spring of Frosthelm Castle, time seemed to stand still. Under the stars, the contrasting harmony created by the steam of the hot water and the falling snow was soothing Cassian’s soul.

Until that moment.

With the splashing of water and the parting of the steam, Cryomara entered the water as if nothing had happened, as if this hot spring had belonged to her for a thousand years (which it probably had). A slight hissing sound was heard when her naked, smooth, and lethally flawless body met the heat of the water.

She stopped at a distance dangerously close to Cassian. The water level rose to her shoulders, her silvery hair spreading over the surface of the water, creating a shimmering halo.

Cassian slumped his shoulders. He threw his head back and let out a deep, weary sigh. That peaceful, silent moment that belonged only to him had popped and vanished like a soap bubble.

Without opening his eyes, he asked in a tired voice:

"What do you want?"

Cryomara moved slightly in the water, the ripples she created hitting Cassian’s chest.

"I am resting, little lizard," Cryomara said, her voice so natural it was as if Cassian had asked a strange question. "Can’t you see? War is at the doorstep, the lords are restless, the world is sinking... A queen needs to unwind too."

Cassian opened one eye and looked at her.

"Couldn’t you rest at another time?" he said, his voice reproachful. "After all, this is your castle. You can use the hot spring whenever you want, when I’m not here. Why now?"

Cryomara threw her wet hair back over her shoulder with an elegant movement. That provocative smile appeared on her lips.

"No need to be so tense, little lizard," she said, leaning slightly towards him. "My heart wouldn’t allow you to be all alone in this huge hot spring, amidst all this water and steam. Loneliness... sometimes chills a person more than the cold."

She narrowed her eyes, her blue irises burning with a hunter’s glint.

"Besides... You should be kneeling in gratitude for the chance to share the same hot spring, the same water, with a woman of maturity, experience, and legendary beauty."

Then, as if she had said something very shameful, she covered her mouth with her hand in fake shyness and giggled.

"Or..." she whispered. "Do you prefer inexperienced, shy young girls who don’t know what to do, like Cecilia? Is that why my presence bothers you so much?"

She shook her head, a mocking condemnation in her eyes.

"God, what a sinful boy... Trying to seduce a Duchess and a Mythical Beast, a mother and her daughter at the same time. Your appetite is admirable."

Cassian rolled his eyes at this accusation. He clenched his fists under the water but tried to maintain his calm. If he was going to play this game, he would play by its rules.

"You are mistaken," said Cassian, his voice cold and clear. He fixed his gaze on Cryomara’s eyes. "My list of favorite women types does not include ice antiques over three thousand years old."

Cryomara’s eyebrow raised slightly.

Cassian continued, this time referring to Cecilia:

"Nor... does it include women who could kill me at any moment with a wrong word, who are emotionally unstable, act like babies despite their age, and constantly wait to be saved."

There was a moment of silence. Only the bubbling of the water could be heard.

Cryomara’s smile widened, but this smile lacked warmth.

"Who are you calling ’old’..." she whispered. "...you perverted lizard."

As soon as her sentence ended, the water behind Cassian’s neck froze with a speed that defied the laws of physics.

Inside the hot, relaxing water, the sudden shock of cold stabbing his neck paralyzed Cassian’s nervous system.

"HIIIEK!"

Cassian shot out of the water like a cat escaping for its life. His reflexes were sharp but so uncontrolled that he suddenly found himself on the stone floor at the edge of the pool.

And of course, he had nothing on.

Amidst the steam, he stood shivering with his wet and naked body.

Cryomara didn’t even budge from her spot. She just lifted her head slightly out of the water, rested her arms on the edge of the pool, and scanned Cassian. Her gaze started from his face, went down to his chest... and then slid further down, to his groin.

It stopped there.

An expressionless, analytical look appeared on her face.

"Hmm..." she said, her voice echoing in the hot spring. "It’s small."

The moment Cassian realized where her gaze was locked, his face turned beet red. In that instant, the cool-headed strategist, the ruthless warrior was gone, replaced by an adolescent wanting to sink into the ground out of shame.

He quickly covered his front with his hands.

"SHUT UP!" he shouted, his voice trembling with anger and embarrassment.

Without waiting for an answer, he threw himself back into the water, into the safe and concealing depths.

SPLASH!

He went under the water, sank up to his nose, and shot deadly glares at Cryomara with only his eyes visible.

Cryomara did not laugh. She just tilted her head slightly to the side, examining him like a laboratory rat.

"Beneath those adult, scheming, world-shouldering attitudes..." she said in a soft voice. "You really are just a little boy."

Just then, Cryomara’s attention shifted to a tiny body drifting here and there with the current on the water surface right next to Cassian, transparent wings stuck to the water.

Nivelle, whose green hair rippled like moss in the water and whose eyes were wide with fear.

Cryomara’s eyes narrowed. Her mocking expression from a moment ago gave way to curiosity and slight astonishment.

"So..." said Cryomara, pointing at Nivelle with her finger. "Who is this little lady? Is she from your harem?"

With a protective instinct, Cassian moved his hand in the water, caught Nivelle, and pulled her into his palm to a safe spot near his neck.

"She is my..." said Cassian without hesitation. "Little sister."

Cryomara rose a bit more out of the water. Her blue eyes scanned the pure nature aura, that ancient energy on Nivelle.

"A Primordial Fairy..." she whispered. Her voice had turned serious. "Are you telling me that a Primordial Fairy is your sister?"

"It’s a bit hard to explain," said Cassian, smoothing Nivelle’s wet hair with his finger. "We may not have a blood tie but... Our souls are connected. We both came out of the same hell. So yes, we are siblings."

Cryomara let out a deep sigh. A sad glint appeared in her gaze.

"I thought the generation of Primordial Fairies... had long been consumed by those arrogant Elves," she said. "Turns out there are still some alive. This... is surprising."

Her voice hardened, small ice particles forming in the water. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Those vile creatures... Those hypocrites who call themselves ’Guardians of Nature’... They truly did disgusting things to keep their Sacred Trees standing, to maintain their fake immortality. They used these little creatures like batteries, exploited them, and threw away the husks."

She turned her eyes to the sky.

"The world has truly become a disgusting place... Even if it wasn’t as peaceful as in ancient times when the Gods hadn’t gone mad yet... We are living in a quite difficult, dark era right now."

Cassian went quiet. "Ancient times..."

He was familiar with the game’s "lore," but that information was limited. The history told by the game was usually written by the winners or was only what the player needed to know. Before the Kaiser era, the fall of the Gods, the origin of races... These were all blurry areas.

But in front of him... stood Cryomara. A living history book who had personally witnessed the entire world history, the formation of glaciers, the rise and fall of empires.

Millions of questions appeared in his mind.

Why did the Gods fight each other? Who was Kaiser and what did he truly aim for? Nerath and Zevstyle... Why did they fall? And most importantly... How did this "Harvest" cycle begin?

Cassian opened his mouth excitedly.

"Cryomara, what I want to ask you..."

"Don’t waste your breath, little lizard," Cryomara said suddenly, silencing him by raising her hand. Her voice was final and not open to discussion. "I will not tell you anything."

Cassian slumped his shoulders in disappointment. "But why?! I have a right to know! I need to understand what I am fighting against!"

Cryomara shook her head. A pain they were not used to seeing, the weariness of centuries, appeared on her face.

"Because there are things you shouldn’t know yet," she said. "And... things that are hard for me to tell. They aren’t very good memories, Cassian. Some truths must remain under the ice. At least for now."

Cassian’s morale plummeted. He bowed his head, looking at his reflection on the water’s surface. Information was his greatest weapon, and now he was being deprived of it.

Cryomara watched his low mood, the fading of his joy. The mocking woman from a moment ago was gone, replaced by a compassionate big sister, perhaps even a mother figure.

She glided through the water and approached Cassian.

She raised her hand and placed it on Cassian’s wet, white hair. Her fingers gently moved through his hair.

"Don’t sulk immediately," she said in a soft voice.

Cassian raised his head, their eyes met.

"Maybe..." said Cryomara, winking. "When this war is over... If we survive and you defeat that army... I might give you a few secrets. I might part the dusty pages of the past for you."

Cassian’s red eyes shone like a dying fire being stoked again.

"Really?" he asked with a child’s excitement. "Promise!"

Cryomara smiled. This time her smile was sincere, warm, and real.

"Haha, I promise," she said and lightly flicked Cassian’s nose. "Now cheer up a little. And enjoy the water. Soon... we will crack open the gates of hell."

_ _ _

Hi everyone,

I’ve started working on a new novel.

Its theme and story structure are completely different from my current one.

If you’re into academy settings, a yandere twist, a strange main character, and a single female lead, you might enjoy this one.

[F-Rank Beast: The Heroine’s Useless Partner]