Soulbound: Dual Cultivation

Chapter 502: Ice Belle awakens

By the time she and Lucas stepped into the command grounds, the atmosphere had already shifted. Guards stood straighter than usual, servants moved in tense silence, and the nobles gathered nearby avoided speaking above a whisper. At the center of it all stood King Highmoor, his expression dark, his presence radiating restrained fury.

"What exactly were you thinking," he demanded, his voice cutting through the air like a blade.

"I simply asked the for an invitation," she replied calmly.

Lucas remained silent off to the side, but he could feel the tension building between them, thick and volatile.

"It could just as easily lead to defiance," King Highmoor countered, his voice rising now. "You may have forced their hand, but you may also have hardened the heart of the Blackmare king against us. Pride is not something rulers discard so easily."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The air between them felt like it might ignite at any second.

The word hung in the air.

"Reckless," she repeated, as if testing the weight of it. "No. I acted when action was required. While you were still considering possibilities, I ensured results."

"Diplomacy requires leverage," she shot back. "Before today, we had none. Now we do."

"I did what needed to be done," the Empress continued, her voice steady, unwavering. "You may not like the method, but you cannot deny the outcome."

But she did not.

For a long moment, the King said nothing more.

The moment he was gone, the weight in the air shifted, though it did not fully disappear.

The Empress remained where she stood, her gaze fixed in the direction he had left. Whatever storm had just passed between them still reflected faintly in her eyes, though her expression slowly returned to its usual calm.

"Tell me," she said, her voice quieter now, stripped of the edge she had used against the king. "Was I wrong."

"It was effective," he began, his tone measured.

"But it was reckless," he added.

She did not interrupt him.

The Empress held his gaze, her expression unreadable for a moment.

"I understand him," Lucas replied. "Just as I understand why you did it."

Lucas shifted his stance slightly. "You created an outcome," he said. "Now we have to live with whatever follows."

"...Then we wait," she said at last.

"Yes," he replied. "Now we wait and see if it was worth it."

"Your Highness, My Lord." Tom called out as he arrived, slightly out of breath, but unable to hide the urgency in his voice. "She is waking. The Ice Belle... she is awakening."

He did not need to.

The Empress watched him for only a fraction of a second before following after him, her expression sharpening with interest.

By the time they reached the tent, the situation had already drawn attention.

The reason was obvious.

It was not ordinary cold. It bit into the skin like needles, seeping through layers of clothing and pressing against the bones. Each breath that escaped the lips of those present came out as visible mist, and even then, many had already begun to retreat further back, unable to endure it for long.

Ice coated everything.

Inside was even worse.

He did not slow down.

Among those gathered, familiar faces stood out.

Selene was beside her, her usual composure strained, her eyes locked on the tent with clear concern.

Henrietta stood slightly behind, her posture straight but her breath visible with every exhale.

Gwen lingered nearby, shifting her weight slightly, as if resisting the urge to step back.

Lucas reached the entrance.

Without hesitation, he moved inside.

Lucas broke the ice covering the entrance and stepped fully into the tent, the cold intensified to a suffocating degree.

At the center of it all stood the source.

The Ice Belle.

Lucas extended his hand.

The impact echoed sharply.

Not even a crack.

Nothing.

Behind him, the Empress watched in silence for a brief moment before she spoke.

Lucas paused, his hand still raised, the cold now beginning to creep further up his arm.

"You cannot break it," she said calmly. "That is not how this works."

"Then what do we do," he asked.

"You do nothing," she replied.

"If she is truly awakening, then this is not a prison meant to be shattered from the outside."

"It is a cocoon."

"Let her come out on her own," the Empress added. "Interfering now may do more harm than good."

Lucas exhaled slowly, the mist from his breath lingering in the frozen air.