“What is this? When the older one disappears I have to marry the younger one?” Minho complained, “So if the younger one disappears I have to marry the youngest one?”

“Oppa, the Jung family has only 2 sisters, if the younger one disappears as well…” Jinri thought for a moment, “You might have to end up marrying one of their servants!” She continued with a laugh.

“Yah! Choi Jinri, your oppa here is FRUSTRATED over the marriage and you’re joking about it?” Minho put on a gloomy face.

“Ahhh…oppa yah, think of the good things, you’re going to marry the ice beauty! Of every other possible candidate you get the ice beauty! There’s so much for you to gain!” Jinri exclaimed.

“What ice beauty? I’m marrying a block of ice?” Minho replied in puzzlement, with the I’m-so-not-going-to-spend-the-rest-of-my-life-with-some-ice-that-can-easily-melt-into-water look.

Jinri tried to contain a laugh. “Oppa! Ice beauty is obviously not a block of ice!” And then she explained how the name came about.

On the other side,

Soojung had thought of many possibilities. She could run away like her unnie, but then there would be no one else to take care of her parents.

“Unnie you’re really leaving?” Soojung held tightly to her unnie’s arm and questioned.

“Mianhae Soojung. Take care of yourself, and take care of appa and omma for me.” Sooyeon then proceeded to packing her items.

Her unnie has trusted their parents to her, and she cannot just run away like that; it would be letting her unnie down.

Fine, so let it be a marriage. It’s not like it will kill me or anything. Soojung thought to herself.

…

The room was dead silent. He could hear her breathing. She just stood there in the room, where he had stopped to close the door. He then turned to face her back and said, “You can take a rest.”

“It’s okay.” Soojung replied, not even once looking back at him.

Wow, really like a block of ice. Minho thought to himself. So that cold vibe that I felt during the wedding ceremony really did come from her.

“Just seat yourself there.” Minho walked to and pulled her petite hands to the bedside.

Soojung eyed him coldly. He was removing all the accessories that he had to put on for the ceremony at the dressing table. Soojung thought for a moment, she also had to remove all the hair accessories studded on her head. She cautiously removed them and placed them at the table near the bed. Her long silky hair fell from the top of her head. Minho saw the image of her from the mirror on the dressing table. He was momentarily captivated by her.

“Oppa! You’re lucky to be married to Jung Sooyeon. She’s known for her ice beauty.”

“What ice beauty?” Minho questioned in puzzlement when his little sister suddenly came into his room.

“Oppa you didn’t know? The Jung sisters are known in Joseon for their ice beauty. Ice beauty means a beauty that looks like an ice on the surface.” Jinri explained, slightly pitying her oppa for not being aware of the news that is known almost across the entire Joseon

Ice beauty, Minho thought. Initially he was still unclear what Jinri was talking about, but maybe now, he has a slight clue about it. A beauty that looks like an ice on the surface, Jinri’s voice resounded in his head. A part of him was curious about her, yet the other part of him reminded himself that he should not get lost in beauties until he forgot about his own revenge plan.

Yes the revenge on behalf of his appa, against the Jung family. He would help his appa carry it out, beginning with this person called Jung Soojung. So what if she’s the Princess’s daughter? As long as she’s in the Choi residence no one will be able to help her. He thought and smirked.

He slowly turned to face Soojung who was seated on the bed.

“Tonight, you will sleep on the ground.” Minho instructed.

Soojung did not say anything; she just nodded to him. Then, as if something came into her mind, she spoke out, “where are the bed sheets?”

“What bed sheets? You will sleep…ON THE GROUND.” Minho repeated his words.

Soojung stared coldly at him. She reckoned that no amount of arguing would help. Then, forcing a tear back inside, she took a deep breath and stood up from the bed. This simple interaction gave Soojung a realization: her married life will not be easy. She will have to brace herself for all the challenges and difficulties ahead.

“Ah Choo!” *Sniff sniff*

Minho was slightly awakened by the disturbing sounds.

He looked down from the bed to see his wife curling herself up on the ground. Her thin fabric was in no way helpful in insulating her from the cold. She kept shifting about in her position, as if trying to look for a warmer position, but to no avail: the ground was universally cold. If she wasn’t sneezing at that time, she would be sniffing.

Such a headache, now I can’t even get a good sleep. He then threw the blanket on the bed to the ground. Soojung opened her eyes. She saw the blanket, but she refused to take it. She kept sniffing in her position.

“Take it.” Minho said.

“I don’t want your pity.” Soojung replied coldly.

Minho sighed. “Aren’t you ice cold enough? I don’t need you to be colder.” Minho replied.

“Not funny.” Soojung rebutted. She then turned away from Minho and continued to shiver in her position.

This girl, how stubborn can she get? Minho thought to himself.

“Take it. I don’t want you sneezing and sniffing. It’s disturbing my sleep.” Minho said.

Soojung turned back to meet with his gaze. “Now it’s you forcing me to take it. Alright then,” she then scrambled to get the blanket and rolled herself up with it. She smiled inside the blanket, but that moment was too fast for Minho to capture it.

Aish Choi Minho why are you acting this way? You’re supposed to be mean to her! You should be laughing while seeing her tremble in her sleep… Minho punched himself mentally. No, this is all going wrong, but I will make sure everything goes back to how it should be tomorrow morning.

For tonight, just let her off once. He glanced at the woman on the ground.

…

The next day, King Taein ordered for this newly wed couple to send their greetings personally to himself.

“You are not the Mistress of the Choi family, you’re just a servant.”

Minho’s words keep ringing in her mind as she stared at the sedan chair beside her. There Minho was seated in the sedan chair while she? Minho ordered her to walk by the side.

Maybe it’s already good enough. He could have come up with worse things like making me crawl my way there. Soojung comforted herself, finding a positive aspect to everything that goes her way in a negative manner.

Minho raised the cloth at his right from inside the sedan chair and made a casual remark, “Yes, you should be glad that I’m not making you crawl.”

Bwoah? How did he know what I was thinking about? Soojung turned to him with an astonished expression.

“Wow, you actually have another expression other than that icy cold glare.” Minho continued his words after seeing her shocked look.

“Yah!” Soojung retorted in displeasure, and then thought for a moment, “You can read minds?” She questioned cautiously.

“Bwoah? I’m not ‘Yah!’ Call me Master. Remember you’re just a servant.” Minho sounded his displeasure and dropped the cloth.

“Ne~” Soojung replied in a patronizing tone.

Minho thought for another second and lifted up the cloth once again, “and I don’t read minds, I read open thoughts; thoughts that someone speaks out loud.” Minho said, emphasizing on the word ‘someone’ intentionally.

“Bwoah! Was I so loud?” Soojung muttered to herself as she stared at him.

“Yes, and you’re speaking your thoughts aloud again.” Minho replied, giving her a does-she-even-know-what-she’s-doing look and dropped the cloth once again.

Aish, Soojung ah… Soojung thought to herself.

However, every human has his own limitation, not to even talk about Soojung, a petite lady who had been walking for who knows how much distance under the bright scorching sun. She felt herself unable to hold on any longer when the scorching sun threw her mind into a whirlwind. Then, with a blink of an eye, she fell to the ground.

“Master, Mistress has fainted!” The sedan chair lifter exclaimed as he commanded the rest to stop their movement.

Fainted? Wasn’t she still speaking her thoughts aloud just now? Minho thought to himself. Nevertheless, he came out of the sedan chair and picked up the petite girl.

“Such a trouble,” Minho growled to himself as he carried her bridal-style into the sedan chair. She’s pretty light, I would say, he thought to himself and placed her beside him inside the sedan chair. Then the sedan chair continued to move its way to the palace.

There were moments with steep turns and Soojung swayed along with the turns, until finally she collapsed and leaned beside Minho. Minho sensed her presence very near him and was about to turn and push her away when he stopped in his movements as his gaze loitered to her face.

She’s really pretty. He thought to himself.

After realizing what his thoughts told him, he shook his head, an attempt to drive away those thoughts.

REVENGE! REVENGE! He forced the word inside his head.

He stared at Soojung. Yes. Nothing should be inside my mind except for REVENGE. He reminded himself.

REVENGE.