Chapter 16: Bad News Letter

"Young master, are you really alright out here? You told us not to worry but I can't help to…" Mr. Rizer, the butler, said as he gazed at the ruddy, lithe youth standing among the green leafy stalks that were like streaks of paint in the white snow.

Yunho turned around, his silver hair slightly swishing with the movement. His nose was red, and a snowflake rested on his long lashes. He was carrying a tin of water and was slowly drizzling onto the growing field. Yunho shook his head. He was just watering the Frostwreath. It was cold, of course, but it wasn't going to be a hard task.

"No, it's no bother for me," Yunho said, waddling to another place in the field to water more of the green leafy stems. He hummed. "But the grown Frostwreath we bought is stored properly right? It has to be able to last for a while…"

"Oh, yes, it is. There's a shed beside the stables here. We just placed the plants there." Rizer said. "Marella suggested placing the plants into some earth to prevent them from immediately dying. That seems to be working,"

Yunho smiled, "That's good." He sprinkled the last of the water in the bucket onto the growing plants. He was quite happy with how fast the impromptu garden he had made was going along. It had only been a few days since the seeds were planted, yet the weeds had already spread around the field.

To Nym and anybody else who had agricultural knowledge, this would seem like a nightmare. After all, who would want their land to be overrun with weeds? But to Yunho, this was just according to his plan.

He didn't think he was going to be able to grow enough Frostwreath to single-handedly solve the famine. But hopefully, he could help some villages. With Yunho now knowing that the leader of the Knives guild did business in the nearby village, he knew that the news would spread without any interference on his part. And then, that'd send the next part of his plan into motion: getting a better reputation and backing that could hopefully protect him when Irene eventually came for her revenge.

Plus, he would be preventing the deaths of thousands of people! A good thing done in self-interest was still a good thing, right?

Yunho shook off the excess water from the bucket and set it aside as he went back inside. He placed his snowy coat onto the coat rack by the door. He ran a hand through his hair, wiping it off the leftover cold from outside.

The door suddenly opened again. The sound startled Yunho who slightly jumped back. He looked behind him and sighed when he saw what it was.

It was just Aris. She had left earlier on a trip to the village to buy some food for the lodge. The girl was holding a basket with different vegetables, fruits, and bags in it. She had a slightly worried expression on her face.

Yunho quirked up an eyebrow. He felt like he already knew what the issue was, but he was going to ask anyway to confirm his suspicions.

"Did anything happen, Aris?" Yunho said as he watched the butler take the basket off of the maid.

The girl sighed and rubbed the back of her neck.

"It's nothing too serious. Just…on my errand run, I overheard this farmer talking. He said that some of his crops failed, so he won't be able to sell as much this year. Apparently, it's been happening to a few people," Aris said.

Nobles had the money to import crops or pay higher prices for scarce domestic goods, so even in the famine, there wasn't much for them to worry about. It was mostly the commoners that received the brunt end of the disaster.

But anyone with a shred of empathy would still feel bad seeing the human impact of the famine. Especially the righteous Aris who had a sister back home.

Yunho frowned. These were the first warning signs, but it was still too early. Right now, it was just a bit of crop failure which was a normal yearly occurrence. He couldn't introduce the Frostwreath now. He had to wait. It was a secret card hidden up his sleeve that he had to play strategically. Like a piece close, but not quite ready to checkmate.

Plus, he hadn't grown enough for it to be a powerful enough tool yet. In a month or so, it might be the right time to strike. He just had to act before Irene presented as the chosen one and took her trip to the temple. Or else, she would be the one to gain recognition for discovering Frostwreath, even if he was already growing it. Added with the support of the crown prince, everything would go as planned in the story. The story in which, Iris was banished and never heard from again.

Yunho hummed.

"Don't worry too much. I have a feeling things won't get too bad," he said.

Because he had already figured things out…right?

—

The weeks after went by peacefully. The Frostwreath garden grew and spread to the point of being almost untameable. But Yunho wasn't bothered. The more of it they had, the merrier.

The mood in the kingdom became heavier as the blight became more widespread. More crops were dying, and it was becoming an issue past the boundaries of normalcy. Yunho was still biding his time, looking for the best moment to play his diamond piece but just as he was about to set this card…

"What?" Yunho's hands shook as he looked at the letter in his hand.

He would occasionally receive letters from Countess Rosetta and Count Damien, the original Iris's parents, but after a while, the amount he got dwindled. Mail took a few days to deliver to its destination anyway. Yunho would sometimes reply when it seemed necessary but always with generic information. He wasn't even close with his original parents, much less with those two who he had known for less than a year and were abusive to the Female Lead. He was not trying to raise any death flags for himself!

When the butler handed Yunho the letter, he thought nothing of it…until he read the words inside.

He had to reread the letter to digest it:

"Dear Iris, I hope you are doing well. I'm writing to you about…your sister. The news may not have reached you, but she has awakened with Baihye's powers. I didn't intend to cause you too much shock, so I waited to tell you. We're throwing a celebration for her at the estate. Many high-ranking nobles and possibly royals shall be coming to see her as she'll become the next high priestess. You are, of course, invited to come.

Love, your sweet mother"

Yunho blinked once then twice then thrice, but the words on the glitzy piece of parchment wouldn't change. He almost laughed at the sudden respect for Irene in the letter and the "sweet mother" sign-off, but he had other things to worry about. He let it fall onto his bedroom desk.

According to the novel, Irene, the female lead, gets her powers in the middle of the famine. The kingdom is desperate, and Irene swoops in as their savior with frostwreath. The crown prince is already interested in her at this point because of her powers, but this event cements her influence in the kingdom. It also puts the crown prince in good public opinion, considering Irene's endorsement of him because of their deal.

But though one would say the famine had technically started, it wasn't yet at the point where Irene awakened in the novel. He should've still had time. He should've still had time.

…Did something change?

Yunho lightly tapped himself on the cheek. No. He must be misremembering things. If something really had changed, who would've changed it? Nothing he had done should've affected Irene's awakening time. That's something only she could do herself. In the book, after being starved for days in the stable, Irene faints in the cold, dirty stable. Here, she hears Baihye's call and unlocks the hidden part of her, awakening with the powers of the high priestess.

Irene heard Baihye's call because she was in despair and on the verge of starving to death. But the reason why the head maid had locked her in the stables in the first place was because, with higher tensions from the famine, the head maid found it even more necessary to exert her power over someone. This is revealed when, later in the book, Irene demands an explanation from the older woman before enacting revenge on her.

Yunho frowned. He had to just be wrong. Maybe he interpreted it wrong. Maybe Irene's awakening happened earlier in the famine…but something in his heart was screaming something different.

Yunho shook the thoughts out of his head and let out a deep breath. There was no changing things. He had to deal with this somehow. He had to act now.

Yunho gazed at the letter lying passively on the desk. And that party…

"any high-ranking nobles and possibly royals shall be coming"

It might be good to make an appearance.

But, first…

Yunho went downstairs and found Marella sweeping the kitchen floor downstairs. She looked up as she heard the light footsteps of her young master approaching.

"Marella, I think I have a use for all the Frostwreath we've been growing…but I'll need a little help and possibly a really big pot."

—

End of Chapter 16