Married to The Ice King: Pampered Princess' Survival Guide-Chapter 177: I Will Pull You Out Every Time

The light that struck at Daisy’s eyes made her squint. "Aurora... the curtain..." she mumbled, still half asleep.

Silence answered her. No footsteps, no annoyed voice. Just the quiet hum of the morning.

Her brows furrowed as she slowly opened her eyes. The room around her was unfamiliar at first until recognition sank in. She was in their room. Hers and Theo’s.

But unfortunately... Theo was nowhere in sight.

Slowly, she sat up, clutching her head as the pounding ache reminded her of all the alcohol she had downed the night before. But wait... she didn’t recall what exactly had happened.

"How am I here?" she muttered, squinting as she tried to force her foggy brain to cooperate. Fragments of the night blurred together, until one sharp memory made her jolt. That moment when she had climbed onto Theo and—

The sudden creak of the door being pushed open made her head snap toward the sound. Panic kicked in. She immediately flopped back onto the bed, yanked the blanket up to her chin, and squeezed her eyes shut.

’Okay, calm down, damn heart,’ she cursed silently as her pulse hammered in her ears.

The door clicked softly, and Theo walked in. He didn’t say a word, just moved quietly across the room with a glass of warm honey water in hand. He set it down gently on the side table, careful not to make too much noise.

Before Daisy could even peek through her lashes, she felt the sudden press of his palm against her forehead. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest.

’What are you doing?! Don’t touch me when I’m pretending to sleep!’ she screamed in her head, but her body stayed frozen under the blanket.

"Hm." Theo hummed low, his touch lingering for a moment before he finally nodded, seemingly satisfied.

It was still early, barely four in the morning, and Daisy’s body felt warmer than usual. His brows knitted slightly, concerned tugging at his face. He had worried she might’ve caught a fever after drinking so much last night.

Releasing a quiet sigh, he adjusted the blanket down to her shoulders, careful not to wake her.

"Good morning, honey..." Theo murmured softly as he fixed a strand of her messy hair, then sat at the edge of the bed.

’What do you mean good morning? I’m sleeping! Go, go, go!’ Daisy screamed inside her head, her eyes twitching as she struggled to stay still.

But Theo caught the slight movement. His lips curved knowingly, though he quickly hid it by standing up and stretching. "Argh... I’m starving. Breakfast first..."

He strolled to the door, opened it, closed it with a click, then quietly tiptoed back to the bedside.

After a few moments of silence, Daisy finally cracked her eyes open, only to jolt back instantly when she found Theo right there, smiling at her. She flinched, nearly tumbling against the headboard.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she yelped, clutching the blanket to her chest. "You scared me to death!" 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Theo leaned back slightly, clearly amused by her outburst, though his grin never faded. "Just checking if my wife is still alive after trying to drown herself in alcohol last night."

"Well... none of your business..." she muttered, shoving the blanket aside and attempting to climb out of bed, only to freeze when she realized she was wearing nothing but an oversized shirt, clearly not hers. "Arghhh!"

"What? What is it?" Theo panicked, immediately leaning closer. "Something wrong? Are you hurt?"

Her eyes widened, and she smacked his shoulder hard. "What did you do to me?!"

"Ouch! Ouch! Wait—" He caught her wrist and locked eyes with her, a playful glint in his gaze. "I didn’t do anything to you, darling..."

Daisy blinked, her breath hitching. That tone, that look—it wasn’t Theo’s usual self. For a second, it reminded her of someone else entirely. Her lips trembled as she whispered, "Elias...?"

"Elias?" Theo asked back, "Who is it?"

Daisy’s eyes widened, caught between shock and confusion. "You... you sound just like him... the way you’re talking, your tone..."

Theo tilted his head, genuine curiosity furrowing his brow. "Like who? I don’t understand."

She huffed, flopping back onto the bed with exasperation, covering her face with her hands. "Never mind! Forget it! It’s nothing..."

Theo’s gaze softened, a small, amused smile tugging at his lips. "I’m always like this... why... am I different now?" he asked, as if nothing had happened between them before.

Daisy stared at him for a few moments in silence, then finally muttered, "The Theo I met for the first time was cold, hateful... harsh with his words..." She paused, noticing the shift in his expression.

"So..." She pressed her lips into a faint, straight smile. "Is this Theo before all the struggles he experienced? The bubbly, fun nineteen-year-old Theo that everyone was trying to get back?" Her voice wavered slightly.

Theo’s brows furrowed slightly, caught off guard by the weight of her words. He tilted his head, his lips twitching into a small, uncertain smile. "Before... every struggle?" he echoed softly, almost to himself.

Daisy nodded faintly, her hands clenching the blanket. "Yes... the one who hasn’t carried all the burdens yet. The one who hasn’t been forced to forget things, to lock parts of himself away..."

Theo blinked a few times, trying to make sense of her words. "I... I guess I’ve become the type who runs away from problems these days?" His lips curved faintly, but the smile never reached his eyes. "I never realized I was such a coward..." He dropped his gaze, voice breaking slightly. "Was it after I lost Julian?"

Daisy shook her head and wrapped him tightly in her arms. "No... you’re not a coward. It’s not your fault... I’ll be here every time to pull you out..." She buried her head against his shoulder, her voice trembling. "I don’t care if you can’t remember me... as long as I remember you... Oh God... you have no idea how glad I am to still be able to hug you like this..."