MELT MY FROZEN HEART
Chapter 54 — Whispers of the Past
The torches lining the palace halls flickered as a cold draft swept through, carrying with it the weight of old memories.
In the guard quarters, two soldiers leaned against the stone wall, their conversation hushed but heavy.
"Can you believe how different the prince is now?" one muttered, polishing the emblem on his chestplate.
The other snorted softly. "Different? I'll say. Used to be, you couldn't even meet his eyes without feelin' like your soul froze over."
They both glanced toward the grand balcony, where Prince Kimo stood under the moonlight, his silhouette calm—but the cold still clung to him like a second skin.
"He's still dangerous," the first guard whispered, lowering his voice. "But not like before… when the queen disappeared—" His words faltered, the painful history still sharp.
Kimo's real mother, Queen Elira—the light of the kingdom, vanished ten years ago under mysterious circumstances. Some said she died protecting the realm. Others whispered of darker forces. The truth? No one dared speak it aloud.
In her place, the present queen—the king's second wife—had stepped in, all smiles and poison hidden beneath silk gowns. An outsider. Beautiful. Ruthless.
The king, once mighty and respected, now ruled from the shadows, a puppet tangled in whispers and manipulation. His eyes no longer burned with purpose, only calculation… and regret.
The second guard shivered. "After the old queen was gone… the prince changed. He was just a boy but…" He swallowed hard. "The day he walked out into that battlefield—the Frost War—the foreigners still have nightmares."
The first guard nodded grimly. "He had ice in his veins. No mercy. No warmth."
They both stared at Kimo's distant figure.
"But now… after that maid showed up…" The first guard smirked faintly. "He talks. He almost smiles. The blizzards in his eyes softened."
The second guard looked nervous. "I just pray… he doesn't return to his former self. If the prince ever becomes that cold again…" He shook his head. "The whole kingdom might shatter."
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Up on the Balcony…
Prince Kimo's sharp hearing caught the faint edges of their conversation. His jaw tightened.
Former self, they whispered. The cold prince.
He couldn't blame them. Losing his mother broke something inside him. His father's silence, his stepmother's venomous smiles, the betrayal woven into palace walls—it all froze him from the inside out.
Only recently… had that ice cracked.
Oki's laughter. Her fire. Her maddening presence. It melted the edges of him, no matter how hard he fought it.
But tonight, with foreigners plotting and his stepmother's lies creeping through the halls, the familiar chill returned to his chest.
His hand clenched the balcony rail.
If the past repeated itself—if he lost someone again—there would be no softness left.
Only the storm.
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To be con.....