Married to The Ice King: Pampered Princess' Survival Guide-Chapter 181: Others Before Me

"Are you sure both of you want to go out?" Richard asked, his gaze flicking between them before settling on Evelyn at his side.

Both of them had just arrived during breakfast. Liam’s words were probably still stuck in their heads, making it impossible for them to stay still at the house, so they came here instead.

Daisy glanced at Theo, but he seemed oblivious, chewing through his food as though Richard’s question hadn’t reached him.

"It would be better to stay home," Richard pressed, his brows knitting. "Owen may be quiet for now with the police watching him, but that doesn’t guarantee what happened before won’t happen again. And Theo... your wound—it still hasn’t fully healed, has it?"

The soft clink of Theo’s fork against the plate cut through the room, drawing everyone’s eyes to him. Slowly, he lifted his gaze, still chewing down the last bite. When he finally swallowed, his voice came steady, low, but firm.

"Hmm... after studying myself, I realised what makes me who I am today..." He propped his elbow on the dining table and supported his chin with his palm. "And I knew why... I have become a failure..."

"You are not..." Evelyn’s voice rose, sharp and instant, refusing to agree. "What are you talking about?"

"Mom... listen first..." he said softly, yet it carried a quiet weight. He straightened his body, arms crossing over his chest. "I mean, because I always put others before me, I failed to protect myself. It’s not like I regret what I did before, but because of that, when I failed... I blamed myself, and my brain just... shut down."

Everyone fell silent, frowning, trying to piece together what he meant. The air felt heavier, like the weight of his words had sunk into the room.

Daisy gazed at Theo, her lips parting as if to speak, but then her eyes darted away. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, proud in her own quiet way that he could finally put it into words.

Richard, however, didn’t look convinced. He exhaled heavily, rubbing his temple before fixing Theo with a stern look. "That’s... good that you’ve thought about it, but for now, you should be resting instead of talking about going out. Your wound hasn’t fully healed, and..." his tone grew firmer, "You also need to agree to continue the psychiatric treatment. Don’t think you can just skip that, Theo."

Theo leaned back in his chair, his arms still crossed. His eyes flicked to Richard, steady and unreadable for a moment. Then, instead of snapping back like they half-expected, he let out a slow breath and said calmly, "I’ll go."

Richard blinked, thrown off. "You... will?"

Theo gave a small shrug. "Yeah. If it helps me stop shutting down like before, then fine. I’m not going to pretend I don’t need it anymore." He smirked faintly, though his voice carried sincerity underneath. "Besides, I don’t want to keep scaring Daisy."

Daisy’s cheeks flushed lightly, her smile softening at his words.

Evelyn reached over, resting her hand on Theo’s arm, her eyes misty. "That’s all I wanted to hear, sweetheart."

Richard, though still wearing his frown, finally gave a small nod of approval. "Good. Then at least I can stop worrying about you being stubborn for once."

Theo drummed his fingers once on the table, then nodded as if he had made up his mind. "Let’s start the sessions next week, then?" he said casually, though there was a certain firmness in his tone that left no room for debate.

Before anyone could respond, he pushed back his chair and stood, brushing his hands against his pants. He reached his hand out toward Daisy, eyes glinting with that mischievous spark she knew too well.

"Now," he said, glancing at Richard with the faintest smirk, "can we go out for a date?"

Daisy blinked at him, caught between surprise and laughter, her hand hovering before slowly taking his.

Richard’s brows furrowed deeper. "Theo—"

But Theo just raised their joined hands lightly, as if to cut him off. "Dad, relax. Therapy next week, promise. But today... let us at least enjoy our honeymoon phase..."

The words hung in the air, bold and unflinching. Daisy’s cheeks flushed, her eyes darting to both Richard and Evelyn as she smiled awkwardly.

"Let them have their time..." Evelyn finally spoke up, her voice calm but firm. "You’ve put them through so much—"

"Me?" Richard scoffed, staring at her in disbelief. "It’s not like what I did was wrong..."

"I know." Evelyn sighed softly, then stood and linked her arm with his. "But just let them have fun... come. It’s been a while since we went on a date too."

Richard grumbled under his breath but didn’t resist as she tugged him away.

Daisy watched them leave, her lips curling into a faint smile before turning to Theo. "Shall we? Where should we go first?"

Theo leaned closer, lowering his voice with a mischievous grin. "Anywhere... as long as it’s just the two of us. Though, if I get to choose... ice cream first. Then maybe a proper date."

Daisy blinked at him, amused. "Ice cream? That’s your priority?"

Theo shrugged, squeezing her hand. "What can I say? Sweet things... for sweet company."

Daisy chuckled then nodded, "Should I break the bad news to you...?" She held onto his arm.

"What is it?" Theo leaned in a bit.

She tiptoed and whispered to his ear like it was top secret, "You hate sweet things now, and love bitter coffeee..."

Theo froze mid-step, his brows shooting up. "Huh? Bitter coffee? That’s impossible." He pulled back, staring at her in mock horror. "Are you saying I betrayed nineteen-year-old me and abandoned ice cream for... bitterness?"

Daisy burst into laughter, her hand patting his arm. "Exactly. You’ve changed, Mr. Kingsley. You’re basically a grumpy old man in the making."

"Unbelievable..." Theo muttered dramatically, holding his chest like she had stabbed him. Then, with a charming grin, he tugged her closer. "Fine then. If the older me betrayed the ice cream, I’ll just make up for it now. Today, we’re getting the biggest sundae they have. No arguments."

Daisy tilted her head, smiling up at him warmly. "No arguments," she said softly, her laughter still lingering in her eyes.