Married to The Ice King: Pampered Princess' Survival Guide-Chapter 193: Settle Down

Theo had been standing in front of Daisy for a moment. Daisy hadn’t done much in the past week. After the incident at the shopping mall, she refused to step outside anymore.

Even though Theo had publicly defended her, warning that anyone who spread rumors or lies about his wife would face legal action, Daisy still couldn’t find peace. Something inside her felt hollow, a quiet ache she couldn’t name.

When she thought back, her relationship with her mother, Jasmine, was never exactly good. But her death... left Daisy with a kind of pain she couldn’t escape. A pain that didn’t make sense.

It wasn’t just grief. It was guilt. Regret. And something else she didn’t want to face.

Theo walked towards her and gently held her hands. "Daisy... there’s something we need to talk about," he said carefully.

She glanced up at him, sensing the hesitation in his tone. "What is it?"

He exhaled slowly. "It’s about your uncle... the welfare office called. Since you’re the only family left, they want to know what to do with him. Whether to transfer him to a long-term facility or... if you want to take him under your care."

Daisy went silent, her gaze dropping to their joined hands. "Uncle Matthew..." she murmured. Her voice trembled. "After everything that happened, he doesn’t even know Mom’s gone, does he?"

Theo shook his head. "They said he’s not aware of much lately. Some days, he doesn’t even remember his own name. The doctors aren’t sure if he’ll ever recover completely."

Her throat tightened. "He was locked away for so long... I can’t let him end like that."

Theo looked at her gently. "Then you’ll need to make it official. I can handle the paperwork, but the decision has to come from you."

Daisy nodded faintly, though her eyes glistened. "I’ll take him. He’s family... even if all that’s left of him is a shadow of who he was."

Theo brushed his thumb against her knuckles, his tone quiet. "You don’t have to do this alone."

"I know," she whispered, forcing a small, weary smile. "But it feels like I should... it’s the least I can do for everything this family has lost."

Theo reached out and pulled her gently into his arms, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "You’ve done more than enough, Daisy," he murmured against her hair. "You don’t need to carry all their weight too."

Daisy gazed at Theo, "I’m sorry..."

"Why?" He caressed her hair.

"For all the things that had been happening... it seems like everything that had been happening to your life is related to me..."

Theo gave a quiet laugh, though there was no mockery in it... only tenderness. "Then I guess I’m lucky," he said softly. "Because every path that led me to you, no matter how hard, was still worth it."

Her lips trembled, a faint smile breaking through the tears that threatened to fall again. "You always know what to say," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Because I mean it," he replied. "No matter what happens next, we’ll face it together. Okay?"

Daisy nodded slowly, her eyes glistening as she whispered, "Okay."

A gentle knock interrupted their quiet moment. Theo glanced toward the door just as one of the maids peeked in.

"Madam, Sir," she said softly, her tone careful. "Miss Aurora is here."

Daisy blinked, straightening a little. "Aurora?" she repeated, surprised. "What is she doing here?"

The maid hesitated. "She said... she wanted to see you, Madam. It seemed urgent."

Daisy quickly stood, brushing her palms over her skirt as if to smooth away the heaviness from their earlier talk. "I’ll go see her," she said, forcing a small smile toward Theo before heading downstairs.

The moment she reached the living room, her expression softened. "Aurora," she called warmly, smiling as she approached. "You could’ve just called. What brings you here so suddenly?"

But as Aurora turned to face her, Daisy’s smile faltered. Her best friend’s face was pale, eyes wide with barely contained panic. She was wringing her hands together, her breath uneven.

"Daisy..." Aurora’s voice trembled slightly. "The shop... our shop, the owner wanted to take it back and asked us to empty them in a week..."

Aurora’s eyes darted away as she nodded weakly. "Yeah... that’s the thing. The man who came wasn’t a stranger. He said he was Liam’s friend. Apparently, the property was always under his name... Liam just managed it all this while."

Daisy’s brows furrowed. "Then have you tried talking to Liam about it? Maybe there’s been a misunderstanding?"

Aurora gave a shaky laugh, though there was no humor in it. "You know he doesn’t want to see me, Daisy... so I can’t even show my face around him. I tried calling him last week... he didn’t even pick up. I really didn’t want to have anything to do with me..."

Daisy felt her chest tighten. She could see the hurt in Aurora’s eyes, the kind that came from more than just losing a shop. "Aurora..." she said softly, reaching out to hold her friend’s hand. "Maybe I can talk to him."

Aurora’s eyes widened a little, uncertain. "You’d really do that?"

"Hm..." Daisy smiled faintly. "He often drops by these days, saying he’s bored."

Before Aurora could respond, a familiar voice came from behind them. "Why... is there something wrong?"

Theo walked toward them, his tone calm but concerned.

Daisy and Aurora exchanged a quick glance before Daisy bit her lip and said quietly, "It’s about our shop..."

Theo’s brows drew together. "What about it?"

Aurora took a step forward, her voice trembling slightly. "The owner wants it back. He said we need to clear everything out within a week. It turns out the place actually belongs to one of Liam’s friends."

Theo frowned, his tone calm but firm. "The owner? Adrian?"

Daisy arched her brow. "You know him?"

"Of course I do..." Theo exhaled and walked toward the sofa. He gently pulled Daisy to sit beside him before turning to Aurora. "Sit first," he said, gesturing for her to take a seat too.

Once they were all settled, he leaned back, his expression serious. "I checked on him a while ago. I knew I’d heard that name before and of course I did. He’s close to Liam. They’ve been friends since school."

Daisy and Aurora both nodded in understanding.

Theo’s gaze shifted between them. "Just one question...both of you... do you really intend to keep the shop going?"

The room fell silent for a moment, the weight of his question lingering in the air, marking an unspoken decision neither of them could avoid.