Married to The Ice King: Pampered Princess' Survival Guide-Chapter 180: Elise VS Elias

"What are you doing?" Daisy’s voice made him tense. She stepped into the study, her eyes narrowing slightly when she saw Theo standing near the table, his hand lingering as if he’d just been caught red-handed.

He blinked, forcing a grin, and casually tapped the edge of the table. "Just checking... wondering why the older me decided to go with this old-fashioned style of interior."

His laugh was light, playful, but his heart pounded so hard he was sure she could hear it.

Daisy tilted her head, then glanced around the study, her brow furrowing. "It does feel different... kind of heavy, doesn’t it?" She ran her fingers over the carved wood, then looked back at him with a soft smile. "But maybe it’s very you."

Theo swallowed, nodding quickly, eager to steer her attention away from the small side table just behind him.

Daisy looked around the room and smiled faintly. "I never knew about this study..."

"You didn’t know?" Theo raised his brows, feigning surprise.

Inside, though, his thoughts twisted sharply. ’Of course he wouldn’t invite you here, honey... twenty-nine-year-old me sounded like a creep.’

He forced another smile, casually leaning on the table as if it were nothing more than furniture, even as the weight of what he’d seen behind him pressed on his chest.

Daisy wandered slowly around the room, her fingertips brushing over the shelves and the polished edges of the desk. A warm smile spread across her face as she looked at the traces of him in every detail. "This is so... Theo," she murmured, her smile widening.

Theo, unable to help himself, peeked at her, at the way her face lit up when she was at ease. The word slipped from his lips before he could stop it. "Beautiful..."

"Huh?" Daisy turned sharply toward him, her eyes curious. "What did you say?"

Theo cleared his throat quickly, covering the slip with a gentle smile. "Are you okay now? I mean... still dizzy from the hangover? Have you calmed down?" He stepped closer, reaching for her hands, holding them carefully.

"Hm..." She pressed her lips thin and nodded. "Better..." Her gaze dropped to the floor. "I’m sorry... it just... hm..."

"It’s okay, I understand," Theo said softly. Then, almost shyly, his lips curved into a small smile. "You know, it was my fault for being happy... happy that I married my first love."

Daisy blinked furiously, her mind struggling to process his words. "I’m Daisy, not Elly..."

"But I heard your mom calling you Elly at that time," he explained, as though it were the most natural reason.

Daisy froze. "So... you’re saying... I’m your first love?"

Theo nodded eagerly. "Mm."

Her brows furrowed, disbelief flickering in her eyes. "Elly...? You must have heard it wrong. She usually called me Elise whenever she was mad at me."

"Ah... really?" Theo rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Probably Elise... but since I was standing a bit far away from you, I didn’t hear it clearly..."

Daisy’s lips slowly curved into a smile, soft at first, then brighter as she looked at him. "Interesting..." she murmured, tilting her head. "You never said anything like that before. Never once did you show it, never once did you express it."

Theo blinked, caught off guard by the warmth in her voice. "Really?" he returned her smile. "Probably because the older me was caught in the middle of chaos in his life... and so he buried you somewhere deep inside his head?"

Theo’s words made Daisy’s smile falter. Her brows knitted, her expression shifting with sudden intensity. "Probably! Yes... that’s it!" she muttered, more to herself than to him. "I think I just connected something, though maybe I’m just being overly proud of this theory..." She bit her lip, eyes sharp with curiosity.

Lifting her gaze to him, she leaned closer. "Okay, Theo, listen carefully... you remember I told you about Elias, right?"

Theo nodded slowly. "The... flirty guy you keep comparing me with?"

"Yes," Daisy said, her tone calm but firm. "But you don’t understand. Elias isn’t just some guy I made up. Elias is you, Theo. He’s the part of you that broke away when you buried everything, your memories, your feelings, your pain. A split personality."

Theo froze, his lips parting as if to speak, but no words came.

Daisy took a breath, pressing her hand against his chest. "Think about it... Elias is playful, bold, and unafraid to say what’s in his heart. I think it is definitely a mirror of what you are at this moment. But you—the older you I knew...you locked all of that away after Julian’s death. You erased it. And to suppress them, what came out instead was Elias."

Her eyes softened, searching for his stunned expression. "So don’t you see? You didn’t lose everything, Theo. You just... separated it. That’s why Elias exists."

Theo stared at her, his throat working but no sound escaping. The words sank into him like stones dropped into deep water, rippling through the pieces of himself he couldn’t yet fit together.

"Separated...?" he finally whispered, his voice almost shaky. His brows furrowed, as if the very idea hurt to process. "So... Elias is me? The... me I... buried?"

Daisy nodded gently, her thumb brushing against his chest in reassurance. "Yes. He isn’t someone else, Theo. He’s you. The side of you that refused to die, even when you tried so hard to smother it."

Theo drew in a ragged breath, his gaze falling to the floor. His lips curved into a faint, almost bitter smile. "Then that means... I really was a coward, wasn’t I? I was so weak I had to split myself apart just to keep going..."

Daisy shook her head firmly, cupping his face and forcing him to meet her gaze. "Not at all," she said, her voice steady but tender. "Theo, don’t you see? You survived. That wasn’t cowardice... it was your heart’s way of protecting you. You didn’t destroy yourself, you found a way to keep living, even if it meant splitting the weight into pieces."

Her thumbs brushed lightly over his skin, a small smile softening her expression. "Elias may have carried the part of you that still dared to laugh and love, but that doesn’t make you weak. It makes you... human."

Theo’s eyes flickered, emotion tightening his throat. For a moment he only gazed at her.

Daisy smiled softly, though her eyes still shimmered with seriousness. Then, as if sensing the heaviness pressing down on him, she tilted her head and let a teasing note slip into her voice. "But you know what I keep wondering, Theo? Why Elias? Of all the names in the world... why that one?"

Daisy’s smile turned sly, pride sparkling in her eyes. "But you know what? I think I cracked it. Why Elias? Of all names, you picked the one that sounds awfully close to Elly."

She leaned closer, her grin mischievous. "Admit it... you couldn’t let go of your first love, so you named your other self after me."

Theo’s face went crimson, his mouth opening before he blurted, "You must be the type who’s very proud of yourself, right?" He reached out and tapped her nose, flustered but grinning.

Daisy blinked, her brows knitting as she tilted her head. "Wait a second... Why do I feel like you’re not acting like a nineteen-year-old at all? Are you sure you’re nineteen, Theo?"

"Well, I am twenty nine with the memories that stuck at nineteen?" Theo arched his brow, and instead of waiting for another set of questions, he spun on his heel and strode out of the study.

"Hey! Don’t you dare ignore me!" Daisy called, rushing after him, her footsteps echoing down the hall as she chased him out.