Married to The Ice King: Pampered Princess' Survival Guide

A sharp smack echoed through the hallway as Theo slapped the back of the man's head, clean, sharp, and completely with intention.

"Liam," he said flatly.

"Ow—rude," the younger Kingsley muttered, rubbing the back of his head, though the grin on his face didn't falter. He turned to Daisy again like nothing had happened. "Nice to meet you, Barbie-in-law. Looking forward to cooperating with you." He extended a hand with dramatic flair, like this was a business merger instead of a family dinner.

Daisy smiled, lifting her hand to accept it, only for Theo to clasp her wrist instead and tug her toward the living room.

She stumbled a little in surprise but quickly recovered, shooting Liam an apologetic shrug over her shoulder.

Liam just laughed. "Yup. She definitely has the X factor."

Theo didn't even bother looking back at his brother. He kept walking, his grip on Daisy's wrist just a little tighter than necessary. But his jaw was tight, and when he finally spoke, it was low enough that only Daisy could hear.

"Barbie? Bullshit."

Daisy's steps faltered for half a second. 

'Was that… supposed to be a compliment? Because it sure didn't sound like one.' Her lips pressed into a thin line as she straightened up, refusing to let the sting show.

She glanced sideways at him, voice casual. "Is it like hurting you if someone compliments me?"

Theo didn't answer right away.

His jaw twitched, ever so slightly. Not enough for most people to notice. But she was watching.

"No," he said eventually. "Just allergic to lies."

That did it.

Her eyes narrowed. "Then why bother listening to them? He wasn't even talking to you…he was talking to me. So why are you the one getting all butthurt?"

Theo opened his mouth, the start of a sharp comeback ready on his tongue.

But Daisy raised her hand in front of his face, calm, casual and just inches from his nose.

"Talk to the hand," she said sassily and her fingers spread like a stop sign.

Then she stuck out her tongue, quick, childish, and just annoying enough before spun on her sandals, marching toward the living room like it was exactly where she meant to go all along.

Theo blinked once, slowly. Then scoffed.

Liam, who was lounging nearby and caught the entire scene, whistled low. "Whoa, I can see there's a subtle change there."

He quickened his steps, caught up beside Theo, and leaned sideways to peek at his brother's face.

Then froze mid-step.

"Wait—did you just smile?" he gasped, nearly tripping over the carpet.

Theo's eyes didn't even twitch. "No."

"I saw it. Right there. Left corner. It moved."

"Liam," Theo cut him off flatly, his voice low and warning. "Don't push it."

That was all it took.

Liam raised both hands in surrender, the grin never quite leaving his face. "Okay, okay. Chill. Just saying. If the ice king starts smiling, the world should probably prepare for an apocalypse."

Theo didn't respond. He just kept walking, cold and collected as ever, like none of this mattered.

But Liam glanced at Daisy, who was now seated ahead in the living room.

He smirked.

Something was definitely changing.

"Everyone here?"

The deep, commanding voice echoed from the stairs, cutting through the buzz of conversation. Instinctively, all heads turned toward the sound.

"Yeah! Our savior safely arrived, Dad!" Liam called out as he flopped lazily into a seat, grinning.

Footsteps grew louder, measured and confident, until Richard Kingsley appeared in sharp suit, sharper presence. His expression was unreadable until his gaze landed on Daisy.

And then, to her complete shock… he smiled.

Daisy blinked.

'Wait, what?'

This was not what she had braced herself for. She had expected another version of Theo, the stoic, cold, unreadable person. A man who ruled the room with silence and sharp eyes.

But instead… He smiled at her. Warm. Welcoming. Like she wasn't a stranger who'd just dated his famously hard-to-please son.

Daisy remained frozen for a heartbeat longer, caught completely off guard.

She looked around, Evelyn's warmth, Camellia's laughter, Liam's loud friendliness and now this.

A slow realization crept in.

'Was Theo the only one in this family who didn't get the sunshine gene?'

"What?" Theo's voice cut through her thoughts.

She blinked up at him.

He narrowed his eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Daisy's lips twitched. "Tch. I'm not looking at you. I'm looking at…"

"Liam! My name is Liam, Barbie-in-law!" Liam quickly craned his head to the side, showing his face to Daisy.

"Yeah. I'm looking at Liam." She rolled her eyes at Theo.

At that moment, Richard held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Daisy."

"Ah—" Daisy quickly smiled and met his eyes. "Nice to meet you too, Mr. Kingsley."

"No… that sounds so formal…" Evelyn stepped in, slipping her hand into Richard's arm. "You should start calling us Mom and Dad soon, right honey?"

Daisy blinked hard, visibly stunned. They looked so sweet together… but then her head snapped back to Theo, and she narrowed her eyes. 'What a weird alien.'

Richard's smile widened. "Let's go eat first… our guest will arrive in an hour."

"What guest?" Theo's cold voice cut through the cheery vibe. "I thought this was a family dinner."

Richard glanced at Evelyn.

"You know how he is," Evelyn said, a bit defensively. "I didn't even get the chance to explain before he chased me out."

"I was planning to announce Liam's appointment as a director in the company," Richard said calmly. "And since you're here today, let's announce your engagement too…"

Daisy's eyes widened slightly. She instinctively stepped to her left, edging closer to Theo.

She didn't like the sound of this.

It wasn't just a casual dinner anymore, it was starting to feel like something else.

Like an heir being named.

Like alliances were being drawn.

She'd heard enough of these stories to know when a family wasn't just a family.

It was a legacy.

And legacies always came with expectations.

Daisy turned to look at Theo, who seemed awfully calm until he suddenly spoke.

"Why don't you appoint him as the VP while you're at it?"

Daisy flinched slightly. 'Oh, here it comes. The sarcasm.'

Her eyes darted between Theo and his father.

'Great. Now I'm officially stuck in this family's drama.'