It was already lunch time when Jaera got ready for the day. She snuck into the kitchen stealthily, blending into the walls as well as she could. The teams of healers from both kingdoms were noisy as they ate.

As she was just about to reach for a plate, Seungwan and Seulgi managed to spot her amidst the crowd, rushing over towards her immediately. It felt like ages since she had last seen or spoken to them.

“Where have you been, Jaera?” Seungwan called out, looping an arm around hers. “Tending to a sick prince?”

She chuckled, moving to pile her plate with some food. “What are the rumours saying now?”

“They say that the Ice King is smitten by a healer of the Fire Kingdom whose personality opposes his, but she is smitten by him too. They spend their days and nights together, oblivious to the people around them.”

“Of course, these are just rumours,” Seulgi interjected. “We would much prefer an actual source.”

“The actual source prefers to give no comment.”

Seulgi pouted. “You’re no fun!”

Jaera’s plate was full and she reached for her cutlery. “A lot has happened in the past few days. I have only spent time with Jun- the prince, for a day at most. He has been unconscious for a long time.”

If the two of time heard her slip up, they did not say anything about it. Instead, Seungwan frowned. “Our head healer has been very quiet about the recent matters. But practically all the staff know that your Prince Chanyeol helped to heal our king and the prince fell unconscious after that.”

“The Fire Kingdom is unexpectedly good in healing,” said Seulgi absentmindedly. “Not that I thought you all were bad at first!”

Jaera nodded. “I understand. The Water Kingdom has been famous for their healing industry for centuries. Don’t worry about it. Chanyeol just happened to be the best person at the time to help King Kim.”

“You are very close to Prince Chanyeol.”

Her heart dropped. She could still remember the last time they had spoken, and things did not end well. He left, and she wasn’t sure if she would see him again. She also decided to ignore the fact that they could be siblings. That was something to deal with when she got back home.

Seungwan swooned, smitten by the Fire Kingdom prince. “He was so warm and friendly. You could feel it when he entered the room. We need him to warm up this never-ending winter.”

Junmyeon was cold to the touch. But the kisses he gave left her warm inside.

“If you ever decide to visit the Fire Kingdom, I’ll introduce you to him properly,” she told her friend, smiling as the latter squealed. “He likes it when people compliment him.”

“Ah, he responds well to words.” Seungwan nodded in understanding. “Prince Junmyeon responds well to physical contact.”

“How do you know that?”

She grinned when Jaera’s eyebrows knit together. “How do we know everything around the castle? Rumours of course. His Highness could not keep his hands off his ex-fiancée, and we all know how he used to hold his fencing instructor’s hand before his assessments. But he loves words as well, of course.”

“I have never seen him touching anyone.”

“Neither have I. But this is what we heard he was like, before all of this.” She gestured around.

That was something to ponder on. Her growling stomach cut through the conversation, allowing her to slip away from her friends and find a table to finally have her first meal of the day.

Right before she could take a bite of her food, Madam Jung appeared. “There you are! I have been looking everywhere for you. Could I have a moment?”

Jaera stared longingly at her half-eaten food. Whatever her head healer wanted to say sounded important, so she pushed her hunger down and nodded. She followed Madam Jung outside to a quieter area.

“I have been thinking about how the prince could be healed. And I have an idea that could speed up the process.”

“Is it firebending? I cannot do that, Madam Jung. I am still inexperienced and-”

The head healer shook her head. “I have been keeping track of the weather, and if I am not mistaken, it becomes warmer whenever the prince’s heart is less frozen. Coincidentally, those warmer days are when he spends time with you. For the first week or so, when we were still on rotation, the weather improved the day after you were on duty. Then, when we kept you away from him, there was no improvement.”

So she knew that they were spending time together. Jaera blushed.

“I am not reprimanding you, Jaera. I just feel that a faster way to heal Prince Junmyeon is by, for a lack of better word, seducing him.”

She froze. “You want me to seduce the prince?”

“Ultimately, yes. It seems that the only way, other than using bending, is by letting his feelings take over to melt the ice around his heart naturally. Besides, the only benders I know of are you and him.”

Jaera bit her tongue. She was not in the place to expose the secrets of royalty. “I- I do not know how to seduce a man.”

“Use your feminine charm on him, laugh at his jokes, treat him as if he is the most interesting man in the world. It should be easy since he is already halfway there for you, no?”

“What if I could just convince him to bend the ice out of his heart?”

Madam Jung sighed. “Are you confident that you can change his mind? He has had this frozen heart for almost two years now.”

Jaera really did not want to trick him into melting his heart. She wanted him to agree on his own terms. Besides, what could she do after seducing him anyway? There was no place in his life for a girl like her.

Despite all of that, she nodded. “I will try my best.”

-

“And what is the meaning of all this?” Junmyeon questioned as Jaera placed a mask over his nose and mouth.

The prince was decked out in a scholar’s uniform, from the headgear to the shoes. A black mask covered most of his features. She passed him a monocle as well, and he put it on with a slight protest.

“You promised to let me convince you.”

He walked towards the mirror, scrutinising his reflection. He raised a brow. “What part of this is supposed to convince me?”

She rolled her eyes, adjusting his uniform. She took a good look at him and deemed him ready for that night’s escapade. No one would be able to recognize him unless they were family. Her lips stretched into a grin.

The guard outside the prince’s room watched as the two of them exited the room. Jaera gestured for him to keep it a secret. He nodded in understanding, bowing deeply towards the prince. Junmyeon waved a hand dismissively, leading them both down the stairs.

His disguise proved to be effective as the two of them walked down the hallway, even making it all the way to the royal library. Most of the staff who passed by them did not bat an eye, while others greeted them as if they were fellow staff members.

Suddenly, the doors to the royal library opened, revealing a few tired faces from the Water Kingdom’s team of healers. They consisted of the younger ones, which of course, included Seungwan and Seulgi.

They were surprised to see her with a scholar, decked in a mask no less. “Hello, Jaera,” said Seungwan. “We were just doing a little bit of research before our team meeting. Who is this?”

“This is just a friend of mine,” she answered nervously. “He is a scholar under the division of… plants! Yes, he asked for my take on plants with healing properties.”

Junmyeon stared straight at the healers, not even tipping his head into a bow at the slightest.

Seungwan watched him reproachfully for a few moments before turning back to face Jaera. “You have already tended to His Highness? It has not been long since dinner ended. You usually spend more time in there.”

“Don’t let His Highness know you were with a scholar!” said Seulgi. “Could you imagine his jealousy seeing you with another man? There would definitely be a snowstorm the next day.”

He scoffed, leading Jaera to elbow him.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I am just explaining Fire Kingdom herb