Park Jaera had met the infamous Ice King years ago, when they were children.

She could not recall which month it was, or for which official business their kingdoms had to do. What she could remember was that he was supposed to be a kind and charming prince.

It was her, Prince Junmyeon and Prince Chanyeol. All of them were around the same age at about seven years old at the time, so all they did was play as their parents attended meetings. The boys were both royalty, but they never treated her any different for being the daughter to a kitchen maid and a royal soldier.

People changed. Prince Junmyeon was now known as the cold Ice King. Prince Chanyeol, who was once her dear friend, opted to spend more time preparing for his role as King of the Fire Kingdom. Jaera busied herself with studying and working at the royal infirmary.

She remembered how Prince Junmyeon was the one to trigger her decision in pursuing a career in medicine. She had always thought she would end up as one of the kitchen maids like her mother or maybe even a wife to a rich man. It was because of him that she was able to be on this medical team.

“Let’s play hide-and-seek! I’ll go first so you guys better pick a good hiding spot!” Junmyeon exclaimed. “Only around the garden, okay?”

Jaera and Chanyeol grinned in response. They knew the best hiding spots around the castle.

“One, two, three…”

The two of them ran as fast as they could. Jaera spotted Chanyeol going for the brown benches by the pond. She decided to hide a little further away. At the very edge of the garden, there was a huge bush that would be able to conceal her.

“Seventeen, eighteen…”

She broke into a run. Why was he counting so fast? Suddenly, she took a wrong step and ended up falling on her knees. It stung, and tears involuntarily blurred her vision.

She stayed on the ground like that for a while, before Junmyeon came bounding up to her. “I found you! This is a really bad hiding- oh! Are you alright?”

He gently turned her leg over so he could have a better look at her knees. They were scraped.

“Let’s wash it first.” Junmyeon guided her to sit by the pond. He transferred the clear water clumsily in his hands over to her knees. She hissed when the water came into contact with her tender skin.

“It hurts,” she said quietly.

“Just a little bit of ointment and a bandage will do the trick. Don’t worry about it, Jaera.”

She looked up at him in wonder. He looked so dependable. “How do you know so much about these healing stuff?”

He laughed, his voice tinkling. “Actually, healing is very important in the Water Kingdom. We have the best healers in the world because water is a key element in our bodies.”

“I want to be a healer!” Her eyes lit up.

“It is not so easy,” he laughed.

“Being a healer will be a piece of cake! I will read every single book, and I will practice healing techniques, and-”

“My father always told me, that the art of healing always comes with the art of humanity. Every life is precious, so you cannot give up on your patient, no matter how hopeless it may seem.”

Chanyeol called out to the both of them, coming from behind. He grumbled about how Junmyeon was taking too long to find him, until he caught sight of her scraped knee.

That was all Jaera could really remember before her memory grew foggy. Chanyeol had taken her to her mother in the kitchens and she had gotten a proper scolding.

But with all the stories she was hearing, she wondered if that young Prince Junmyeon and this so-called Ice King were even the same person.

“Are you really sure that was the Ice King?” Seungwan asked. She found it a little hard to believe that he would be kind enough to help.

Jaera nodded. “We were seven. I remember it really well.”

She, Seungwan, and her friend, Seulgi conversed quietly at her bed. They finally had a chance to talk; after checking up on the king and prince, the Fire Kingdom healers had a long meeting about their diagnosis, followed by a hot dinner.

“Did you all manage to diagnose the prince yet? Your meeting went on for a really long time.”

Jaera sighed, wrapping the blankets tighter around herself. “We have not come to a conclusion. It is up to our head healer to decide our next course of action.”

Seulgi’s voice dropped into a whisper. “Do you really believe in the King’s theory? That Prince Junmyeon’s heart has turned to ice?”
 

“It is a possibility,” she replied just as quietly.

Seungwan frowned. “I do not believe it in the slightest. How is that physically possible? The only explanation is that he is mentally ill. His heart may not be of physical ice, but he could be numb on the inside.”

“But what could have triggered it?”

The two girls shared a look before Seungwan answered. “The prince was due to be wed around two years ago. However, his fiancé disappeared before the ceremony. We do not know much about the details, but the prince was very distraught. After a few months, he appeared to be back to normal, but he went through a severe personality change.”

“You mean, he was kind before, but after his fiancé left, he turned evil?”

“Not evil!” Seungwan shook her head. “Seulgi and I only came to the castle recently so we do not know much about how he used to be in the past. There are even rumours that his fiancé passed on to the next world. What I assume is that he has issues in his mind, and not in his body.”

“Then how do you explain the coldness around him?” Seulgi countered. “Something must be wrong for him to emit the cold!”

Jaera pursed her lips. “So you are saying that the prince has something to do with the sudden change in weather in the Water Kingdom?”

Seulgi paused. “There is no logical explanati