Chapter Two: The Chill Beneath the Crown
By Joy Daud
The echo of footsteps cut through the silence of the marbled corridor. Prince Kimo walked alone, tall and sculpted like a statue carved from ice. The long, black strands of his hair were tied neatly into a low ponytail that swayed with each powerful step. His icy blue eyes stared ahead, unreadable, as if nothing around him deserved his gaze. He moved like a shadow — graceful yet menacing, like a beast in slumber that everyone feared to wake.
The air around him grew colder with each passing moment, though none of the servants dared speak of it. Only Kimo knew of the ancient curse that ran through his bloodline — a cold aura that reacted to the emotions he tried desperately to suppress. The stronger the feeling, the sharper the chill. And tonight… he felt something.
He paused mid-step, and the temperature seemed to drop.
"You," he called out, his voice sharp as frost.
A young servant girl flinched and dropped the basket in her hands. Trembling, she turned toward him, her knees practically buckling under his gaze. "Y-Your Highness…"
His stare pinned her in place. "Was there a new maid assigned to the palace today?"
The girl swallowed hard, her breath visible in the cold. "Y-Yes, sire. She… she arrived this morning. From the southern quarter. I-I believe her name is Oki."
The name curled strangely on his tongue. Oki.
He dismissed the girl with a mere flick of his fingers. "Go."
The servant bowed so quickly she nearly tripped over herself running away.
Kimo continued walking, the cold curling at his boots like fog. That name burned softly in his mind like a forbidden ember he couldn't snuff out. He didn't understand why he remembered her — a simple maid. Yet his aura told the truth he didn't want to accept. Something about her unsettles me.
Meanwhile, the servant girl dashed into the laundry quarters, eyes wide.
"Oki!" she whispered harshly, grabbing the new maid by the arm. "You—gods help you—what did you do?"
Oki blinked, gently pulling her arm away. "What do you mean?"
"You were summoned today, right? You looked at him, didn't you? Spoke to him?" she hissed. "He just asked about you. Him. Prince Kimo! The Frost himself! No one survives his attention!"
Another maid gasped nearby.
"He's scary, Oki," the girl went on, wringing her hands. "Cold as death. And jealous! If he's noticed you, it means you're in danger. If you get away this time, please—stay far from him."
But Oki didn't flinch. Her voice was calm, soft as ever. "If he wanted me gone, he would've said so."
The maids stared at her in stunned silence. Oki only offered a faint smile and returned to folding sheets.
Not far away, hidden in the shadows of a marble pillar, Kimo watched. His eyes narrowed slightly, caught between suspicion and something dangerously close to admiration. That aura around him shivered — jealous, unsure, intrigued.
Why doesn't she fear me?
Their eyes met for only a moment as she exited the hallway. Oki dipped her head slightly. Respectful. But not scared. Not like the others.
Kimo clenched his jaw. He hated the flutter that stirred within his chest — hated the confusion, the heat it brought against the cold he held onto so tightly. He turned away sharply, cape flaring behind him like a slice of midnight silk.
A moment later, his voice echoed through the stone halls.
"Summon the maid," he commanded the nearest guard.
The order crackled like a coming storm.
To be continued...
What does the cold-hearted prince want with the fearless maid?
And what secrets lie behind those icy blue eyes?
Chapter Three awaits…