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It started with one simple question.
“I need relationship advice.”
Dark Choco stood stiffly by the great hearth of the palace, arms crossed, not looking directly at either of them. He’d rehearsed this sentence at least twelve times in the corridor. The moment it left his mouth, he immediately regretted it.
Across the icy sitting room, Frost Queen nearly dropped her teacup.
Dark Cacao, seated beside her in full armor for some reason despite being indoors, perked up like a warhorse hearing the battle horn.
“You… what?” Frost Queen asked, her tone caught between amusement and alarm.
Dark Choco cleared his throat and looked anywhere but their eyes. “I’m not repeating myself.”
Dark Cacao sat forward, suddenly energised. “Is it that cookie with the unhealthy obsession with cakehounds?”
“It doesn’t matter who it’s about,” Dark Choco grumbled. “What matters is that I don’t know how to act normal around them.”
Frost Queen stifled a smile. “Oh, darling, that is normal for you.”
Dark Cacao gave a grave nod. “Your mother’s right.”
“I came here to suffer, not be bullied,” Dark Choco muttered.
“Then you’ve come to the right place,” Frost Queen murmured, taking another sip of her tea.
“Enough,” Dark Cacao said, straightening. “What you need is a strong, honorable approach. Confidence, son. Nothing impresses like a bold declaration of intent. You walk right up to them and say, ‘I admire your strength. Let us forge a bond that no blade can sever.’"
“That sounds like a marriage proposal from the Third Era,” Frost Queen snorted.
“It worked on you,” he huffed.
Frost Queen blinked. Her teacup paused halfway to her lips.
“Don’t pretend that didn’t impress you.”
“I… well, I thought it was stupid at the time,” she muttered, looking away.
“But it lingered, didn’t it?” Dark Cacao said smugly.
Frost Queen’s composure faltered for a moment as a rare pink bloomed across her cheeks. She pursed her lips. “Be that as it may, brute force is not how one should express affection. Romance is subtle. Intricate. You show care in small gestures. A scarf in winter. A touch on the arm. A single word, said gently.”
Dark Cacao raised a brow. “And yet my strategy led me to the love of my life.”
Frost Queen choked on her tea.
Dark Choco winced. “Oh, Witches, no—”
Frost Queen spluttered once, eyes wide, before turning her face away to hide her blush. “You— that is—! You can’t just say things like that so casually!”
Cacao leaned back with a self-satisfied smirk. “Why not? It's the truth.”
Recovering quickly, Frost Queen narrowed her eyes. “Well by that logic, my strategy worked too. Because we’re together.”
Cacao paused. His smile softened. “Touché.”
There was a beat of silence as the storm outside the castle gently howled. The two rulers exchanged a long, private look.
“Oh no,” Dark Choco muttered.
“I suppose… both strategies have merit,” Frost Queen said gently.
“Yes,” Cacao replied. “It’s not about the words. Or the gestures. It’s about the intention behind them.”
They clasped hands.
Dark Choco stood. “Okay! That’s enough!”
“Was this not helpful?” Frost Queen asked innocently, though she still looked flushed.
Dark Choco made a sound like a wounded animal. “It was helpful until you two made it about each other. Again. As always.”
Cacao looked proud. “Let this be your lesson: a strong relationship begins with mutual respect, grows with sincerity, and flourishes with time.”
“Also with stolen glances, poetic notes, and mildly sarcastic compliments,” Frost Queen added with a wink.
Dark Choco turned on his heel. “I’m leaving before you two start reminiscing about your first date.”
“You mean the snowstorm where you met me at Valentines?” Frost Queen said.
Cacao sighed fondly. “Ah, yes. You froze my left arm when you hugged me. I still can’t feel my fingers in winter.”
Frost Queen smiled. “And you almost broke my spine with that sword of yours. It was romantic.”
“Disgusting,” Dark Choco muttered. But as he left the room and closed the door behind him, there was a reluctant smile tugging at his lips.
“…Still goals, though,” he admitted under his breath.