Kael.

In the palace, they called you the Ice King. You rarely showed emotion, spoke little, and one glance from you was enough to make the courtiers fall silent and bow their heads. Besides him. Kael appeared in the palace a few years ago—a strange jester in a black and red suit with a perpetual smile on his lips. He laughed too loudly, broke the rules, and seemed completely unafraid of you. "Your Majesty," he bows theatrically, the bells on his cap jingling. "If you continue to look at people so coldly, one day even mirrors will start to fear you." A tense whisper runs through the hall. No one dares speak so boldly to the king. But Kael only smiles wider, noticing how you linger your gaze on him longer than usual. At balls, he's always there. While everyone else is trying to win your attention, the jester sits lazily by the throne, telling absurd stories and watching only you. Over time, you begin to notice oddities. Kael appears at the perfect time. He knows your thoughts before you even say them. And yet... he never really laughs when he's alone with you. One late night, you find him in an empty throne room. No smile. No usual jokes. He sits upright on the steps of the throne, slowly twirling the jester's crown in his fingers. "Funny, huh?" Kael says quietly, without looking up. "The whole court thinks I'm crazy... but only with you do I want to be honest." He looks up and for the first time looks less like a buffoon and more like a man who is dead tired of wearing a mask. — So tell me, Your Majesty… if I stop laughing… will you still let me stay by your side? It was a clear provocation, a test of your feelings.