The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

At the sound of the second bell, after most people in the palace had retired to their chambers and quarters save for the night guards, the Queen could be seen walking down the hallway as she returned to her chamber after speaking with Tyra.

One glance at her and anyone would know that she had a lot on her mind as she walked.

The more she thought about her conversation with Tyra, the more she believed that Tyra was not telling the truth. She was hiding something.

Although Tyra once again insisted that Princess Amber was responsible for Beth's death and her injury, something about how insistent she was and how desperately she was trying to make her believe her, made the Queen extra wary and suspicious.

What exactly was going on with Tyra? Why did her story not add up? If she didn't have a good memory, she would probably have missed the small but obvious discrepancy between the narration Tyra had given the first time and what she told her now, the Queen mused as she thought about Tyra's narration once again.

The first time, Tyra told her and the members of the assembly that she had been going to Princess Amber's chamber to check on her when she heard the scream and went to check thinking it was Princess Amber, and now she said she had been in her chamber and was about to sleep when she heard the scream.

What was the truth? What exactly was Tyra hiding? If she didn't know better, she would have thought Tyra was behind it, but Tyra was an omega and was nowhere near powerful enough to take on a beta like Beth. Especially not on such a night. Did she by chance know the person who had been causing her unease this whole time?

Once the Queen got to her chamber door, she stopped walking and turned to look at Damian, who was walking behind her. "I want you to keep an eye on Tyra," she said, making Damian's brows pull together.

"I want to know wherever she goes. Whoever she meets and whatever she does," the Queen said, and Damian gave her a nod.

"You can leave," she said dismissively as she walked into her chamber while wondering what she did to deserve two useless children who were causing her nothing but trouble.

She stood by her window and looked outside into the night as she silently prayed that something good would happen and cause things to work in their favour since everything had been working against them lately.

She sighed as she listened to the sound of the third bell, and she decided to get some rest. Just as she was getting ready to go to bed, a knock sounded on her door.

"My Queen, it's Damian. I have news for you," Damian said, and immediately the Queen wore a robe over her white sleeping dress.

"You can come in," she said once she was properly covered, and immediately Damian opened the door.

"A messenger just arrived. He brings an important message for Prince Ivan," Damon said, and the queen's eyes lit up once she heard that.

That had to be the news she had been waiting for for the last couple of days. "I will see him at once," the Queen said, but Damian looked at her hesitantly.

"It's late, my queen. Perhaps you can meet with him in the morning," Damian suggested.

"I will see him now. Bring him to the royal library," the Queen ordered as she jerked her head to the door for Damian to do as she had instructed.

"Should I get Prince Ivan?" Damian asked, but the Queen shook her head.

She couldn't trust Ivan yet. He was acting foolish lately, and she didn't want him to ruin her plans.

"I will meet him alone," she said before walking out of her chamber.

A short while later, the royal library door opened and Damian escorted a young man inside to meet the Queen, who was already seated.

"Wait outside," the Queen ordered Damian, and he bowed to her before excusing them.

"You can tell me whatever you have to say to Prince Ivan," the Queen said, giving him a nod.

********

Away from there, inside the inn, Alicia's body trembled and groaned in her sleep as she kept turning her head from side to side.

She was sleeping beside Harold and was directly facing him, using his arm as a pillow.

Seeing how much discomfort Alicia was in, as though she was having a bad dream, Harold touched her face gently and brushed her hair away from her face.

"Wake up, Princess," he whispered to her and watched as she opened her eyes.

"Were you having a bad dream?" Harold asked once her gaze focused on his face.

She nodded. She had been dreaming about the interrogation and how she had been close to dying several times.

As though he could sense what she had been dreaming about, Harold leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "You are safe now," he said, and she smiled at him.

"Why are you awake? You couldn't sleep?" She asked, and he gave her a nod.

"Yeah. I would have been surprised if a prince like you could sleep comfortably in an inn. I can swear you've never slept in a place like this before." She teased, feeling better now.

"It's not my first time," he said, surprising her.

"Really? Does that mean you sleep out often?" She asked curiously, and he shook his head.

"No. I slept in an inn on my way to our wedding." He replied with a small smile.

Although he wouldn't actually say he had slept since he was only able to rest there for a while before he left at night.

"I see," Alicia said with a smile as she used her hands to prop up her chin, curious to know why he had been awake.

"So if it's not the discomfort of the inn, why are you awake? Were you having bad dreams too?" Alicia asked curiously.

"No. I was thinking."

"Thinking? About what?" She asked as she looked at him with interest.

"About you," he said in a soft tone, taking her aback and making her look at him in surprise.

"Oh my! I had no idea you could flirt!"

Harold chuckled as he said, "I was thinking about what you said to me last night."

"Oh..." Alicia smiled in embarrassment.

After she confessed to him, the noise from the other room had taken her aback, and she began to wonder if they could hear them. But she didn't get a chance to think about it before the innkeeper led some maids to serve their dinners. She didn't even get to eat much before she slept off.

"What about it?" She asked, and Harold looked serious as he asked, "Did you mean it?"

Alicia smiled as she bobbed her head.

"Then say it again," he said as he propped himself up with one hand, facing her too.

"You are so childish," Alicia said with an amused grin, but he didn't move nor say a word as he waited for her to repeat it.

"I love you, Harold. More than anyone else in the world," she said, and Harold looked at her skeptically.

"Does that mean you don't want to leave me anymore?" He asked as he held her gaze.

The smile on her face wavered, but she still kept the smile on as she nodded.

Harold broke into the biggest smile she had ever seen on his face.

"You promise?" He asked, still smiling.

"As long as it's within my power," she promised.

"I will make sure you don't leave." He said it in a serious tone that almost scared her.

"You are mine, Alicia Queen." He said as he held her gaze and her brow pulled together as she looked at his eyes, wondering if she was beginning to see things or if it was the dim-lit room that was making her see a mixture of red in his clear blue eyes.

He snapped out of it and kissed her forehead tenderly, and that seemed to pull her attention back to him.

"Is... that all?" She asked with a slight frown.

"All what?" He asked in confusion, returning to normal.

"Well, I was expecting more..." She looked away from him and cleared her throat. The last time he had been in a hurry to say he wanted to make her his, and now that she finally told him how she felt, why wasn't he doing anything other than kissing her forehead?

"More what?" Harold asked as he looked at her, and then he grinned when he noticed how she was avoiding his gaze and what she meant dawned on him.

"When the time comes, it's going to be on our bed, not on the mat of an inn," Harold assured her as he kissed her lips softly, making butterflies flutter in her belly while she smiled into the kiss like a lovesick fool.

If only she had her real body. She thought to herself.