The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

"What is it?" Harold asked Alvin, who was holding out a gourd of water to him after their training.

"It's water," Alvin said, making Harold scowl at him as he took the gourd from him.

"That's not what I'm asking you. What do you want to say? Tell me," Harold said, not liking that Alvin's uneasiness was putting a damper on his fine mood. He had woken up feeling very rested and happy with Alicia in his arms. Somehow, he felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders after confessing his feelings to Alicia.

Alvin looked around them, making it clear to Harold that he couldn't speak out there in the open, and immediately, Harold stood up and walked away, leaving Alvin to follow him. Neither of them said a word until they got into Harold's chamber and shut the door behind them.

"Did something happen?" Harold asked, watching Alvin closely.

Alvin wasn't sure whether he should mention Susan's involvement in this to Harold, "The Queen met with the king's beta last night. In the king's library," Alvin said, and Harold's brow shot up.

The Queen and Damon? That was unexpected. "Was it after the last bell?"

Alvin gave him a nod, "Yes, your highness."

"Were you able to hear what they discussed?" Harold asked hopefully, but Alvin shook his head.

"Lady Susan was there before me. She tried to eavesdrop but almost got caught, so they left before I could get a chance," Alvin explained, and Harold frowned.

That too was unexpected. Why would she be out spying on her aunt? "Susan? What was she doing there by that time?" Harold asked, and Alvin shrugged.

"She said she wanted to meet with Princess Amber. I think she was heading to your wife's chamber when she saw the queen and decided to follow her," Alvin explained, thinking of how sad she had looked when he said he didn't fancy her in any way. He shook his head to discard it. He wasn't going to let that affect him.

"Are you sure she didn't get to the chamber?" Harold asked suspiciously, thinking that it wouldn't be good if Susan found out the curse had been broken. If Susan knew and told her family about it, then the queen would definitely find out about it too, and he couldn't let that happen. At least not yet.

"I'm not sure. But she said she didn't," Alvin said, and Harold looked at Alvin thoughtfully.

"You asked her, or did she just tell you so?" Harold asked, and Alvin thought about it for a moment before shaking his head.

"I didn't ask. She told me so. She said she wanted to tell Princess Amber that she would be avoiding her for as long as her parents are here," Alvin said, and Harold nodded. He couldn't trust Susan.

Why else would she offer Alvin such information without being asked? There was only one way to find out if she had gotten to Alicia's chamber or not. Harold thought as he walked out of his chamber in search of Susan. He needed to have a word with her before they went in for breakfast.

"Where are you going to?" Alvin asked as he ran after Harold.

"To find Susan. I think she might have gotten to the chamber. She probably knows I was there," Harold said, but Alvin stopped him.

"Why don't I speak with her instead, and find out the truth? People might become suspicious if you are seen talking to her," Alvin suggested, and Harold scoffed.

"How would you know if she lies to you when you believed her so easily last night?" Harold asked, and Alvin looked down in embarrassment.

"I will talk to her myself. Just keep an eye on my princess," Harold said as he walked away.

Away from there, Tyra, who was headed for Susan's chamber so they could both go for breakfast together, caught sight of Lance heading towards her from the opposite direction, and immediately she turned and tried to run away, but she was too slow.

She didn't make it any less obvious that she was running away from him because she increased her pace and was about to turn the corner before he appeared in front of her, blocking her path.

"Are you running from me?" He asked with a mixture of cockiness and annoyance as he looked her up and down.

The only child of Sir Gregory. He was the real definition of cockiness, and it didn't help that his father was an important figure in the country.

Even the way he was dressed oozed extravagance. He was literally sparkling in gold.

He had a good face and would have been one of the eligible bachelors in the country if he wasn't so hated by many. No one could stand him. That was why he was still unmarried at twenty-one. Very shameful.

"No. I just remembered I had to do something." She said without looking at him and tried to walk away, but he didn't let her. He blocked her way again.

"What did you remember?" He asked, lowering his head to meet her height and looking at her face.

He was taunting her. She loathed him.

"Excuse me." She said dismissively and tried to walk away, but once again, he wouldn't let her.

"You should look at me when I talk to you."

Annoyed, she raised her head to look at him. He gave her a cocky smile as he said, "You grew up pretty. Unfortunately, you are still an Omega. I can smell you everywhere, even with your mask on. You should do a proper job of hiding it."

She pursed her lips and looked at him with hard eyes, making him laugh.

"What? You are angry? You look so adorable." He tried to pinch her cheek but she slapped his hand away, making him sigh in frustration before putting his hands behind him and standing tall.

"I'm guessing it was your idea for me to marry you. Unfortunately, I cannot stand your smell. Do not get me wrong," he raised a hand and explained quickly, "You have a nice face. But I'm super sensitive to smell. So I am going to insist to the royal family that I am not interested in marrying you, okay?"

Tyra wished she could be pissed, but she could not help but snort in derision. "You must not know that no one wants to marry you," she said and pushed him to walk away from him, but there was no way he was going to take that jab at his ego.

He grabbed her hand tightly, spinning her around to face him.

She winced and tried to withdraw her hand from him, but she could not.

"Say that again," he dared her.

"Let go of me! Do you have a death wish?" She yelled at him.

"Aish!" He grimaced and stuck a hand inside his ear as if she was making noise.

"You think anyone cares about a little Omega princess?" He taunted and was just starting to laugh when he felt a harsh kick at his side, sending him flying to the wall.

Thankfully, the wall was made from the finest material; otherwise, the bricks would have fallen and collapsed on him. There was nothing Tyra wanted more badly than that.

Lance could not believe what had just happened and lifted his head from the ground to unleash his fury on the perpetrator when his eyes met Harold's bored gaze.

He instantly swallowed back his words and got up slowly. I mean, this was Harold. Someone who killed the potential heir to the throne was capable of getting rid of him in a heartbeat, and he won't be avenged at all. His father had specifically told him to stay away from Harold.

Even if he was reckless, he knew he could not do otherwise. He glared at the two of them before he huffed and walked away.

Tyra looked up at Harold as she rubbed her wrist where Lance had grabbed her.

She was very relieved and smiled faintly at him, with appreciation and adoration gleaming in her eyes.

"Thank you," she said meekly.

He nodded faintly and was about to walk past her when she grabbed his hand, making him stop and look down at her with a raised brow.

She remembered he didn't like being touched and let go slowly, "You... remember your promise to me, right?" She asked quietly.

The look on his face told her he didn't know what exactly she was talking about, so she reminded him.

"About supporting me to be with the one I want to be with."

He looked at her, looked at the path Lance had taken and then looked back at her before nodding gently.

"Okay," she said with a faint smile and bowed gently before leaving.

Once Harold noticed that she seemed to be going towards Susan's chamber as well, he turned around and walked away. He wanted to speak with Susan alone.