The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

Seeing Damon and the Queen together, Harold couldn't help thinking about what Alvin had said and wondering what the deal was between them and why they were meeting in private at such an ungodly hour.

What could they have talked about? He tried to remember how the two had always acted around each other, but he didn't think of anything particularly suspicious.

Damon had always been the King's Beta and the Queen seemed to be cautious around him since he was the next in command and held quite a position of authority in the Moon Kingdom.

Or was that not it? Or maybe that was it and they were simply talking about the king? But why would they choose that odd hour? He wondered as he met the queen's gaze. Instead of looking away as he should, he held her gaze, making her brows pull together as she looked away from him.

The Queen could tell that he must be thinking she was behind his attack. She wondered how many more things could have happened that he was suspicious of her for. Not that she was scared of him or anything, she just didn't want her carefully laid out plans to be ruined because an idiot somewhere was plotting. Perhaps she should find a way to let both Harold and the King know she had no hand in the attack? The best way to do so would be to expose the real culprit. If she could find the person behind it and hand them to the King, then surely they wouldn't be suspicious of her and she would get rid of her enemy. Killing two birds with a stone.

But then again, she couldn't risk it. What if the person was behind the note she had received? What if the person knew about the secrets she couldn't afford to let anyone know about? If she handed the person to the king and the person exposed her secrets, she would be better off dead than alive.

Perhaps it was better to let them believe she was behind the attacks, and once she found the culprit, she would find out the secrets they knew about her and how many other people knew of it before getting rid of them.

Breakfast that morning wasn't business as usual, as it seemed like everyone had come to the dining chamber with the intention of keeping to themselves and minding their business, or perhaps it was because everyone had different thoughts on their minds.

The conversations around the table were strained. The king was still thinking about what Harold had said the previous day. The queen was thinking about the note she had received. Harold was thinking about how to approach Susan. Alicia was thinking about how to talk to Harvey and get him to tell her about Amber, oblivious to the glances she had been receiving since breakfast started, since most of them had been waiting for the unusual snacks she had made the previous evening but saw none today.

Susan was thinking about all that she had discovered the previous night while making a conscious effort not to stare at either Harold or the queen and Damon. Ivan was thinking about the conversation he had just had with the Queen, Harvey was wondering about what had happened to Princess Amber, Benedicta was thinking about Harold and her marriage to Ivan, Tyra had a lot on her mind, as did Williams and Luciana.

Apart from the discussions going on between the King and the aristocrats, every other person around the table remained silent, but Harold didn't miss the way Susan glanced in his direction from time to time, as though she was contemplating something.

Alicia, who sat beside him, ate quietly, and perhaps because of the aristocrats present, no one bothered to ask why she was so quiet, and Harold preferred it that way. It looked like she was beginning to take heed to all his warnings after all.

As soon as the King cleared his throat, everyone stopped eating and faced him.

"Prince Ivan and Prince Harold, you both should be prepared to welcome the guests who will be arriving by noon," the king said before rising up.

Everyone else stood up and bowed as he excused himself and asked the others to carry on with their meals, leaving Damon to handle the rest with the queen, since it would be rude for all of them to leave the guests like that.

Once the king left, Sir Gregory looked at Alicia and smiled at her. "Thank you for the snacks you sent with us to our chambers. They were really good, and I enjoyed them," he said, and his wife nodded in agreement, while Lance hid his scowl, as he was very bitter towards Harold.

Since he couldn't hurt Harold for humiliating him in that manner, then he would have to get back at Harold through his weak human wife. No one needed to know that he was responsible for it, Lance mused with a smirk as he formulated a plan in his head.

Alicia smiled at him and bowed her head curtly. "I am glad you enjoyed it, my lord. I could teach your wife how it is made, and she could pass it on to your workers. My husband doesn't mind me sharing the recipe with you." Alicia offered, and he glanced at his wife, who was frowning now.

"Wouldn't it be better if you taught it to our servants instead? It isn't right for her to do jobs meant for the servants," Sir Gregory said, and Ivan gave a snort of laughter.

Harold, who had been eating quietly, suddenly dropped his cutlery on the table with force as he glared at Sir Gregory, "It isn't right?" Harold asked quietly, and turned to Alicia.

"If his wife isn't allowed to do jobs meant for the servants, then you are not allowed to teach any servants either. Keep your knowledge to yourself. If you are done with breakfast, come with me," Harold ordered as he stood, and Alicia gave Sir Gregory an apologetic look and a bow before standing to follow Harold.

Everyone could not understand what was wrong with Harold. It wasn't as if Sir Gregory had said something wrong. Cooking was meant for servants, and he should have even scolded his wife for doing that, so why was he getting angry. At this rate, he was probably going to tell them something absurd one day, like how men were also supposed to cook. That was simply an unthinkable thought.

Shudders!

As Harold walked away, he stopped by Susan's side of the table and looked at her for a long moment, as though silently warning her not to divulge his secret.

Susan shifted uncomfortably in her seat until Harold walked away. Her parents, who had noticed Harold's stare, turned to her.

"Did you cause any trouble? Did you do something to him?" Susan's mother whispered with concern, and Susan shook her head immediately.

"He's probably upset that I'm avoiding his wife." Susan said, hoping that was correct.

Her mother nodded while her father and Williams looked like they didn't believe her at all.