The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

Harold knew that it was silly of him to be getting mad at his wolf because whether he liked it or not, his wolf was a part of him. In fact, his wolf was him. And he was his wolf. Just like his body and soul were one.

It can also be seen in Rold's effort in picking out his own name from his. Ha-Rold. Rold.

However, he didn't like it. The fact that his wolf had a personality of his own made him see them as two separate people.

His anger slowly reduced when he looked at Alicia, who was sleeping peacefully in his arms. The last thing he remembered was laying his head on her lap to sleep on the bed, but now they were both wrapped in each other's arms. Funny how he hadn't felt her move. Just how deeply had he slept? By now, he knew that being around Alicia was going to make it very easy for him to be killed. Because with her, he was able to forget about everything and sleep peacefully. Something he hadn't been able to do in many years of his life.

He gently caressed her face, glad to see her sleeping peacefully since she hadn't been able to rest properly for the past few days. It was still very bright outside as it was noon, and the sun reflected in the room, making all her facial features stand out.

He wasn't sure which he preferred—her short hair or her long hair. But he figured this was probably better since Alicia was doing her own thing and this was now her unique identity while the former look was Amber. He could not wait for Lady Victoria to bring him the good news about Camelion water. He hadn't told Alicia about it yet. Especially because he wasn't sure if they would find it. He didn't want to make her keep her hopes up and then disappoint her in the end.

He suddenly sensed something within him and frowned, wondering what was wrong.

He furrowed his brows as he tried to sense what was happening, but his energy had greatly been weakened, so he could not tell. But it continued to make him feel uncomfortable, so he looked down at Alicia, remembering how she was able to empower him sometimes. He reached to hold her hand and closed his eyes as he tried to sense what was happening to him, and he got it.

It felt like his blood was flowing faster in his veins, but he knew it was not him.

His eyes suddenly snapped open as it dawned on him.

The king was waking up.

After carefully tucking Alicia in and dropping the curtains, he left for the king's quarters.

When he entered the King's chamber, the Royal Physician turned to look at him in surprise, wondering how he knew to come here now when the King had just opened his eyes about 5 minutes ago. But he had not been able to ask for Harold's presence because he didn't want to send someone to tell him about it since they were doing this quietly, and secondly, he had heard Prince Harold was resting for the day.

Harold looked at the man who had brought him into this world. The king had opened his eyes and was awake, albeit weak and groggy. He was propped up on a mound of pillows, his face pale and drawn.

Surprisingly, Harold's heart clenched at the sight of the king in such a weakened state, but he pushed his emotions aside. Even though he really didn't care for the man and held many grudges against him, it bothered him that he looked like this when he was always so high and mighty.

"How do you feel?" Harold asked when he approached the bed.

"I am just surprised you have not used this chance to take over the throne." The man spoke lightly, his voice barely above a whisper.

"There is no rush for that," Harold replied as he sat down on the chair the royal physician offered him beside the king's bed.

The man realized they would need to talk, so after helping the king drink his medicine, he bowed and left the father and son in the room, closing the door behind him.

"Did you know you were being poisoned?" Harold asked, going straight to the point.

"I have done a lot of bad things in my life. I wouldn't be surprised if someone wanted me dead." The man said in a nonchalant tone that made Harold unimpressed.

"You are the king of this kingdom. If you cannot even take care of yourself, then you should step down."

The king let out a short, dry laugh and looked at him, his dull eyes lighting up. "I have never heard you say so many words at once."

Harold didn't see any need to respond, so he didn't.

"The physician tells me you gave your blood for me." He said, looking at him seriously. "An Alpha's blood is their life. You shouldn't have done so."

"I am your subject. I should do what I can to help the king."

"Were you being a subject, or you were being a son?" King Eli asked. From the look on his face, he was curious to hear the answer, but Harold didn't give him one.

Defeated, King Eli sighed. "The throne... is a sad place." He said heavily. "It comes with a lot of burdens. A lot of sacrifices. A lot of emptiness."

Harold could see the heavy emotion passing through the king.

"That seat... is not worth giving our lives for. But this is my fate. And I know that I cannot escape it."

"Being punished for the wrongs you did?" Harold said rhetorically.

"We are all going to be punished, Harold," Eli replied calmly.

"Is this why you wanted me to leave the palace and live a simple life with my bride somewhere else?"

King Eli sighed again. "I have wronged you all your life. I want to protect you—"

"Do you think you are a hero, and I would thank you for trying to protect me when you're going to be destroying this kingdom by making Ivan King?"

"You don't know the half of it—"

"I think I know just how sick you all are. Making pointless sacrifices and claiming it's for the Moon Kingdom. Just how many people did you recklessly destroy?"

Harold sounded pained. He was angry.

King Eli knew he was probably thinking about how mother. But it seemed like there was more.

"You know something, don't you?" The King asked curiously.

"Why did you let me marry Princess Amber if you knew whose daughter she was?"

The king's expression turned serious, and for a moment, Harold thought he saw a flicker of guilt in his father's eyes. But then the king's face hardened, and he looked away.

"I had my reasons, Harold," he said, his voice cold and distant. "But they are mine, and I do not wish to discuss them now."

Harold felt a surge of frustration and anger as he felt like he was being shut out of something important.

"This concerns me."

The king sighed and closed his eyes. For a long moment, there was silence in the room, broken only by the sound of the king's laboured breathing.

Finally, the king opened his eyes and looked at Harold, his expression pained.

"There are some things that a father must keep hidden from his son," he said, his voice still weak and barely above a whisper. "For your own sake and the sake of the kingdom, I cannot tell you everything. But know this: everything I have done, I have done for the good of our kingdom."

"That is nonsense!" Harold spat, irritated. "You killed an entire clan! I thought you only ended with my mother."

"I wouldn't lie and say I do not regret many things I did during my early reign as king. I just... didn't want the Moon Kingdom to be in ruins during my reign. I watched my father do all he could for the kingdom. I watched him die, as well as other noblemen. I had to protect this kingdom and take out whatever could be a threat."

Harold shook his head in disbelief. He had always thought the king was a wise man. But he was a coward. Stupid coward.

"If you were in my shoes, you'd understand," Eli said, reading the disappointment in his look.

"Did you have a hand in manipulating the situation for Princess Amber to be married to me?"

He shook his head. "I didn't think King Cedric would do that. But when I found out... I couldn't do anything. Because of you." He said in a quiet tone.

"I didn't mind that someone like her could cause harm in this kingdom. I didn't care about all of that. Since you liked her and she was able to make you live like a normal person. I was ready to risk it all."

Harold exhaled heavily and looked away from him.

"I must rest now," King Eli said weakly as he began to slip back into unconsciousness.

Harold felt a wave of disappointment wash over him, but he knew better than to argue with the king when he was in such a weakened state.

Even when he left the room, his mind continued to race with questions and doubts. He had always thought he knew the king to some extent, but now he realized that there were secrets and mysteries that even he could not penetrate. It was a sobering thought and one that would stay with him for a long time to come.