The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

Susan felt very uneasy with Damian right there, staring down at her. It was already evening, and it was just the two of them currently in the area. Her imagination ran wild as she remembered the mark on Tyra's neck and how she had been snooping around lately.

When he took a step forward, she unconsciously swam backwards and kept her gaze fixed on him.

"Greetings, Lady Susan." Damian greeted in a gentle tone before looking around. "Why are you here alone by this time of the evening?" He asked her, sounding concerned.

Seeing that he was finally speaking, she was able to relax a bit. Only a bit. Her guard was still up.

"Williams is on his way here. I fell into the lake by accident, and he has gone to get me something warm for my body." She said, making sure he got the message that Williams was going to show up soon in case he wanted to try something funny.

He nodded and looked around one more time before he began to speak. "I do not think it is wise to stay in the lake longer. You are going to catch a cold. And... the palace is not very safe lately." He reminded her before taking off his cloak and offering it to her. "You can have it."

She looked at him suspiciously, wondering what he was up to. It was weird that he was suddenly acting nice to her and trying to have a conversation with her when they were not close.

He took in the look on her face and explained his actions: "I appreciate what you did for me, Lady Susan."

She raised a brow in confusion. "What did I do?"

"I assumed you told Prince Harold about my relationship with Princess Tyra. That is why I am still alive today." He explained.

"Oh... I promise you, I didn't mean to say that to him. It was--"

"It doesn't matter now. Because that spared me my life, and I want you to know that I am in your debt." He said as he squatted and wiggled the cloak in his hand for her to take it.

"You... don't have to take it seriously," she muttered, feeling uncomfortable.

Hesitantly, Susan reached for his cloak, but just before she could take it, he placed it on the platform and turned around to give her privacy to step out of the lake and cover up.

Susan was still very wary of him. She looked around, hoping for Williams to show up soon, but he was still nowhere in sight. By chance, did he leave her here because he was angry at her?

She quickly got out of the water and climbed up the platform before wrapping the cloak around her wet body. She also pushed her hair to the back and squeezed the water out of it, but some stubborn hair still clung to her face.

"Thank you." She said to him, and when he felt her movement, he guessed she was done changing and turned to look at her.

"Would you like to head to your chamber now or would you prefer to wait for Sir Williams here?" He asked politely.

Susan just stared at him before asking, "Do you really fancy Princess Tyra?" She asked, not able to shake off what she had seen earlier.

Damian looked at her before sighing heavily. "When I first came to the palace at a young age, I had no one." He said, narrating.

"My parents had been poor farmers who died when a plague hit our village, and as luck would have it, I was able to come here to the capital."

She was not sure how his story related to the question she had asked, but she quietly listened to him.

"I do not know if I was born lucky or unlucky. Because whenever one good thing happens to me, a terrible thing follows. When I moved from being a poor village beggar to serving Prince Harry, I thought my life was set, and I couldn't ask for anything more. But when he died, my life became even worse. And during all those times, the only one I had by my side was Princess Tyra." A sad smile appeared on his face as he narrated.

"I could surprisingly relate with her. Even though she was a princess, her life was so much different. No one cared about her. Not the king, not the queen, and not any of her brothers. Not even the 'righteous' Prince Harry, whom everyone adored. The only one who cared for her was Prince Harold. And when Prince Harold had to move away when his curse began, she was left with no one to care for her. Just like me." He stopped narrating and turned to look at her.

"I know you do not trust me. But for Princess Tyra, I am willing to do all I can to protect her. I know our love is impossible, but as long as I am here, I want to keep caring for her."

Susan looked at him closely, trying to see if he was lying or telling the truth.

"So you believe she is right about Princess Amber killing Beth and stabbing her?"

"If I am being honest, I do not know. I only want to know the truth so she can rest. Everything has been causing her so much anxiety that I fear she may do something bad to herself. I have been secretly sending her some calming potions, but I do not know how long it will last. And I do not know what will happen if someone finds out. But I also do not want her to hurt herself again."

Calming potion? Was that by chance the potion she had seen Tyra hiding?

Then what about the mark on her neck? Was that what he meant by 'hurt herself again'? By chance... did Tyra try to hurt herself? Susan wondered in confusion.

"I heard from Princess Tyra that Princess Amber was fed with something that tampered with her memory. Same as Sir Lance." He said, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Do you... know anything about it?" She asked suspiciously.

He shook his head. "But there is a way we can know it."

"How do you mean?" She asked, interested.

"To find the person who has good knowledge of the potions and tell us the kind of potion used on them. It will help us find the person who used it within the palace if we can find how the person got it."

Susan thought about it. It was the same thing their team had been talking about before all the craziness began. They knew it was the past royal physician, and the man had also been secretly killed by someone from the palace. Maybe the person who killed him had the potion and was using it within the palace? First on Prince Harry and now on Princess Amber.

"Would the noble court be interested in it?" She asked with skepticism.

He nodded. "The queen is going to raise the issue. The only problem is having Prince Harold agree for her to be allowed to join the assembly to air her view. But I believe that if Princess Amber talks to him about it, then it will be settled. After all, it's also to prove his bride's innocence."

Susan nodded. It did make sense. She would have to talk to Princess Amber about it. She suddenly looked at him again, suspicious.

"Why are you telling me all this?"

He could have told anyone else about this. Why her?

"Because I am desperate." He said, looking sincere. "I do not know whether the queen is responsible, nor do I know what to believe since Princess Tyra is giving one account and Princess Amber does not remember. Digging into the potion and finding the person who made them would help us find the true culprit and end all this." He paused before adding. "You are the only one I can tell this to. Because you can understand my desperation since you know my relationship with Princess Tyra. And also... you understand what it's like to have a forbidden love." He gave her a knowing look that made her uncomfortable, and she quickly looked around before facing him again, shaking her head.

"What... are you talking a--"

"Alvin." He simply mentioned, cutting her off mid-sentence. "I know."

Her eyes rounded in surprise, and she shook her head again.

"There is nothing going on between the two of us. I swear it!"

"Do not panic. I won't tell anyone." He said in an assuring tone.

She swallowed nervously, feeling uncomfortable about this.

"Your brother is closer. I'm not sure he would be happy to see me here. I should leave now." He said with a polite bow.

However, before he left, he asked her, "Can I trust you to speak with Princess Amber about this? It would be nice if you didn't tell her it was my idea. I do not wish for the queen to know that I am secretly helping Princess Amber." He pleaded.

Susan looked at him closely. By chance, had she judged him too quickly?

If he was suggesting that the culprit be found by letting the noblemen dig into the Beta's nightmare, she doubted he was responsible. It also seemed like he was not taking anyone's side now but simply wanted to fulfil his duty and also protect the one he loved.

She suddenly felt bad for suspecting him and was glad she hadn't gone about spreading such a rumour around.

She nodded immediately. "I will talk to her about it. You do not have to worry about it."

"Thank you. I knew I could always count on you." He gave her a small smile and made to leave when she called him back and took off the cloak, handing it back to him.

"Thank you, Damian." She said warmly.

He nodded before he disappeared.