The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

Luciana stood before the Queen and her husband with her head bowed. She didn't need anyone to tell her what they wanted to say to her, as it was obvious from the queen's disapproving stare that her wimp of a husband had gone to report her to his mother.

He was becoming less attractive to her by the hour now, as her eyes were opening to all the unattractive things about him. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea if he got married to someone else. Someone they could control and order around as they pleased. She knew it was an unladylike thing to think about, but she no longer cared... Or perhaps she was trying not to care.

"What is going on with you?" The Queen asked, her tone scolding.

"I don't understand, my queen," Luciana said innocently. If they could act like all was well and they weren't planning to bring in a new wife, then she could as well play along.

"Is there a reason you are going against your husband?" The queen asked, and Luciana looked from the queen to her husband and then back again as though she didn't know what they were talking about.

"I wouldn't dare go against my husband, my queen. He is my lord," she said in a timid tone, and the queen eyed her as though she was trying to determine whether or not to believe her.

"Then how do you explain starving him, and refusing to follow him when he asked you to in public?" The queen asked, and Luciana tried to remain calm and keep her expression gentle.

"I tried to find my husband so we could eat together, but I didn't. So when Prince Harold sent his wife food while I was with her and Susan, and she invited us to eat with her, I couldn't say no—"

"Harold sent his wife food?" Ivan asked in disbelief, echoing the question on the queen's mind.

"Yes. The head cook delivered it to her chamber himself," Luciana said, trying not to hiss at her incompetent husband.

They were still struggling with shock at the news that he had let his wife use his chamber, and then he had shocked them further by announcing that he would be training her himself, only for them to hear now that he had sent her food? How come he was not hiding his feelings for her from them? Or was this a trap? Was he deliberately trying to make them believe he cared about her so they would help him get rid of her? The queen mused. That had to be it. Judging from the way Princess Amber behaved, someone like Harold would never fancy her. This had to be a trap.

"What if she is already pregnant and he is doing all this to keep her close and protect her?" Ivan asked, forgetting that his wife was there for a scolding. He could not stop panicking at this thought. Being born a Beta already had him at a disadvantage.

"Ivan," his mother called in a warning. Why did he always forget about their goals whenever he was worried?

The queen eyed him before returning her attention to Luciana.

"It will do you well to stay away from Harold's wife. You have been relieved of all your duties regarding her," the queen said in a dismissive tone.

Or what? Luciana thought. What was the worst they could do to her, apart from bringing in a second wife? Maybe throw her out of the palace. But there was no way they would easily do that merely because she was hanging around with her sister-in-law, Luciana mused as she bowed politely to them both before walking away.

Ivan looked at his wife's back with displeasure as she walked away without sparing him a glance.

As Luciana walked out, Williams stood by the door waiting to be called in since he had also been summoned by the queen.

"What if she is pregnant and they're truly expecting a child?" Ivan asked, looking very worried.

"She is not."

"You can't tell for certain. She was ill, remember? What if her sickness was due to the pregnancy?" Ivan asked, pacing around the queen's chamber.

"I am a woman. I would know if she was pregnant. And her illness wasn't due to any pregnancy unless she was already pregnant before Harold married her," the Queen said dismissively, but she had a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"Besides, what is the probability of them having a child of our kind? And even if that happened, who would want a king with a human wife and a half-blood child? Use your head, Ivan. I shouldn't spell things out to you every time. You have to be smart. And learn to control your emotion." She said sternly.

Seeing how his mother was confident, he decided to believe her. She was always right, so he believed she would be right again this time.

"For the upcoming banquet. We just have to make sure everyone sees the kind of princess Harold is married to. You can always achieve your goals without staining your hands."

He nodded and finally relaxed.

"See if Williams is out there, and bring him in," the Queen ordered, and Ivan walked over to the door to usher in Williams.

Once he stood before her, Williams bowed to the Queen, and she smiled at him fondly, "How are you?"

"I'm fine, my queen," Williams said without meeting her gaze.

"There is no need for such formalities between us when we are alone. You are, after all, my nephew," she said, motioning for him to take a seat beside her.

"Have you learned anything from Princess Amber's maid?" She asked without beating around the bush.

His hands balled into fists beside him as he looked at her.

*******

Alicia flipped through the pages of the book as she tried to memorize the names and positions the people occupied. He had given her a copy of the kingdom register, which had the names and information of aristocratic members of the kingdom, up to their fourth generation. The bulk of these people was going to be coming to the palace for the banquet, so she had to familiarise herself with them. As she read through it, Harold was busy reading a book across from her. The book had a black cover, making it impossible for her to tell what kind of book it was.

Or was this the dark poetry Luciana had told her about?

Curious, she decided to ask, but before she could, he looked up to find her staring at him.

Self-consciously, he looked down and faced his book, causing a small smile to form on her face when she noticed he was not comfortable.

"Stop staring and read," he said without looking at her.

Her smile grew bigger as she wondered whether he was shy now? "What are you reading?" She asked.

"A book." He replied without raising his head.

She rolled her eyes. "Of course, I know. What kind of book? You seem engrossed in it."

He raised his head to look at her and closed the book before keeping it inside his shirt.

"That should be what concerns you," he said, pointing at the book she was supposed to be reading.

"It's too long and boring," she complained.

"You do not have a choice."

"Can't you just stay close to me on that night and whisper who the people are? I don't think I can memorise all of this." She said, raising the heavy book and pouting cutely.

He averted his gaze from her before taking a smaller book from the pile of books on the table between them and placing it in front of her.

"Read this then."

She beamed. If all instructors were like this, wouldn't the world be a better place?

She took the book from him and asked,

"I am just curious. Why aren't there names of women in this book?" She asked, referring to the register she had been reading through earlier. They only talked about men in power and their sons, and also grand and great-grandsons. No single woman were mentioned.

"Because they are women," he said casually.

"And so?"

Harold sighed tiredly. He knew where this conversation was going now.

"You should know by now how men are different from women here."

"You know, women gave birth to all these men here, right?" She asked, touching the book.

He nodded. "That is the duty of women. To produce offspring worthy of being included in this book. That is their honour."

Alicia didn't even have the energy to scoff. She was not expecting less from these people.

With a determined look on her face, she hit the book loudly, almost startling him. "My name is going to be in this book."

He raised a brow at her, almost laughing at the determined look on her face. "That is not possible." He said calmly.

She smirked challengingly. "I am Alicia Queen. Nothing is impossible," she said confidently.