The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

After she was done crying so much, she sat down and just stared blankly without saying a word, while Harold just stared at her, not sure what he was supposed to do.

"Would... you... like some bread?" He asked, offering one.

Alicia turned to look at him. If this weren't such a big issue, she would have laughed at his lame attempt to console her. But she didn't have it in her to laugh right now.

"How could I do that?" She asked quietly, making him frown in confusion.

"You don't want to eat the bread?"

"No. I mean... I can't... I don't... I don't even know how to use a sword or a dagger," Alicia said in confusion, returning to that topic.

She had been thinking about it for a while, and it just didn't make sense.

"You stabbed me before with a dagger." He reminded her as he returned the bread to the box.

"But I don't know—"

"Amber knows how to," Harold said matter-of-factly, and Alicia's eyes widened as understanding dawned on her.

She wanted to ask him how he knew about it, but that was the least of her worries right now.

Princess Amber. That explained the blackout and why she couldn't remember what had happened. So Amber was still possessing this body? What did that mean for her? If Princess Amber was still living in this body, then what about her body? Was she alive? Different questions ran through Alicia's mind until she felt Harold take her hands and squeeze them gently to bring her back to reality. He didn't want her to try and force herself to remember anything, so she wouldn't have that episode and break down again. That was scary to watch.

She met his soft gaze and listened to him as he spoke, "I'm teaching you how to use the bow and arrow so that she won't have to take over your body every time there is danger," Harold explained.

"But it's her body, not mine," Alicia said in a shaky voice, revealing how scared she was.

If Amber had taken over her body, then what had happened to her subconsciousness? Did it mean that a day would come when Amber would fully take over, and she would be buried forever?

"It's your body now, and it is going to remain so," Harold said with confidence.

"You have to take your lessons seriously," Harold continued, but Alicia was still too lost in her thoughts to argue with him.

She knew she wasn't going to possess Princess Amber's body forever, but until the moment came for her to leave, she would need to learn how to defend herself... and help Harold too. But then, something else occurred to her, and she looked at Harold sharply.

"But what if it wasn't Amber?"

He raised a questioning eyebrow, wondering what she meant by that.

"I'm just wondering about the possibility that it would be Amber's mother."

"Amber's mother? What does she have to do with this?"

"This may make me sound crazy, but you have to believe me, okay?"

Did he have a choice? He nodded gently.

"Paulina gifted me a painting. A painting of Amber's mother. She had the same face as me. I mean my real face. Alicia's face."

"How is that possible?"

"I have no idea. And I had a dream..." she shook her head. "It was more vivid than a dream. I think it was the past. She wasn't an ordinary lady. She was a fighter. Paulina also confirmed it. Her name was Queen Anne. Could it be that she is the other soul possessing this body and not Amber?" She asked with concern. Why was everything here so complicated?

While she was racking her head about this, Harold had his priorities set.

"The painting is of your real face?" He asked curiously, and she nodded.

"I want to see it," he informed her. He was going to think about all this mess later, but for now, he wanted to see what she looked like without Amber's face.

Alicia thought he was curious because he wanted to help her find answers, so she stood up, ready to lead him to her chamber, where she had kept it hidden with Amber's diary.

As the two left the library, Harold tried to get into Alvin's head again, but this time, it was exhausting to do so. He guessed it was probably because he had done it once and still hadn't mastered the art, so when he noticed it was taking so much energy from him, he stopped. For now.

As they walked down the hallway, the Queen, who was walking down behind them, raised a brow when she noticed that they had been in the library. She turned to her bodyguard. "Find out what they were doing there," the Queen ordered him, and he bowed to her before walking away to do as he had been told.

The queen continued on her way down to the private pavilion to have some tea. Once she got there, she sat to wait for Tyra, who she had sent for, to join her while a servant served her tea.

She looked up when Tyra joined her.

"Mother, you sent for me," Tyra said with a bow. She had been very surprised when she received the message.

"Sit," she ordered, and Tyra sat down gracefully.

"How have you been?" The Queen asked, and looking at the way she talked to her and treated her, one would doubt that she was the queen's daughter.

"I've been well," Tyra said, curious to know the reason the queen had sent for her.

The Queen nodded but said nothing as a servant came to pour some tea into a mug for Tyra.

Once the servant left, the Queen looked at Tyra.

"I learned that Susan and Harold's wife passed the night in your chamber two nights ago," she said, and Tyra nodded.

Of course, she hadn't expected it to remain a secret forever. "Princess Amber's chamber was flooded, and she couldn't sleep there, so she asked to share my bed, and I couldn't turn her down," Tyra explained.

"Flooded? How did that happen?" The queen asked curiously, and Tyra shook her head.

"I don't know, mother."

"And Susan? Was her chamber flooded too?"

"No, mother. She slept off while we were talking, and I didn't want to disturb her sleep," Tyra lied, and the Queen nodded.

"What do you think about Harold's wife?" The queen asked, and Tyra almost sighed in disappointment.

Of course, what else had she been expecting? That the queen wanted to see her to spend time with her as mother and daughter? She was more concerned about Princess Amber, of course.

"I think she is very lovely and suits Prince Harold," Tyra said with a small smile as she thought of Alicia, and the Queen looked at her with disapproval.

"Do you think she wants to be Queen? Has she said anything about wanting Harold to be king?" The queen asked, and Tyra shook her head immediately.

"No, mother. I don't think she has such thoughts," Tyra said in Alicia's defense.

"So why is she being nice to the servants?"

"I think it's just the way she is, mother."

"And what about you? Why did you give and the others give snacks to your servants?" The Queen asked with displeasure.

"We only gave our servants the snacks from the meal we shared," Tyra said, noting the queen's displeasure.

"I'm sure that was Princess Amber's idea. You are a princess, and servants are servants. They can have the leftovers when they clear the table. You must not be the one to feed them," the Queen said, and Tyra nodded.

"I'm sorry, mother."

Before the Queen could respond to that, her bodyguard returned. He stood behind the queen, and his eyes met with Tyra's. Their gaze held for only a second, and he bowed to her before Tyra looked away.

"Don't let yourself be influenced by Harold's uncultured wife. It is one thing to watch you cling to Harold and call him your brother. It is another thing for you to cling to his human bride. You are superior to her. Don't ever forget that," the Queen said in a dismissive tone. "You can leave," she ordered, and Tyra bowed to her before leaving.

As she walked away, the queen's guard stepped forward to report to the queen. "There was a gourd of water and a pack of snacks in the library. I think they were having lunch together, my Queen," he said with a bow.

They were having lunch just after she had lunch with the king? Why did the king send everyone away just to speak with her? What did they talk about? She hated that everyone was beginning to warm up to Harold's wife. It seemed like the only people in the palace who were still immune to her charm were herself, Ivan, Damon, and, for some reason, Beth.

Her maids had reported to her that everyone in the kitchen was singing her praises about how humble and caring she was. And even the maids that were in charge of her welfare also kept talking about how well she treated them.

As much as she hated to admit it, she was beginning to get worried because of Harold's wife. Wasn't she trouble?