The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

To say Ivan was furious would be an understatement. Ivan was boiling with anger as he made his way back to the king's chamber to see his mother.

Who did Harold think he was to make such orders? Why was everyone listening to Harold and not him? How dare they disrespect him in that manner? Even Luciana? How could his own wife talk to him in that manner? How could she take Harold's side when she knew that Harold was his enemy?

Without acknowledging the guards, Ivan headed straight into the chamber. He scowled when he saw his mother lying on the bed beside the king. How could she be so useless as to be sleeping at a time like this when Harold had taken the entire palace hostage? The kingdom was in a mess, yet the dearest Queen was sleeping!

"Mother!" Ivan called harshly, and the queen's eyes opened immediately, and she sat up when she saw him.

Her eyes widened in shock when she saw the blood stain on his clothes and the injury, "Did Harold do that to you?" She asked fearfully as she looked at him, and Ivan looked down at his wound with annoyance.

He had no idea what Harold had applied to the arrow, seeing how it was taking so long for his wound to heal and he was still bleeding.

He had been unable to wash off the blood because there was no water, and he couldn't receive treatment either because despite going to see the head physician, he had refused to treat his wound.

"Do you know that Harold has banned the servants from making food, and even the royal physicians refused to attend to me? There is no water anywhere for drinking or bathing. And even Luciana has left the quarters she was sent to and has moved back into her maiden chamber!" Ivan yelled irritably, ignoring his mother's question.

"He did?" The queen asked in surprise, and Ivan grabbed his mother's shoulders and shook her hard.

"Return to your senses! What are you doing lying down here when all our plans are being ruined?" Ivan asked, and the Queen looked at him, not knowing what to do.

"What about Damon? Where is he?" She asked, and Ivan scowled.

"I don't know. I have not seen him since yesterday," he said irritably, hating how incompetent everyone was.

Before either of them could say another word, the king's special guards who had guarded Harold's door while he was unconscious walked into the chamber with Alvin, and Ivan glared at them.

"What are you doing here?" He growled angrily, and Alvin stepped forward.

"Prince Harold has ordered that no one should be allowed to stay in the king's chamber until he has recovered. You both have to leave," Alvin said with a polite bow, and the corners of Ivan's eyes hardened in anger.

"I'm the Queen. He is my husband," the Queen reminded him as she laughed in disbelief. Have they all gone crazy?

"It is Prince Harold's orders..."

"How dare you?" Ivan asked as he pulled out his sword, which he was now moving around with, and took a step forward, but Alvin didn't flinch, and the Queen quickly grabbed Ivan's hand to stop him.

As much as she hated everything that was happening right now, she couldn't do anything about it. She couldn't even take the risk of confronting Harold, not after what she had seen the previous day.

In order for them to survive and achieve their goal, they needed to stay alive and play safe. "Let's leave," the Queen told Ivan quietly before returning to the king's bedside.

"No! What right does Harold have to ask us not to see father?" Ivan yelled, and Alvin looked at the guards, subtly asking them to escort the Queen and Ivan out.

"Make sure you survive, my Lord. Please wake up," the Queen pleaded as she looked down at her husband, before returning to where Ivan was still yelling and making threats.

"When I become King, I'm going to make sure I behead you myself! Just wait!" Ivan promised Alvin as his mother pulled him by the hand, while the guards followed them out.

"Be calm. Let's go and see Damon and find out what the aristocrats are doing about everything," she told him calmly. "I'm sure no one would let him continue this way for long."

*******

It was as though the more time Harold spent beside Alicia looking down at her sleeping form, the more he couldn't comprehend what had given both the queen, Damon, and the aristocrats the boldness to do all of that to Alicia.

Was it that he had become so weak and lenient with them that they had all forgotten who he was and treated his bride in that manner? How could they have done that to her knowing who she was? How could they inflict such pain on her? Harold mused as he looked into her peaceful face.

These thoughts made him feel very angry all over again, and he really wanted to take his anger out on someone. Anyone.

Unable to stay still, Harold stood up, making sure to not cause Alicia any discomfort before he walked over to the window to look out, as he usually did when he had a lot on his mind.

To his pleasant surprise, just right outside his window, he saw two people sneakily feasting on something while taking turns looking around to make sure no one was coming that way.

Since he had gone through every single updated book of aristocrats in the Moon Kingdom, he could easily identify who they were even without a close look at their clothing.

They were both young masters from noble families. They were between the ages of eighteen and twenty.

If they had been younger, Harold would have understood a little. But these young men were fit to be warriors, yet they were doing something this shameful while even maidens were left to starve.