The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

As the ladies sat down on the quilt, the men found rocks to sit on while Harold went to tend to Bane's mane.

"I wonder what is going on in the palace right now," Lance said as they ate, thinking about his father, whom he had not informed before leaving with the group. Although he had a feeling his father would find out about it somehow.

"You should head back to the palace if you are so curious," Susan hissed at him.

As usual, Lance looked at her with interest as he asked, "Would you like to ride on my horse with me?"

"I would rather ride on a one-legged horse," Susan said in an unpleasant tone.

"You prefer one-legged horses? I don't know where I can find it, but I will buy you one," Lance offered, and Williams chuckled, while Susan shook her head.

"You don't seem to understand sarcasm, do you?" Alicia asked in amusement.

"What language is that?" Lance asked, and Alicia shook her head.

"Nevermind."

He seemed to be slow. She doubted that he would understand her even if she explained it to him. So what was the point?

"Do you understand the language she is talking about, my lady?" Lance asked Susan hopefully, and she scowled at him.

"Can you just stop talking to me?"

Alicia was in the middle of drinking water when she paused and looked at Susan and then at Lance. She wanted to ask what was going on, but Luciana beat her to it.

"Do you fancy her?" Luciana asked Lance curiously since she had noticed Lance's unusual behaviour towards Susan.

Susan glared at Luciana while Lance gave her a wide smile and said, "Isn't it clear enough?"

Susan shrieked in horror, making all the others laugh, and even Harold's lips twitched slightly where he was with his horse.

Alicia looked at each one of them. Although she didn't know exactly when Lance had joined the group, since she knew that the others didn't like him, she was glad to know that they were all there with her and not judging her.

The only person who was missing here was Princess Tyra. Perhaps this was the best time to find out why she wasn't with them.

"How is Princess Tyra doing? Is she well now?" Alicia asked, making every one of them look at her in surprise.

How could she be asking of Princess Tyra after learning that Princess Tyra had testified against her? They all mused.

All eyes travelled to Harold since they didn't know what to say or how to respond to her question. "She is feeling better now but she still needs to rest," Harold said as he moved closer to her.

"She should have joined us. This trip would have done her some good too," Alicia said, and Harold sighed as he squatted beside her.

"I think it's best she remains in the palace for now until everything has been sorted out," Harold said softly while the others watched them.

"Am I still the sole suspect? What did Princess Tyra say?" Alicia asked, and Harold shook his head.

"You left the palace so you could get away from that. Let's not talk about that until you are feeling better, okay?" Harold said softly as he looked into her eyes and patted her hair. Alicia sighed before giving him a nod.

While everyone marvelled at how the couple had changed from the always bickering duo to such lovey-dovey, Susan, on the other hand, was still eyeing Alicia's outfit and feeling envious of how comfortably she was seated, unlike them.

"Prince Harold, can we get men's clothing too and change into them when we get to the market?" Susan asked, looking at Harold hopefully, and the same look was mirrored on both Luciana's and Paulina's faces.

"You can't!" Williams answered before Prince Harold could.

"Do not raise your voice at her, brother-in-law," Lance said as he draped a hand around William's neck.

"You can wear whatever you want, my lady," Lance said to Susan, smiling like an idiot.

Williams quickly wiggled out of his 'brotherly' gesture and glared at him.

"Brother-in-law?" Williams asked him. "You do realize her betrothed is here, don't you?" Williams asked as he looked at Harvey, who raised a brow while Susan glared daggers at Williams before she turned to look at Alvin, who was busy sharpening his sword.

"I do not have a betrothed!" Susan corrected him immediately, and Lance beamed.

"You heard her, right? She doesn't have a—"

"That doesn't mean I want to marry you," Susan quickly added before Lance could finish gloating.

"Besides, you are already betrothed to Princess Tyra," As soon as Susan said that, she thought about Tyra and Damian.

"I do not want to marry her. I prefer you."

"She is a bad choice for you. Have you ever wondered why she is unmarried yet, or why we have been in the palace for such a long time? She is being trained on how to behave like a proper lady and act like a good wife. You probably already know that she doesn't act like a lady," Williams said in a bid to discourage Lance, but unfortunately, it wasn't going so well because Susan looked at him in alarm before looking at Alvin's side again, who still seemed focused on what he was doing, but it was obvious his lips were curved in a smirk.

By now, almost everyone in the group had noticed how she had stared at Alvin a couple of times, the only exception being Paulina and Lance.

"Why do you mean by that?" Susan snapped at Williams, and Alvin pretended to cough to hide his laughter as he stood and walked away from there.

"I'm unmarried because I'm taking my time to choose the right man! And I am a proper lady!" Susan yelled too loudly at Williams, startling her brother while her gaze quickly returned to Alvin, who was walking away from there toward the lake.