The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

Before Williams could stop her, she hurried towards them. Alvin sighted her from his end and followed suit to stop her, but her distance was shorter, which meant she would get to them first.

She was curious to know how far they had gone in putting things together. She was too far into this now, so she needed to know all the clues they were trying to gather. And seeing how Harvey was involved with them, she wanted to know what he had with them.

As soon as Harold saw her, he excused himself from Alicia and Harvey before looking in Alvin's direction, stopping him from trying to get to her.

Alvin was a little bit hesitant, but he bowed before turning around. At the same time, Harold met Susan halfway and stood in front of her.

"Do you trust Harvey more than me because I am related to the Queen?" Susan asked as soon as she got to him. For some reason, she could tell he didn't want her to know what they were talking about.

"No."

"Oh... okay?" Susan replied in an uncertain tone.

Harold wasn't the type to sugarcoat things just to please the other person. So if he said no, then it was the truth.

"What are they talking about?" She asked as she looked ahead in their direction.

With how close the distance was, she could probably hear them if she tried to, so Harold decided to distract her.

"Have a walk with me, cousin?"

"Eh?" She asked in surprise and confusion. That sounded... suspicious. Cousin?

"I need to ask you something important."

"Oh... okay."

She looked at Alicia and Harvey again before she followed Harold, who led her to a different side, far away from the rest.

"What happened on the day Princess Tyra confessed to you that Princess Amber was responsible for stabbing her?" Harold asked her.

Susan recalled the incident and narrated to him how scared Tyra had been and how she had unknowingly let others hear her.

"There was nothing I could do since Sir Damian came in with Sir Cory and the physician. They all heard her. It was impossible to cover it." Susan said with a sigh as she remembered how heartbroken she had been on that day.

Damian. Had that been a coincidence? Harold had a lot of theories playing in his head, but he didn't dare try to think about them.

"Do you mayhap know anything about Damian and... Princess Tyra?" He asked.

Susan tried not to show it, but Harold saw it. She was making an effort to not show any reaction, but that was a reaction on its own. And Harold caught it.

"What is it?"

"I don't know!" Susan said defensively.

"You swore..." He reminded her, "..on your life."

"My prince..."

"It is an order." He said it in a serious tone that made fear grip her.

Susan began to move from one foot to another and bit her nails nervously. What was she supposed to do? She had promised Tyra too. Wouldn't this be a problem?

Seeing the impatient look on Harold's face, she blurted, "They... are in love!"

Harold was startled to hear that. In love? Damian and Tyra?

That was the last thing he had expected, and it showed on his face.

"Please don't do anything about it. I wasn't supposed to tell you. It is already bad enough that they have to hide it. You should let them be."

Harold began to remember how desperate she sounded whenever she asked him to support her choice of a lover in the future. And how she seemed to know all that was happening with the queen and within the palace. It was Damian?

"You must be disappointed. But we do not choose who we fall in love with. Even if it is going to get us into trouble."

"Just like you are doing?" He asked.

"What?"

Harold looked in Alvin's direction, where he was talking to his horse, and she followed his gaze.

"Do you think that is possible?" Harold asked her.

This time, he was surprisingly sounding like a worried cousin or worried friend, she didn't know if he was worried about her or for Alvin.

He was a servant. She was of noble blood. And he wasn't just any servant, but for Harold!

Susan turned to look at him. "I... can guess you... wish to lord over us all."

He raised an eyebrow.

Her hands balled into fists beside her as she tried not to show her fear. These words were worthy of being termed treason.

"I have sworn my loyalty to you and I will do that again and give you every piece of information I know. In return..."

Harold's raised brow went even higher.

"You... will make me a promise."

"A promise?"

"A royal decree. For my family."

"I already promised I'll try to spare your parents and your brother." He reminded her.

"Not that." She shook her head before looking at Alvin again.

"No one can reject a marriage to the King's Beta."

Harold looked at her, a little surprised, before his eyes moved to Alvin again, who was still speaking to his horse but smiling now.

It was rare to find Alvin smiling at people. It's almost as rare as finding a yellow sea.

But yeah, he smiled at his horse.

"I won't do it if Alvin doesn't want it."

"He will want it." She said confidently.

"It will be put into thought when I think Alvin wants it too."

She smiled at him and nodded, "Then I must tell you something..."

She looked around and stepped even closer to him, despite the fact that others obviously wouldn't hear them from that end.

"If we can find whoever has the beta's nightmare, we can find the one who has been against the royal family for a long time."

"Ah! I never thought about it." Harold said sarcastically.

Of course! Everyone knew that was the answer to the problem. Was she trying to annoy him?

"Prince Harry... it was involved in his death," she whispered, and Harold's expression went from annoyed to curious.

"What has that got to do with this?" Harold asked with a frown.

"Beta's nightmare. He was fed with it," she explained, and Harold's brow pulled together as the implication of her words dawned on him.