The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

As Alicia paced around Harold's chamber waiting for him to return with Paulina, her thoughts strayed to different things that could have happened to Paulina.

What if she had decided that she couldn't stay in the moon kingdom and tried to run away? What if she had lost her way and one of the wild beas... werewolves had attacked her? She shuddered at the thought and rubbed her hands down her arms.

Maybe she should have left with Harold and not let him go in search of her alone. Paulina feared him and would probably hide if she saw him coming her way.

She turned to the door when it suddenly opened, and her relief knew no bounds when she saw Paulina with a cane walk in after Harold.

"Why did you disappear? You scared me," Alicia exclaimed as she rushed to meet her.

"I'm... sorry, my lady. I..." she paused, feeling too embarrassed to continue.

"What? Where did you go to?" Alicia asked curiously.

Paulina didn't say anything and just avoided eye contact, looking nervous.

Alicia looked at Harold in confusion, but he also didn't say anything.

"Did you try to run away?" Alicia asked quietly, and Paulina shot her head up, shaking it. "No! I will never leave you. I... I only w-wanted to see how Sir Williams... was doing," Paulina said apologetically.

That surprised Alicia because it was the same person talking about running away. She had also seen how scared she was. Yet she was the first to go and willingly find him?

"You could have told me before leaving. Were you able to see him?" she asked, and Paulina nodded gently.

"Is he okay?" Alicia asked, and Paulina nodded to her relief.

"He is... awake."

"Really?" Alicia asked in surprise and looked at Harold, who nodded. She turned her head toward Alvin and looked hopeful.

"It means he can also wake up soon, right?"

But she didn't get an answer immediately. She turned to look at Harold, who was quietly watching Alvin.

"Yes," Harold said as he turned to look at her. There was no need to scare her any more than was necessary.

William's cut was not as severe as Alvin's. Ivan had clearly not planned to kill Williams. But that wasn't the case for Alvin.

The only reason Williams' minor injury had done much harm to his body was because it had taken too long for him to get treated.

Alvin's cut was so deep that it took nothing for the poison to get into his bloodstream. If Ivan had cut Alvin the second time before Harold intervened, Alvin could have died.

The only reason Alvin had been alive long enough to receive the antidote was because of the medicine they had taken with them on their trip.

"I will escort her to your chamber to pass the night with Lady Susan...."

"No!" Paulina interrupted Harold in panic. She looked at Alicia in panic, shaking her head.

"I don't want to leave your side," Paulina quickly added, going to stand beside her and holding her hand.

Harold frowned in annoyance, but he tried not to show it. What did she mean by saying she did not want to leave her side when she had so conveniently done so a while ago to go and see Williams?

He had been waiting for the best time to speak with Alicia privately, and when he thought he had got it, Paulina just had to reassure him that she was always going to be there to piss him off.

"It's okay, Paulina. You will be safe in my chamber...." even as Alicia said the words, Paulina shook her head.

"I can't sleep alone with her," Paulina pointed out.

"You slept with her last night," Harold reminded her gruffly before looking at Alicia, hoping that she would ask Paulina to leave so that they could have time to speak as she had said they would, but from the look on her face, he could tell she was going to give in to Paulina.

Alicia could understand Paulina's fear and reservation. She may have slept with Susan and Luciana the previous night, but that was before she realized who they were. It would take her some time to be comfortable around them again.

"She can spend the night here with us. If you can get her a blanket, then she could sleep at the other end of the room," Alicia suggested to Paulina's relief, and although Harold didn't like that idea, he didn't object.

As Alicia watched Harold rummage through his closet for a blanket, she thought about the conversation she was about to have with him.

Although she had a fair idea about werewolves, she needed to know more about him and his kind. She didn't want any more secrets between them.

Once Harold found the blankets, Alicia took them from him and gave them to Paulina, who went to spread them at the distant end of the room, but instead of going to sleep on them as they expected her to, she approached them.

"I... will watch over him while you get some rest," she said, knowing that they needed to talk.

"That is not necessary, Paulina...."

"I... want to. He took care of me when I was sick." She said as she looked at Alvin. "I will look after him too."

"Alvin is my responsibility," Harold spoke calmly. "You both need rest."

He returned to Alvin's side and sat down on the stool beside the bed, looking at him.

Alicia looked at Paulina and gave her a nod before leading her to where she had laid the blankets for them to sleep.

Paulina snuggled closer to Alicia, and it wasn't long before she fell asleep. If Alicia had not been there, she probably wouldn't have been able to fall asleep tonight.

Harold watched them for a while before looking back at Alvin. He couldn't think about too many things at this point because he was also exhausted.

He shut his eyes for a moment and snapped them open almost immediately. He looked in Alicia's direction and noticed her eyes were open, and she was staring at him.

She made an effort to retrieve her hand from Paulina's hold and covered her up properly before she approached where Harold was and sat down on the stool next to him.