The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

For a moment, Alicia looked at him without saying a word. She decided to just go ahead and tell him everything. Maybe he would take pity on her and help her escape.

"I changed my mind at the last minute. But I fell off the bridge by mistake," she explained before going ahead to tell him what the bridge looked like and how different she thought it was from the one in this lifetime.

"Why did you want to end your life, to begin with?" Harold asked, wanting to know what could have pushed someone like her to the point of suicide.

Alicia took a deep breath, and then she began to tell him her story. It wasn't smooth sailing because she had to explain a lot of things to him for him to better understand. For example, when she told him she was a professional actress, she noticed he wanted her to throw more light on what that meant, but he didn't interrupt her, so she explained, "Just like those actors presenting plays in the marketplace, I do something similar. But not live. We go to studios and sets and do a lot of arranging to make it perfect, and then it is recorded and aired on various streaming platforms."

She realized it was going to be a very long night because she had to explain every single thing in detail.

Thankfully, he was smart, so she only explained everything once and a time, and he nodded like an obedient student, almost making her want to laugh.

She told him she was an orphan and how she had struggled her way to the top to become an award-winning actress.

Harold's lips twitched a little when he finally understood what that term meant. That explains why she was such a good liar and why others always fell for her schemes. He did not doubt that she was good.

The first bell rang, but she seemed too into her story to care. She had even forgotten to explain some terms to him and he didn't stop her since she looked emotional and sad as she talked about her life and how everything fell apart after she struggled to make it to the top. She told him about how her fans and everyone else had deserted her when they found out the truth about her past. She also told him all about how she had been ridiculed and disgraced, and when she couldn't stand it anymore, she thought taking her life was a better alternative until she received the call from her manager. She used her hands to wipe the tears escaping from her eyes when she stopped narrating.

"Is it worth it?" Harold asked with a slight frown as he observed her countenance.

"What?" She asked weakly.

"I mean, what is the point of going back? Even if you rise to the top once again, you know that the love they all show you isn't real, right? So what is the point?" Harold asked, and Alicia's brows drew together.

She hadn't really thought about it that way. All she cared about was going back. Either way, it didn't really matter. That was the only home she knew.

"It doesn't make any difference to me. It's the way humans are. The media controls their emotions," Alicia explained.

"Then the humans in your world are fickle," Harold said, not sure he wanted to live in a world like that.

"Are you saying this just because you don't want me to go back?" She asked with a scoff.

"I think you are here because you are meant to be here. I doubt that jumping into the river or trying to take your life will change anything," Harold said as he looked down at the food, which was now cold.

"Still, I can't stay here. I don't want to."

"Why?"

"There is nothing here for me! If you had ever lived in my world, you would see how different it is. There are cars, smartphones, televisions, and many other things that you guys don't have over here. Life here is just the same every day. Nothing new."

Harold felt a faint stab in his heart when she mentioned there was nothing here for her. He brushed it off and decided to dwell on the issue at hand. Harold had to agree within himself that she was right. Things used to be the same every day until she showed up, and now it was almost like he waited for her to do something or cause trouble every day to make the day lively. He didn't have a chance to speak before she continued.

"And there is the freedom thing! Liberty to live as you want to. I hate your rules. It feels like I'm in a prison where I have to do everything in a particular way. I can't eat what I want when I want to. I can't dress the way I want, and I can't even go where I want without permission," she complained bitterly."

You don't have a king? Why are you allowed to live lawlessly?" Harold asked curiously.

"We don't live lawlessly. There are many laws guiding us, just not like it is here. We have leaders: presidents, ministers, governors, and many other officials. And we are allowed to condemn them when they are wrong. We can speak without fear! And there are no slaves nor servants, just regular staff you pay to work for you," Alicia said, and Harold said nothing as he thought about all she was saying.

He could not imagine a kingdom handling things that way.

"What happens when a war breaks out with another country? Who fetches the men from their homes and leads them to the battlefield?" He asked curiously, since he could not imagine how such a disorganized leadership would create a good strategy for war.

Alicia almost chuckled. "It works differently. Each country has its unique approach to dealing with such a crisis. In my country and many other countries, the armed forces handle that aspect. You don't need to go pull young boys from their houses or away from their families. Also... there is one thing in common with all the countries; there is no 'battlefield'. You can infiltrate the other country by using specially trained forces or handle it aggressively by using weapons of mass destruction."

The second bell rang, but just like the first, they didn't even take note of it.

Alicia didn't quickly notice how the conversation shifted from talking about herself and plans to run away to bragging about the cool things in the future.

As he listened to her without interrupting, Harold could see how difficult it would be for someone like her, who was from a place like that where she had so much freedom, to adjust to a life with little freedom, especially for royalty.

Seeing the understanding on his face after talking for over an hour, she felt hope come to life within her and asked,

"So? Will you help me find a way?"

He shook his head, dashing her hope.

"I already told you. You are my wife." Harold said, not wanting to argue over it, so he stood up and made to leave.

He knew that it was selfish, but there was no way he wanted her out of here. He didn't know much about Princess Amber, but he doubted that she was going to be as much... fun as Alicia was.

"If I leave, Amber will take over her body, and you will still have your wife! What difference does it make?" Alicia asked angrily as she got off the bed, almost knocking the tray over.

"I don't know about Amber. It is you that I am married to."

"Why are you being so unreasonable?" Alicia yelled in frustration. She had thought after her explanations that he would understand her better and help her leave, but it seemed like the man was bent on being unreasonable.

"I just told you about my life! Can't you see the reason I cannot stay here? This place... it's not for me."

He just stood there, staring at her. Alicia hated it whenever he looked at her like that because she didn't know what he was thinking.

"Alright," he finally said after a while, making her heart skip from excitement and hope.

"Really?"

"You can escape if you wish," he said gently.

"Seriously? You will help me escape?" She asked eagerly, feeling like embracing him.

"I didn't say I would help you. I said you can escape if you wish," he repeated, causing her to frown. What does that mean?

"You can go ahead and try to escape. Don't... just let me or anyone else catch you doing so."

"What sort of stupid joke is this?" She asked angrily. Why was he messing with her emotions?

"It's either that or start learning to get used to your life here. I mean it," he said as he headed for the door, but he quickly ducked when she hurled a piece of meat at him.

Yeah, that was the fun he was talking about.

He smiled and waved at her before leaving the room just as the third bell rang.

Alicia screamed along with the bell in frustration.