The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

Alvin had just returned from an important mission and was making his way to find Harold to relay everything he found out from following the kitchen staff to the marketplace when Harold entered his head. Since Harold entered, wouldn't he have just asked how it went? But no. He had asked for a gourd of water, and now he was here, facing the harsh glare of Harold's wife.

Alvin glanced at Harold in confusion. Did he perhaps tell her the truth already and now he was about to get into the Princess' bad books because he was being loyal to his disloyal master? Or was she saying this because she had regained her memory and was testing them?

"You don't have to look at him. He already told me all about the attack. I can't believe you lied to me, Alvin. And I was beginning to trust you," Alicia said to Alvin with a disappointed and dejected look. She looked so in character that Harold almost believed he had truly told her something.

She was good. But he could not understand what she was trying to achieve by doing this. Had she possibly remembered the attack? Or did the king tell her about it? Harold mused as he watched Alvin, hoping that Alvin was smart enough to see through Alicia's ruse.

Unfortunately for Harold, Alvin was not smart enough to win against manipulative women like Alicia.

So Prince Harold told her? Alvin wondered, still waiting for Harold to enter his head and talk to him, but there was silence. That had to mean that Harold wanted him to tell her the truth.

"I'm sorry, milady," Alvin apologized sincerely, making Harold grit his teeth. He was going to kill Alvin as soon as he got the chance.

"Don't be. Sit down and tell me exactly what happened..." Alicia said calmly, pointing to another seat behind Harold. The last thing she wanted was for Harold to be glaring at Alvin, and threatening the poor guy. Alvin glanced at Harold, before doing as he was told.

Harold suspected that her questions had something to do with the reason she had been crying earlier, and if that was it, then maybe it was best they told her about it once and for all. She had to know what she was capable of doing.

"I will tell you all you need to—"

"No." She interrupted Harold, frowning at him.

"You had your chance," she reminded him, and although Harold didn't like that she was ordering him, he remained silent.

"Go on, Alvin. Tell me exactly what happened," Alicia urged him, and after only a moment's hesitation, Alvin went on to give her the details.

"We were attacked by some bandits or assassins. I don't know what exactly they were, but they were huma— I mean... they were bandits."

Alicia looked at him in confusion, wondering what he was rambling about and why he looked like he had almost said what he was not supposed to. She noticed Harold had also turned to look at him before he corrected himself and said something else.

"They attacked us. Prince Harold asked you to leave with Bane, but you refused and fought alongside us."

"Wait a minute..." Alicia interrupted him with a raised hand, looking completely lost.

"I fought?" She looked at Alvin and then at Harold before adding, "Some assassins?" She asked in disbelief, torn between laughing at the joke or calling Alvin crazy.

"You did," Harold said when he noticed she didn't seem to believe it. It was just as he had suspected, that had been Amber's subconsciousness.

Alicia looked at his face closely, trying to check if he was joking, but he looked very serious and so did Alvin.

It was as if hearing what happened was the trigger she needed because the memory flashed before her eyes, causing a splitting headache that made her clutch her head in her hands.

"Princess?" Harold asked, sounding concerned as he stood up from his seat, dropping his lunch.

He tried to get her attention, but she continued to groan while holding her head. Harold quickly glanced at Alvin, who was as confused as he was.

Alvin was standing behind him now, but he obviously had no idea what he was supposed to do.

Suddenly, the two heard her gasp as she stood up abruptly and stared into the distance, her face as white as a sheet.

"What is wr—"

"I... killed s-someone." She said in disbelief before facing Harold.

Harold wondered whether she now remembered all that happened that day, seeing how she remembered this part. But before he could ask, Alvin spoke.

"Actually, you killed three people." Alvin reminded her tactlessly and received a sharp look with a mixture of disbelief and anger from Harold before he sealed his lips and began to contemplate fleeing or not. It seemed like he was not supposed to say anything.

Alicia's already white face paled even more as she looked from Alvin to Harold. "Is... he telling the truth? I... I killed someone? No... three... people?" She asked, looking down at her hands in disbelief.

Well, now he had to deal with this. Harold almost sighed in frustration before giving Alvin the side-eye.

"Leave," Harold ordered Alvin, who didn't need to be told twice. As soon as he heard that, he fled the chamber, giving the two some privacy. He could not help but continue to feel confused by her reaction. Hadn't she said that Harold had told her all about it already? Why was she behaving like she was hearing it for the first time? Did she just trick him? Between Harold and his wife, he didn't know what to do. But he was sure of one thing... they were going to be the death of him.

Alicia, who was still stunned by this new piece of information, looked at Harold and asked, "Is... it true?"

From the look on her face, Harold could tell she was hoping he would tell her it was a joke. Unfortunately, it was real, so he nodded and decided to be honest with her.

"Yes. You killed three men. Two with daggers and one with a sword," Harold explained, watching her closely.

Alicia raised a hand to her head, which continued to ache as images of the fight flashed through her mind.

"I killed three men," Alicia murmured.

"You wanted to know what happened. Now you know what happened. Get over it."

"Get over it?" She asked in disbelief, crying now. How could he trivialize this issue like this?

"I KILLED PEOPLE! THREE MEN WHO PROBABLY HAD FAMILIES." She raised her voice before the panic set in.

"Oh my goodness! What have I done? How did this happen? What have I gotten myself int—"

"Calm down." He said, placing his hands on her shoulders to keep her from pacing the room, but she pushed him away immediately.

"HOW COULD YOU TELL ME TO CALM DOWN?" She cried.

If Harold had suspected that she would react this way, he wouldn't have told her about this even if a sword was drawn to his neck.

"Because it's not a big issue?" He replied, shrugging.

Her jaw hung low as she looked at him in disbelief. Harold could not help but wonder what he did wrong to be stared at like that. She killed the people that attacked them. What was so wrong with that?

"How can killing people not be a big issue? Maybe it is normal for you, but it is not for me. I led a simple life. I am an actress, not a killer! I haven't even killed a chicken before and I killed three people!?" She burst into tears, still finding it hard to believe.

Harold just looked at her, wondering if he understood how she felt. But the truth was that he didn't. He wasn't sure he could either.

"It was either that or they could have killed you." He said while taking her hand. She tried to withdraw from him, but he wouldn't let her.

"I don't care!" She yelled. How was she going to live happily knowing what she had done?

"I do."

"I don't!"

"You could have been killed like the others if you hadn't fought back." He reminded her.

"You have a life too. You have friends and family. But they wouldn't have cared either."

Her sobs came out broken as she gripped the front of his shirt with her hands and cried while her body shook.

"I... killed people, Harold."

Harold wasn't sure he had ever taken the initiative to embrace her, but he did so now. Seeing her cry like this made him devastated. Thankfully, she didn't pull away and just cried in his arms.

"Princess, if you have to kill a million people just to stay alive, then I will choose that a million times over. You are no longer in your world. This is our world. So I hope you get used to it soon."