The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

Seeing how upset she was by William's words, Lance hurried to reassure her, "It doesn't matter, my lady. Don't let brother in-law's words ruin your mood. My family is rich enough to have all the servants in the Moon Kingdom. We can even build the biggest herbal store for you, brother-in-law. Lady Susan doesn't have to do anything other than stay beside me and look charming and beautiful for me," he said with a loving gaze directed at her, while Alicia, who had been finding the entire conversation amusing, winced at how that sounded, so she was not surprised to find the frown on Susan's face.

"What a weirdo," Alicia muttered to herself, but everyone heard her.

"Weirdo? What is that?" Lance asked, knowing fully well that she was referring to him.

Alicia looked up and was surprised when she noticed that all eyes were on her. She knew she hadn't spoken out loud enough for Lance, who was far away to hear her, so how did he hear her?

Was everyone in the Moon Kingdom blessed with such good hearing? She wondered as she forced a smile at him. "It means a very charming man," she lied, but somehow, once she said that memory of something similar flashed in her mind and her brows pulled together, but before she could get what it was, it disappeared.

"Really? I have never heard that word before." Lance said thoughtfully before his eyes lit up and he looked at Susan. "You see, even Princess Amber agrees with me."

"I AM A WEIRDO!" he declared once again, with a very proud and confident smile that made it difficult for Alicia to hold back her laughter. She let loose with a loud guffaw while Harold even chuckled where he stood since she had already told him what that meant before when she called him a weirdo.

From her reaction, the others could guess that wasn't the meaning, but the ignorant Lance had no idea as he kept talking about the benefits of being married into his family while Susan looked at him like she was going to stab him to death soon.

Once she stopped laughing, she looked at Lance closely and suddenly remembered how he had raised his voice to halt her when the bowl of poison touched her lips.

"I was told you claim I gave you biscuits?" She asked, and all eyes turned to Lance.

"Yes. You still don't remember?" He asked, and she shook her head, still wondering why she would offer biscuits to him.

"Why did I give you a biscuit? I don't think... I made anyone that day." She asked, and Lance glanced at Harold, who was looking at him and waiting for him to speak.

There was no way he could say the truth that he had bumped into her and tried to make trouble, so instead, he cleared his throat and began to speak.

"You bumped into me along the hallway, and gave me the biscuits while apologizing to me," he said, and Alicia's brows pulled together as she thought about it.

"Along the hallway? Where was I going?" She asked while Harold looked at Lance.

"What time did that happen?" Harold asked, and after Lance told him, he nodded.

"You were coming to find me," Harold filled in for her.

"So you think the biscuits are the cause of what happened to me?" She asked, and when Williams nodded, she began to ponder it.

"Do you remember the maid who threw pig's blood on you in the kitchen the other night?" Alvin asked her as he returned and sat down on the rock beside Prince Harold.

Alicia would never forget that incident. She nodded immediately and looked at Alvin, who exchanged a look with Harold.

"We think she must have had a hand in it," Alvin said.

"She gave me the biscuits?" Alicia asked curiously.

"That is what we think."

"But why?" She muttered to herself. "I don't think I have done anything to annoy her before," Alicia said out loud as she tried to remember that girl and how she had thought the girl looked familiar but she couldn't exactly remember where she saw her outside the palace.

"Did Tyra also have the biscuit?" She asked, looking up.

"Princess Tyra didn't. But she said you stabbed her."

"It's enough," Harold said, not wanting them to go back to that topic. Even though he also needed to find answers as soon as possible, he had brought her out so she wouldn't think about any of those for now and get better.

"What happened to you, Harold?" Alicia asked, making Lance choke on his food at how casually she had addressed him. By now, every one of them was used to this whole thing, except for Lance.

All eyes turned to Harold, ignoring Lance. They had also been curious, but no one dared ask.

"I felt unwell that night," Harold said as he tried to remember. I was returning to the palace, but it was difficult walking.

He remembered being about to rest his head on a tree branch and clear his mind when he was shot in the back.

"Were you poisoned?" Alicia asked curiously. "Did you eat anything strange?"

He shook his head. Everything he had eaten, he ate with the others on the table. No one would have dared poison him or even conceived the thought to do so. But he just couldn't tell what exactly had happened to his body that night.

Everyone was quiet for a moment, not sure what to say then.

Alicia sighed as she said, "Someone else was there."

"Where?" Harvey asked, speaking for the first time.

Alicia was lost in thought as she tried to tap into her memory of what had happened that night.

She told them about how she had woken up feeling thirsty and lightheaded and how she felt someone was outside her door but couldn't remember anything else other than a dead body, blood, and someone whispering that it was her turn next.

That sent chills down Paulina's spine, who shifted closer to Alicia and held the hem of her shirt tightly.

"But... Princess Tyra said you said that to her," Susan said in confusion.