The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

Luciana walked into the chamber she shared with her husband, and she found him seated there, having a snack and drinking wine.

"I'm glad you are here now, my love. I have been starving and was waiting for you to ask the maids to bring us something to eat. Where have you been?"

Her first thought was to ask him to go tell his mother to get him food, or better still, go ask the wife he was planning to get. But she knew better than to say something like that.

A day ago, she would have excitedly gone to sit down beside him, and by now, she would have asked the maids to serve them brunch in their chamber. But after hearing the conversation he had with the queen earlier while he was here pretending like all was fine, she felt her insides boil with anger.

She was also annoyed because Prince Harold had sent the royal head chef to his wife to serve her while Ivan was eating without providing something for her, while also waiting for her to ask the maids to serve them. Had she always been this ignorant? Or was she just stupid?

"Where were you earlier? I searched all over for you," She asked calmly as she went to sit on the chair next to him, ignoring his question.

"I was with my mother," Ivan said without much concern as he sipped from his wine.

"What were you both talking about?" Luciana asked conversationally, and immediately Ivan glared at her.

"I said I'm hungry, or didn't you hear me? Why are you asking me such a question when you should be sending the maids to get us something to eat?" He barked at her.

Luciana flinched before standing up, "I'm not hungry. I've had something to eat already, but I will..."

"What? You ate without me? When? Why?" Ivan asked, shocked and livid that while he had been waiting for her, she had eaten without him.

"Yes. I ate already with Princess Amber, Princess Tyra, and Lady Susan," Luciana said, satisfied with the shock and anger she saw on his face. Princess Amber had been right. The only way she could live with what her husband and the queen were planning to do was to start living for herself.

"Without me? You ate without thinking about me whether or not I've eaten?"

Luciana was tempted to tell him that he had also been in here eating his snacks without bothering to find her to see if she was okay, but once again, she decided to keep her thoughts to herself.

"I was hungry and couldn't find you. You should have just told your mother that you were hungry. I'm sure she would have asked them to get you something. I will ask the maids to serve you something now," Luciana said calmly as she walked away from the chamber, leaving her husband, who was staring after her in shock.

He didn't need anyone to tell him that this wasn't his wife. There was no smoke without fire, and he could tell the source of this particular fire. This was the handiwork of none other than his cursed half-brother's demon wife.

First, she had suggested that she leave the palace with her, and now she had convinced his innocent wife to eat with her when she was supposed to wait and eat with him. She was beginning to influence his wife negatively, and he wasn't going to just stand by and let that happen.

Angrily, he stood up, throwing everything he could find to the floor before he left the room in a fit of rage. At first, he thought about confronting Alicia but he knew it was safer to confront Harold than Alicia. Because he had a feeling that if he confronted Harold, he wouldn't do anything. Besides, they had sworn to not get into any scuffle inside the palace. But if he confronted Alicia, he felt Harold may forget about the sworn agreement. And as much as it hurt his ego to admit, Harold was Alpha and he was a Beta. He didn't stand a chance where Harold stood. So it was safer to meet his younger brother.

Away from there, Harold paced around his chamber, unable to get everything Alicia had said about Alvin out of his mind. Why did she say that thing about love?

After thinking about it for a while without getting any answer, he left his chamber to go find Alvin. Maybe if he knew what they had been discussing about before he interrupted them, he would get a good understanding of what she was talking about.

It didn't take him long to find Alvin roaming at the edges of the palace as he tried to keep an eye on everyone and everything at the same time. He was holding something that looked like a book but it was wrapped with a cloth, which made Harold curious because Alvin was not one to study.

"Your highness..." Alvin greeted awkwardly as he hurried to meet Harold. He had noticed that Harold had seemed displeased with him earlier, and he hoped that whatever it was that had annoyed him had been resolved.

"What did she tell you earlier? Before I interrupted you both?" Harold asked without beating around the bush.

Alvin's brows pulled together as he tried to recall what she had said. Only one line made sense and stood out in all she had said, but knowing how Harold was about his wife, he wasn't sure if it was okay to say it.

"Tell me," Harold ordered when he noticed Alvin's hesitation.

"She said if I want someone to talk to, she is here for me."

Harold pondered it before he chuckled evilly. "So... what did you tell her?"

Alvin shook his head immediately and waved his hand. "I didn't get to tell her anything before you showed up. Of course, I would have said no."

Harold gave him a scrutinizing look as if trying to suck the truth out of Alvin. Alvin was not sure he had ever been this frightened before.

"You did well." Harold finally said and placed a suppressing hand on his friend's shoulder, "If you need anyone to talk to, you can come to me. Hmm?"

Alvin nodded immediately, "Thank you for your immeasurable graciousness."

Harold smiled at him. "Don't mention it. We are friends anyway. So far you don't get too close. Hmm?"

Alvin didn't have to ask what "So far you don't get too close" meant. He only had to be referring to one thing. And yes, he was not stupid enough to get close to her even though she didn't understand the class structure in the moon kingdom.

"What's that?" Harold asked, referring to the cloth Alvin was holding.

"Oh..." Alvin smiled as he opened the cloth and just as Harold had suspected, it was a book.

"I bought it from the marketplace. It's called 'Book of life'."

Harold raised a questioning brow so Alvin explained.

"It's a book about women. What women like and how you can make them like you."

"You want to make someone like you?" Harold asked him.

"I bought it for you," Alvin said, pushing it to Harold, who frowned and stared at the book.

"Why would I need such a book?"

"Uh... to make your bride like you?"

"I don't need a book to make anyone like me," Harold said, glaring at him.

"There you are!"

Alvin immediately wrapped the book with the cloth when Ivan approached them, looking pissed.

It had been a while since the two had any confrontation like this because they had both sworn before the king a few years ago to bury their resentments and try to live in peace within the palace. Seeing him like this, Alvin could not help but ask himself what was wrong while moving to stand between the two brothers.

"What have you been doing instead of teaching your wife manners on how to mind her business?" Ivan asked angrily.

Although Ivan was happy she had that type of attitude that would make everyone hate her, he couldn't live in the same place with her like that. Especially not when she was beginning to influence his well-mannered wife.

Harold raised a questioning brow, wondering what he was on about. He knew that Ivan was angry with Alicia, especially after their argument during dinner the previous evening. So what could she have done this time to provoke him?

"You better warn her. Because the next time I see her with my bride, filling her head with stupid thoughts and advice, I won't let her be."

Harold smirked at him, not in the least bit bothered by his brother's threat.

"Why don't you try it then, and see what I will do to your wife the next time I see her with my bride letting my bride fill her head with stupid thoughts and advice?" Harold said to him with a malicious smile before he began to walk away. He stopped, turned to look at Alvin and took the book from him before he continued on his way.

Alvin, "..."

He looked down at his hand and Harold's back. Wasn't he the same person who said he didn't need the book?

Ivan gritted his teeth as he wondered what he was supposed to do now. It also didn't help that Luciana was Alicia's instructor now.

His mother had warned him that using Luciana would be a bad idea but he had assured her that Luciana was always going to be on their side. Now how was he supposed to deal with this?

He glared at Alvin before he stomped his feet angrily as he left to go find his mother to handle this mess for him. Even though he was going to take a second bride to bear him a son, Luciana was still his first, and he loved her.