The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

Once Alvin saw the dark look on Harold's face and how his aura had changed, he ran out of Harold's chamber before Harold would attack him, as he knew he likely would.

Seeing this, Harold closed his eyes as he tried to bring his emotions under control. Alicia had chosen to bathe in public, and she had taken Alvin with her to keep watch? Alvin? It seemed like she was bent on making him hate everyone in the palace. There was something else he was feeling that he couldn't exactly explain.

Even though he knew that he should probably wait until she came to his chamber before addressing the issue, patience wasn't exactly his strong point, so he couldn't stop himself as he stormed out of his chamber in search of her.

Besides, chances were, if he chose to wait until she came to his chamber before addressing the issue, she was going to raise her voice or something, and then everyone would know that they were sharing a room.

Also, he wasn't sure yet how the transformation thing worked. Maybe she needed to be asleep for him to not transform. The last thing he wanted was to start transforming in the middle of an argument with her. That would be really terrible.

As he walked down the passageway, everyone in his way hid since they could all feel the domineering aura around him. He was angry, and the last thing they wanted was to be his scapegoat. Seeing the direction he was headed, they could all tell that he was going to his wife's chamber. Perhaps this was the night he was finally going to kill her? They all wondered as they came out of hiding to look at him after he walked past them.

Without knocking, Harold pushed open Alicia's bedroom door and slammed it behind him for effect. Of course, he was too angry to knock. Who had the patience to knock when they were angry?

Immediately the door was slammed, Alicia, who was seated by the window, occupied by her own thoughts as she waited for the bell to ring so that she would go to Harold's chamber, jumped in shock when the door was suddenly opened and slammed. She quickly turned around to see who the intruder was, as she stood up, only to see it was Harold.

With a hand in her chest, she berated him, "You don't know how to knock or shut a door quietly? You almost gave me a heart attack." She asked in a scolding tone before she noticed the dark glare he was sending her.

"Why did you go to the Lake?" Harold asked, ignoring her question.

"Okay... why does it feel like I have done something abominable again?" She asked curiously.

"HELL! It is even worse than an abomination!" He said angrily.

"You aren't just a woman. But a married woman!" He reminded her sternly.

"But... there was no law that said it was taboo to do so." She reminded him thoughtfully, not liking how angry he was sounding to her right now.

"Because it is something that shouldn't even be thought of in the first place. Why will you bathe in a public place?" Harold growled, unable to keep down his anger.

"Okay, I get that you are angry. But relax." She said calmly, her hands up.

"No one saw me, so I won't get into trouble."

"You think that is the problem right now?" He asked in disbelief.

"That isn't the problem?" She asked, confused.

Harold took a deep breath. Was it her plan to drive him crazy with her cluelessness and clumsiness?

"Anyone could have seen you." He said in a quieter tone this time.

"Alvin was keeping watch, and Paulina was there too. I'm sure no one saw me. Why is that a problem?"

"Alvin? And it didn't sound weird to you that you took a man to keep watch for you while you bathed in public?" He asked in disbelief.

"Who else should I have asked to keep watch? Your brother? His guard? Or you?" Alicia asked, and then she narrowed her eyes when he looked away from her.

He breathed deeply again and then looked at her.

"You could have asked me. Even though I wouldn't have agreed to it. At least I should be the first person you ask. Not... Alvin."

As soon as he said those words, he began to feel stupid. Wait... so was this why he had been angry the entire time? Because she had asked Alvin and not him?

"Oh..." Alicia drawled as a smile began to form on her face.

"I see what is happening here. You are jealous." She said with a teasing smile, and Harold had to stifle the urge to strangle her.

"Don't be ridiculous. Why would I be jealous that you bathed in a lake?" He asked in anger.

Alicia could not help but laugh at how adorable and clueless he sounded.

"You are jealous that I went with Alvin and not you. You know, I would have asked you if I saw you first, but it was an emergency and I bumped into Alvin first."

Harold frowned at her. "I. Am. Not. Jealous." He said in a tight voice. "I don't have any reason to be."

"You don't?" Alicia said with a wide smile as she moved closer to him and poked his chest playfully.

Harold glared at her, but he didn't push her away.

"Don't go to the lake ever again."

She stopped playing and pouted sadly. "But I'm trying to adjust to living here. I have a swimming pool at my house where I relax when I'm stressed. The lake is the closest thing to a pool. I didn't realize how much I missed submerging myself in water until I did so tonight." She said while giving him her best innocent look.

"Don't be stupid. If you were so good at swimming, you wouldn't have drowned and ended up here."

As soon as he said that, the other feeling he had been having made sense to him. The portal had been through water. What if she had disappeared? Or what if she had simply just drowned and died or Amber took over her body back. What would he have done in that case?

Alicia also remembered how she had tried to end it in the lake and the traumatic experience of having water fill up her lungs. And then the faces that had flashed before her eyes, especially Harold's.

How did it come to this that she had gotten herself attached to these people?

Harold noticed her dull countenance and thought she was sad because of what he had said, reminding her of her attempt to end her life and ending up here instead.

"I... didn't mean it in that way." He said softly, bringing her attention to him.

"Don't go with Alvin next time. Tell me when you next want to swim and I will take you somewhere else. But you have to agree that I'll be there." Harold offered.

Alicia got rid of her sad thoughts and smiled at him.

"So you are jealous?" She asked, returning to her playful mood.

"Even though that was the case, you are my wife," Harold reminded her, as though it was an excuse for his behavior.

Alicia opened her mouth to remind him once again that she wasn't his wife, but she decided against it since she knew how that argument was going to end. It was better for the both of them if he continued to believe that she had finally decided to accept her fate and stay here.

Seeing how she wasn't refuting it or raising any argument, he almost sighed in relief.

"It seems your instructors have been doing a bad job in teaching you the code of conduct of a woman, a princess, and a member of the Moon Kingdom."

"What is that—"

Harold put up his hand, interrupting her from asking anything.

"So I have made up my mind to give you a new instructor who is going to teach you everything afresh."

"You've got to be kidding me." She said in disbelief. Start afresh? Hell! She'd rather die. Those many hours of standing while Beth lectured. Those boring lectures with Luciana. She had to go through it all again?

"I am not kidding you. It is something you have to do."

"NO!"

"It wasn't a question."

"I wasn't asking either. Do you know what I had to endure during those lectures? You want me to go through it again?" She asked, sounding pissed this time.

"You need them, Princess. Otherwise, you are going to get into trouble one day and I won't be able to help you." He said in a very calm tone and that made her anger die down a bit.

"And who is this person that's going to teach me? Princess Tyra? Or maybe the queen this time?"

He shook his head. "None of them."

"Then who?" She asked, curious now.

He held her gaze for a few seconds before he pointed at himself, making her jaw drop.