The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

Alicia wasn't sure how she was supposed to react. One moment, he was saying that he was going to be her new instructor; the next moment, he was racing out of the place in large strides, as if he was embarrassed by it.

She just stood there, staring at the door as a small smile slowly spread across her face. She shrugged and turned around.

"He's cute." She said to herself while smiling as she went to stand in front of the mirror to get herself ready for tonight. She wasn't getting ready for him or anything; she just liked to look good always.

She took a comb and, as she untied her hair and started brushing it, she reasoned that she didn't exactly hate the idea of him being her instructor. Even though he hadn't lectured her before, she had the feeling he would be a better professor than the other two girls. And which lady didn't like a sexy professor?

She wasn't saying that Harold was sexy. She was just saying.... you know... you get the point?

She tied her hair into a ponytail, which she had noticed wasn't common here because ladies' hair was usually styled to the back. Leaving it untied was also not common here. When she was done with her hair, she changed into a simple nightdress and looked at her reflection in the mirror closely, in case anything was out of place.

"Why does my face look so dull?" She mused before taking out a compact of powder.

"I need to look good to have a good dream tonight. You know, since I would be sleeping in that annoying guy's room. I don't want to have a nightmare." She spoke to herself, using the excuse to touch up her face with powder while trying to make it look like it was her natural face.

What started as a simple powder to avoid a 'nightmare', graduated to lining her brows and eyelids and glossing her lips.

When she was done, she smiled at her reflection in the mirror, seeing how pretty she looked. She had made it look like she wasn't wearing make-up and doubted anyone would think otherwise. Whether she was Alicia or Amber, she was a beauty to behold.

"I'm going to have a good dream tonight." She said in a sing-song tone as the first bell rang, causing her heart to skip. She had told him she would go to his room after the second bell, so she braced herself. And waited impatiently until the second bell rang.

Without thinking twice, she opened her bedroom door and peered at both sides of the hallway, noting how empty it looked.

She stepped out and locked her room with a key before she began to sneak around like a thief.

Meanwhile, Harold, who had been patiently waiting for her to approach, stood outside his chamber with his hands folded across his chest and his back resting on the door.

Alvin almost facepalmed when he saw Harold in that position, but he was done for the day, so he simply disappeared. So much for not wanting anyone to know that they were going to be spending the night together. What was the point of leaving the palace doors earlier and sneaking back in through the window if he was just going to stand out here to tell everyone that he was back?

Harold noticed Alicia approaching from afar, hiding between blocks and pillars like a thief, even though this part of the palace was clear.

He just stood there, watching her make a fool of herself while she probably thought she was doing a great job of hiding herself. He took the time to observe her, noting how different and prettier she looked tonight.

As soon as the third bell rang, she panicked and began to race in clear view towards his chamber.

He still didn't intervene and just watched her run with all her might. But when she looked up and saw him standing by the door, relief flashed in her eyes and she stopped running as fast.

She looked like she trusted him to handle whatever would happen. The thought that she trusted him made a faint smile appear on his face as he opened the door to let her in as soon as she got nearer.

Alicia entered his room and heaved a big sigh of relief with her hand on her chest.

"That scared the shit out of me." She confessed.

"Didn't you say you were coming before the third bell rang?" He asked her after locking his door.

She nodded while panting. "I didn't think sneaking around was this time consumi—"

"Why are you wearing makeup?" He asked, interrupting her while looking at her face with interest.

Alicia looked at him in alarm, wondering how he knew that.

"Who... said... I wore makeup?" She stuttered while looking away from him. "This is how my natural face is at night."

Usually, Harold was not the type to prolong issues, so as she looked away and approached the bed, she expected him to give up, but instead, he appeared in front of her, his fingers lifting her chin as he scrutinised her face with a serious look on his face, as if he was in the middle of something very important.

He used his thumb to graze her lip and looked at his thumb, confirming she had used that stuff ladies usually wore on their lips to make it glossier.

"You wore make-up." He pointed out.

Were they seriously going to do this right now? Alicia wondered as she tried to step backwards.

"And so?" She snapped at him, pushing him away while looking all flustered. "What if I did?"

He looked at her smugly as he asked, "Why did you?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but I wanted to have a good sleep. So shoo!" She said, pushing him out of the way, and surprisingly, he moved out for her as she went to the right end of the bed.

She sat down and looked at him before asking, "So where are you going to be sleeping? I thought you would have brought in a second bed or a mat by now?" She asked while looking around until her eyes landed on Harold, who was just standing there looking at her without saying anything.

"What is it?" She asked.

"That's my bed." He pointed at it.

"Of course, I know that. But since I'll be sleeping here—"

"I'll be sleeping in my bed."

"WHAT?!" She asked, jumping from the bed, startling him a bit.

"What do you mean by you're sleeping on this bed? Then where am I going to sleep?"

"Do not overthink it. I won't touch you. And I hope you do not touch me too." He said calmly before turning around towards his window.

"You hope I do not touch you too?" She asked in disbelief. Was this guy high on something? Why would she touch him?

She decided to just go to bed and ignore him. So she turned around and marched to the bed. After she got on, she pulled the quilt until it got to her chest and used the pillows on the bed to form a demarcation between their sides.

As Harold looked out the window, he was lost in his thoughts. It was fast approaching the time he was supposed to shift, but he wasn't feeling the signs. He couldn't hear his wolf either.

Was she really the solution? He turned to look at the bed and was surprised to find her staring at him.

"Aren't we supposed to put out the candles now?" She asked in a whisper.

Whenever it was past the third bell, she was instructed to always put out the candles and not step out or even speak. She had forgotten about that earlier while talking to Harold and had even raised her voice, forgetting this arrangement was supposed to be a secret.

"You can leave it on if you want." He said as he put down the curtains and turned around.

Alicia decided it was best to leave the candles on since she was going to be sharing a room and bed with this guy.

"What are you doing?" She asked, sitting up at once when she noticed he was taking off his shirt.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

She sat up immediately and looked at him with alarm as he pulled off his shirt, revealing his bare chest to her.

She clutched the quilt to her chest tightly while giving him a threatening look, warning him not to come closer.

"Why do you look so nervous, princess?" He asked in an innocent tone.

"I thought I was like a younger brother to you and my body isn't that great? I'm just about to go to bed, so don't have any dirty thoughts about me." He said as he sat down on his side of the bed, his back to her as he began to take off his boots.