The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

Although it was late in the evening, in every corner of the palace, news had spread about what Princess Amber had done, and everyone was whispering about what had just happened between the members of the royal family. They all had to whisper since the king had said he didn't want to hear about it until after the banquet. The Queen, who had left with her husband, was fuming as she walked into his chamber with him.

"You will let the servant and Harold's wife be after doing that to our son? A Prince? You are taking Harold's side, aren't you?" She asked with displeasure. She wasn't usually one to openly express her displeasure with her husband, but this was her son they were talking about, and she hated that, like before when Harold had killed her first son, the king was going to do nothing.

"There are no sides in this. And like I said, I don't want to hear of this," the king reminded her.

"Now leave. I want to be alone," he said in a tired voice, but she didn't miss the authority in his tone.

Without saying another word, she turned around and stormed out of his chamber. She went directly to Ivan's chamber, and immediately after she walked in, she saw Luciana standing in the middle of the room, looking confused. She walked up to her and slapped her hard across her cheek.

"How dare you?" She asked in a calm voice.

Although she was beyond pissed, she was wise enough not to want the king to know that she was doing that after he asked them to let things be. Luciana raised both hands to her cheeks and bowed her head as tears fell from her eyes.

"I'm sorry, my Queen," she apologized, torn. "Just this morning, I spoke to you about behaving yourself, and what did you do? You dare to disregard my warning and defy your husband in public?" The Queen asked, glaring at her harshly as though she wanted to hit her once again, and immediately Luciana fell to her knees.

"Please forgive me, my Queen. I don't know what came over me," Luciana cried. What else could a person like her do? This was a battle she was never going to win. She wasn't Princess Amber. She could never be as bold as she was. Unlike Princess Amber, who had Harold, Tyra, Susan, Williams, Alvin, and even the king solidly behind her, she had no one but Princess Amber who would take her side. The door opened, and Ivan stormed in, his eyes burning with rage. He stopped when he saw his mother in the chamber and his wife kneeling with her head bowed.

"Mother..."

The Queen turned, and she also slapped him hard across the cheek. "How dare you create a public scene?" She asked, furious at him too for not controlling his temper. "Couldn't you have waited until you were in your chamber to discipline her? Do you want to ruin all our plans?"

"I'm sorry, mother," Ivan said with a bow, even though he wasn't the least bit sorry.

"If you so much as to cause any more problems for us, especially during the duration of this banquet, I will make sure you disappear. You better be on your best behavior," the Queen warned Luciana before glaring at her son. "And you, keep your temper in check and behave yourself. We will deal with them later," she assured him before walking away.

Away from there, Tyra, Susan, and Williams took a stroll around the courtyard as they discussed what they had just witnessed.

"There is nothing princess-like about Princess Amber," Tyra commented with a shake of her head, wondering how Princess Amber could have jumped on Ivan that way. Did she even realize that she was not only a princess but also a married woman?

Susan laughed softly. "By now, that shouldn't come as a surprise to you. Do you think they're going to fight?" Susan asked them both thoughtfully.

"They won't fight. Not after the King stepped in," Tyra said, and chewed at her lower lips anxiously.

"Princess Amber shouldn't have gotten involved in Prince Ivan's business," she added worriedly. Although she wanted Harold to take over the throne, and she knew it wasn't going to happen without either of the brothers killing each other, she didn't like that Alicia was getting involved.

"She cares too much about everyone to not get involved. I doubt she would merely look away if she saw you in danger," Susan pointed out, while Williams just watched her.

"That is why she keeps getting into trouble. Now the Queen is angry with her. Did you see what she did to Prince Ivan's face? And she even raised her voice at the Queen," Tyra went on with a distressed frown, thinking about her conversation with the Queen earlier that day. Princess Amber was already considered a threat in the queen's eyes. Doing all she had done had just made it worse because now the Queen wouldn't just see her as a threat but as an enemy too. She had touched Prince Ivan, who was the apple of the queen's eyes since the death of her first son. The Queen wasn't going to just let this go, whether or not the king dismissed it.

"It is a good thing Prince Harold showed up when he did. For a moment there, I was terrified for her," Susan said and turned to look at Williams.

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

"You are saying enough for two," Williams said, and Susan scowled at him.

Tyra sighed. "I should go in for the night. It's been a long day," Tyra said as she looked at the twins. "Goodnight Susan, Goodnight Williams," she said as she walked away, leaving both siblings behind.

As they watched her leave, Susan shook her head, feeling sorry for Tyra, who was so weak and always felt agitated over the slightest show of violence. She turned to Williams when she felt his gaze on her and raised an eyebrow.

"Why have you been staring at me in that manner?" Susan asked since she had noticed him giving her a funny look at different times that evening.

"Is something going on between you and Alvin?" Williams asked without beating around the bush.

"NO! Why would you think that? Don't tell me he said something to you?" Susan asked, looking at her twin curiously.

"Was he supposed to say something to me? Did he say anything to you?" Williams asked, and Susan contemplated whether or not she should tell Williams since she wasn't sure how he was going to react to it.

Deciding that it was best to tell him since they never kept secrets from each other, she sighed, "Well, he said he likes me," she said with a slight blush, and Williams blinked at her.

"Alvin told you that he likes you?"

"Well, he didn't exactly have the guts to. I noticed that he had been spying on me for a while, so I confronted him," Susan said with a shrug.

"And he admitted that he likes you?" Why didn't that make any sense to him?

"Yes. But don't worry. I made it clear to him that nothing could ever happen between us. We are not in the same class after all. I feel so sorry for him," Susan said with a sigh, while Williams just watched her, trying to determine if all she felt was sympathy or not.

She had been quick to remind him of what would happen if he got involved with Paulina. For her sake, he hoped that she would keep that same advice in her mind.

"What about your conversation with the Queen earlier? How did it go?" Susan asked since they had not found time to be alone since the Queen summoned Williams.

"They wanted to know if I'd gotten anything from Paulina," Williams said with a worried frown.

"And? What did you tell them?" Susan asked, looking at him with sharp eyes.

"What do you think? I had nothing to tell them, of course," Williams said, and Susan's brows drew together in concern.

"I guess they weren't too pleased to hear that. What are you going to do?" She asked, and he sighed.

"I have no idea. I only know that Paulina is my friend, and I do not wish to betray her trust," Williams said, and Susan nodded.

"We shouldn't get involved in anything going on in the palace. The best way to stay safe is to sit on the fence. We are neither for nor against anyone," Susan said, and Williams looked at her.

"How well do you think that will work? You will eventually have to pick sides. Besides, it seems to me like you picked sides this evening. You weren't on the fence," Williams said, reminding her of how she had jumped in to defend Alvin.

"That was different..."

"Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying. We can't always choose to stay on the fence. Eventually, we will have to decide which side we are on," Williams said just as the first bell rang.