The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

His mind drifted back to Luciana, and he prayed that she was going to survive this. Knowing Alicia, she was not going to forgive him if Luciana died, even if he wasn't the one who had directly hurt her.

Harold turned to look at Alvin when he noticed how quiet he had been after they had ridden for an hour, and his brows pulled together in concern when he saw the sweat that coated Alvin's brows and how pale he looked despite trying to maintain a straight face.

"We should take a break." He announced.

"A break? The pace is slow enough already. If we continue at this slow pace, we are never going to get to the palace before nightfall," Damian complained angrily from his horse.

"Then go ahead of us. Nothing is stopping you," Harvey responded harshly.

"Shouldn't you be in a hurry to get back to the palace considering that Prince Ivan almost killed your sister?" Damian asked, expecting that to get Harvey's attention.

"Since you said almost, that means she is still alive. There is no reason to hurry. Now keep shut before you make me knock you out," Harvey growled in annoyance.

"Let's take a break," Harold told the carriage riders, and Damian gritted his teeth as the carriage came to a halt.

"Princess Tyra is going to end up spending the night in the dungeon if we don't move," Damian said, riding to meet Harold.

"Princess Amber spent more than one night in the dungeon. She should be able to survive it," Harold said coolly, and Damian clenched his fists.

"She is unwell. She has barely recovered from your wife's..." Damian paused when Harold looked at him.

"She has not recovered completely from the injuries. The dungeon is not the place for her," Damian said instead.

"I'm not the one who locked her up. The Queen did. It is the queen you should be saying this to, not me," Harold said as he jumped down from his horse and went to stand beside Alvin's horse.

"If you were the one in the dungeon, Princess Tyra would have done everything to get you out of there," Damian said angrily.

Harold was trying really hard to not let his anger take control of him. Otherwise, he was going to hurt this boy, who was making him very angry. If only his sister was not acquainted with him, it would have saved him from tolerating this.

"Come down," Harold said to Alvin and noticed how difficult it was for Alvin to move. Harold didn't hesitate to help Alvin down and held his arm as he looked at him, concern showing on his face.

"You don't feel better?" Harold asked.

Alvin was about to say that he was, but when he saw the sharp gaze from Harold, he shook his head.

Harold immediately raised his shirt and frowned when he saw the deep cut that was not healing. In fact, it seemed as though the wound was spreading and a bad smell was coming from it.

"Poison," Harvey said in surprise from his horse.

Alvin pulled down his shirt and shook his head.

"I... am fine."

Harold gritted his teeth in annoyance, but then he remembered something.

"Williams was cut too."

"That Cow!" Harvey swore in annoyance as they all wondered how Williams was currently faring and hoped he would be able to survive it until they got to the palace for him to get treated.

"Did you take the medicine?" Harold asked Alvin, who nodded.

Seeing how things were now, Harold didn't think it was best to stop. They didn't have any time to waste. They had to leave for the palace quickly.

"You should rest inside the carriage." Harold offered.

"There is no need for that. We can just leave." Alvin spoke slowly as he moved to mount his horse.

Harold went to open the window of the carriage to check on the ladies before they left, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw that Alicia was awake. She just sat there and stared blankly at nothing.

Harold tried to speak but could not find the right words to say as he just stared at her while she looked ahead. How had she managed to stay so silent that he didn't know she was awake? Harold wondered as he looked at her, not knowing what to say.

Alicia closed her eyes, and her shaking hand reached for the window without looking and slowly slid it closed. The more it separated the two of them, the more painful it was for Harold, and it was very clear that even the others who saw his face could tell.

He remained there and just stared at the window separating them without moving an inch.

"Can... we go faster?" Alicia asked in a tight voice, but no one said anything.

"We should hurry back to the palace," Harvey said, breaking the silence.

Harold reluctantly stepped away from her window and went to mount Bane.

They moved a lot faster now, but Harold was distracted, and it was difficult for him to breathe, so much so that his eyes began to turn misty.

His mind continued to replay the way she had shut the window.

Did she hate him now? Why wasn't she saying anything? Was she rejecting him?

'It is my fault,' His wolf said in a guilty tone. But as much as Harold wanted to blame someone right now, his wolf wasn't the one to blame. The one who had caused it all was Ivan.

'She is crying,' he said again sadly, and Harold's ears perked up as he tried to confirm it amidst the breeze and wheezing sounds all around them.

True to his wolf's words, he could hear muffled sobs. It was as though she was trying to hide it. This broke his heart even more.

They already had a big problem to tackle in the palace. Why did this have to top it up?