The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

The court grew livid, shunning her for treating a man like that--and not just any man--but someone next to the King and far more important than she could ever be. Some noblemen even suggested that she be arrested immediately.

"Do you swear on your life that you are telling the truth?" Sir Richard, who had been quiet the entire time, asked Agnes. Sir Richard suspected that a lot was happening, more than they could understand, but that was not his main concern now. They had to move on with this since it has been a long time and they were still going around in circles.

Agnes nodded while crying. "I swear on my life. I... won't... dare lie to the court--"

"SHUT UP, YOU FILTHY LIAR!" The queen bellowed at her. "Why would I do such a thing?! Why would I hurt my husband and daughter and also kill the maid who had dutifully served me all her life and blame it on Prince Harold's wife?!" The queen asked, wondering why they cannot see the obvious that she was being framed.

"You were quick to believe she could hurt her husband and Princess Tyra, who was her friend." Sir Gregory reminded her.

"Because she is a witch!" The queen yelled out in frustration. Wasn't anyone listening to her? "She came for revenge!"

"But that was not the claim against her when she was almost forced to drink poison. The 'witch' claim only came now." Sir Richard reminded her.

"It doesn't matter when it came! All that matters is her motive!"

"We also need to confirm that, because now, we cannot trust whatever you say." Another man said.

"Wasn't it you who received the maids into the palace?" And another aristocrat asked the queen. "You must know her and must have instructed her."

At this point, everything was against her. Can't these stupid people do a proper investigation before concluding she was responsible? Were they stupid? The queen wondered in disbelief.

"I... am going to find the person responsible for this." The queen swore with a deadly look in her eyes. "And I swear on my life! I am going to rip that person apart."

The noblemen scoffed, snorted, and began to murmur among themselves, obviously not believing her act.

Damon returned to where he had been standing and turned around to face the hall as he said loudly, "From now, the queen's movement will be limited to her quarters, and she is not to ever meet the witness privately nor visit the king."

"W-W-What?" The Queen stuttered in disbelief as she turned to look at him.

However, Damon continued, "As for the witness, she will remain in the dungeon until we find the truth, and no one is allowed to meet her privately." Damon said this in a firm tone just as some guards came to drag Agnes out of the hall while she cried and kept yelling that she was sorry.

Some guards also came and politely escorted Alicia out, who looked at Harold briefly before she followed them out.

With a straight face, Harold also walked out of the hall without saying a word or doing a thing.

That concluded the meeting, and without being told, the noblemen knew they were still not going anywhere anytime soon.

This made them hate the queen even more, and they all glared at her, saying a word or two of their displeasure as they filed out.

The queen's brother gave her a disappointed look and shook his head pitifully before he walked out, the same as Damon, who instructed the guards to come to take her to her quarters as he walked away, leaving only the queen in the large hall.

"DO NOT TOUCH ME!" The queen yelled at the guards who had come to lead her away. She turned around to leave, but then Harold stepped in. With one look at the guards, they bowed and quickly left the hall, leaving just him alone with the queen, whose eyes were still misty with angry tears. She had never been this humiliated in her life. Worst of all, it was for something she had no hand in!

Harold advanced towards her and continued approaching while she tried to stand in a spot without flinching.

When he stood beside her, with both of them facing the opposite direction away from each other, he looked down at her and said quietly, "Remember, I do not have to say a word to ruin you."

Her head snapped up to look at him when she heard that. "If you want to survive this... you better do your best and find the culprit for me."

He stepped back and smiled as he said, "Otherwise, you will die."

Every part of the queen's body shook in anger as the tears finally spilled from her eyes. Her jaw shook as much as her hands, which were fisted beside her.

Harold gave her a curt bow as he excused himself while the guards returned to take her away.

"What is going to happen to her?" Alicia asked Harold with concern, referring to Agnes. since he had just given her a rundown of who Agnes was.

"Why... should I worry about that?" He asked in genuine confusion, not sure how that was his business.

He looked so oblivious when he asked that Alicia also looked at him in confusion as she wondered why he was confused.

"She... lied against the queen. She... might end up dying after we find the real culprit." Alicia whispered.

Harold honestly didn't see how that concerned him. The little maid owed him her life. And that was how she was going to use it. Make the queen find the real culprit while Alicia can rest and move about freely.

Agnes had not only lied to the entire palace; her sister had caused great havoc, blamed it on Alicia, and then died. Someone had to be responsible. Besides, this girl was not totally innocent. She had spilled pig's blood on Alicia and made her go swim outside without inviting him, but had invited Alvin instead.

He was even being nice right now.

Wait... wasn't he?