The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

She tried to put the king in her shoes, wondering what he would do if he were to go back in time to his younger days just like she had come here from the future. She decided to ask him instead.

"If you could go back in time, what would you like to change about the past?" She asked him lightly.

"Go back in time?" He asked, curious.

"To the past. If you could return to the past and change something. What would it be?"

She tried to make the atmosphere light, but he still appeared sad, and he didn't answer immediately. She didn't act impatient for him to speak. She always waited for whenever he felt like speaking and was thankful that he always answered her questions.

He said, "Instead of trying so hard to be the perfect king for this kingdom, I would be a better brother. I would not allow others to dictate my life for me. I would be a better father. I would have cared for Maria. I wouldn't always be indifferent. My indifference caused a lot of damage, not just to me but to the entire kingdom."

She looked at him sadly, not sure what to say.

However, he continued, "I... wouldn't be King."

"I wouldn't end the lives of innocent people."

He seemed to have a lot of regrets and things he would change.

What a sad life! Alicia thought to herself.

She listened attentively as the King spoke, his voice growing weaker with each passing moment. She had never expected him to be so humble and remorseful. It touched her greatly. How could he hate his position so much when Prince Ivan was willing to kill just to sit on the throne?

King Eli sighed heavily. "I regret it. Everything I did in the past. I regret all of it."

She slowly reached for his hand again and placed hers on top of his. She wasn't sure what to say to comfort him, so all she did was soothingly tap him.

For some reason, that seemed to put him at ease, and he closed his eyes.

Alicia continued and quietly whispered, "I hope you can find peace within yourself, My King. You cannot correct the past, but you can always shape the future by fixing the present. So I hope you can get back on your feet soon."

She looked up at his face and noticed the wry smile that formed.

"That... was a nice thing to say," he said to her and opened his eyes to look at her in a squint.

Alicia still had a lot to ask him, but he didn't look like he had it in him to continue with this conversation. Was she sad about it? Yes!

Was she disappointed? The answer was no. She didn't mind being a channel for him to let out all his pent-up emotions.

But she still wanted to know more about Anne.

He seemed to have known her somehow, and at this point, she had no one else around she could ask about it, and she wasn't sure when next she would have those vivid dreams about the lives of Amber and Anne.

The king tried to reach for a tiny case by the side of his bed, and when she noticed, Alicia helped him reach for it and handed it to him. It looked like a pen case, but this one was smaller and made of gold.

Even though it looked easy, the king had taken a great effort to open it, making Alicia worry as she watched him without offering to do it instead.

When he finally opened it, he took out a crescent-moon-shaped pin badge that was also made of gold and handed it to her.

"I cannot tell you about your mother or her relationship with Prince Wilder, but with this, you can get the information from someone else." He said.

Alicia received it and looked at it in confusion.

"Am I... supposed to speak into it?" She asked.

The king let out a short laugh and shook his head.

"It signifies a royal order. You can ask the person what you need to know. If they refuse, it means they are refusing a royal order. No one... refuses a royal order." He said with confidence.

She looked at it in awe but doubted what he had said. People could also tell lies just to get away, right?

But that wasn't the main point now. She was glad he was giving her a chance to learn about Anne from someone who probably knew her well since he was recommending.

"Whom do I ask?" She asked eagerly.

"Take it to Lord... Richard." He said, stunning her.

"Lord Richard? You mean Sir Harvey's father?" She asked in surprise.

He nodded. "He was very familiar with Prince Wilder. He should know best."

Alicia looked at it one more time and held tightly to it. If Sir Richard knew, why didn't Harvey know about it? Had Harvey hidden it from her, or had Sir Richard kept it from Harvey too?

"Thank you, My King. I appreciate this." She said her thanks with all the sincerity she could muster.

He smiled weakly at her before saying, "Thank you."

That made Alicia pause as she asked, "Why are you thanking me?"

"For being with Harold despite everything. And for letting me talk to you tonight. I have never felt this relieved for a long time."

Alicia smiled at him, feeling relevant. "Thank you for sharing such important information with me. I should probably let you rest now so you can recover quickly." She said as she stood up from her seat and helped him adjust back into a sleeping position since he also looked like he was about to fall back asleep.

He closed his eyes and fell back onto his pillow, exhausted from the effort.

"I am glad Harold could protect you," he said before falling asleep.

Alicia stayed by his side for a while, watching him as he slept. She knew that the King had a long road to recovery ahead of him, not only in terms of physical recovery.

However, she hoped that he would be able to make amends for his past mistakes. She hoped.