The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

The royal family or probably everyone in the palace skipped breakfast on the last day of the week, so Alicia was not asked to get ready for breakfast, taking her time to get everything she needed for her escape. Something kept bothering her, and that was Paulina's sudden reluctance to leave.

How could Paulina just change her mind that way? Why was the maid trying to ruin her plans? What was making her want to stay back in this kingdom? She wasn't going to stay back in this kingdom nor in this era for any reason, not even for Paulina's sake. Good for Paulina that she loved being in the Moon Kingdom. Maybe she would just leave without her if she didn't find her waiting in her bedroom as instructed.

Alicia let out a sigh. She had arranged everything she needed and didn't want to take chances this time, so she went to look for Harold. She didn't want what had happened the last time they planned eating lunch together to happen again.

Thankfully, she didn't go too far before she bumped into him in an empty hallway.

"Are you ready to leave?" He asked when they met.

Her face lit up immediately, seeing that he was keeping to his word this time.

"I will make a quick stop at my chamber before we leave. I will join you outside," Alicia informed him before she turned and literally ran back to her bedroom before he would change his mind.

Harold watched her as she walked away, and he didn't know what to expect. Good enough, he had asked Alvin to follow them from a distance without Alicia's knowledge. Even if she managed to trick him, which he doubted was possible, she would never be able to trick Alvin.

Once Alicia walked into her bedroom, she felt a stab of disappointment and anger when she didn't see Paulina waiting for her. She had been making plans for the two of them to escape, yet Paulina ditched her? Did she know what was going to happen to her without her here to protect her? What if the royal family took their anger out on Paulina after she successfully escaped? Or what if Paulina was threatened to tell the truth and was forced to show them the village since Paulina knew that was where she was going to head to?

She was not going to let that little girl ruin her plans. If the girl didn't care about herself, she would have had to protect her for the sake of Amber, whose body she was occupying.

She picked up a tiny bottle of sleeping medicine, which she had requested from the physician when he came to check on her, and then poured it into a gourd containing drinking water. She was about to go search for Paulina wherever she was before she heard a soft knock on the door that made her jolt, but when the door opened, she smiled in relief when she saw Paulina standing there, panting.

"I'm... sorry... milady... I... I had to get snacks for you," she said breathlessly before raising a bag she was carrying.

Alicia was touched and embraced her tightly. "Thank you for coming," she said with a lot of emotion that caused her eyes to water. She was relieved that Paulina hadn't decided to ditch her and had even risked getting snacks for her. Amber must have been loved by whatever deity they worshipped here to have such a loyal friend.

"Did you take everything you need?" Alicia asked as she pulled away from the hug.

,m

Paulina nodded, even though she was only holding a bag with the snacks and another small pouch. Alicia didn't press her. She believed they were going to survive one way or the other.

While Alicia was plotting her escape, another person's plans were opposed to hers.

For example, Alicia had hoped they would use horses, and even though she wasn't an expert at riding one, she had practiced during a historical drama she starred in. The horse had been so friendly and had made her job easier. Paulina had said she didn't know how to ride a horse, which was expected since they had all been living in the mountains away from 'civilization'. If Paulina didn't get the hang of riding a horse, the girl was going to ride with her. Just a simple, perfect plan.

So imagine the look on her face when she saw Harold standing beside a carriage.

"NO FUCKING WAY!" She yelled, startling everybody around her, who looked at her in horror before remembering that Harold was still there and scurrying away. It was even rare for men to say such words, so it was strange to hear a woman, who was supposed to be pure, elegant, and innocent, yell out, even in front of her husband, who didn't seem to mind.

He already knew she had a foul mouth and always swore, so what was the point of correcting her every time?

"I am not going to use a carriage!" She said stubbornly.

Paulina wanted to tug on her sleeve to plead with her to calm down, but she was scared of making a move with Harold in front of them.

"Get in," Harold said in a dismissive tone, letting her know this was final.

"NO!" She said stubbornly. "I said I needed fresh air! Fresh air! I don't want to be confined to that thing!" She said, pointing at the carriage. "Besides, it's not going to fit the three of us." She said, pointing at Paulina.

Harold could not help the laugh that escaped his lips before he looked at her tauntingly, saying, "She is not going with us."

Paulina snapped her head to look at Alicia, who was staring at Harold in disbelief.

Harold had to admit that she was not very smart. Or maybe he was the only one who could see through her plans. If she hadn't brought Paulina with her, he would have doubted her plans to run away. Plus, they both had bags on them, one of which emanated a nice smell of baked snacks.

That laugh from Harold burned her. It was as if he was mocking her plans to run away. It made her very pissed. She would have long left here if he wasn't always on her neck. What did she do to deserve this?

"This doesn't make any sense. Why are you doing this?" She asked, trying not to sound defeated.

"Paulina," Harold called the frightened girl in a calm tone, but her body shook and her head snapped up immediately to meet his eyes.

"Go get busy. Your mistress and I are leaving together. Alone."

She spared Alicia a nervous glance before handing her the two little bags. Alicia was about to stop her, but Paulina gave her a look she could interpret as 'Good luck' and 'Farewell' before she ran away.

"Shit!" She swore quietly before turning to glare at Harold.

How could he ruin her plans like this? And the worst part is, the bastard had a smug look on his face.

Harold instructed a guard to return the carriage and get a horse instead, while Alicia was fuming and glaring at him, not paying attention to what he was saying. But when she saw the carriage leaving, she guessed he was at least going to grant one wish of hers but does it matter now? How could her conscience let her leave Paulina behind? Who cares about looking around the stupid city? Was it Dubai?

Should she leave without Paulina?

The question would have been, "Can she escape under Harold's watch?" But well... she seemed pretty confident, so we'll see.

"Where are the other horses?" She asked curiously when she saw only one horse.

If she was going to escape, then she needed a horse to go far. If this was Harold's horse, there was no way she could steal it since there was every likelihood that the horse would have been trained by Harold to obey only his commands. Harold was just that sort of person.

"We don't need other horses. You'll ride with me," he said as he held out his hands for her to get on the horse.

"I WON'T!" She yelled again. "Do you get off from pissing me off? You want me to ride with you?"

"Can you ride a horse?" He asked, not taking offense by how rude she sounded. She was pissed, and it was as obvious as day.

"Why won't I be able to?" She huffed.

Harold wanted to ask her how she managed to ride one considering where she grew up, but he didn't ask. Since she was being stubborn, he was only going to teach her a lesson.

"Bring Hellion," he said to the one in charge of the horses, who looked a bit confused before he bowed and left in a hurry. There was no way he was going to argue with Harold.

He left and returned later with a white hairy horse that looked gentle and pretty. Even Alicia was amazed.

"He is the only horse without an owner. If you can get him to like you, he is yours."

She humped. She was Alicia Queen. Taming a horse was a small job for her. Besides, the horse looked very friendly.

Or so she thought.