"I'm not sure Princess Amber loves this place," Susan told Tyra as they continued their stroll around the palace.
She had been thinking about it for some time now, and even though Princess Amber had been super cooperative during the day's training with Princess Luciana, she had kept thinking that she was up to something. Otherwise, why would she do what she did last night?
Deep down, Susan could swear that her actions during dinner the previous evening were deliberate since Beth had specifically told them that banishment was the punishment for doing what she did. And then, after ignoring the king, she had dropped on the floor, not to beg for mercy, but banishment? Who does that?
Tyra turned to look at Susan with a slight frown, "Why do you think that?"
"Think about it. Her behaviour and everything she has been doing thus far. Does it seem to you like she is ready to learn or adapt to the customs of the Moon kingdom? I think she would love to leave this place if given the opportunity," Susan said, and Tyra pursed her lips as she thought about it.
"I think it's just the type of person that she is. She was that way too in her kingdom. Have I told you about all she did at their wedding?" Tyra asked in a very low tone so that no one would overhear her. The last thing she wanted was to be the one to start a fresh bout of rumours about the unprincesslike behaviours of her half-brother's wife.
Susan shook her head and looked at Tyra with excitement, "What did she do? Wait, don't say anything. I need to sit down to hear this," Susan said as she took Tyra's hand and dragged her to somewhere they could sit and talk privately under a tree.
Once they were seated, Tyra started to narrate all that had happened, and Susan laughed aloud as Tyra described Alicia's entrance and how she had greeted Harold and offered him a hand for a handshake.
"What? She did that?" Susan asked in disbelief, and Tyra giggled as she gave her a nod. "What did Prince Harold do? He must have been furious," Susan guessed.
Tyra shook her head. "You won't believe he shook her hands and also said hi," Tyra said, and Susan's mouth dropped open.
"P-Prince Harold?" She asked in disbelief. She, like everyone else, had assumed that he was tolerating her because she was beginning to grow on him, but that wasn't the case? He had always been that way since their wedding?
Tyra laughed as she gave her a nod and continued her narrative, and by the time she got to the part where Alicia pretended to faint, Susan was almost rolling on the floor with laughter.
"Oh, no! Please tell me she didn't do that," Susan said as she wiped tears from her eyes.
"I think everyone fell for it, apart from Prince Harold. If he hadn't asked her to stand up, I would never have guessed that she was faking it," Tyra said in amusement as she remembered that day. Funny how it wasn't so long ago, yet it feels like months already.
"Oh, my! This is killing me," Susan said as she held her stomach, trying to stop her laughter.
"I haven't even told you how she entertained us. Wait until you hear it," Tyra said, but they stopped talking when they saw Williams approaching them.
Seeing Williams now, Tyra remembered the rumours she had overheard earlier that morning concerning him and Paulina, and she briefly contemplated whether or not to say anything about it.
"You decided to leave your painting room? I wonder why," Susan called out to her brother, happy to see him. These days, he has been spending so much time in his painting room and less time with her.
"I needed to catch my breath," Williams lied as he came to sit with them under the tree. He had been bored and unable to stay back in the painting room after Alvin came to get Paulina.
Just when he had finally gotten her to relax, and she was even beginning to stutter less when talking to him, Alvin had come to fetch her. He wondered if he was going to have to start trying to make her relax again from scratch when they returned to continue.
"What were you both talking about?" Williams asked since he had followed the sound of his sister's laughter to find them.
"She was just telling me about all Princess Alicia did during her wedding with Prince Harold," Susan explained to him, and then urged Tyra to continue from where she stopped.
"I will see you two at dinner," she said to them, and was about to leave when something occurred to her again, and she stopped.
"Has the queen spoken to you two about the coming occasion?"
"What occasion?" Susan asked.
"The hunting ceremony before the full moon."
"Oh!" Williams realized he had totally forgotten that the full moon was coming in just a few days. It was usually one of the happiest days in the lives of every werewolf, but now he had a nagging feeling about it.
"Maybe that is why she asked to meet us before dinner? We will see how it goes," Susan said casually.
Tyra nodded and bowed to the two, who promptly returned it before she left.
"Why do you look that way?" Susan asked her brother, who was lost in thought.
"Nothing. I am just thinking about the ceremony."
"What about it? It's not like this is the first time we will be attending the ceremony; it's just that now, we live here. But that is not the issue right now," she turned to face him, giving him a suspicious look.
"What is going on between you and Paulina."
"What could possibly be going on between the two of us?"
"That is exactly what I want to know. There are rumours, and I do not want people to think you are taking advantage of a little girl who is also human."
He found it hilarious and let out a small laugh. "She is 19."
"19 what?"
"19 years old. She is older than us."
"Wait, what?" Susan asked, a little shocked since she looked so tiny and timid. She suddenly put up her hand, shaking her head. "That is not the point now," she glared at him. "How come that was the only thing you thought about correcting? Is something going on between you two?"
"There isn't."
She still kept that suspicious look on her face as she stared at him, but decided to believe his answer. "Better. We don't want to get into trouble. You know it's impossible. Not only is she human, but she is also a maid here. If the queen doesn't kill her for it, then trust our parents to do so." She reminded him sternly.
He simply pursed his lips and looked ahead, saying nothing else.
Meanwhile, after what felt like a thousand hours, Harold was finally able to take down his braid. One would have thought he had brought Paulina to do it for him, but he didn't. Of course, no one was allowed to touch his hair.
She stood in front of him, telling him how to go about it, and it got to a point where he could sense her frustration when he kept doing it wrong. But she was smart enough to not show it. His muscles ached from doing such strenuous work. He had never felt so tired, even during battle.
When he finally took it down, he went to have a bath and made sure to take his time with his hair to get it done perfectly and brush it. When he was done, he decided to visit the little demon and see how she was doing. He would have to think of a better way to punish her for messing with him like this. The closer he got to her door, the more he got a nagging feeling that something was not right, but he pushed the thought out of his head and opened her door before he entered. He was sure to be worried because as soon as he entered the chamber, he saw a dagger coming for him and moved his body out of the way, making the dagger stick to the door.
The culprit was none other than Alicia, who was looking at him with a strange dark look in her eyes.
"Do not take another step," she said in a threatening voice that made him furrow his brows as he looked closely at his supposed bride, who had a murderous aura radiating all over her.
Curiosity turned to realization and then to dread.
"Amber," he muttered under his breath, as he looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar girl.
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