I Love You, My Cursed Prince

The round tea table was on the polished floor of a long veranda that was near a small, man-made pond full of fish of nearly every color. Muriel was given a cup of tea and a small serving of treats, but she wasn't allowed to engage in any conversation. She silently remained by Princess Arya, who was speaking with the king.

The king was a tall man with droopy gray eyes and a hooked nose. His skin was fairly light. His hair was brown and thinning. He didn't look very extraordinary, aside from his rich clothing. His name was Thorvaldo Petran, and the most significant thing Muriel knew about him was that Princess Arya actually divorced him.

He was terse with the princess. He did listen to her when she spoke, however. When the princess handed the king an envelope that had their younger son's wax seal on it, he took it and read the message inside very carefully. The wax seal had a special symbol in it, a stag leaping over a stylized logogram.

Muriel was almost bored. If she didn't have all the lovely clothing, the splashing and gurgling fishes, the gardens, and palace architecture to admire, she would have felt a tad gloomy.

When it was over, both women curtsied to the king and walked down the veranda.

And ... suddenly, Princess Arya stopped walking, which meant that Muriel had to stop too. The princess reached behind herself as if she was trying to hide something. Her voice hissed out, "Take my hand!"

Muriel immediately took her hand. They weren't wearing any gloves.

And they walked again, their shoes banging on the floor. The princess said, "Don't look around! Look down!" She was resolute, like a boulder refusing to tumble.

"Y-yes Madam?" Muriel put her eyes down to their skirts and shoes.

"This isn't a carefree ball, do you understand? Keep your eyes down until I tell you differently."

What? Why?

But Muriel was compliant. Her eyes were down even when they were back inside the palace. They went on and on this way until they were in the hallway where their bedrooms were. That was when the princess let her raise her eyes and let go of her hand.

Princess Arya looked down at her with the most relieved expression Muriel had ever seen on her face, but she said, "Come to my room." Muriel nodded and followed her into her room. The princess locked them inside and demanded a card game. When the game was over, the princess unlocked the door, peeked around the hallway, and said, "Fine, you can go to your room now."

Muriel couldn't say that she understood what was happening. She was still docile, however, as she went to the door. Once she was in her room, she stayed there for the rest of the night. She even had dinner in there.