I Love You, My Cursed Prince

On the next morning, two things were delivered to the castle, a package and a newspaper. The newspaper wasn't particularly strange. Newspapers had always been regularly delivered to the castle. What interested Muriel was one of the articles on the front page.

It was about the construction and food delivery in the worst parts of Matas, where Muriel had worked for a time. There were some praises given to the Crown Prince, and to His Majesty, and even Princess Arya, but most of the praises went to Prince Vidar and Muriel. The journalist had even written an account of the stealing incident, the one where Muriel had men hold onto a thief so she could beat him.

"Any man, born low or high, should feel honored to marry that woman," one witness had apparently said. Why else would the journalist quote him?

"You certainly have an enviable reputation," Princess Arya said as she precisely folded the newspaper.

"I only wanted fairness," Muriel said. "I didn't know my name would be in the press."

"Don't worry about the press, Muriel. You have more important matters, such as that package."

Muriel had completely forgotten about it. "Who's it addressed to?"

The butler was nearby, and he answered for the princess. "It's from the Crown Prince."

"Oh dear." Muriel took a few highly noticeable steps away from the box that was so innocently sitting on a table. "I'd rather not open it."

"Might as well," the princess said with a little groan. "Generally, before you refuse something, you need to know what it is."

Muriel sighed and went back to the box.

Inside, there were two new things. A folded letter with a wax seal and a bracelet of gold metal with smooth green stones ... an amazingly bright and vibrant green, almost pale but not quite.

Fairy stones.

The letter read, "A woman of your beauty has no need for a fairy stone's dermatological qualities, but you are certainly worthy of their rarity and ŀuster. Please accept this gift along with my sincerest gratitude for your presence in Norantha."

Muriel almost wanted to vomit right into the package, coating all the stones.

Fairy stones were made with the blood of a fairy. If they were small enough to safely swallow whole, then they'd have a mild restorative effect on one's flesh that would typically last for a few days. Wrinkles would be only slightly tightened. Blemishes would be soothed and decreased in size.

Muriel had never wanted to swallow any of these gemstone pills. Not only were they amazingly expensive, but the concept of swallowing anyone's blood horrified her.

As for the larger stones, which were made of more fairy's blood, they would sometimes be used as decorative materials, especially for jewelry. They were even rarer and even more expensive.

"Oh, are those fairy stones?" Princess Arya asked. Her nose quirked and she sneered. "How vulgar. Send a polite refusal as soon as possible."

"Yes, Madam," Muriel said with a curtsy. She was already thinking of what to write.