My Cursed Alpha Prince

CHAPTER 4

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The law clearly stated that when the king of Avarel made a decision, then his word would be final and no one was to challenge it. To do so would be an act of treason, or open rebellion against the crown. In the last thirty seven years of his reign, king Stefan had never been questioned about a decision he made.

Well f**k the law, Diana thought. There was no way in hell that she would be compelled into a marriage she did not want, whether by gods or men.

“I’m sorry, your Grace,” she said, “but I cannot agree to this proposal.”

Her words earned an audible gasp from the king’s court, and her father nearly fell out of his seat. Everyone stared shockingly at her, unable to wrap their heads around the fact that she had just objected to an order by her king.

On his part, king Stefan was not surprised. He knew the girl well enough to know that she would not go down without a fight. She was not like the other willy-nilly girls who tried to get through life with a pretty face and a nice pair of t**s. Diana actually had a brain between her eyes, and that was partly the reason why he chose her to wed the Xanian prince.

“The matter is not open for discussion, Diana,” he said. “I’ve made my decision, and you shall wed prince Caspian of Xania.”

“Your Grace,” Diana said, “everyone in your court will attest to the fact that you are a wise and fair king, who does not pass a law without considering the opinions of his people.”

King Stefan sat back with a hint of amusement on his face. The girl was impressive, he had to admit. Her flattery was unexpected, and yet it certainly pleased him that she knew the right way to handle a man. If he were not already married, then he might even have considered her for a bride. But those days were beyond him, and now his main goal was to make sure that Diana ended up with prince Caspian.

“Your flattery is appreciated, Diana,” he said. “And you are right. I will not compel you to marry prince Caspian, although it would be well within my power to do that. I should like to hear your reasons for not wanting to marry him, so that I may better understand your reasoning behind this.”

He stood up, and gestured for her to follow. Everyone else in the throne room stood as well, and king Stefan led Diana into the antechamber just off the throne room. Her father followed closely behind, and Diana gathered her dress about her as she followed. She was well aware of how everyone was staring at her, their judging looks and hushed whispers not bothering her at all. As far back as she could remember, the members of the king’s court were known to be insufferable gossips. Some even said that they were nothing more than women clad in armour and regal clothes, with fake beards and exceptionally wide shoulders. All they did was sit around, eat and gossip. Diana didn’t care about them, or what they would care to say about her. As far as she was concerned, it was her life that was on the line. And if she didn’t stand up for herself, then who was going to do it?

The antechamber was a plush room with dark drapes drawn over the windows, a table at the far corner, and a set of leather chairs which formed a box around the grate. A low fire was burning, casting long shadows on the opposite wall, where a towering mass of books stood on a floor-length shelf. The topmost compartment could only be reached with a stepping ladder, which sat at the far end of the room.

This was where king Stefan would come after a royal meeting to rest. Often times, whenever he wished to entertain a guest, they would meet here, away from the prying eyes of his court.

He slipped off his crown, and set it down in a case which sat on the table. Without the crown, he looked like an ordinary old man, whose shoulders were starting to drop. He turned around and faced Diana, while her father stood beside her and refused to say a single word. She stood beside him, and stared at her feet.

“Tell me, child,” king Stefan said, “why do you refuse this proposal? In the blink of an eye, you would become a member of one of the most powerful families in the five kingdoms. You would become the future queen of Xania, and your children shall one day become princes and princesses. Your son will sit on the throne of Xania, and you shall be loved, worshipped and respected by the people of the kingdom. It is a very noble marriage, perhaps the best one a girl your age could hope for. Why then do you turn your back on this opportunity?”

“Your Grace,” Diana said, “I do not deny everything you’ve said. Indeed, it is every girl’s dream that she should marry into a noble and respectable family, and that she should find the best partner she could ever hope for. I will not deny that I myself have often prayed for this to happen to me. But I cannot ignore the fact that I have heard some disturbing things about prince Caspian of Xania, and these are the reasons why I reject the proposal.”

“Disturbing things?” King Stefan asked with a raised eyebrow. He made his way towards the seat behind the desk, and sat down slowly with his eyes fixed on Diana.

“Indeed, your Grace,” she said. “His character has often been called into question, and he is known far and wide as a cruel, self-centred, egotistical, unkind man. His reputations precedes him, your Grace. And I do not want to marry a cruel man.”

“Nonsense,” her father snorted beside her. “Mere rumours, your Grace. Unestablished hearsay which has been whispered many a times by the womenfolk while they sit around and gossip all day. This is nothing but slander on a prince who they have never met, only because they think he’s different from us.”

Diana felt like grabbing a dagger and stabbing it right between her father’s eyes for his unkind words. She couldn’t believe his eagerness to get rid of her, or the way he refused to listen to her own side of the story. What sort of father would gladly give away his own daughter to some werewolf prince just because he wanted his blood to sit on the throne of Xania? His attitude towards the matter made her feel cheap and pathetic, like she meant absolutely nothing to him and that there was nothing she could do that would convince him otherwise.

King Stefan looked between father and daughter, and he couldn’t understand how they were refusing to look at each other. He could sense that Diana was upset about the whole proposal, but her father was insistent on it happening. He was the one who put forward the name of his daughter when the offer came in from Xania, and he had been almost certain during the meeting that he would inform his daughter about it. Clearly, Lord Robert did not deem his daughter’s opinion significant in this affair. King Stefan thought that was cruel, since she would be the one who was forced to marry a stranger she had never met, and taken to a kingdom of werewolves to become their queen one day. He could not see how she would be particularly pleased with the whole situation.

In truth, he had heard a little bit about prince Caspian’s disturbing reputation. However, not unlike Lord Robert, he assumed that it was merely the hearsay gossip which commoners loved to toss around until it found its way into a king’s court. He had never met the boy, but from what he had learnt about him, Caspian was a very unpleasant fellow who was a pain to be around. Very few people could tolerate him, and even fewer people could be damned to spend a single minute in his presence. Diana was being forced to spend the rest of her life with this man, and there was a part of him which truly sympathised with her.

But Avarel needed allies; powerful allies. For years, he had neglected the growing strength of his neighbouring kingdoms, and since his ascension to the throne, he chose to turn a blind eye to the growth of their military forces. But time was running out, and with the indication that a great evil was stirring in the east, and that vampires were being sighted along the coast of the Grey sea, king Stefan knew that war was coming. And when it did arrive, they would all need to band together and face this threat. It was the only way out.

But how could he do it without forging an alliance with Xania?

“Diana, step forward,” he said, placing his hands on the desk. She did as she was instructed, and when she stood in front of him, he opened his hands and revealed a gold medallion. It was an embossed golden antique, with the crest of the royal family borne on either side of it. The medallion glittered in the pale light, and Diana’s breath caught at how beautiful it was.

“Do you know what this is?” he asked.

She shook her head.

“It was a gift from my father,” he explained. “It was given to him by his father, and his father before him. And each one of us who received it was entrusted with the responsibility of taking care of our people. A king’s duty is not just to sit on the throne, wear a fancy robe and a pretty crown on his head and lord over his people. It is a burden, a responsibility which directs that I must do everything I can to keep my people safe and happy. I swore an oath the day I took the crown, to always put my people’s needs before mine. Everything I have ever done is for the good of the people, and for the sake of keeping them safe. I should confess to you that I cannot do that now, with the stirrings of war from the east, pirates infesting our waters, and poverty creeping into every man’s home.”

“Your Grace,” Diana’s father said behind her, “forgive me, but does she need to hear all this?”

“Indeed she does,” King Stefan said. “I need her to understand. And I believe she’s the brightest girl of her age in the realm. If anyone can handle this information, it’s her.”

Diana beamed at his praise, but when he turned his gaze to her, she tried to look nonchalant and unbothered.

“As I was saying,” he continued, “Avarel is crumbling into ruin right before my eyes. In a few years, if things continue the way they are, I shall be known as the worst king to have ever sat the throne. I must do what I can to save my people, and that is why I come to you. We both owe a responsibility to our kingdom to serve it to the best of our abilities. I cannot guarantee that you will be happy in this marriage, but you will not suffer at prince Caspian’s hands. I will make sure of that. If you refuse to do this, then your entire kingdom will fall into ruin. And I do not believe you would want that, would you?”

Diana couldn’t argue with his logic. She hated the fact that his words were able to sway her resolve, and that she could only stand there and agree with everything he said. She would have to marry Caspian, and the thought itself nearly made her cry. But she wasn’t about to let her kingdom be destroyed because she wanted the perfect husband. Caspian might not be perfect, but she could work on him. And perhaps, in a short time, she might be able to change him completely.

King Stefan noticed the change in her eyes, and he leaned forward. “So will you do this? For me and for your people?”

Diana took a deep breath, and then she said, “Yes, your grace. I will marry prince Caspian.”

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