The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride

"I still think that we should return to the palace. You can have a proper meal there," Harold suggested as she looked around the marketplace for a place where she could eat.

"Let's eat something different for a change," Alicia insisted. What did the people here eat? She was dying to have a taste of the commoners' food.

Harold sighed as he let her lead them to a shop where people were seated eating outdoors. Harold let his eyes scan around the place to make sure it was safe before leading her to an empty table where they both sat down.

p The owner of the shop immediately joined them, "What would you like to have?" He asked, even though he was not very comfortable with the fact that the lady was wearing men's clothing.

"Do you have a menu?" Alicia asked curiously, making both Harold and the shop owner exchange a look, each wondering if the other knew what she was asking about.

With a shake of his head, the shop owner said, "I've never heard of such a meal, my lady," and Alicia smiled.

"It's not a meal. A menu is a list of the foods available in your restaurant. Or maybe a book that contains a list of the foods available and their prices," Alicia explained, and the man nodded in understanding before shaking his head.

"Not everyone can read. And I can't write, my lady," he explained, and Alicia nodded.

"I see. So what do you have?" Alicia asked while Harold watched her, wondering how she knew these things.

"Fish and vegetable broth. We also have bread to go with the broth," the man said, and Alicia gave him a nod.

"Let's have some of it then," Alicia said, and the man gave her a nod as he left.

Alicia turned to look at Harold who was staring at her with a blank expression, and she smiled at him. "So you have never eaten here before?" Alicia asked curiously.

"I have no reason to," Harold said as he kept scanning the environment with his eyes.

"Relax. You look too tense," Alicia said when she noticed how stiffly he was seated.

Harold's eyes shifted to her, "You should never let down your guard. You never can tell when someone is out to get you," Harold advised just before the shop owner joined them with two bowls of broth and two loaves of bread.

Harold watched him as he set the food down on the table, "Have a taste," Harold ordered, and the man looked at him in confusion.

"He wants you to take a sip from both bowls and a bite from the bread," Alicia explained.

The man looked at them with a frown, feeling slightly offended that he was being indirectly accused of poisoning their meal. But he could tell that these two were not ordinary people. One looked crazy while the other one had a dark aura radiating around him. He didn't want to offend them so he walked into the shop to get two spoons, and he took a spoonful of broth from each plate and ate from the bread before looking at Harold.

"You can leave," Harold said dismissively.

Once the man left Alicia picked up her spoon, and was about to eat but he held her hand, stopping her.

"Wait for a while," he said as his eyes followed the man's back.

Alicia did as she was told and impatiently waited until he gave her the go-ahead to eat.

"Hmm... It doesn't taste bad," she said with a wide smile while Harold simply watched her.

"You're not going to eat?" She asked when she noticed that he was making no attempt to pick up his spoon.

"I don't eat peasants' food," he said with a straight face that made her snort.

"It tastes better than what we are being served in the palace."

"I'm not hungry."

"What about your man? He is the one following us right? He should join us," Alicia offered, guessing that it was probably the same person who had given Paulina the balm. She only just realized that she didn't know his name.

"He is fine."

"That is what you think," Alicia said as she stood up. "What is his name?"

"Alvin. Where are you going to?" Harold asked as he stood up to follow her.

"To look for Alvin. Duh?" She said as she looked around. Exhausted, he signaled for Alvin to come over.

He suddenly appeared in front of them, startling Alicia who wondered where he had come from. In a second, she remembered he was the nice guy who had asked her to run after she yelled at Harold while he was training.

"You must be hungry after following us all day, come and join us," Alicia offered, and Alvin looked at Harold who was staring at them.

"Don't mind him. Come let's eat," Alicia said, taking Alvin's hand to lead him inside, but Alvin quickly withdrew his hands when he saw the way Harold followed Alicia's gesture with his eyes.

"I'm okay, my lady," Alvin said with a shake of his head, and Alicia rolled her eyes.

"Don't be as bull-headed as Harold. Come let's eat. It's an order!" Alicia said, and Harold shook his head as he turned around to look at the food.

Having no other choice, Alvin returned to the table with her and sat down opposite Harold, and adjacent to Alicia.

Alicia pushed the other plate of broth and bread to Alvin, "You have never eaten at the market before?" Alicia asked as she ate while looking at Alvin curiously.

"I have, my lady," Alvin said as he looked at Harold, needing his permission before he would eat from the food.

"When you come to the market alone? Or with Harold?"

He felt very uncomfortable with the way she was addressing the prince but decided to answer her, lest he annoys her.

"Alone."

"I see. Go on and eat," Alicia said when she noticed that he was still not eating. She looked at Harold and said, "Tell him to eat."

"Eat," Harold said disinterestedly.

"So how long have you been working for Harold?" Alicia asked, remembering something Harold had said about Alvin not being his servant.

Alvin looked at Harold, and when Harold said nothing he took his silence for consent, "Since we were six," he answered as he picked up his spoon to eat.

"Oh! That's interesting," Alicia said thoughtfully. So this was the closest person to Harold. That explained why he didn't seem to be scared of Harold the way the others were.

If she had any questions to ask regarding Harold this was the right person to talk to. She only hoped that he wouldn't be too loyal to Harold to answer her questions. She needed to get him on her side.

"Eat up," she said with a smile as she watched him eat, while Harold wondered what was going on in her head, frowning at the unusual attention she was showing him.

"You are very handsome," she suddenly said while smiling like a fangirl, causing Alvin to choke on the soup while Harold's frown deepened. Alvin could only apologize to Harold with his eyes because at this rate, it seemed like she was going to get him killed.

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