Alicia thought she could be able to draw Harold's attention during dinner, but the guy just had to snub her and look ahead as if she did not exist. At this point, she was beginning to get fed up. Why was it so difficult to get his attention? She couldn't believe she had stayed away from dealing with men, only to find herself dealing with a stubborn one here.
"You do not like the food?" The queen asked when she noticed, just like everybody else, that she was not eating much.
She looked up at the queen before forcing out a smile.
"Of course, I do. Thank you," she said meekly. Honestly, she didn't like most of the meals they had here. She was craving noodles, pasta, pizza, burgers, soft drinks, and a nice chilled beer. If she had known she would end up like this, she would have given up her boring dietary plans and had everything she wanted.
Everyone looked at her again. She still was not eating, neither was she talking too much. There had to be something wrong with her. However, when her stomach growled, she decided to have some vegetables.
"An issue was raised in the court today," The King said, getting all their attention. Everyone stopped eating, but the oblivious Alicia didn't even notice and continued eating absentmindedly.
"Someone is trying to ruin the reputation this kingdom upholds and they want that person to be found and punished."
"What exactly happened, my king?" The queen asked in confusion.
They all felt this was a serious situation to be raised in court so everyone sat up and paid attention.
"Some days ago, a woman was seen within the market, dressed as a man."
COUGHS!
The information startled Alicia so much that she began to choke on the vegetable as she slid down on her seat guiltily.
Every eye on the table turned to look at her, making her eyes roll around like a thief's as she tried to avoid eye contact with them.
What was wrong with these people? How was that a crime worthy of punishment? Alicia wondered as she tried to clear up her windpipe, but it was still proving difficult.
Harold spared her a glance before pushing her water cup in front of her nonchalantly. When she was finally able to stabilize her breathing, she gulped down the water in the cup.
"Are you okay?" The queen asked, looking at Alicia curiously.
"Uhm... yeah. I mean... yes, My Queen." She stuttered as she sat up and spared Harold a glance. Why did he look like he was mocking her? Wasn't he supposed to be worried? She gave him the look that said, 'If I get caught, I will push the blame on you.'
It seemed he understood it, because he gave her a challenging look, as if daring her to do so. She returned the look, letting him know she was going to do that. She didn't leave her life over there to come die here because she wore leggings.
"Why would a woman dare to dress like a man? Was she a spy? Or a lunatic?"
Alicia bit down on her lower lip to stop herself from lashing out at Prince Ivan. She looked at Harold again, who wasn't even trying to hide the smirk on his face.
Just like the others, Prince Ivan also looked surprised since it was the first time they had all heard about something like this. He was not part of the royal court yet, so he hadn't been there when the issue was discussed.
"Since that woman showed up, there have been several cases of other women dressing like that, and the court insists they all be punished to bring back balance to the kingdom." The King said with his gaze fixed on Alicia.
Maybe this was the opportunity she needed to escape? What if the punishment was banishment? Alicia wondered and decided to test the waters.
"Are they... going to be banished?" She asked, making Harold want to roll his eyes while the others wondered why she was talking about banishment again.
"No. The courtiers are suggesting that their hair be shaved and they be flogged at the marketplace for everyone to see them and learn not to do that again. That way, balance will be restored," the king said, making Alicia withdraw into her seat, and Harold smirked.
"Uhm... excuse me, but what do you mean by 'bring back balance'?" Alicia asked the king when she could no longer hold it back, making the others hold their breath.
"There is a way that things should be. Women wearing pants isn't the way it should be. We need to correct that," the king explained patiently.
Alicia wanted to say it didn't make sense, but she knew better than to voice that out, even though she thought so. "Why can't people wear what they want? It's not as if they killed someone or are plotting treason. I've seen you in your royal robe before. And I have also seen some officials who visit the palace dress in robes too. No one talked about this 'balance' since they didn't wear pants or leggings, did they?"
"Men can do whatever they want, but not women. It is taboo for women to dress in men's clothing. It is an insult to men—"
She stabbed her spoon to her plate aggressively, making Ivan swallow back his words as he looked at her with displeasure.
'Patriarchal bastard,' she said in her head, but with a sweet smile plastered on her face.
"Have you ever tried wearing corsets before, Prince Ivan?" She asked, trying not to lose her temper.
Tyra and Susan tried not to laugh out at Ivan's ugly facial expression while Luciana didn't know what she was supposed to say.
Meanwhile, Harold had resumed eating as if the argument did not concern him one bit.
"Why would I try to wear corsets?" Ivan asked incredulously, while the others watched, wondering what Alicia was driving at.
"Perhaps if you wore one, you'd be more understanding of the plight of the women and you'll let them wear whatever they want," Alicia suggested. Susan bobbed her head in agreement, but the queen gave her a glare, and Susan bowed her head instead.
Ivan snorted. "There is a manner in which things are organized. Women are meant to wear women's things, and men, men's things. Any woman found wearing men clothes deserves to be punished, I'm sure your husband agrees with me," Ivan said, and shifted his attention to Harold who looked unbothered by the argument.
"What if like male robes, there are female pants?" Alicia asked curiously while the king just watched her, wondering how she was going to defend herself since he knew it was her.
"There are no female pants," Ivan refuted immediately.
"What if someone chooses to make one just like the male robes?" She countered.
"Then that person must be punished too!"
"Why are you so against the idea of females dressing like men? Are pants the only thing that makes you a man? Or are you scared that women will realize that there is nothing really special about being a man once they start wearing pants?" Alicia asked, and Harold turned to glare at her.
"That is enough," Harold warned under his breath.
"I thought you were ignoring me. Now you want to talk to me?" She hissed back at him before turning her attention to the king.
"My King, in a civilized society, people are allowed to wear whatever they please. Everyone, not just women, are free to wear whatever makes them comfortable. It is archaic to tell people to dress in a particular way, and soon other kingdoms will develop and allow their citizens to dress as they please. Shouldn't this great kingdom be a pacesetter?" Alicia asked with a hopeful smile.
"You are asking the king to let women wear male clothes?" Ivan asked in disbelief.
"I'm pleading with the king to let everyone dress as they please. You can wear female clothes too if you want. I'm sure they would look nice on..."
"HOW DARE YOU!" Ivan snapped at her, and Harold tried hard not to chuckle.
Why wasn't the king saying anything? They all wondered, as they turned to him.
"What do you mean by civilized society?" The king asked Alicia curiously.
How was she going to explain this in layman's terms? Alicia wondered as she looked at the king.
"Uhm... A society where the people are wise and have great achievements," Alicia explained.
"And how many societies have you seen that are this way? Is there a place you know where people are allowed to dress as they please?" The king asked, wondering how she always managed to speak with so much confidence when the kingdom she came from wasn't so great.
Alicia smiled as she answered, "I used to read a lot, your majesty. I know these things from lots of books. And I may not have mentioned it before, but I sometimes dream of these things," Alicia said while everyone else just watched her, wondering how she always managed to hold a conversation with the king.
The King nodded. "Let's have lunch together soon," he said with a smile, as he pushed away from the table and looked at Harold.
"Come with me, let's have a little chat," he said as he walked away, and Harold dropped his cutlery and followed his father out.
Instead of going to the royal garden as expected, the king walked out of the palace building, and Harold followed him quietly as they walked towards the pavilion.
"She was the woman dressed in male clothes. Am I wrong?" The king asked, and Harold shrugged.
"I don't think you should be surprised by that."
"I'm not surprised. What I'm surprised about is that you actually let her do so," the king said as he turned to look at Harold.
"You chose her, not me. So like me, you should be able to tolerate whatever she does," Harold pointed out.
"You are not just tolerating her," The King pointed out.
"You fancy her. Greatly."
Harold simply looked at the side, choosing not to respond.
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