Meanwhile, the others were having a serious argument outside with Damon and the rest of the guards, as they refused to let them inside the inn.
"I am just carrying out my duty," Damian said calmly.
"Your duty is to arrest people based on lies? Aren't you ashamed of yourself?" Susan asked them angrily.
"It will be decided if it is a lie or the truth when she gets to the palace." He patiently explained.
"Does that make any sense to you? How can she be a witch?" Williams asked in annoyance.
"I know everyone is seriously looking for a way to get rid of Princess Amber but isn't this so silly? A witch? Fake princess?" Luciana scoffed.
"As I mentioned earlier, it would be determined after an investigation is properly carried out."
"Do they ever carry out a proper investigation at the palace?" Lance asked curiously and frowned when he noticed the nasty glare Damian sent his way before looking ahead as though he was too good to banter with Lance.
"Did you just... look at me like that?" Lance asked in disbelief as he jumped down from the podium and approached Damian, ignoring how fully armoured he was dressed and all the guards behind him.
Damian's gaze moved back to Lance, who was now standing in front of him, but he maintained his condescending look that had Lance shoving his shoulder with a finger.
"Who do you think you are? I can get rid of your entire family without lifting a finger! How dare you look at me like that when you are nothing but a lowly—"
"Sir Lance!" Harvey called from behind, getting the attention of a livid Lance, who was more annoyed at the arrogant stare Damian was still giving him.
"This is not the time to get angry!" Susan snapped at Lance. Seeing the two guys like that, she guessed Damian was giving him such an attitude because Tyra was now betrothed to Lance.
"We will go with you. But you have to be patient and let them change back into the right outfits." Harvey spoke diplomatically while the others looked at him like he had lost his mind being calm with them like this.
They were also beginning to wonder why Princess Amber and Alvin weren't out yet, but when Harvey looked at them pointedly, they understood that they were needed inside.
The closer their footsteps got, the more nervous Alicia was. The first face she saw before the others was Susan, who began to speak immediately.
"We were waiting for you out there to come hear the silly things they are saying about you," Susan started speaking as she pointed outside.
"They said you are a fake princess and a witch."
"It's so stupid that they keep looking for something to persecute you for." Williams chipped in.
"I guess we can go to the palace since that's a lie. I wonder who started spreading the rumour." Lance chipped in, and Luciana nodded in agreement and said, "I'm sure it was the same person that served them that potio—"
"It's true," Alicia cut in with a heavy heart as she looked at all of them. Seeing how they trusted her so much made her heart ache, and she wished she had had the chance to tell them about this earlier.
They all looked at her in stunned silence before Luciana started laughing.
"You are not a witch. You don't have to accept it."
"You don't even look ugly or old. Make us believe something else." Lance said, waving it off dismissively.
"Is this a new plan you both came up with Harvey? This is something serious." Williams said seriously as he looked from Alicia to Harold to Alvin and then to Paulina, who was standing beside Alicia, looking very fearful and holding Alicia's free hand that wasn't holding Harold's tightly.
He was about to look away from Paulina, but his head snapped back to her and he observed the fear all around her that was leaking. It seemed she was also shaking, and when their eyes locked, she looked away immediately in... guilt?
It couldn't be...
"It's the truth," Harold said, cutting off Susan and Luciana, who were still giving reasons why admitting to the lie was a bad idea.
Alicia may admit it a thousand times, and they still wouldn't believe it. But Harold only needed to nod for them to take his words seriously.
When Harold's words sank in, Lance was the first to gasp and used his hands to cover his mouth as he looked at her in shock.
The other three also could not hide their shock. They all looked at her with wide eyes and drooping jaws.
"I was going to tell you all about it, I promise. That was the reason I sent you away. I didn't think you would hear it from anyone else but me," Alicia said guiltily while looking down.
She hated starring in movies or series where she had to keep a secret hidden until it was exposed and blew up in her face. She had actually thought she hated it because it didn't make sense to keep secrets from people you love. Why not just tell them before they find out somewhere else like it almost always happens in movies and books? But later, she realized that wasn't the case. She hated it because it reminded her that she had a secret that would blow up in her face one day. And that had happened to her. And here, it has happened again.
Why did she always move around with bad luck? Why was her life never easy?
Or was her lineage cursed? Because take a look at how Queen Anne ended. What about Queen Anne's family? Also Princess Amber? Now... was it her turn? To pay for something she had no control over, just like it had happened to Anne and Amber?
"You.. are really a... w-witch?" Lance stuttered in disbelief before frowning as something occurred to him.
Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m fre𝒆webnov(e)l.com