"She... is carrying our... child?" Harold whispered, the weight of the news sinking in. He turned to look at Alicia, his face a mixture of different emotions.
"Yes, Your Highness, but…" the physician's voice trailed off, a grave concern evident on his face.
Harold turned to look at him sharply. "But what? Tell me!" Harold demanded, his voice growing more urgent.
"It... is a risky situation, my Prince." The physician explained, his tone gentle yet filled with apprehension. "Given the severity of her injuries, her body may not be able to handle the strain of developing a child."
Harold's mind raced with so many things. But almost immediately, he made his decision. "If the child puts her at risk, then… then get rid of it," he said, his voice quivering with emotion.
Alvin looked at him with both pity and sadness.
"Her life is more important than anything else," Harold told the man in a quiet voice.
The physician nodded sadly. "I understand your concern, Your Highness. However, even if we were to take that course of action, I fear it may not be enough. Her injuries are grave, and her chances of survival are uncertain. It... is a risk to even get rid of... the royal child."
"I don't care about anything else!" Harold snapped.
"I... just want her to live," he said, his voice now a deep, commanding plea. "Do whatever it takes to save her." He rose and looked at the man, and in the meekest tone he could ever muster, he added, "I beg of you."
It was so touching for the physician, who shed a tear and sniffled.
Alvin simply turned his gaze away from them to look at the door instead, shutting his eyes tightly.
The physician nodded solemnly as he cleaned his tears with the back of his hands. "I will do everything in my power, my Prince," he replied with a heavy heart.
But it was quite clear in his voice. There was no hope.
As soon as they stepped outside and the door closed, Harold's legs gave way, but Alvin was able to quickly catch him before he could fall.
It was the first time in a long time that Alvin had seen Harold's eyes look misty.
Harold looked up and quickly tried to maintain his composure as he stood tall. Hesitantly, Alvin let him go with a heavy heart. He could not even bring himself to say any words. This would have been a happy occasion. But now...
"Where. Is. She?" Harold asked in a dark voice that mirrored the look in his eyes. He was already taking the hallway even before Alvin could answer.
The 'she' Harold was asking for was none other than 'Queen' Tyra.
Alvin would have preferred not to talk about that mad girl. He had been restricting himself from meeting her, unlike the others.
He informed Harold that she was locked in the hot palace.
It had been crazy for days, and despite the fact that no one was keeping them in the palace and the reason they had all been 'imprisoned' in the palace and not allowed to step out was not clear, no one had left since that day. No one was leading the affairs of the palace either. Everything was in a state of anarchy.
People were always outside the hot palace, trying to force their way in. Most of the palace guards were stationed outside there to stop them from succeeding, but it was getting more difficult by the day because more villagers had been trooping in too since they had also been affected by the battle.
They all wanted to lynch the monster.
Some were waiting until either the King or Harold woke up and gave their sentence to her before they would leave. They were even prepared to riot if Prince Harold tried to have mercy on her because she was his sister. Some believed he wouldn't be soft on her since they weren't related by blood anyway.
Of course, the Queen, Sir Damon, and Damian were not left out. They all needed to be punished first. There were also some who were patiently waiting until Princess Amber woke up, and most of the villagers had been bringing in food supplies and fruits for her, wishing her a safe recovery and thanking her for holding the palace intact for as long as she could.
As Harold strode in large strides towards the hot palace, he instructed Alvin, "Find me, Harvey."
Harvey was the only one who could clearly explain things to him. He needed to know just how much had been Alicia and how much was Amber. And just what had happened to him since Harvey was the last face he saw before he fell off.
"Call the others also. Williams, Lance, and Susan."
Alvin stopped walking as soon as he mentioned her name. He hadn't been able to bring himself to tell him about it.
Amidst his burning anger, Harold noticed him and stopped walking too, turning to look at Alvin.
****
Harold's steps faltered when he got to the door of the chamber.
He thought he was numb to every kind of pain. He had thought the worst thing that could happen to him was his curse. But no.
Even though he felt stronger physically, his heart was hurting. It seemed like knives were repeatedly jabbed at his heart.
He was hurting.
Hurting for Alicia. Hurting for their child. Hurting for Susan. Hurting for her family. Hurting for Alvin.
He could not bring himself to open the door, so he stood out there until the door was opened from inside and he was faced with Lord Evan.
He looked nothing like a Lord. There was no sign of his noble status. He looked empty.
"My Prince..." The man said in a hoarse voice before he fully opened the door and glanced back at his wife.
Harold slowly stepped in. He found Lady Victoria in bed, sobbing.
When she saw him, she tried to sit up, more tears running down her face.
"Prince... Harold." Her voice croaked in tears.
"My... my girl... you... you promised me. You promised you were going to protect my children." She wept bitterly while clutching at her chest.
Harold stood there, fixated on a spot. His neck felt tight, and it was difficult for him to breathe. He could feel the heavy emotion finding its way to his eyes as tears.
At once, he turned and left the room. The aura all around him was wild and scary.
He only had one destination in mind.
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