Cordelia is debating with herself if she will leave the area right this instant. She is feeling so uncomfortable already. However, her curiosity got the best of her. Since there are no guards in sight, she sneaks slowly to the door of the room where the insanely obscene sounds are coming from. She stands with her back against the wall. She does not have to stand close because the sound of moaning starts to peak even louder.

Is the Prince too arrogant that he does these acts openly in the palace? Or he truly does not care what others think of him? He is a Prince so maybe he is really full of himself.

Cordelia feels revulsion towards this Prince who seems to care only for pleasure from women. The pleasuring sounds last for a few more minutes. Even Cordelia starts feeling something different upon hearing such steamy moans and grunts. Then it stops. She places her head against the closed door to try to overhear better. She tries to hold her breath, afraid that it might be heard from the inside.

"You are such an amazing lover, my Prince. No one can compare to your skill in giving me such a mind-blowing pleasure each time we have sex." The woman says to the Prince in a sweet voice.

Cordelia grimaces from the undeniable irritation she feels that this indecent woman has provided pleasure to Prince Bernard on more than just several occasions. She sounds so familiar with the Prince as if they have been together for a long time.

"Are you trying to tease me again Freya?" That is the voice of Prince Bernard.

Cordelia cannot help but imagine the appearance of the Prince. His voice sounds sexy.

Or is it the effect of what she heard a few minutes ago that leads her to these imaginations?

"You know I do not tease. I have always been honest to you." The woman replies in an alluring voice. She is definitely trying to seduce the Prince once more.

"I know that but you seem to be keeping something from me these past few days." Prince Bernard sounds worried about something.

Cordelia presses her ear harder against the door so she can hear well.

A long silence falls in the room.

Freya takes a deep breath and starts to speak again.

"My Prince, we have been together for a long time. You know my affections for you are genuine. I am aware of my position in this palace and yours as well. I can never be your bride." Freya says these things as she stands from the bed and walks toward the closed window. She sounded upset.

Cordelia hears the sound of footsteps moving closer to the closed window by her side. She crouches down to hide in case the window is opened from inside the room. Nothing happened. Another set of footsteps seems to walk towards the window. It must be the Prince now. Cordelia thought to herself as she tries to picture what is going on inside the chambers. She hears clearly the voices of Prince Bernard and Freya from outside the door.

"What is all this talk about being a bride? Freya, you know that I do not have any intentions to get married yet. What are you so worried about?" Prince Bernard responds in a gentle tone. He appears to be concerned with Freya's sudden seriousness.

Freya laughs in a mocking way.

"It may seem that the King and the Queen have not informed you of anything at all." Freya says in a knowing tone.

"What are you trying to hint on, Freya?" Prince Bernard asks, not hiding his confusion.

"My Prince, you are to be married to your destined bride! She is foretold by your father's all-knowing witch!" Freya spits out these words with venom. She is so upset with the news that she is telling the Prince whom she considers to be hers alone.

"What? How come my father never told me this?" Prince Bernard demands more information from his lover.

"Apparently, your father's royal witch decided that they should search for your destined bride first before they even tell you. According to your witch, you are to marry a commoner's daughter so that the people will continue to stay loyal to the King. Marrying their son to a commoner's daughter will ensure your family's rule for a long time. This destined wife of yours will be loved by the people." Freya continues to narrate in a bitter manner.

It appears that the Prince has no idea about their forced marriage too. Cordelia frowns recalling her situation.

"What if I refuse to marry?" Prince Bernard asks but he knows the answer already. No one defies his father, the King.

Cordelia feels annoyed with the words of Prince Bernard. She recalls her own dislike for this forced marriage.

"You are just saying that now because you have not tasted her. Soon, you will forget about me while she warms you up in bed." Freya says shamelessly.

Cordelia's face gets hot upon hearing these words coming from the mouth of the woman who had sex with her future husband. How can she be jealous like that? She has no right to speak that way to the Prince!

"I will not be like that! If I am forced to marry this farm girl for the people to be happy with my father's rule, I will give that stupid girl so many hardships that she will regret being with me!" Bernard exclaims to Freya so sure of himself.

"Is that what you call your apology for not making me your bride?" Freya sounds seductive once more upon hearing Bernard's promise of an unhappy marriage with Cordelia.

The conversation in the chambers dies down after that.

Cordelia stands from her crouch quickly but quietly. She is so confused about where to go. How can she be in this kind of situation right now? What kind of life will she have in this palace as a wife of a Prince who does not like to have her in the first place? She wishes to run away again but where will she go?

Cordelia cries uncontrollably but makes sure not to be heard. Her tears flow endlessly but she does not bother to wipe them off. She shakes her head as if to tell herself that she cannot accept this. She cannot go through with this marriage with this kind of cruel fate. In her sorrow about her predicament, she does not see the flowerpot by the door as she attempts to leave that place quickly. She hits her foot at the flowerpot and trips. She falls to the ground with a thudding sound as the flowerpot tips over as well. The pain of her foot adds to the anguish in her heart. She attempts to stand but slumps back down to the ground. With her emotional state, she feels weakened for a moment.

"What was that?" The voice of the woman from inside Prince Bernard's chambers can be heard. She sounds worried by the sudden disturbance from the outside. The door of the Prince's chamber opens and Prince Bernard emerges with Freya behind him. Both appear surprised upon seeing Cordelia on the ground.

As Prince Bernard glances at the broken flowerpot, he figures out immediately what happened.

"Who are you? Are you okay?" Prince Bernard asks in a half astonished but gentle tone. He walks toward Cordelia automatically.

Cordelia keeps her eyes on the ground as she focuses on her hurting foot, massaging it carefully.

Seeing this lady who seems to be hurt gives the Prince a feeling of wanting to help her and make sure that she is not injured. He bends to help her stand. He keeps staring at Cordelia with wonder and admiration as if she is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. Prince Bernard cannot understand why he feels like he does not want to let go of the mysterious woman's hand.

Cordelia allows Prince Bernard to help her back to her footing as she attempts to wipe off her tears as quickly as possible. She can still feel her foot pulsing in pain but tries to ignore it. She avoids Prince Bernard's stare but she cannot ignore the heavy feeling in her heart regarding the conversation she overheard just a few moments ago. She retrieved her hand from Prince Bernard's grasp. At this point, she intends to regain her composure with whatever pride she can muster. However, she feels grateful for the gesture of the Prince to help her.

The Prince appears to be unwilling to let go of her hand but he has no choice. Instead, he reaches out to assist Cordelia by her elbow. The lady appears a bit wobbly still and it worries him instinctively. In doing so, he feels like a force similar to electricity has hit him. He can feel the energy pulsing in his veins with this strange connection to this woman. The woman is like a stimulus that gives him this hyperactive feeling. Even his heart is beating double time. His heart feels like it is about to burst with a strong attraction toward this woman. He has never met her before but he feels so attached to her already. A strong allure for this woman's beauty that is very inexplicable to him is taking over him at this moment. The woman has not uttered a single word after his inquiry and so Prince Bernard repeats his question.

"Who are you? Are you alright?” He says this with so much concern in his voice.

Cordelia looks at the Prince for the very first time. She is overwhelmed at how handsome Prince Bernard is. She seems to have forgotten her pain as she focuses on the Prince's captivating eyes. She can feel the heat on her face and she is aware that she is blushing as well with this strange feeling. There is like a magnet pulling her to this handsome man. She is frozen to the very spot she is on right now. She allows Prince Bernard to support her a bit. She feels weakened even more with this strange sensation.

All of a sudden, Prince Bernard touches Cordelia's face with his free hand. Both of them feel the heated intensity of that touch. Even Cordelia cannot refuse the Prince's hands against her cheek. She feels the warmth spread all over her with that touch.

"Are you alright? I am Prince Bernard. Just tell me what you need and I will help you." Prince Bernard says softly like a promise.

Cordelia can see the sincerity in those eyes. The Prince seems to mean everything that he has uttered at that moment. She cannot deny the trust that his eyes reflect on her own eyes.

In that instant, they seem to be the only two people existing. The whole palace seems to transform into a different world where everything is beautiful and sunny. The heat that both Prince Bernard and Cordelia are experiencing merges as one like a connection that has long been trying to link them together.

In the meantime, Freya, who was temporarily forgotten at this point, made a coughing sound to get their attention. Just like that, the connection between Prince Bernard and Cordelia breaks automatically with Freya's disturbance.

Cordelia immediately pulls away from the Prince as she glances towards Freya, who was leaning casually against the door of the Prince's chamber.

Prince Bernard, on the other hand, runs his emptied hand over his hair when Cordelia pulled away. He appears suddenly embarrassed with what transpired between them.

"I know who you are your highness! And I know who she is too." Cordelia finally finds her own voice to speak up. She also begins to regain her original state of sadness over her situation.

"What you are not aware of is that I am your bride-to-be!" She continues with a shaky voice, gathering her anger once more from everything she has heard earlier.

"What?" This is the only response that Prince Bernard is able to say in his surprise at what this woman in front of him has just said.

Freya merely crosses her arms in front of her without a care. She smirks at Cordelia at the same time as her eyes are sending dagger looks toward this bride-to-be of her prince.

"So, you are the soon-to-be bride of my lover?" Freya asks mockingly at Cordelia. She says this not out of confirming what she already knows but to express her growing jealousy of what she witnessed between Prince Bernard and this new woman.

At the moment, Prince Bernard remains silent. He appears to be disoriented by the revelations of this woman. He is still lost for words to say. He cannot reconcile what has transpired a few minutes ago and the reality of what he heard from this strange lady.

"You seem ordinary like the farm girl that you are. Why were you even chosen to be the Prince's bride?' Freya continues to insult Cordelia. She is grabbing this opportunity that Prince Bernard is speechless for now. She intends to be spiteful of this woman as long as she can still be able to do so. She is aware that once the Prince marries this woman, she will not be able to openly show her jealousy. She is so threatened by the possibility of Prince Bernard liking his bride for real.

"Do you think you will be as good in bed to satisfy Bernard?" Freya starts to lose her composure due to her possessiveness that she openly referred to the Prince by his first name without his designation as royalty.

"Maybe that is the only thing that you are good at!" Cordelia snaps back at Freya. She is gaining her fury from all the things that have happened today.

Freya's expression is of utter surprise. She never thought Cordelia will say that in front of her face.

"So what do you know about pleasing a man, let alone my Prince?" Freya replies in challenge to Cordelia's statement.

Cordelia stares at Freya with eyes full of fury. She does not need these words of insult from a woman who has no morality. This kind of woman who goes around sleeping with a man who would soon be her husband is so disgusting to her. How fresh can this Freya be? She acts as if she owns the Prince. Or maybe she does? Cordelia stops short of her thoughts. She turns her gaze towards Prince Bernard who remains like a statue in front of her.

The Prince seems to be deep in his own thoughts and does not even notice the present argument between the two women with him.

Cordelia is half expecting Prince Bernard to say something. She is even hoping that he will defend her. Was their connection a while ago just her own imagination? What is going on with him right now? Cordelia shakes her head in the realization of her foolishness. How can she expect this man to even care for someone that he just met? How can she also feel the same way?

"Why am I even talking to you? You belong together! You both deserve each other!" Cordelia shouts these words to both Freya and Prince Bernard. She turns her back on them without any glancing back. She can hear Freya's laughter as if to mock her once again.

As for Prince Bernard, he is left staring at all that transpired with a dazed expression.

Cordelia continues to walk away. She tries to keep her pace as fast as she can manage with her injured foot. She intends to make as far distance as she can from these two people. She feels her aching heart once more as it fills with sadness.

When Cordelia is out of sight, Prince Bernard appears to have come to his senses. He stares in the direction where Cordelia has gone with a puzzled expression. Then, he turns to Freya who is looking at him with a victorious smirk on her face.

"So, my Prince, have you come to your senses?" Freya asks with a bit of annoyance in her tone.

"You seem to have been overpowered by your bride-to-be. Why are you so speechless there? Care to explain to me what happened?" Freya asks curiously Prince Bernard.

In truth, Prince Bernard is taken by surprise by his own reaction to Cordelia. At first, he just thought that seeing someone hurt makes him automatically concerned. He is a Prince after all. Caring for others should be natural for him. But when he thinks about it, he cannot explain logically what got into him. He seems to have been bewitched by that woman. She made him feel so enthralled by her charms. That woman has taken control of his emotions so fully that he cannot help but be attracted to her totally without hesitation. That woman might be a witch like Zoe! There is no other explanation for this. Maybe that is the reason why she is chosen to be his bride. She has done magic to get to this position.

There could not be any other reason. Unless...

Prince Bernard shakes his head furiously as if to wake himself up, even more, to be focused. He is so angry with himself for losing his control over this woman. Now, he feels even more disgusted with that woman to go to that extreme to get his affection.

"So are you ignoring me now?" Freya asks Prince Bernard since he has not said a word for a long time.

Prince Bernard snaps out from his deep thoughts and walks towards Freya who is still leaning against the door of his chamber.

"Just like I told you before... I will only marry this woman for the sake of the people. I do not care about her and what I feel will most definitely stay that way. So can we just stop talking about it now?" Prince Bernard says all of these to convince Freya that he does not plan to have anything to do with this chosen bride but to marry her for the people.

"Oh, my Prince, is that another kind of apology from you?" Freya automatically changes her tone to a seductive one again upon Prince Bernard's declarations. She pulls the Prince towards the door with a playful smile on her face. She is ready for another round.