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.

Cordelia walks aimlessly around the palace grounds. She is still upset with what she has gone through in her encounter with the prince and his lover. She feels so insulted by Freya and the prince had no care at all to just have sex despite her being his future wife. Freya seems to be flaunting it than being ashamed of getting caught in the act. She is so sad but she has no clue what to do next. The only thing in her mind is that she likes to run away.

Every guard she passes in every corner of the palace grounds does not say a word to her. They just let her roam around without hindering her.

Suddenly, devising a plan to escape becomes Cordelia's focus. She lets herself calm down and observes her surroundings. She pretends to be sightseeing leisurely around the palace but in truth, she is searching for an exit where she can make her escape.

Cordelia notices the wide garden on the right wing of the palace. There are two guards at the entrance of the garden. She walks through it and slowly strolls into the garden. She cannot help but admire the lovely garden. She has never seen such exquisite plants. She is reminded of being out in the fields, in the open spaces.

Cordelia closes her eyes and breathes deeply to strengthen her resolve. She will escape by climbing the garden wall. She is confident that she can do it. The garden wall is not as high as the other walls around the palace. She walks towards the wall. She stares around her first to check if someone is there. When she is sure that she is not followed by anyone, she holds on to a few vines on the wall as she tests if these will hold as she climbs.

She is about to take her first attempt...

"I will not do that if I were you."

Cordelia's heart skips a beat from the surprise of someone's voice.

The voice is calm and not threatening at all. However, it sounds more like a command.

Cordelia turns around, totally abandoning her escape plan. She comes face-to-face with the witch named Zoe.

"You will give me a heart attack." That is all she can think of to say to the witch.

"Why are you trying to run away again?" Zoe asks the same question as she did earlier.

"Why won't I run away? You are forcing me to marry the Prince." Cordelia reasons out to Zoe.

"But where will you go? To your family? They brought you here right?" Zoe asks but seems to know the answers already.

Cordelia remains silent.

"Please, Cordelia, trust in me. I have seen you. You belong here." Zoe says in a gentle tone.

Cordelia stares at the witch. She is right. Where else can she go?

"Do not try to leave anymore." Again, Zoe says this more like a command as she motions to Cordelia to walk back towards the palace with her.

********************

Cordelia stands awkwardly in front of Queen Cynthia, who is sitting on her throne. She notices that the King's throne is empty. Zoe, the witch, stands a few paces away beside Cordelia. It appears that she is being guarded even at her wedding.

Cordelia wears an elegant white dress with a long train full of flowers. Her beauty shines even more. Her future husband wears a matching suit with a single flower in his right vest pocket.

Both Bernard and Cordelia are nervous. They cannot deny the brewing attraction in their proximity. However, they still dislike the idea of this forced marriage.

The wedding takes place even in the absence of King Rob. The King has to attend to certain matters of great importance so he lets the Queen make all the arrangements for the swift wedding.

Queen Cynthia wants to make sure that Cordelia will not attempt to escape once more so she took the advice of Zoe, their witch, to have the wedding now.

The entire residents of the kingdom are present on this very important day for the Royal Family. The people of the Kingdom are also outside the palace waiting to welcome the newlyweds.

Cordelia stares straight ahead, still avoiding even sparing a glance at Bernard beside her. She does not even pay attention to what is being said by the high priest presiding over this union. She couldn't care less whatever it is since she is only forced to this wedding.

Contrary to Cordelia's behavior, Bernard cannot help but steal several glances at his bride. She looks lovelier than ever. He can feel the heat starting again. He tries to concentrate on the proceedings after that so as to make him control his urges.

The ceremony ends soon after and Bernard leads Cordelia by the hand towards the kingdom gates where their people are waiting excitedly to catch a glimpse and greet the new royal couple. There explodes a loud cheering and applauding from the happy people of the kingdom. The people shout their greetings of good wishes for the newlyweds. Bernard and Cordelia wave graciously to the people. Bernard does not let go of Cordelia's hand like the protective husband that he should be.

Cordelia cannot help but blush with their contact but continues to avoid looking at her now-husband Prince. But she keeps her emotions in check knowing that this is only for the show so the people will see that they are happy together. She focuses her attention on the people smiling at her. These people barely know her but she can sense their acceptance of her as the new member of the Royal Family. She feels light-hearted and that she somehow belongs here. She smiles genuinely at the people.

When they finally return to the palace, Cordelia relaxes a bit. True enough, Bernard lets go of her hand.

The wedding reception follows and the banquet is really wonderful.

Cordelia could have been truly happy with the arrangements made for this occasion but she is very well reminded that she is just a forced bride. Just the same she allows herself some food to eat because she is very much famished from the events of this day.

Bernard stays by her side but does not speak to her at all. He keeps glancing around as if looking for someone. She ignores him too. After all, she is the one who should be upset for her husband is undeniably in search of his immoral lover of his.

How dare he?! Cordelia puts her emotions bottled up. She must get through this whole wedding event without any fuss. She just likes to rest after this.

*********************

Cordelia sits on the edge of the bed still in her wedding dress. She feels too exhausted to do anything else. She is glad the banquet has finally ended. The whole affair made her tired physically as well as emotionally. As she sits on the soft bed, she wonders what she will do now that she is part of this kingdom. What do they expect her to do? What responsibilities does she have to undertake as the wife of the Prince?

Suddenly, her expression becomes dark in the realization of what a wife is basically expected to do. She blushes uncontrollably with the thought. She has mixed emotions because her husband is undeniably attractive but she cannot accept that he has sex with another woman.

Like timing, the door to her room opened unexpectedly. She almost jumps to her feet for she is not expecting any visitor.

Bernard appears and is looking at her with a serious expression.

After her dark musing a while ago, Cordelia cannot help but panic at the sudden intrusion of Bernard into her room. She stands to ready herself in case her husband approaches any closer to her.

"What do you want?" Cordelia exclaims rather a bit louder than usual. She even sounded angry.

Bernard looks at her in surprise for her hostility. He raises an eyebrow and smiles mockingly.