"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.

"Why are you here?" Cordelia asks in an angry voice as she demands an explanation from Bernard. She gets cautious even more from his lack of response.

Bernard continues to stare at Cordelia with a smirk on his face after he shuts the door behind him. Still, he stays silent.

"What do you want?" Cordelia impatiently shouts at Bernard with her emotions already running high. She can feel herself beginning to hyperventilate. She feels panic rising in her heart. She is getting alarmed in her worry about her husband's intention of barging into her room just like this. It is making her uneasy that she is alone in this room with him. She is angry about Bernard's mocking expression and refusal to reply to her inquiry. At the same time, she is starting to blush from her other thought earlier on her responsibilities as the Prince's wife. She might have been forced to marry him but she cannot deny the attractiveness of her husband. She is a grown woman and her natural desire to appreciate a man this handsome and sexy cannot be denied. She takes extra efforts to ignore this brewing attraction by concentrating on her irritation.

Bernard stands by the door, still in his wedding suit and looking as handsome as ever. His clothing emphasizes his attractive body which invites flirtatious imaginations to any woman who gazes upon him. It will also seem that Bernard is very much aware of it which is why he keeps his wife in suspense longer with his silence.

Cordelia can feel the heat rushing to her face already and she intentionally hides it with anger. She does not like to give any hint to her husband about any attraction she might have for him. She intends to stay opposed to her being his wife and not give him the satisfaction that she might be interested in him.

"Don't panic dear wife." Bernard finally replies. He has decided to end Cordelia's worried state as he notices the reddening of his wife's face. Teasing Cordelia has somewhat become a game for him.

"I have no dirty plans for you. In fact, I do not even have any ounce of attraction towards you. I have someone more interesting in mind that requires my affection more than a silly woman like you. I think you have met her, rather accidentally already. I only agreed to marry you for the kingdom's sake." Bernard says with an annoyed tone.

Cordelia sighs in relief from what she heard but at the same time wound up for such insults coming from the man she is supposed to be married to all her life. Wait, is she even disappointed in the Prince's confession of his lack of attraction towards her? She shakes her head to remove the thought.

"I only came here to check on you." Bernard adds to clarify his presence in her bedroom.

"Good! I am fine here." She replies matching Bernard's tone.

"That is good to know! You can sleep here for now. I apologize for the room's inadequacy. I will have another room arranged for your convenience soon. This is just temporary for the sudden wedding we had. You will have one befitting a Royal wife. But that is all you can have from me. Nothing else!" Bernard explains further as he still lingers in the room with Cordelia.

Cordelia is continuing to get annoyed with Bernard and hopes that he will leave soon. Her emotions are running low from all the pretending she had to endure since her arrival at the palace up to the wedding events. Now, she is being insulted by her supposed husband. There is only so much that she can take. She is almost about to snap. All she wants is to be left alone to rest her mind and body. However, she cannot send him away after all since this is his place. She only wishes that he leaves soon unless he has something nicer to say than remind her of their false marriage.

Bernard stares around the room with his arms crossed in front as if inspecting the room for his wife. However, he remains standing by the closed door.

Cordelia observes him like a hawk because she still does not trust Bernard. In her impatience for her husband to leave, she is not able to control what she says next.

"If you must know, I was forced to marry you as well. I have no intentions of gaining your attention in any way!" Cordelia blurts out. She says this to get back at Bernard's insult to her a while ago.

Bernard looks straight at her with an expressionless face. He seems to hide his shock at what Cordelia has said.

Cordelia stares back in defiance. She intends to upset Bernard for barging into her room just to mock her and tell to her face what their real relationship is. She hopes that he will go away if she makes him angry too so they will be equal now.

"Besides, if I have my choice and it will be granted by his highness, I will divorce you immediately so as not to delay your happiness with your precious lover! You seem to enjoy each other's company very much so I will not get in your way! Are you satisfied with that?" She continues to babble on, as she loses control of herself from the anger rising from her again. She recalls the indecent manner of her discovery of Bernard and his lover since he mentions now her meeting that immoral woman named Freya. She wishes for him to leave this instantly because she might cry with so much resentment. She does not like him to see her that way.

Bernard continues to stare at Cordelia but starts to move toward her. His eyes suddenly turn cold as he approaches her near the bed.

Cordelia steps a few paces backward as she becomes wary of Bernard's cold look. She starts to panic once more for not having a clue about what Bernard intends to do to her now after she utters her disgust towards Bernard and his beloved Freya.

Will Bernard hurt her? Is he capable of such violence for mere verbal insults she has said? Cordelia tries to collect her thoughts as she continues to step back without releasing her eye contact with Bernard. She fears he might make a move and she has to be ready.

Bernard takes his time to approach Cordelia in silence but also maintains his eye contact with her. Finally, Cordelia falls into a sitting position on the bed, having no more space left to step back away from him. She gasps in surprise but keeps her stare focused on the Prince. She clenched both her fist, ready to punch Bernard, if necessary.

Bernard glares at Cordelia like a hunter who has cornered his prey. He is now standing in front of her looking coldly back at her panicked face. He bends down and holds her on both shoulders without losing his gaze focused on her.

"So what will you do now? Are you going to hurt me for insulting your Freya?" Cordelia shouts at Bernard in defiance but with a mix of fear from not knowing what Bernard is planning to do to her.