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.

Bernard holds Cordelia by her shoulders as he bends over her with a cold stare. He can see that panic in her eyes although she tries to put up an angry expression to mask her true emotions.

While she is struggling to be free from his touch, he feels the soft skin on her shoulders.

"What are you going to do? Are you planning to hurt me?" Cordelia repeats her question as Bernard remains quiet.

Bernard cannot utter a single word because he is having an inner struggle himself. He can sense that his wife is trying to keep a brave stance but he knows she is helpless against him. The Prince lost his mocking stance from the moment Cordelia told him that she is forced to be with him and she intends to get a divorce. He feels suddenly conflicted. He thought he should be relieved that this woman is letting him be free to be with someone else. Why is he upset hearing those words from her? Does he feel insulted that Cordelia might not be attracted to him but hates him instead? Why does he care what this woman thinks of him? He continues to stare coldly at his wife as he imprisons Cordelia on the bed as if she is glued to it. Something in him begins to awake again. He senses the same electricity he felt on his first encounter with her. He yearns to keep touching her, but he cannot decide on what to do next. He just feels the warm sensation spreading through his whole body. He can barely contain his urge to caress Cordelia's face, her soft hair, and her inviting curves.

Bernard's imagination is starting to run wild on the different sensual things he wants to do with this woman who keeps trying to bring out the animal inside of him without her even noticing. Why doesn't he feel this way with Freya? He barely knew this wife of his but he senses his need to be intimately close to her more than any other person he ever met. He desires to be connected to her in a very carnal manner.

Is he under a spell?

Cordelia still struggles in front of him but seems to be confused as well.

"What are you doing?" Cordelia shouts at him, not hiding her frightened expression from their proximity to each other and Bernard's continued silence. The fear is reflected in her eyes but there is a certain yearning too.

They both seem to have transformed into another place where everything heightens the temperature of their bodies like they are caught on fire that burns slowly but can only be extinguished by each other.

Suddenly, there is a knock at the door. This brought them back to reality.

Bernard abruptly regains his wits. He seems to snap out from his daze upon hearing the loud knock.

Cordelia finds her chance as well and pushes Bernard away from him.

Bernard loses his footing and falls to the floor with a loud thud. He stares in shock at Cordelia but does not say a word.

"Your highness, is everything alright?" The voice from outside sounds puzzled by the lack of response from within the room.

Both Bernard and Cordelia hear the female voice outside but cannot seem to say anything. It must be one of the maids.

Finally, Cordelia stands from the bed to open the door while Bernard recovers and quickly stands too from where he slumps.

The maid enters and bows to both Cordelia and Bernard, without noticing anything unusual that happened between the two.

"Pardon me Prince Bernard, Princess Cordelia...your father, King Rob has arrived and wishes your presence." The maid announces politely to both of them.

"Thank you for telling us. We shall welcome my father in a while. Go ahead and inform him of our response." Bernard commands the maid.

The maid bows once more and leaves afterward, shutting the door.

Cordelia moves away from the door and keeps a safe distance from Bernard. She is still wary of him.

"You go ahead and welcome your father. I shall stay here." Cordelia says bravely as she regains her composure from the scare just a few moments ago.

"What did you just say? My father asks for our presence and we shall go and see him together. You are my wife and you should follow what I tell you to do." Bernard says in anger as he reminds Cordelia of her status in the palace from now on.

"Why will I follow what you tell me to do?" Cordelia asks as if to challenge Bernard's authority.

Bernard approaches Cordelia once more, clearly with anger on his face. He dwells on this emotion so as to control his instincts from a while back. He allows his fury to grow so that he will not have any other emotions stronger than this anger.

"You will do as I say. You will be my obedient wife and Princess here or I will make your life in this palace a living hell! Do you understand me?" Bernard replies in a very stern voice. He is now standing in front of Cordelia staring at her with flaming fury in his eyes. He looks straight at her but unlike before, he never comes any closer. He does not even attempt to touch her again.

Cordelia stares back at the Prince with the same furious expression but does not say any word in response. She is debating on what she will do next. Her mind comes back to the reality of her position at present. She has nothing and nowhere else to go. She cannot change this fate of hers for now but she can make her life here easier if she just stays away from Prince Bernard's anger. For now, she will be the obedient Princess and wife that Bernard expects of her. In time, she will find a way to escape. That is the best plan for her. Cordelia breathes deeply in defeat.

Bernard seems to take her silence as acceptance.

"Well then, let us not keep the King waiting. Come along my Princess." Bernard opens the door and waits for Cordelia to step out of the room first before he shuts the door behind them.

Cordelia allows Bernard to walk beside her. The Prince does not make any move to touch her again as he keeps a safe distance from her while they walk towards the King's chamber.

Prince Bernard stays silent and does not even glance at her at all.

Cordelia remains quiet too. She prefers to be on unspeaking terms with him than continue arguing again with things they cannot change anymore. She is just too exhausted from all of that for now.

The Prince and Princess walk onto the palace absorbed in their own thoughts. Both might be better off this way if they have to be civil enough when they face King Rob. Finally, they reach the entrance to the King's chamber. They stare at each other as if calculating their readiness to face the King.

"Your Highness, Prince Bernard and his wife Princess Cordelia at your presence." The royal guard announces their arrival.

Bernard takes Cordelia's hand to his without saying a word. Cordelia allows him. It is time for their royal duties to begin.