Transmigrated Into The Body Of The Cursed Prince Wife
Chapter 38: Rid her of her head

Though he cared for his family and would do anything to keep them safe, it wasn’t the same with the second prince. Not to mention, Alden was a man respected and feared by many for his fierceness. Even his sister couldn’t voice her mind when he spoke, and he disliked it when outsiders meddled in his family affairs.

His gray eyes narrowed at Ave, but instead of looking down and apologizing like everyone else did when they knew they had offended him and spoken out of turn, she met his gaze head-on without flinching. Her blue eyes held a hint of curiosity, further surprising and infuriating him.

"And what gives you the right to question my words, princess?" he demanded coolly. His voice, though not deep, was intimidating and scary to Ave who quickly wished she had kept her mouth shut. However, she was genuinely curious as to why he thought his sister shouldn’t read or dream of marrying the man she loved.

"I have the right to speak, Your Highness. I don’t see where it is written that one isn’t allowed to speak, and I don’t see the big deal in asking you a genuine question," she replied with a smile on her face, surprising not only Princess Thaila, who had never had the courage to talk back to her brother, but also the few maids passing by.

"Princess Thaila here is an adult, and she can do whatever she chooses to do—whether it’s reading or dreaming. Men, even brothers, should learn to respect a woman’s wishes." Ave said good-naturedly as she moved closer to the stunned princess, who looked too shocked to move. "Right, princess?"

It seemed Princess Selene was really courting death. Apart from the Emperor, no one else had the right to question the first prince or speak back to him without permission. The first prince had killed many servants and guards who had done nothing but bump into him by mistake or glance at his sister in a way he found disrespectful, let alone Princess Selene—a mere slave princess—speaking back to him and meeting his eyes.

Didn’t she know that meeting a royal’s eyes while speaking was disrespectful in itself?

A bark of humorless laughter erupted from Prince Alden’s throat as he regarded the woman in front of him with amused disbelief. "You must be getting tired of having your head attached to your neck to dare open your mouth and question me, princess," he said, slowly pulling out his sword. "And I shall grant you the wish of ridding you of it. Your husband owes me an apology with his blood, and it will be collected with yours."

Ave’s eyes widened. Rid her of her head and collect her blood? Hearing that, she quickly moved behind the princess, putting her between herself and the first prince. "Your Highness, please tell your brother I meant no harm with my words."

Princess Thaila held her breath as she saw the look in her brother’s eyes begin to change. "Thaila, go back to your chambers and step aside. That woman has disrespected your brother," he said sternly.

Thaila swallowed hard and mustered the courage to step in front of him before he could get around to meet Ave. He had been the one to raise her after their mother’s death, and she had never spoken up against him before. He controlled her and told her what to do, and she moved according to his words like a little puppet.

Though she found Princess Selene a little daring and outrageous for speaking back to her brother, Thaila didn’t see anything wrong with what she had said. There was nothing wrong with dreaming and reading. It was something she liked to do.

"Forgive Princess Selene for speaking out of turn. She means no harm by her words," Thaila pleaded, spreading her arms wide to protect the woman behind her, who was clutching tightly to her waist—a gesture her brother found disrespectful as he glared at the arms wrapped around her.

When she saw that he looked ready to walk around her and behead the woman, Thaila added, "Please, brother, I will burn the book and not read it again. I will not have any foolish dreams of marrying someone beneath my status. Please, forgive Princess Selene."

Prince Alden gritted his teeth furiously and glared at Ave who peeked from behind his sister. He said nothing for a few seconds, simply glaring at her while clutching his sword tightly. Then, his expression turned indifferent, and he said directly to Ave, "Tell your husband that the blood debt he owes me shall be collected very soon."

Ave frowned, not understanding what he meant but not daring to question him again. She wondered what he meant by the blood debt Lucian owed him. What was between the brothers?

"Go," she heard Thaila whisper as she stood frozen. Ave didn’t need to be told twice. She let go of the princess’s waist and began to run down the hall. As she ran, she heard the faint voice of the first prince warning his sister,

"I never want to see you around that woman again. Always remember that her husband is our enemy..."

Ave couldn’t help but frown. Enemy? She used to think her own family was messed up, but it seemed the royal family here was even worse. They hated each other to the point they wouldn’t hesitate to spill blood. What had Lucian done to this prince?

Ave didn’t stop running down the hall until she reached the stairs. She sighed in relief at escaping yet another danger, but then tensed up when she remembered she hadn’t yet faced the real danger that awaited her with the Empress. It almost felt like she was walking on the edge of a double edged sword in this world; a single mistake could cost her head.

Just like the last time she was here, she walked up a series of stairs. However, she lost her way to the Empress’s chambers. The palace was so big that she doubted she would ever memorize its nooks and turns no matter how many times she visited.

She walked around aimlessly, and when she still couldn’t find her way, she turned to one of the guards standing at every corner of the palace like statues and asked for directions to the Empress’s chambers. If the guard heard her, he made no move to acknowledge her presence and remained standing like a statue.

To make matters worse, none of the maids stopped to answer her questions either. They were all hurrying about, doing their work without paying her any attention. She had thought the maids in Lucian’s palace were rude, but these ones seemed more rude.

Ave had almost given up and decided to go back and get Lydia from outside when a guard walked up to her from behind, almost startling the soul out of her. "Your Highness, Her Majesty requests your presence in the tea garden."

She swirled around so quickly she almost lost her balance, her heart in her throat as she hadn’t expected a guard to approach her when they had all been ignoring her. "Oh, I see. Lead me there, please," she said, calming her racing heart.

When the guard bowed and saluted in understanding before turning in a flourish to lead the way, Ave couldn’t help but be fascinated, and her eyes brightened as she muttered, "Cool," then mimicked the guard’s movement and marched along with him from behind, her dress gathered in one hand.

’This is a good way to exercise.’ she thought delightfully.

Even the guards who stood like statues couldn’t help but follow her with their eyes, and a few maids whispered among themselves.

"It seems it’s true—the princess has completely lost her senses after the accident."

In another room, the fourth consort stood on her balcony, watching as Princess Selene marched behind the guard. She snickered and muttered to her lady-in-waiting, "May the Lords never make my angel daughters end up loose like that woman. Imagine her walking with her dress in hand while marching. Tsk, the second prince is indeed unfortunate. He’s not only cursed, but he’s married to a woman like that who’s lost her mind."

"Your Majesty, princess Isolde and princess Celeste would never end up like that loose woman. Her accident not only ruined her senses but also made her become so disrespectful," the lady-in-waiting commented as she poured more tea for the fourth consort, who laughed and shook her head.

"A person like that won’t last long in the palace. If her brain doesn’t return to normal, her head will soon be missing from her neck. Tsk, to think the Empress once took pride in her before for the grace and elegance she once possessed."