Transmigrated Into The Body Of The Cursed Prince Wife
Chapter 87: Invitation

Chapter 87: Invitation

Ave stared at a tear that rolled down the man’s face and fell on his tied hands and said, "Nobody is killing you. In fact, the second prince has decided to release you, give your family food, and offer you a job in his palace."

Hugo’s head jerked up at that. He glanced in the direction Lucian had disappeared and then back at Ave. "The second prince will do that?" he asked in disbelief, as everything said about the prince was different from what this woman was trying to make him believe. The prince had never spared anyone who insulted him, not to mention stoned him.

Hugo was ready to die when he’d thrown that stone and even stayed when the prince’s guards came to drag him away. He would rather die than live another day watching his family starve to death because he had no work in the land. Everything that had befallen their lands had been said to be because of the second prince, and only by his death would there be peace in their lands once again.

However, he had never expected to be released and even offered a job after what he’d done. He could barely believe it and looked on with uncertainty.

Ave patted his shoulder again. "The second prince is nothing like the rumors say, and if you all will give him the chance to prove himself, your land shall know peace, with every single one of you getting back your jobs. If you don’t believe me, you will see for yourself. Let’s go feed your family and get you home first," she said as she reached out and began to try to untie the rope around his wrists, but it was tied so tightly that she couldn’t even find the knot.

Looking towards Zane, she beckoned him forward. "Come and loosen this for me, please."

Zane dared not move at first. He glanced toward Lucian, who was still in the shadows, and when the prince didn’t react, he walked up to help her with the rope using his dagger. After that, Ave told him to help the man stand. Zane glanced at the prince again for any objection, and when nothing came, he bent and helped him up.

"I want to ride my own horse. Hugo will ride with me, and you can ride with that other guard there," Ave said as she followed behind Zane, who was now helping the man walk. She didn’t want to be close to Lucian for now as she didn’t want to feel those stirring feelings in her stomach whenever she was in close proximity with him.

However, Lucian, who had stayed in the shadows until now, stepped out and said, "You will be riding with me," in a voice that left no room for argument, but if Ave didn’t argue with him, then she wouldn’t be Ave.

"I don’t want to ride with you. I want to ride on my own," she said firmly. Just because she was still trying to help repair his image didn’t mean she wasn’t mad at him.

Lucian gritted his teeth in annoyance. "Fine. Zane," he turned towards Zane and said, "Come ride with me and give her your horse. The prisoner can ride with Evan on his horse." He ordered. He had only agreed because he also didn’t want her close to him, messing up his senses. However, he would rather have her ride alone than sit with that man.

Ave huffed at him and turned towards Zane’s horse. She mounted it easily without needing any help, then waited for the rest to get on their horses before she snapped her reins.

Lucian’s horse was hot on her tail as the last thing he needed was for her to get into trouble on the way back. They rode side by side, with Ave trying to lose him, but no matter how fast she made the horse go, her riding skills were nowhere close to the prince’s.

After riding for about forty minutes, they finally arrived at Wudville village, where all the commoners were still outside their houses with their kids playing around a bonfire while the parents tried to roast potatoes in the fire. Each house was doing the same thing, but the moment they caught sight of the royal horses, everyone was on their feet and preparing to run back inside, with their men standing up as if to protect their families.

Ave was the first to dismount her horse and looked at the people, who looked more frightened than brave. "Good evening, everyone!" she greeted good-naturedly as Zane and the other guard came to stand by her side while Lucian still remained on his horse.

"What do you want from us?!" one of the men yelled. "You took Hugo away, leave his family alone! They have done nothing wrong. Hugo has also done nothing but stone the devil. We won’t allow you to hurt his family!" They took a protective stance in front of the house Ave assumed belonged to Hugo, where she could see some children peeking fearfully out of the windows.

Ave smiled at the children, who quickly pulled back the curtains, then turned and gestured for Hugo, standing behind her, to step forward. The man limply walked forward and told his folks, "Put your weapons down; they mean no harm to us."

For a moment, they all looked surprised to find Hugo alive after he had been dragged away. No man had ever come back alive after being taken by the prince. It was either they received a head or a part of the person’s limbs as a warning to the rest, while also watching the person’s house burn down with his family taken.

Murmurs broke out among the men as they wondered how Hugo was still alive. Slowly and gradually, they all brought down their weapons, and in the blink of an eye, the cottage the people were protecting opened, and two little girls ran out of it followed by two teenage boys, and they all ran towards their father. He opened his arms and hugged them, shedding tears of joy that made Ave’s eyes moisten as she watched the fatherly love. He kissed each of his children on the cheek.

Ave watched as a woman in a faded dress, with unhealthy dull skin and thinning black hair run out of the house. She ran into Hugo’s arms, crying and hugging him. "You are such an idiot, my love! I told you to stay out of this. I thought you were dead!" she cried, and the man hugged her even tighter, covering her face with light kisses.

"I am sorry," he whispered.

Ave couldn’t help but feel a lump in her throat as she watched them. Despite their hardships, they seemed to love each other so much, and she couldn’t imagine what would have happened to these children and this woman if Lucian had killed the man.

Ave looked up toward where Lucian now stood beside his horse, unnoticed by the people, while he watched the family with a blank expression. But as if sensing Ave’s eyes on him, he turned to look at her for just a fleeting moment before looking away.

Ave swallowed the lump in her throat as she heard Hugo say to his wife, "Her Highness is the reason I am still alive." His words made all the heads turn toward Ave, and everyone now realized she was the cursed prince’s wife. Then, finally, they all noticed Lucian standing there with his amber eyes glowing in the darkness.

A collective gasp escaped from the people as they all prepared to grab their weapons again, but Hugo was quick to stop them. "Don’t. The second prince is not who we think he is. He is..." He glanced at Ave, as if reluctant to admit what she had made him believe, before saying, "Kind."

Ave smiled. She hadn’t expected Hugo to be on their side this quickly. Thus, she assured the people, "His Highness has fought for our lands ever since he was little. All he ever wanted was to bring peace to everyone and ensure you all have the jobs that were taken from you. If you give him a chance to prove himself, your lives will be better." Ave spoke, using the tone she had always heard politicians use when trying to convince citizens to vote for them, only she wasn’t offering empty words. She fully intended to make sure their lives improved if they supported Lucian.

Looking at Zane and the guard, she told them to untie the bags they had brought from the town. Zane, who had been wondering why she had brought all those things, now seemed to understand what she was doing but said nothing and went to do as he was told.

They brought out the many bags that contained vegetables, bread, potatoes, and many other things. Though the village was large, not everyone was present, as some had already retreated into their homes. These were the ones whose houses were at the front of the roads and had yet to go inside.

If she could get these people on Lucian’s side, it wouldn’t take long for word to spread and for everyone to believe that the prince meant no harm.

Ave watched the reluctant looks on the faces of the villagers, and one of them voiced his thoughts. "Why should we believe you when it is said that the second prince is the reason we are in this condition?"

Ave turned to the middle-aged man who had spoken and replied, "I am not forcing you to believe me. All I ask is for you to give the prince the chance to prove himself to you all. You have nothing to lose, given the condition you’re already in. Besides, look at all that he has brought for you as a token of apology for taking Hugo. Has anyone from the palace ever thought to give you anything?" She questioned, nodding to Zane to distribute the goods to the people present.

Ever since they had fallen into this condition, it was as if the royal family had abandoned them and forgotten about their existence, while attending only to the nobles. True to Ave’s words, they had nothing to lose here. Thus, they began stepping forward to accept the goods from Zane, bowing toward Lucian’s direction before stepping back.

After everything had been distributed, those who hadn’t received any goods, as there wasn’t enough, were each given a gold coin from Ave—the remaining coins from Lucian that she hadn’t yet spent in the market.

Ave hadn’t felt this good about herself in ages as she watched the look of pure joy on the villagers’ faces as they received their gifts. She looked toward Lucian and noticed his expression no longer looked as hardened as he, too, stared at the families.

"Your Highness, please join us by the fire for dinner. Though we don’t have much, we would like to thank you for this," said Hugo’s wife as she approached Ave. Ave, who had been looking at Lucian, turned away when she heard the woman speak, her head bowed.

Ave was already full, but turning down the woman’s offer wouldn’t only be rude, it would also make it seem as though she was unwilling to humble herself and be around the commoners. Though it was already late, the village wasn’t far from the palace gates, so she nodded. "Sure. My husband and I will join your family for dinner," she said, causing Lucian’s head to snap toward her.

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