Black Rose: Married To The Psycho Prince

There are a few things that can bruise my ego.

In the first place, ego is at the bottom of my pyramid of priorities. When a lady is anticipating her husband's moment of madness, there's little time to think about psychological desires like ego.

At moments like this, however, that prickly, unstable thing comes re-emerging.

"We're lost, aren't we?" Alloy comments.

To that, I say, "We are lost."

"No, we are not." A third party contests.

You see, Valerius has been keeping up with his new hobby of fundamentally ignoring my existence, so instead of riding with my husband, I was forced to saddle up with the only other inconvenience in the group: Prince Florian.

We've fallen behind the rest of the talented team of hounds and huntsmen. Florian explained it's because they're concerned about my safety, the princess' safety, and therefore, don't want us in the frontlines. But I'd argue it's because he does a terrible job on a horse.

Regardless, it's a bit embarrassing to be left behind. A small part of me was looking forward to the hunting aspect of it. Although it's mostly because being viewed as a helpless creature, especially by those snotty noblemen, physically burns.

"Isn't it more dangerous to be separated from the rest of the group?" I inquire, brow raised.

With gritted teeth, Florian answers, "Whose fault is that?"

"Yours?" I snap back. "I mean, who's driving?"

The horse halts. Florian eyes me bitterly, "Alright. If you're so competent at horse riding, you can take the reigns."

Riding a horse isn't my forté. Truth be told, I've only tried a few times in monitored tourist spots—memories I'm not fond of. But to humiliate myself in front of a person I'm having a verbal spat with? No. Last thing I want to do right now is hurt my ego even more.

I drop down from the horse, "Fine. Get off."

With visible reluctance, Florian gets off and we switch places. Alloy makes adjustments and is soon laid on my lap.

"You have no idea what you're doing."

Maybe. Maybe not.

"What now? Where are we headed to?" The prince questions from behind me. He's pushing my buttons on purpose.

"Where else?" I follow the trail the rest of the group left—footprints, broken branches, parted bushes. When a hunting group passes an area, they tend to leave traces.

We should be there soon. The only problem is that, unpredictably, the trail comes to an end. After half an hour or so of following after hints of human life, there's no clear lead—a dead end.

It's as if we've entered a different dimension. A stretch but, in this world, it's not entirely impossible.

This is the part where Alloy calls me dramatic, but the feline remains quiet, strangely enough. I stare at the cat's purple eyes. They blink back at me.

"Great," Florian says. "We're lost."

I sigh, "We're not lost."

Florian retaliates, "Right. We're not lost. We simply don't know where we are."

The urge to tear the skin off my face is getting harder to ignore.

"Why did you come in the first place? Aren't you allergic to the outside world?" I ask.

He laughs, a humorless sound. "I came here for you, actually."

Where is this audacity coming from? First, I catch him lurking in the outskirts of town. Now, this, boldly proclaiming that he's went all this way for me. I'm not sure how to respond to that information.

"Look," I start, trying to conceal the trembles in my voice. "It's flattering, but I don't view you that way, Florian. You're making this weird, actually. Weren't you interested in Aurelia a few weeks ago?"

"It's not that!" He hisses. The prince is burning red when he hits me on the back hard. Alloy almost jumps off the horse.

"Ouch!" My hand rubs the sore spot. "Don't do that!"

"I wanted to talk about that time with the witch." Florian explains.

There's a mixed bowl of emotions in his voice. Fear, uncertainty, maybe even regret. If I want to get as much information as I can from the prince, I have to be careful with my prodding.

First, reassurance,

"I never had plans to snitch on you if that's what you're worried about."

The prince stills in disbelief. Seconds later, he continues, "I'd like to explain myself."

I hum.

While he's at it, it's best I think about our next course of action. Looking around, there's barely any exit routes. The trees grow intimidatingly tall, grass impossibly wild. Something's wrong here. I feel it in my bones.

Not to mention, Alloy's been quiet—uncharacteristically so.

"I was there to retrieve a potion." Florian confesses.

"So was I." I respond. "You know that explains nothing, right?"

Could've phrased that more politely. I'm multitasking two problems at once though.

"It was a," He pauses. Takes a nervous gulp. The tension in the air thickens for reasons other than the strange environment. "A love potion."

The horse's slow galloping comes to a complete halt.

The shock is incomprehensible. It's like I'm being punched in the gut, completely deprived of air. What follows is confusion, contemplation, then pure, unadulterated anger.

My brows furrow, "You were going to drug Aurelia?"

"No, I was–"

"Don't even start with me!" An unexpected outburst. I care more about that blonde than I realize. "There's no excuse to that, Florian. I told you to be patient and build a genuine connection. How is a love potion your idea of a genuine connection?"

I didn't even know those existed in this world. Wait. Wait. I look behind me, "Why are you admitting this?"

Florian avoids my gaze when he says his next words, "Because you have my potion."

I freeze. The world comes collapsing at the realization. That means I fed my husband Florian's potion—a love potion.

"Who's the recipient of the potion's intended effects?" I ask.

"It's mild, temporary," That's not what I asked. "A bit unpredictable because of how weak it is, but if it works right, the recipient should be the first person the affected comes in contact with."

That explains Valerius' strange behavior.

"How about an antidote?"

Florian stares up at the sky, "There's none. It fades over time. I promise you. I wasn't trying to cheat my relationship with Aurelia. I got it on an impulse. It just came to mind while I was reading."

It fades over time, huh? Will Valerius be vengeful once he figures out that he's under a love potion's grip? Will he realize it was me who put it in his food?

So many questions unanswered, but at least I've solved his suspicious behavior. A love potion—almost hilarious how it's the perfect amount of cheesy. Perfect for Thord Garden.

"Alright." I huff. "But you're on thin ice, Florian."

A piece of the puzzle has been found, placed, but before I can revel in it, the horse makes a fuzz and flips us over.