I Love You, My Cursed Prince

On the next night, before she reached her bedroom, the doctor returned the box to her, which meant that there was a new note for her to read. So, in her bedroom, Muriel read it.

"You have my gratitude, Miss Devin. Would you like to request something of me?"

Muriel found the brevity to be disappointing, but she replied to him. "Would you please tell me how you're able to play such complex piano music?"

And the next night, she received an answer.

"Practice."

Muriel was so miffed that she didn't give another message. The box was empty when she put it on the side table.

But she still received a message on the next night, and it had her chewing on her gloves.

"I wish we could have a conversation without horrifying consequences."

She couldn't decide on whether or not the man was a coward.

+++++++++++

"The doctor confessed something to me," Princess Arya whispered to her during breakfast in a dining room.

A blob of Muriel's savory porridge fell right out of her spoon and splattered back into her bowl. The food in her mouth was swallowed with too much force.

"I wanted to be certain. So, I went to my son and asked him for the truth." The princess sounded lofty yet sober.

Muriel put her spoon in her bowl and her hands in her l.a.p. She was too frightened to look at the princess' face. If she thought to ruin her, she could. There would be little Muriel could do about it.

"The poor, lonely boy. He'd like to have a chat with you. Perhaps you could arrange something with the doctor? With enough creativity, something could be managed?"

What?!

Muriel gaped up at the princess.

There was a mostly uncommunicative visage behind the face powder and rouge, mostly. Quietly shining through her brown eyes, there was something else, something ... something like ... when a child's about to beg a parent for a treat, only much sadder.

An alarming thought slapped itself into Muriel's astonished mind.

Assuming Princess Arya wanted her to speak to the prince, for whatever questionable reason, would Muriel have much of a choice in the matter?