I Love You, My Cursed Prince

Princess Arya met Muriel and Doctor Bergson in a hallway only a few moments after Muriel's meeting with Prince Vidar. She told them to follow her to another barely used room with no servants about. And again, the doctor was a lookout for them.

Facing each other, they sat down.

"Did he ask you to marry him?" the princess asked as she looked down at her fingernails.

Muriel nodded and said, "Yes, Madam. If you feel insulted, then I sincerely apologize. I know a commoner wouldn't be worthy of your esteemed son."

A tick formed in Princess Arya's eyebrow, but after a few pulses it disappeared. "Muriel, a married man is often judged by his wife. I've done everything I can to grow a fine reputation for you. You're Muriel the Kind, the Well Spoken, the Frugal, and the Just. You're also Muriel the Beautiful. Even the highest aristocrats have asked me about you. You're one of the most d.e.s.i.r.ed women in Norantha."

Muriel's head moved at a curious angle as she blinked and uttered out, "Oh. That's ... that's a fine reputation to have."

Princess Arya continued. "If you agree to marry my son, we'll prepare the evidence showing that he is indeed Prince Vidar, then we'll go to the Royal Palace and confess our sin of dishonesty. The first stitch in the garment will be you, Muriel. The announcement of your engagement will uplift and revitalize him. What else would people think? 'Oh, if Muriel Devin, that woman with fine moral fiber, is willing to marry such a hideous thing, then he must be a good man!' That sort of thought. That's what we're hoping to put into the public."

There was a new realization stinging Muriel's thoughts and memories. The air felt unusually cold and thick as she looked at the princess' stony eyes. "Madam?"

"What is it, Muriel?"

"I'm afraid to say," Muriel put her hands to her bosom and pressed her knees together. "But this speculation I have ... it seems plausible."

Princess Arya shrugged. "Be direct, Child!"

"Ah, well ... I've wondered, Your Highness, if your son had this sort of plan for very long?"

"No. He never had a plan, but I did. I had this plan before I met you, Muriel, even before I began my search for the most proper companion."

Muriel's eyes closed, then opened very, very wide. "From ... the beginning, from the very beginning, even when you first met me ... you had this plan?"

Soberly, austerely, Princess Arya nodded.

Muriel's hands went to her lips and she whispered, "By the Creator."

"So, now you understand," the princess said. "The moment I decided to hire you was the moment you became precious to me. I encouraged you to be intimate with my son in the hopes that he'd fall in love with you. That's why I was so strict when choosing my companion. I had to be certain that she was beautiful but proper, and with a good heart. I planned this with the hope that my Vidar would find his strength again and return to his place in society."

Muriel looked down at her skirt, and she wondered what else could be in that woman's mind.