Transmigrated Into The Body Of The Cursed Prince Wife-Chapter 291: Half dressed

"I will be given a title on the day of the coronation," he told her as she began to move away from him.

"Prince Lucian will make me his advisor in court. Isn’t that enough to make me qualify to ask for your hand?" He whispered softly as he looked into her teary eyes.

Lucian had given him the documents to own the doomed palace, and though he had refused it at first, he now had a reason to take it and the position offered to him in the Royal court.

That night, when they had walked away from the garden, Lucian had taken him to the study to hand him the documents of the ownership of the doomed palace and every guard and servant there.

"Let me at least talk to him," he told her when he saw she still didn’t look ready to give him her approval for his plans to marry her. He had thought she would like it, but it seemed he had thought wrong.

Though Thalia was internally happy for him for the position, she still didn’t want to burden his life. He should marry the woman of his dreams and not be forced.

"I don’t think you should. My brother will never agree, and I don’t want you to marry me because—" Thalia was saying when a knock came from her door.

"Thalia, are you inside?" came her brother’s voice from behind the door, causing her eyes to widen in shock.

"It seems he’s here right on time. I will talk to him now." Zane said, but the princess shook her head, pleading firmly.

"No, please don’t. Hide yourself and don’t let him see you, or your head will be on the floor before he lets you explain." She whispered urgently, frightened for his life when she saw the determined look in his eyes.

She wasn’t ready to risk it with her brother. She wouldn’t let Zane die. When he didn’t budge, Thalia touched his cheeks and made him look at her instead of the door, where another knock came.

"Zane, please. Do this for me. Hide behind the wardrobe and give me time to think about your proposal. I am not ready to let him know what happened between us. Give me time. Please..." She pleaded as she gained the courage to touch his cheek and traced the corner of his lip with her trembling finger.

He reached his hand, wrapped his fingers around her wrist, and then turned the back of her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckle before he whispered softly.

"Okay. I won’t talk to him now. I will leave through the window." He smiled, his first smile after all this while his guilt had been eating at him.

She nodded, but realizing his words, she asked, "The window? How will you do that? It’s too high up. Hide in—"

"Thalia?!" Came Alden’s voice when she wasn’t answering his knock.

Before Zane could say anything, she quickly pushed at his chest and led him to hide behind the corner in her wardrobe.

"Stay there until he’s gone," she warned, but before she could turn away and leave, he pulled her back and pressed a kiss to her lips.

"Promise you will think about my proposal?" he asked, but she slipped away from him and ran to the door when her brother began to pound on it. Where he was hiding, Zane heard the prince enter the chamber.

"What took you so long to open the door?"

"I was trying on my new dress. I’m sorry I took so long to open the door for you," Thalia lied while she tried to steady her heartbeat and make sure he wouldn’t sense anything amiss.

Thank goodness Alden didn’t stay long or seem to notice anything suspicious. He had the habit of checking on her at random times since the day she had returned to the palace. But before he could leave, he noticed her eyes.

"Have you been crying again?" he asked softly, and when she shook her head, he pulled her into his embrace and stroked her hair.

"I have told you the other day, Thalia, you shouldn’t cry about that old trash of a minister. I have taken care of him, and he will never cause you any pain again. I will make sure no man brings you pain again."

Thalia couldn’t help her tears again as she knew Alden would never spare Zane if he knew what had happened that day, not to mention agreeing to a marriage she didn’t think was right.

---

As many of the guests arrived at the palace, they expressed their resentment towards Ave in one way or another. This was especially true of the court members who had ignored Alden’s warning and continued to spread rumors about the changes Ave had convinced Lucian to implement. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

Their wives, having heard of these changes, spread the gossip among the noblewomen, who were now openly showing their disdain for Ave and expressing their hatred at the thought of her becoming their Empress.

The day of the coronation many had dreaded and some anticipated arrived.

The Pendragon palace had never been this full in all of the years as the invitation went to everyone. Carriages rolled into the grounds in lines; however, the security was tight so that no one could enter without identifying themselves or inhaling the witch detector smoke to avoid the shapeshifter witches.

Lucian wasn’t willing to take any risk at this event.

The shapeshifter witches were vicious and cunning, and since the last time two had helped the Empress take Ave, he didn’t want to give them the chance again.

Though many of the guests grumbled their displeasure at being forced to go through the smoke, none of them refused to do so.

Meanwhile, inside the palace, everyone stumbled around to get ready on time and go to the cathedral in the palace grounds where the Emperor would take an oath and be crowned.

Ave woke up that morning feeling quite tired when she had anticipated the day and had seen herself being energetic.

It was a day that would change the history of the Empire, but it seemed morning sickness had other plans for her. However, she didn’t give in to the tiredness and allowed the servants to rush her out of bed and help her prepare and dress.

The past few days leading up to this day had been quite rough for her, especially as she was openly insulted by many of their guests.

Just last evening, she had been returning from the library when a guest intentionally bumped into her shoulder. It had clearly been deliberate, as the elderly woman didn’t apologize and instead pretended to be in pain, accusing Ave of hitting her.

Ave could tell the woman was looking for a fight, hoping to provoke her into losing her temper and ruining the image she had been working so hard to keep clean in the eyes of the guests. She had been nothing but calm and polite to them, even though there were times she wanted to fight back and tighten the loose screws in some people’s heads.

Knowing she would be spending the rest of her life in this world and this palace, Ave had resolved to leave her impatient and impulsive nature behind and become a different kind of woman with a good reputation. But the people here were making it nearly impossible for her to maintain that resolve.

Yesterday, she had almost lost her temper as the woman kept crying and causing a scene, drawing attention to her.

Ave had warned her under her breath, as she wasn’t in the mood for any drama when so many other things weighed on her mind.

"My lady, if I were you, I would quietly turn and leave rather than create a scene. I am not the woman you want to mess with. I can destroy you with just a word, and if it’s a scene you’re looking for, I’ll give you just that."

Ave had been smiling as she delivered the warning to the melodramatic woman, who looked at her in horror, clearly having expected her theatrics to make Ave lose her temper and humiliate herself. The woman had likely heard all the rumors calling Ave strange and an insane witch.

They whispered those things behind her back, but the words always found their way to her.

The Banzai delegation had arrived as well, and every one of Madeline’s stepsisters looked at her with horror and disdain. Rylan had come with them, but he remained in Aaron’s form and only visited her once, as she learned he was busy with his search for the Empress.

Still, Ave didn’t let the nobles and royal guests bring her down, as the commoners had been generous to her, and she intended to ensure none of these people interfered with the positive changes she and Lucian planned for the Empire.

This world would not crumble to dust as long as she was in it. She would not let history repeat itself by bending to the will of the greedy, wealthy citizens.

She had explained everything in detail about what had become of Pendragon in the future to Lucian. He had been smart enough to decide what changes were needed without her explicitly telling him. Yet, rumors claimed she had whispered the ideas to him with enchantments, that she had bewitched him with her powers.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Ave glanced at her reflection in the mirror after the servants finished preparing her for the coronation.

She could barely recognize herself by the time they were done as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

She wore a flowing purple dress that reminded her of Cinderella’s ball gown, only this was purple and the neckline was quite low with the bodice held tight and pushed the white flesh of her bosom up to the point she feared her nipples would spill out if she made any wrong movement.

It also made her waist, which had begun to thicken lately, slim and small, and though it was uncomfortable, she didn’t complain because it made her small bump nonexistent in the dress. The sleeves were short, and she wore matching gloves.

Her red hair was tied in a bun at the top of her head where a few strands fell, framing her heart-shaped face. Her lips were painted red with the rose petal lip powder that was mixed with oils.

She didn’t need blush because her cheeks were naturally red today. The servants had showered her with compliments, but none of that brought a smile to her face.

For the past three days, Lucian had slept in another chamber to give her the space he believed she wanted.

She had not set eyes on him even once in those days, not even at mealtime. She could go and seek him out, but she didn’t dare to do so because she feared she might actually melt into him and make him change her mind about living separately.

She knew he was giving her space because he wanted her to change her mind, but she couldn’t do that, and it hurt every night to sleep knowing he was somewhere around the palace, but she couldn’t go to him.

This morning she had woken up tired because she had slept missing him and calling out to him in her mind to come to her. She missed his arms and kisses, but he hadn’t come, and she slept with a heavy heart and woke up feeling this way.

Today was a big day for him, and she wished she could see him before they would meet in the cathedral where he would be crown.

Ave stared at her reflection unblinkingly, wishing he was here to see her dress before she stepped out. She was about to turn and meet the others so they could leave for the cathedral when the door to the dressing room opened.

At first, she thought it was one of the servants helping her who had left to check if the carriages were ready to leave, or even the Pendragon sisters who were dressing in the rooms next to this one, but was taken aback to see that it wasn’t either of them.

It was her husband.

He walked in half-dressed, quietly closing the door behind him before standing still, his intense gaze roaming over her body.

Ave hadn’t expected him to come, even though she had longed for him, especially last night when his absence left an ache in her chest.

Yet now, as he stood there, she felt her heartbeat falter, unsteady, as if it couldn’t keep pace with the sight of him. She knew he was looking at her the same way she was looking at—drinking her in—and her breath caught when his gaze lingered on the exposed curve of her bosom. She watched as his Adam’s apple moved, betraying the effect she had on him, and her skin burned under his scrutiny.

Her eyes dropped to his outfit, taking in his half-dressed state and the disheveled elegance of it. He wore his coronation attire—a robe and a deep blue court coat with gold embroidery on the cuffs and high collar. The front had golden buttons running all the way from the throat to the waist, but all of them were left unbuttoned, revealing his vest-clad, muscular chest and shoulders—a sight that made her throat feel slightly dry, as she had missed raining kisses on his torso and touching him.

His royal red robe was trimmed with dark fur and it draped over one of his shoulder, adding to his commanding presence. His hair was tied neatly at the back, highlighting the sharp angles of his handsome face. An ornate belt hung loosely at his waist, matching the undone robe and giving him a disheveled charm. He held a piece of red fabric in his hand and stood silently, watching her intently.

"You didn’t finish dressing," Ave pointed out the obvious when she could no longer withhold his heated gaze that seemed to be undressing her.

He nodded his head, tearing his eyes away from her for a second before it went back to her again.

He walked up to her, closing the distance between them, and stood in front of her as he held out the red fabric to her and said, "I want you to help me complete my dressing. I heard that when a wife does it for her husband on this day, it brings good luck to their relationship even after the ceremony."

He watched her shimmering blue eyes as emotions swirled around them, and then she smiled and nodded before taking the red fabric from his outstretched hand.

"Where should I put it?" she asked, smiling up at him.