The Cursed Prince

Before Harlow realized how much of an effect saying the name prompted from the people, the elves were already letting out angry huffs and noises of discontentment. It was obvious that Raphael was not welcome in this kingdom.

"The man consorts with the demons!" one of the princes huffed. "Masquerading as a good man. It is not right for a beautiful maiden to go searching for him. Has he deceived someone again?"

"He is a trickster! It is befitting that he has been driven out of here!" another said.

Prince Nieven, who had been actually friendly earlier, suddenly turned to Harlow and gave her a serious look. He cleared his throat and looked her in the eye with all the concern ever possible. 

"Are you alright?" Prince Nieven asked. It was as if he was searching for something on her face. "What has he done with you? Did he bewitch you?"

"Bewitch me?" Harlow snorted at the word and shook her head. She could hear a lot of words being thrown about the Ice Prince that turned the regal throne room into a wild circus. However, she wasn't against it and just shrugged. "Pfff… I just don't like the guy…"

"Ah, then he must have taken something valuable from you!" another one of the elven princes shouted. "Did he steal your soul? He offers solutions but then decides to take things that are not in your agreement." 

The first prince raised a hand and silenced the chaos in the throne room. The expression on his face was grave as he looked at Harlow and spoke urgently and with anger inflected in his tone. 

"Young maiden, his appearance may be fair, but his deceit knows no bounds here in the kingdom of elves," he said and shook his head. "The atrocities he has committed! I beg you to not search for him!" 

Harlow wanted to think that she was pleased and happy that these people were not fans of the Ice Prince. She could see that they were the ones who were not blinded by any sort of emotions.

The White Witch from Mount Tempest and King Alexander Leoralei from Myreen both seemed to hold sympathy for Raphael, but the elves did not share the same. It was finally the conflict that Harlow was looking for, although it made her feel nervous.

These people were obviously on the other side of the meter when it came to disliking the man she was looking for. It made her wonder what exactly did the Ice Prince do here in this elven kingdom that made them hate him.

Was Raphael even more dangerous than what the princess expected besides him being presumptuous? As far as Harlow knew from the stories she heard in passing about Raphael, the Ice Prince was capable of freezing someone with one look in the eye.

So, Harlow assumed that for those who come from magically powerful kingdoms like elves, they wouldn't be so easy to defeat…

Then, what did this Ice Prince do exactly? Was it such a bad crime deserving this much hatred? All Harlow was aware of was he seemed to have Ice and Healing powers. Was there anything else?

Despite being arrogant and with a personality grating on Harlow's nerves, she wouldn't say that the elves were incapable of strength and power. They could back their own pompous attitude with their rich history.

So why were they crying out in anger at the Ice Prince? 

Why were they calling him a trickster and someone who consorted with demons?

If this Raphael had more powers that could create disaster in an elven kingdom and throw everything into chaos, then, Harlow did not want any part in this anymore. 

Even if it was already so far and she'd already arrived here, she would now question her decisions. The Crown Princess came all the way with the intention to complain and strangle the Ice Prince if possible, but if this Raphael was a murderer or something worse… then perhaps she needed to back out and seek her parents' protection.

Harlow gulped for a moment and looked warily at the first prince to understand the full story and hear it completely. 

For the first time since she arrived in the elven kingdom, the full attention of the princess was finally on these people.

She was already feeling conflicted on whether to continue searching for Raphael or perhaps return to Draec and then do it with her family to be safer. 

However, Harlow was always thinking about the time she already spent. 

She knew that she was probably weeks, or even months ahead, if her father and mother had sent an army after she had left the kingdom of Draec.

Perhaps the man's act wasn't so bad that it signaled a death flag to Harlow herself? 

Actually, the princess was actually staking out a little on the idea that the Ice Prince wouldn't be upset with her. If that happened, then Harlow would be able to take him by surprise.

Harlow took a deep breath and looked at the elven prince on the throne. She was feeling nervous but asked. "Atrocity? What vile acts has he committed to this beautiful kingdom?"

"Oh, that foul demon has brought discord and shame to our glorious and exalted kingdom!" the elves bemoaned and cried out.

"... yeah, what exactly?" Harlow asked again. She wanted to roll her eyes. The elves talked a lot but they didn't really answer her question. As an impatient woman, she was very annoyed by this.

"Our beautiful, soft-hearted Princess Nievera was bewitched by this foul demon and then he left her heart in tatters!" the second prince cried out. "This demon stole the heart of our princess and then shattered it!"

One of Harlow's eyes twitched for a moment. She thought she understood the full picture but, on the second thought, she realized she could still be wrong and just misunderstood again.

"Pardon? Did you say… he stole the heart?" Harlow tried to clarify. "The literal heart? Is… your princess dead?"

"Oh, our beloved sister, Princess Nievera is in good health, bless her and the exalted kingdom forever!" The third prince answered. "However, she is unwell in terms of her spirit. Broken down by that foul, demonic monster!"

Prince Nieven approached Harlow and explained. "Raphael is a frequent traveler and guest here, but then when my sister asked for his hand in marriage, he rejected her."

"The nerve of that atrocious beast! How could he reject us?!"

"He will never step in this kingdom again as long as I live!"

Harlow batted her eyes at their replies. Her mouth agape. For a moment, she needed to compose herself and not lash out at the pompous and noisy elven princes.

She thought Raphael was REALLY A MONSTER who had literally ripped out a princess' heart and killed her in cold blood.

As it turned out...

Tsk...

It was just a one-sided love affair in which the elf princess was rejected and now suddenly Raphael was no longer welcomed in the elven realm.

Harlow finally rolled her eyes and let out a really long sigh.

"Do you know what he said when he rejected our beautiful sister? He said he already had a bride!" The first prince looked at Harlow with fiery eyes. "The audacity to lie and break our sister's heart!"

"Huh?" Harlow's eyes bulged at his words. "What do you mean? So, he is already married?"

She clenched her fists to the sides. So, Raphael was already married? Then, why did he keep sending all those gifts to her all these years? Ugghhh... such womanizer!

"No. He is not married. We would know if he did. My sister initially could accept his rejection with an open heart... but after ten years, we realized he is still not married! So, it was all just a lie to reject our beautiful sister. What coward does that to hurt a woman? He should have just been honest and told our sister that he is not interested in her."

"Huh?" Suddenly Harlow felt a pang of headache. Somehow she started to see the picture more clearly.

[Don't tell me the bride he was talking about was...]  Harlow bit her lip.  [... Me?]

The princess held back from rolling her eyes. She had rolled her poor eyes so many times ever since she left Draec, she was worried soon they would fall out of their sockets.

Harlow cleared her throat and spoke calmly, "Uhm... maybe... he really has a bride? They just postpone the wedding because..."

She pinched her arm.

[What the hell? Why am I defending him now?]

.

.

_________________________

From Missrealitybites:

Hahahahaa.... so, apparently Raphael has a lot of fans, including a princess from the elven kingdom.