The Cursed Prince

Harlow wanted to pretend that she was still asleep and hoped that the Demon King would stop bothering her. Even though she said that she wanted to get to know him, that was all a lie so it was better that she wasn't disturbed.

"Hmmm… I wonder if a morning kiss would wake you up." Raphael hummed aloud.

[What???]

[You wouldn't dare!]

Harlow kept her eyes squeezed shut, but then after a couple of seconds spent agonizing if this shameless devil was going to rudely wake her up as he said, still… nothing happened. 

And this made Harlow feel confused.

She thought she heard his footsteps draw closer and then she could feel someone plop down on her bed. A certain man sat at the corner close to her and Harlow thought he was going to lean close.

Oh crap, what if he was actually going to kiss her? 

She finally gave up. 

She'd rather not have the experience of feeling his lips again. Even if they had been soft and warm…. And sweet… and… the kiss was not… bad.

The princess faked a yawn and stretched to see the Demon King looking at her with a gentle look on his face. There was longing in his gaze and… 

[No, wait...]

Harlow thought it must be her imagination because when she rubbed her eyes and looked at him again, Raphael looked like he was also moments away from laughing. 

This trickster Demon King probably knew she was already awake and decided to tease her so she would wake up already. It was so dangerous being around this person that Harlow needed to be vigilant and sharp or else he would do what he wanted and take advantage of her.

"Good morning, Wifey." Raphael bit back an amused chuckle as he held up a tray of food for her. "I hope that you are hungry. I tried my hand at cooking you something."

Harlow stared at him and found herself at a loss for words and pointed at the tray. There were several plates filled with sumptuous dishes… They all looked very mouth watering. "You cooked everything there?"

"Yes." Raphael nodded. "I did. I know I am too handsome to look like I can even boil water, but I am actually very resourceful and I can cook quite well."

"You have servants, right?" Harlow batted her eyes. "You had demon gardeners, a minotaur chef and even demon generals who are serving you. Why would you go through the effort of painstakingly cooking something? Wait, did you use magic to cook? Just like you can refill the wine jug with a snap of your fingers, perhaps, cooking all these only needs magic at the tip of your fingertips."

"No, no no… wifey, dear. All the magic I need is the magic of love." Raphael joked. "I cooked this all by myself and did not use magic if that is what you are asking. How would it be an act of love if I didn't work hard for it?"

Harlow didn't laugh and only averted her gaze. Here was a Demon King who was cracking bad jokes in a terrible attempt to make him look funny. He threw a grand party for her last night and was a gentleman except for the kiss incident and the magical oath.

She really couldn't wrap her head around this man. He was like an enigma to her, a confusing puzzle.

"Harlow?" 

"I… I really don't know why you're doing this." Harlow sighed aloud and gestured to the tray of breakfast in his hands. She could already smell the delicious and mouthwatering flavor of rabbit meat and her stomach grumbled.

"The reason is quite simple, darling." Raphael smiled and handed her the tray of breakfast. He wanted her to enjoy breakfast at the comfort of her bed as he gazed upon her sincerely. "I want to please you and make you happy."

His voice sounded so sincere that Harlow even felt guilty to roll her eyes at that. So, she didn't say anything.

The princess started to eat her delicious rabbit steak, pumpkin pie, and sliced tropical fruits, while wondering where on earth this man got all this rare ingredients. She had not seen any rabbit when she arrived in the demon's realm. Also did they have pumpkin here? She didn't really like pumpkin but this pie was amazing!

She didn't realize she was eating voraciously, while the man looked at her with a satisfied smile. When Harlow choked on her food because she ate too much too fast, suddenly a big hand had reached out a cup of milk to her.

Harlow mouthed her thank you and down the milk. The breakfast was so delectable. After she was done and removed the tray from her lap and placed it beside her,  eventually she looked up at Raphael. 

"Whoaaa… good food! I am surprised to know that you have this hidden talent," Harlow commented.

The man shrugged and grinned, obviously very pleased with himself. 

"Well, not so hidden, I suppose," he corrected her. "And this is only one of my many talents. You will get to see them one by one, especially my talent in…"

He cleared his throat and didn't continue his words, just giving her a very lewd expression and glanced at the bed.

Harlow coughed violently and waved her hand. "Stop it… you will make me vomit all my food."

Raphael smiled sheepishly and nodded. "I'm sorry, I can't help it. I love teasing you. You look so cute when you lose your temper."

Harlow looked at the man attentively. "I should tell you that you're not the man I imagined you to be when my mother mentioned the Ice Prince. I thought you were going to be cold, harsh, cruel, and force me to marry you against my will. You've done the exact opposite with me."

Raphael chuckled softly. "As I told you, my reputation is quite inaccurate.. I am not a bad man."