Chapter 269 Unwelcomed Guests (2)

Harold paused and turned to look at her. What was this? First, it was Harvey, and now it was Susan?

"I'm sure Princess Amber would need someone to attend to her since Paulina isn't feeling well either," Susan said, stepping forward to look at Harold with beseeching eyes. When it seemed not to work, she stretched her neck to the side until she could see Alicia and blinked at her cutely.

"No," Alvin said behind her as he arrived with his horse's rein in hand, making her turn to glare up at him.

"I didn't ask you. I was talking to Prince Harold," Susan snapped at him before facing Harold.

"If you all leave, my father is going to punish us for disobeying his orders, and no one will save us. I cannot believe that after all the good I did, you are going to abandon me like this," Susan said as she began to cry, while Alvin tried not to roll his eyes at her drama.

How could she be saying 'us' yet she was willing to leave her twin brother behind? Alvin mused with a snort, but Susan ignored him.

Harold wanted to run his hand through his hair in frustration. He wanted a quiet trip. But it wasn't going as planned now. Harold looked at Alvin, who shook his head subtly for Harold not to allow her, but Harold turned away from him to look at Alicia.

"Do you want her to come with us?" Harold asked Alicia, who had been quiet the entire time.

Alicia nodded. She had promised to take them out of the palace for their girls' time out. Even though it wasn't exactly a pleasant situation, it was okay for them to leave this palace now.

When Harold turned away from Alicia to look at her, she could instantly see the consent in his eyes and beamed. Harold stepped away from the door with a sigh. They had chosen the biggest carriage so Alicia would be able to rest comfortably and even sleep inside. He would have joined her but didn't because he wanted her to rest but what was this now?

Immediately Susan entered the carriage and sat down opposite Alicia, Luciana asked in a heartbroken tone, "What... about me?"

"What about you?" Harold asked in displeasure as he eyed her, trying not to raise his voice in anger.

"You... can't leave me here alone with the queen and Ivan," she said, almost crying.

Harold gritted his teeth as he turned to Alicia, and once again she gave him an apologetic look and a nod to let Luciana in.

And just like that, another person was added to the group.

Luciana excitedly joined the carriage, and as soon as she sat down beside Susan, the two began to giggle. Seeing how happy they looked made Alicia's mood light up, and even Paulina joined in the giggling.

"I cannot remember the last time I stepped my feet out of the palace," Luciana said, sounding as though a boulder had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Me too," Susan said in agreement. It only worked whenever she sneaked out of the home, but that had been a long time. And Williams usually found her.

As soon as Harold closed the carriage, they saw Williams walking with large strides towards them while looking around.

"Where is Susan?" He asked Alvin after he bowed to greet Harold and Harvey.

On hearing his voice, Susan snuck her head through the window of the carriage and waved at him.

"I'm in here. I'm leaving the palace with them," she said with a wide smile.

Williams went closer and looked inside the carriage through the window, surprised to find all four of them there. He also took note of the others who had already mounted their horses.

"Why are you all going without me?" He asked with a frown as he scowled at his traitorous sister who couldn't hide her happiness.

Before Harold could snap at him, they all saw Lance running towards them, and almost all of them released a sigh.

It seemed like every one of the members of her fan club had come out to see her when they heard that she was awake and was leaving the palace. It was funny how fast news flew around the palace.

Lance had the same reaction as Williams when he saw all of them: "Were you all planning to leave me here?" He asked in disbelief.

"Why don't we just set up a big tent in the mountains and play together?" Harold asked in an irritated tone.

"Really? We can do that?" Lance asked, his eyes lighting up.

"NO! That was a joke." Alvin said in disbelief as Harold massaged his temples while all the girls giggled at the back, including Alicia.

"We all swore with our lives. We can go together. I believe we can be able to come up with something if we are all out of the palace?" Williams said reasonably.

SILENCE...

And just like that, every one of them left the palace with Harold and Alicia.

Away from there, in Sir Richard's chamber, a maid informed Sir Richard that Harvey had left the palace with Harold, and immediately Benedicta sat up.

"What? Why would he do something like that? I'm getting married to Prince Ivan! Shouldn't he be taking Prince Ivan's side, especially after what Prince Harold did to me?" Benedicta asked in a raised voice, and her mother placed a hand on her arm.

"You shouldn't raise your voice. You are yet to recover from..."

"Do you know if anyone else went with them?" Sir Richard asked, ignoring his daughter's outburst.

The maid gave him a nod as she mentioned the names of everyone who left the palace with Prince Harold.

Sir Richard sighed, feeling relieved that the Queen's niece and nephew, Prince Ivan's first wife, and even Lance, had gone along with them. He would have been very worried if only his son had gone, but now that the children of the queen's brother were with them, he believed they wouldn't make any rash moves.