The Cursed Alpha Prince's Replacement Bride Chapter 96: Alexander’s Pettiness

{Third Person}

When Alexander woke, discomfort settled heavily into his body.

Though it wasn’t sharp enough to alarm him, it was persistent enough to be impossible to ignore.

His head throbbed faintly, and a lingering weakness in his limbs did not belong to him. For a mont, he remained still, staring ahead as his mind slowly gathered itself.

Then, so of the mories returned. The scent. The loss of control. The shift.

And then, Amara.

His brows drew together slightly as he pushed himself up, the movent slower than it should have been.

He was already back in his human form, but the weakness clung to him in a way that irritated him more than the pain itself.

"I went to her side," he said, his voice low, already certain of the answer.

Jasper, who had been waiting quietly, stepped forward without hesitation. "Yes, Your Highness."

Alexander lifted his gaze to him, sharp despite everything. "And what happened?"

Jasper did not dress it up. "You broke into her room and frightened her."

Alexander’s expression remained unreadable for a brief mont before he asked, "Did she faint?"

Alexander already knew Amara’s strengths, especially from the things he was able to observe and witness about her firsthand.

He knew how easily she got frightened, especially seeing how rough, violent and bloody situations could turn into within seconds, so he was sure that he had actually scared her to death.

There was a pause, just enough to be noticeable, before Jasper replied. "No, Your Highness."

That answer made his gaze narrow. "No?"

"She did not faint," Jasper repeated calmly. "She was frightened, but she remained conscious."

The silence that followed stretched longer this ti.

Alexander leaned back slightly, his jaw tightening as he processed that information. Of everything Jasper had said, that was what settled wrongly with him.

"She did not faint, but I collapsed?" he asked, his tone quieter now.

Jasper’s lips almost betrayed him, but he controlled himself. "Yes, Your Highness."

Another silence followed. Then Alexander scoffed under his breath, clearly displeased.

"So I was the one who lost control, broke into her room, and still managed to be the one lying on the floor while she remained standing."

Jasper lowered his gaze, but the faint tension at the corner of his mouth did not escape notice.

Alexander shot him a look. "If you find this amusing, say it now."

"I do not, Your Highness."

Alexander did not look convinced. He dragged a hand through his hair, clearly irritated now, though not in the way one would expect. His pride had taken the brunt of it, and it showed.

"...Unbelievable," he muttered.

Jasper chose not to comnt. Instead, he stepped forward and presented a bowl of red liquid. The scent alone was enough to make its contents obvious.

Alexander took it without hesitation and drank it in one motion. The warmth spread through him quickly, steadying his breathing and easing so of the weakness, though not completely restoring him.

When he handed the bowl back, his gaze had sharpened again. "Report," he said.

Jasper inclined his head slightly. "Your actions this morning have already spread throughout the palace. The Queen has begun making her move."

Alexander did not look surprised. "How?"

"She is using the court officials," Jasper explained. "The information is being circulated in a way that ensures it reaches them, and from there, it will likely be brought before His Majesty."

Alexander let out a quiet scoff, leaning back slightly as if the entire strategy bored him. "Of course she is."

Jasper lowered his gaze. "I was unable to contain the matter within the residence. My apologizes, Your Highness."

Alexander waved it off dismissively. "It was never going to stay contained. Not after that scene." There was no anger in his tone, only certainty.

"I am more interested in what she intends to do with it," he added. "Let her try."

Jasper studied him briefly before continuing. "There is sothing else you should know."

Alexander’s gaze shifted back to him. "Speak."

"The scent that triggered your loss of control was deliberate," Jasper said. "Lord Zarek sent a servant carrying fresh ga past the residence."

The room fell into a quiet stillness.

Alexander’s expression hardened, not explosively, but with a cold, controlled edge that was far more dangerous.

"So that was it," he said.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Alexander held his gaze for a mont before asking, "What about the servant? Did you take care of him?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Jasper replied without hesitation. "I killed him personally."

That earned him a small nod. "And the body?"

"I had it buried."

That answer, however, did not sit well. Alexander’s expression shifted imdiately, his gaze sharpening with clear dissatisfaction.

"Buried?"

Jasper straightened slightly. "Yes, Your Highness."

Alexander leaned back, his voice turning colder. "Dig it out."

Jasper did not question him. He just patiently waited for further instructions.

"Deliver it to Zarek’s residence," Alexander continued. "If he wishes to provoke , he should be prepared to receive a response."

Jasper bowed his head. "Understood."

A brief silence followed before Alexander spoke again. "I will go for a hunt tonight."

Jasper looked at him imdiately, concern flickering across his expression. "Your Highness—"

Alexander cut him off without raising his voice. "If I do not, I cannot guarantee that no one dies tonight."

The words were calm and absolute.

Jasper held his gaze for a mont before bowing once more. "I will make the preparations."

Alexander said nothing further, but the decision had already been made. There would be no interference this ti.

---

That evening, Amara sat at the dining table with a plate of food before her, but her mind was nowhere near it.

She had barely taken a few bites when Mrs. Woods stepped in, her expression composed but carrying a trace of sothing more serious beneath it.

"My lady," she said gently, "there is sothing you should know."

Amara lifted her gaze, pausing mid-motion. "What is it?"

Mrs. Woods took a step closer. "Her Majesty has sent out invitations. All the won in the palace are to attend breakfast at her quarters tomorrow morning."

Though the words landed quietly, their effect was imdiate.

Amara’s appetite disappeared. She lowered her cutlery slowly, her gaze dropping to the plate in front of her as her thoughts began to turn.

A breakfast gathering hosted by the Queen and involving every woman in the palace was not sothing done without a hidden intent.

Not with Lysandra.

Not after everything that had already happened.

"What is she planning this ti..." Amara murmured under her breath.

Mrs. Woods watched her carefully, noticing the way her expression had tightened, the way her shoulders had subtly tensed. She let out a soft breath before speaking again.

"My lady, Her Majesty will not harm you physically," she said, her tone calm but firm. "Not after what has already transpired recently. She is far too careful for that."

Amara looked up at her.

"But," Mrs. Woods continued, "that does not an she will not try sothing else. You must be careful. Do not speak carelessly, and do not walk into anything you do not understand."

Amara nodded slowly, absorbing her words. "I understand."

There was a brief silence before sothing else crossed her mind. "...His Highness," she said, her voice quieter now. "Is he alright?"

Mrs. Woods nodded. "Yes. His Highness is fine now." A small pause followed before she added, "He left the residence so minutes ago."

Amara frowned slightly. "At this hour?"

Mrs. Woods did not answer that directly.

Amara stared at the table for a mont, her thoughts drifting. She wanted to ask more—where he had gone, why he would leave at night in his condition—but sothing held her back.

In the end, she said nothing. She simply nodded and lowered her gaze again, though her appetite did not return.

---

At the Second Prince’s residence, the atmosphere was far less restrained.

Julia sat comfortably as one of her maids attended to her, the quiet of the room broken only by the soft rustle of fabric. A servant entered shortly after, carrying a sealed ssage.

"My lady," the servant said, bowing slightly as she presented it.

Julia took it without much thought and opened it. As her eyes scanned the contents, a faint scoff escaped her.

"So," she muttered, leaning back slightly, "Her Majesty is inviting all the won in the palace for breakfast tomorrow."

There was a trace of amusent in her tone, but it did not reach her eyes. "How thoughtful."

She folded the invitation slowly, tapping it lightly against her palm as her expression shifted into sothing sharper.

Then, she continued, her voice laced with quiet disdain, "I wonder if that weak human will find a way to involve His Highness again this ti."

The maid beside her stiffened slightly but said nothing.

Julia’s lips curled faintly, her gaze distant. "Ever since she arrived, there has been nothing but trouble," she added, her tone cooling further. "And sohow, she always manages to stand in the centre of it."

Disgust flickered openly across her face now.

She set the invitation aside as though it were of little importance, though the glint in her eyes suggested otherwise.