CHAPTER 6
Alice was shocked if ever her father calls her by her full name it means he was utterly angry and might punish her thoroughly.
It angered and shocked her that he would get angry at her that much for calling his dear daughter an illegitimate child.
"Do you treasure her that much? Fine, go ahead and crown your precious Cynthia as the princess, you do not have to worry about me ruining your very special party because I shall not attend it!"
She yelled as tears rushed out of her eyes, the tears she's fought back for ages.
Seeing that Alice had begun to cry the king's heart ached as he stared at her pitifully.
Even if he doesn't want to be involved with her he wouldn't want to hurt her which is exactly what he has been doing for the past eight years.
"Alice... Father is sorry for making you cry, don't be angry and refuse to come to the ball tonight.."
He tried coaxing her like he's always done with Cynthia but it was obvious that it would not work on Alice, she was one stubborn girl.
His hands reached out and patted her hair but she swat it away in anger.
"Please do not act like you feel sorry for me! You and I both know that you despise me and want me gone from your life, I'm not your beloved daughter so your coaxing won't work on me!"
Alice yelled and snapped at the king, trying to dry out her tears.
"ALICIA do not anger me! When I say you'll come to the ball you have to come!"
The king didn't know when he had yelled at her, Alice scoffed in anger.
"What will happen if I don't come? You'll have your guards beat me up? You'll dispose me back to the mountains where you've locked me up for years? Then I'll be glad to not come because trust me it's way more peaceful in the mountains and I don't have to worry about seeing the faces of people who will annoy me!"
Alice was still rebellious.
The king gnashed his teeth at his very stubborn daughter and turned to face the guards and Lara who stood at the door.
"Leave us!"
He ordered and they bowed before exiting the room.
The king immediately sat down next to Alice.
"You have to come to the ball Alice, you have to find a suitable suitor to marry you! What will my subjects say when they discover that their first princess does not yet have a suitor even on her own birthday?"
The king asked her in a mild voice.
Alice cast him a wild glance.
"Oh, so you do not want your subjects to call you an evil man for not getting your daughter engaged even when she has come of age? Haa... Here I am thinking you at least cared and wanted to make up for what you've done to me, turns out you only want more name to yourself that you won't mind giving the bad egg of the family a very grand wedding, just a great!"
Alice mocked.
Her father only sighed not knowing how to explain the situation of things to his daughter.
"Let me ask you one last question your highness, I won't ask this again after you've answered me so be honest!"
Alice said and the king nodded.
"Do you really think and believe that it was me who murdered my own mother? You've blamed me for it ever since that day and I just want to be sure for the last time that you believe I would do such a thing at the age of ten!"
Alice said.
"You didn't kill your mother... I don't just believe so, I know you didn't do it!"
The king said which shocked Alice, she stared at him for a long time not knowing what to say or do.
"You are my child, Alice, you were born out of the love me and your mother shared and it's enough for me to know you won't take away what gives you joy and happiness!"
Her father added rubbing her purple hair gently.
Alice could only shed tears of relief.
Finally, the one person whom she wanted to believe her said he believed her, she was relieved that he didn't think of her as a murderer, but why would he call her one even if he knows it wasn't her, he framed her.
Does he perhaps know anything about the incident?
The king on the other knows the exact reason he framed her even though he knew she did not do it.
Alice's eyes snapped to him and she swatted his hands away from her head again while glaring at him.
"You knew I didn't do it yet you framed me for it and let people of this town call me a child murderer! I was just a child and didn't know much yet you blamed it on my innocent self!"
"I grew up alone and had nightmares and trauma that still haunt me to date.
People hated and called me names, the princess title which was rightfully mine at birth was ripped from me, no one greets me when I walk past them because they now consider me lower than they are!"
"Do you think it was easy for me? If you think so then it wasn't! It was not easy for a ten-year-old to eavesdrop on her father being with another woman on her birthday!"
Alice didn't know when she yelled it out loud.
Her father looked at her in shock.
"So you knew... You saw what happened that day... Goodness Alice.."
Her father stuttered in shock.
Alice stood to her feet still glaring at him.
"Yes I saw what you did, you cheated on mother! You never loved us, it was hard for me to see that and then also witness my mother being slaughtered a moment later! And to think you knew all along that I didn't do it but blamed me for it is very much more heartbreaking than you not believing me.
You locked me away in a lonely mountain when I only wanted to be cuddled by you, I only wanted you to take care of me and tell me it will be all okay.
It hurts, it hurts that you knew I was innocent but allowed me to suffer, I had many nightmares and could not sleep for months not recovering from the shock of all the pain I went through.