The King Forced Me to Marry His Daughter in a Wooden Barrel, but the Secret Inside Left Me Breathless
Previously: Forced into a royal marriage by King Garrick, Prince Thomas is horrified to find his bride's head locked in a wooden barrel—but the truth inside is far more dangerous than he imagined.
The Silent Princess
Inside the dark hollow of the barrel, Princess Clara’s pale face was frozen in a mask of silent agony. Her eyes, wide and bloodshot, welled with hot tears that tracked through layers of grime on her cheeks. Most horrifying of all, her lips had been brutally stitched shut with thick, shimmering silver thread, preventing her from making even a whisper. Around her delicate throat was a heavy brass collar, humming with a faint, mechanical ticking sound that grew louder with every passing second. Pinned to her blood-stained bodice was a crumpled, frantic scrap of parchment.
Thomas's eyes scanned the frantic handwriting: "He is a usurper. The true Queen lives below."
Before Thomas could protest or call for help, King Garrick’s guards seized his arms, forcing him and his silent, trembling bride toward the heavy oak doors and into the royal carriage. The King's parting words whispered in his ear like a curse:
"Keep her quiet, Prince, or the ticking stops."
Once inside the moving carriage, shielded from the King’s watchful eyes, Thomas acted quickly. He pulled his silver hunting knife from his belt, his hands shaking but determined. Looking into Clara's terrified, tear-filled eyes, he whispered, "I am going to help you. Hold completely still, my lady." With agonizing precision, he sliced the silver threads binding her lips.
Clara gasped, spitting out blood as her lips parted for the first time in weeks. She clutched Thomas’s doublet, her voice a desperate, raspy whisper.
"My father... he is not the rightful king," she sobbed, clinging to him. "He murdered my uncle to steal the throne, and my mother, the true Queen, is locked in the catacombs beneath the cathedral. He put this ticking collar on me to ensure my silence. If I speak the truth, he has the master key to detonate the mechanism."
Suddenly, the carriage lurched violently, throwing them both forward. The sounds of shouting and clashing steel erupted outside. The carriage door was ripped open, revealing the King's captain of the guard, his sword unsheathed and dripping with blood.
"The King knew you couldn't keep a secret, Prince," the captain sneered. "Now, both of you must die."
”the captain sneered. "Now, both of you must die."