The Crown Prince left his seat when he heard Sullivan humiliated Dahlia and threw her out of the room, locking it from the inside. He wanted to rescue Dahlia as soon as he could.
"Your Royal Highness, won't it be inappropriate for you to indulge in their matter?" Jameson suggested. "I think such matters will be looked over by the Queen herself," he opined.
"Dahlia is someone dear to me. How dare Sullivan disrespect her?" Daedric angrily asked. He could bear everything from Sullivan, but not Dahlia's insult.
"Your Royal Highness, I understand your concerns toward Princess Dahlia. But she is now another man's wife. Your indulgence with her won't be seen in a right way. I'm worried about your mighty status more than anything," Jameson proclaimed.
"Dahlia might have chosen Sullivan, but I know she will return to me. I have yet to discover what's going on in her mind. Nevertheless, a woman is being harassed by Sullivan. Shouldn't I step in as the eldest brother?" Daedric asserted.
Jameson felt troubled to hear that, but he didn't have much power to stop Daedric from getting involved. After all, he was a mere servant to him.
Daedric didn't wish another second and headed to see Dahlia while Jameson followed him closely.
~~~~
Sullivan heard the commotion outside his room and slowly opened his eyes, still groggy from sleep. The urgency in the voices piqued his curiosity.
"This is Commander Harris, Prince Sullivan. Please open the door, or I'll have to break it down," Harris's voice boomed from the other side, accompanied by insistent knocking.
Sullivan chuckled as he recognized the familiar tone. "This woman!" he muttered to himself, shaking his head in amusement.
Rising from his recliner, he couldn't help but marvel at Dahlia's audacity. The lengths she would go to were astounding, but he shouldn't have been surprised. She was cunning and always found a way to torment him in the most unexpected ways. He wondered what she had orchestrated this time.
As Sullivan put his hands on the door handles, he heard a voice he didn't wish to hear.
"Dahlia, are you fine?" Daedric asked.
She was bewildered to see him. Commander Harris and the other soldiers turned around to see the Crown Prince. They bowed in respect while Daedric came forward.
"Why is he here?" Dahlia mumbled and found him approaching her. She could sense the concern in his eyes and voice for her.
"Yes, Your Royal Highness. Princess Dahlia told me to break the door because Prince Sullivan banned her entry in the room," Harris proclaimed. "We are ready to break it," he added.
Sullivan, who was inside, rubber the skin above his brow. Dahlia created a huge trouble for him. He thought she would quietly get away from him. Turned out, he was wrong about her personality.
"There's no need to break the door," Daedric said. "Sullivan has harassed his wife. Dahlia, come with me. You'll be provided a better room and your marriage with him will turn void," he pronounced. "You need not to live with a man, who can't treat you with respect," Daedric stated.
She shook her head. "No... That's not..."
"Just stay quiet, Dahlia. You won't stay here for another second," Daedric affirmed. He held Dahlia's hand, not caring she was wedded to Sullivan, ready to take her away when Sullivan opened the door.
"Crown Prince Daedric shall let go of his hand from my wife's hand," Sullivan said as he looked at their hands.
"You need to prepare for your punishment, Sullivan," Daedric said.
"What crime did I do?" Sullivan asked. "Whatever I do to her, it shouldn't bother the Crown Prince," he affirmed and took steps toward him. He stood right before, glaring at Daedric.
"Dahlia might be your wife but–"
"She was your lover before the marriage, Your Royal Highness," Sullivan cut to the chase, firmly grasping Dahlia's wrist to free it from Daedric's grip. "It's not proper to covet a married woman. The Crown Prince surely knows ethics better than I do," he proclaimed, pulling Dahlia towards him.
He draped his arm around her shoulder and gazed at Dahlia, who was visibly nervous. "Darling, I merely told you not to annoy me, and you created such a huge commotion," he said with a feigned exasperation.
Dahlia tilted her head to look at him, realizing how smoothly he was fabricating the lie. She could sense the tension in the air but decided to play along.
"Fights between a husband and wife are nothing new. I merely wanted you to pamper me," Sullivan continued, his voice dripping with false affection. He then glanced back at Daedric with a fiery expression before suddenly kissing Dahlia in front of him.
Dahlia's eyes widened in shock, and she tried to pull away, but Sullivan kept his hand firmly at the back of her head, preventing her escape. The unexpected kiss left everyone stunned. Sullivan held his ground, making it clear that Dahlia was his and no one else's.
He withdrew and arched his eyebrow at Dahlia with a smile. "If you all can leave, then I'll be grateful. I need some alone time with my wife," Sullivan said.
Daedric clenched his fists and his blood boiled because Dahlia admitted that she wasn't harassed, but was angry at Sullivan. He walked away in anger, followed by the others.
Once they all left, Dahlia took a breath of relief. She was ready to fight with Sullivan. However, he dragged her into the room and locked it from inside.
He pinned Dahlia firmly to the door and stared at her. She had kept her gaze low when he forced her to look at him by holding her chin.
"What was that? You turned me into a man, who harasses his wife," Sullivan muttered. His anger was visible in his voice, but he was holding it.
"Well, you did harass me. You threw me out of the room and said I shouldn't show my face ever to you," Dahlia replied while gulping hard.
"I'm like that, Dahlia. Why did you even marry me when you can't stand the real me?" Sullivan questioned her, his breath fanning her lips.