In recent times there have never been so many strange things happening in Auradon. Probably not since Mal and his friends arrived five years ago has there been so much confusion. Which is to say that anything that happens now is normal.

Mal woke up late, seeing that it was Sunday he could let himself have that privilege. The funny thing was the surprise she had when she woke up, her fiancé was in her bed. She ran her hands through his brown hair and admired him sleeping peacefully. She got up and realized that all her books were organized. It had certainly been Ben. The first oddity of the day happened when she picked up one of the books, specifically the old one she found in Belle's library, she wanted to find something different and when she opened it a picture fell out.

"Mommy and Evil Queen?"

In the old picture Maleficent, Evil Queen and who Mal assumed was Agatha were hugging each other smiling, behind them was an old hut. They were obviously younger and happier. Mal scowled when he saw the photograph.

"Good morning."

She felt Ben's perfume on his neck and his arms encircled him tightly.

"Good morning."

Forgot his latent worry to kiss him.

"Did I mention I want to marry you soon just to wake up like this every day?"

He confessed.

"Let your mother see you here."

"I'll get a rough lecture, but I'll be here again tomorrow."

"What a little rebel."

Mal ironized.

"But my problems would be solved if we got married soon."

"Two months, rebel king."

She slapped his chest and went to the bathroom. Her day would be long and she needed to take at least one shower.

"So, I'll spend two months leaving my room at dawn and coming to yours?"

"You've been doing that for five years, Ben."

Since she'd moved into the castle there hadn't been a night they hadn't slept together. The only reason they didn't share a room was Belle and Adam who were quite strict, even if their son and daughter-in-law were grown up.

"Are you telling me you don't want to get rid of all this wedding organization and marry me?"

"Interesting proposal."

Mal sat on the bed to listen to him.

"Imagine the two of us, just our friends..."

"In the woods, I'd wear a dress with no rules."

She began to idealize along with him.

"Do dresses have rules?"

"You have no idea."

"On with our idealized wedding." Without making much effort Ben threw her on the bed. "We wouldn't need to greet people we don't know."

"We'd just do our wedding vows and that's it, I want this marriage."

She said like a five-year-old.

"Speaking of commitment, do you remember what you had scheduled last night?"

"I'm sorry! I totally forgot." She asked kissing his face. "Please say you forgive me." Ben couldn't say anything or complain receiving so many kisses. "Forgive me?"

"It's okay, when I got here, I was asleep."

"Damn it!" Her brain reminded her that she couldn't stay in bed all day like she wanted to. "I have to leave now."

"Where are you going?"

"I have my visit at the center, things I'm obliged to do for loving a king."

"Love you."

"Same."

Later that day, Mal continued her incessant search for answers, for her mother knew Agatha and if there was one thing she knew about Maleficent, it was that she had no friends. Everything was confused in her head, she reviewed the facts and looked for a sense or a direction. Who was Agatha? Why did she know her mother? Why did she feel so involved in this woman's story?

All of this hung over Mal's head as she walked through the center of Auradon. She was walking and she started to notice the looks, not the common ones like "look at the Queen" or "royal girlfriend" or "the great Mal", they were looks of fear. She didn't understand what was happening and it got worse when she was bombarded by thousands of reporters.

"Lady Mal why did you kill that woman? Lady Mal, did King Ben know? Lady Mal, what spell did you use?"

The various questions that had no meaning to her came from all sides.

"What? Of what..."

The questions were not answered, but on the contrary, they gave her more questions. It was there, in the midst of a hurricane of questions and accusations, that she felt someone pull her hand and even without knowing who it was, she let herself be taken.

"This way Mal."

Carlos helped her by pulling her away, more specifically into the shelter where he worked.

"Carlos, do you know what's going on? I was walking when I was bombarded by the press people who were accusing me of something and it seems to be everyone, because everyone is looking at me like that all day."

Mal asked not understanding anything.

"Did you see the news today?"

He asked worriedly, but already knew the dreaded answer.

"No, why?"

Carlos turned on the television and there she saw the news about him.

"Lady Mal has been accused of killing the woman who until yesterday had an unknown name, as sources have informed us that the victim's name is Tulip. After a series of tests found traces of magic, Lady Mal has been the main suspect, as King Ben's fiancée is the only one with similar magic."

"Did it answer your questions?"

"How? What do you mean? Do they...do they think it was me?"

She was scared and unresponsive, how could they even think she was capable of this?

"Calm down Mal..."

"Calm down? They're accusing me of murder!"

"Jay and Evie are on their way here, they have more information about it, but calm down now."

" Okay...does Ben know about this?"

"I have no idea Mal."

Cruella's son gave her a glass of water and tried to calm her down as best he could, though to no avail as Mal continued to restlessly pace back and forth. Jay arrived early and as soon as he saw his friend Mal threw her arms around him for a comforting hug.

"It's going to be okay."

Jay said. Late in the evening Evie arrived and that's when Mal's daughter collaped.

"Please Evie, tell me you know what's going on."

"I'll tell you everything..."

Evie poured out everything she knew,

"But...how? It doesn't make sense...there's no..."

"Hey, I know, we know you wouldn't do that. It's just coincidence, okay?"

"And why didn't you say anything to me?" She questioned, mainly for her fiancé who was with her in the morning. "Why didn't Ben say anything?"

"We didn't want to worry you. As far as I was aware only Ben, myself and a few people involved in the investigation knew what was going on."

"What about Ben? What does he think?"

"He also knows it wasn't you."

"Where is he?"

"Mal! Are you all right?"

After getting through the thousands of reports the king finally saw his bride.

"Ben!"

She ran over and hugged him.

"Evie, do you know who told them?"

Ben asked.

"No, only we knew, some guard must have heard and leaked the information to them."

"I want to know who did it, he didn't..."

The king was furious with whoever released the information to the press.

"No Ben, it's no use now and we don't need to do it."

Journalists were the least of his problems.

"Let's let them talk."

Evie spoke to the two friends regarding the couple

"How did you find out?"

Ben asked.

"I came downtown and the reporters showed up and started questioning me until Carlos showed up and pulled me in."

"It's going to be okay, I promise."

He kissed her forehead.

"You know it wasn't me, right?"

"Of course, I know, but you're going to have to face those people."

"I know, I just need to answer their questions. Do you know what they are?"

"Yes, we can rehearse a bit here. Probably one of the questions will be where do you know that woman from?"

"Princess tea, she said she was queen of Origon and we talked a bit."

"And what did you talk about?"

"Nothing much."

Mal thought it wasn't a good idea to tell him about the conversation she had with the old woman.

"Mal, that's it?"

"Wait, you think I'm lying?"

In five years of relationship, she knew well the faces he made and all his quirks.

"No, it's not that."

"Ben, I know you."

She looked into his eyes. Five years of relationship had given them a lot of knowledge about each other.

"Mal, there is no kingdom by that name and it has been acting strange of late."

"Strange? Why would I lie to you?"

She stood up turning away from him.

"That spell book, why were you reading it?"

"No... you don't have to...it's none of your business, okay?"

"Then tell me the truth!"

"It has nothing to do with these charges and how is this going to help me get rid of those idiots in the media?"

"Fine it has nothing to do with it, but why don't you want to tell me?"

He asked not understanding her reason for hiding it.

"Because it's none of your business!" She shouted very nervously. "There's no reason to tell you everything. It's my business."

"Your business? Wow!"

Benjamin hated secrets between them.

"You didn't tell me you were suspecting me and I'm not making a fuss about it."

"It's not the same thing, Mal! When are you going to stop hiding things from me?"

"You're my boyfriend not my father!"

And before they could realize it they were fighting.

"Let's get married Mal, what concerns you concerns me too."

"As absurd as it sounds, I know this." She said, showing the engagement ring. If there was one thing no one would let her forget, it was her commitment. "But that doesn't give you the right to act like that with me, Ben."

"Act how?"

"With authoritarianism! I'm not one of your servants."

"You're acting like you're 16 again! You'll never grow up!"

"What?"

Mal heard that sentence in disbelief that her Ben had uttered it.

"You're keeping secrets from me again, like you did before."

That was the fear, the last time she had hidden something so serious, she had let him.

"I'm not going to argue with you anymore."

She complained sitting away from him.

"When you want to talk, you let me know!"

He warned getting out of there.