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I must court her now,’ said the Prince. ‘Leave us alone for a minute.’ He rode the white expertly down the hill.tButtercup had never seen such a giant beast. Or such a rider.t’I am your Prince and you will marry me,’ Humperdinck said.tButtercup whispered, ‘I am your servant and I refuse.’t’I am your Prince and you cannot refuse.’t’I am your loyal servant and I just did.’t’Refusal means death.’t’Kill me then.’t’I am your Prince and I’m not that bad — how could you rather be dead than married to me?’t’Because,’ Buttercup said, ‘marriage involves love, and that is not a pastime at which I excel. I tried once, and it went badly, and I am sworn never to love another.’ t’Love?’ said Prince Humperdinck. ‘Who mentioned love? Not me, I can tell you. Look: there must always be a male heir to the throne of Florin. That’s me. Once my father dies, there won’t be an heir, just a king. That’s me again. When that happens, I’ll marry and have children until there is a son. So you can either marry me and be the richest and most powerful woman in a thousand miles and give turkeys away at Christmas and provide me a son, or you can die in terrible pain in the very near future. Make up your own mind.’t’I’ll never love you.’t’I wouldn’t want it if I had it.’t’Then by all means let us marry.
