The Cursed Prince

After Mars had done his job, he immediately got on his horse and headed to the pond where he and Emmelyn were resting previously.

When he got there, Mars saw Emmelyn crouched down on the ground. The girl took out her knife, then with a skillful movement, she killed the rabbit with one stab. Blood immediately drenched the girl's two hands.

Mars imagined other girls would feel uncomfortable with blood, let alone kill animals. But Emmelyn didn't seem bothered at all. She was just nonchalantly washing her hands in the pond. Then she skillfully skinned the fat rabbit.

"Why are you standing there?" asked Emmelyn when she realized Mars had arrived. "Can you light a fire? And make a place to grill the meat later."

Mars nodded. "Of course."

He then sat crouched beside the girl and looked around him. There were some dry twigs and stones that he could use to make a fire. After gathering everything he needed, Mars then started a fire.

After the fire burned, he then gathered more dry twigs to keep the fire burning. Not long after, the two of them were sitting facing a bonfire. It was burning with yellowish flames.

The bonfire made the air around them turn warmer. It was enough for Mars to remove his coat.

Not only did the fire warm the atmosphere, but his chest had been filled with warmth all along because he felt so happy that he could spend time with Emmelyn.

Spending time like this with her was nice too... They didn't have to spend it in bed, having sex. This felt just as fun and romantic as making love, Mars thought.

Plus, in moments like this, he could listen to Emmelyn's stories and get to know the girl closer. When in bed, they could only hear moans and probably some dirty talks. Hehehe.

"It's done," said Emmelyn in a proud voice. She had done cleaning the rabbit. She picked up the meat and stick it with a wooden stick and hung it over the fire, using the support from the twigs that Mars had prepared beforehand.

The two of them took turns turning the meat over and adding firewood. While grilling the meat, Emmelyn continued her stories about her adventures in Atlantea.

It was so peaceful. Mars felt like he was chatting with his best friend who was sharing very interesting stories about a land that Mars had never visited.

Emmelyn was chattery when she was in a good mood. She liked telling stories of what she had done because she felt like she got an audience who was very interested in hearing all of her stories and antics.

After a while, the meat they grilled was finally cooked. Mars cut the meat with his hands and gave a larger one to Emmelyn for the girl to eat.

"Why are you giving me the bigger meat?" asked Emmelyn in surprise. "Your body is bigger than mine… you must eat more than me, right?"

Mars shook his head. "Not really. I ate a lot during breakfast. I'm still a little full."

"Ha. Okay, if you insist... hehehehe... I happen to really like rabbit meat." 

Shamelessly, Emmelyn picked up the larger piece of meat and started devouring it.

Mars watched the girl eat with a slight smile. Only then did he enjoy his share. Earlier, Emmelyn had put a little salt and seasonings before grilling this rabbit meat, so it tasted pretty good.

While enjoying the grilled meat, Mars was still feeling awe. He admired how well-prepared Emmelyn was. She carried a knife with her. Also ropes, carrots, and even salt for cooking. 

He could imagine, going on adventures with this girl must be so much fun!

Maybe later in the spring, if Emmelyn was still not pregnant, Mars would take the girl on a trip. Surely she would really like it.

They enjoyed their lunch, which was very simple, but tasted much better than all the dishes prepared by the royal cooks. Mars was thrilled.

While eating, he and Emmelyn took turns drinking wine from the waterskin that Emmelyn brought. For Mars, it could easily be the best lunch he had ever had.

After they felt full and seeing that the sun was slowly setting, they decided to return to the castle.

Mars extinguished the fire while Emmelyn washed her hands in the pond. After they were done, the two got on their respective mounds and returned to the castle.

"We can go to the village sometime," Emmelyn said after she and Mars handed their horses to the stable staff, then entered the castle before Mars.

"Uhm... I can't go to crowded places without an escort," said Mars.

"Why?" Emmelyn asked him. "If you dress like a commoner, surely no one will recognize you."

Mars shook his head. "I'm not afraid of being recognized but ..."

"But?" Emmelyn looked at the man in puzzlement. "What is wrong?"

Mars let out a sigh. "In the village, there are many women. If they accidentally touched me ..."

Ahh ... Emmelyn forgot Mars couldn't touch women. They would die. Of course it would be dangerous if the prince walked around in public places without his escort and on the road he was accidentally touched by a woman.

Emmelyn remembered Mars was adamant about not wanting to touch a woman just to find out if he was still under the curse or not. Of course, he would be very cautious about touching women.

Emmelyn nodded and patted the man's shoulder. "I forgot. Sorry."

"It is okay."

They didn't say anything more and walked hand in hand toward their chamber. The sun was about to set and the candles in the castle were being lit.

When they arrived at the chamber, the servants had lit several candles to light up the room.

"That was really fun," said Mars, plopping his butt on the sofa by the window. "We can go again sometime."

"I'd love that," said Emmelyn with a beaming face. She was happy that Mars offered to take her out again.