The Cursed Prince

Queen Elara's words worked like magic to calm down the intense atmosphere. This was something that Mars admire from his mother. 

She was just so lovable and adorable that everyone respected and liked her. Of course, the witch and Lady Marielle and her family were the only exceptions.

Come to think of it, Emmelyn reminded him a little bit of his mother. Even though they had a completely different personality, Emmelyn had this vibrant and lovable thing about her that made Mars think nobody could hate the girl, just like they couldn't hate Queen Elara.

Those two women were just too good. He felt so lucky to have them in his life.

The tea continued with a light conversation about Atlantea, where the tea apparently came from.

Then, the ladies also discussed their children and gossiped a little bit about the aristocratic families in the capital. Who was matchmaking their daughter with whose sons, and etc.

It went on like the queen's usual tea. The king and Mars were the only males in the room and couldn't really enjoy the conversation, so they finally took their leave politely, after finishing the tea in their cup.

"Well, I will leave you all ladies to enjoy yourself. I need to attend a meeting with my minister of finance to discuss the economy and trade agreement with the new colony," King Jared excused himself after he put down his cup on the table. 

"Then, I will have to take my leave as well." Mars followed suit. "I will need to coordinate with my captains for the next training sessions. Winter is here and we need to start making plans for the next invasion."

The ladies all nodded and smiled, thanking the two men for coming and wishing them to have a good day.

Mars cast a glance at Ellena and smiled at her, making a sign that he would send an invitation for them to catch up properly with Edgar and Gewen. The girl smiled back, even though her smile didn't reach her eyes.

Mars left the lounge with a heavy heart. Now, he had to find the best way to explain to Emmelyn what happened. He hoped she would be supportive of his decision and would work together with him to deal with the situation.

***

Mars found Emmelyn was sewing more baby clothes on the sofa by the window. Her fingers danced beautifully as they moved the needle and thread through the small fabrics in her hands.

The prince stood by the doorway admiring the view. His admiration and love for her grew by the day. He really didn't understand how he could be so lucky to have met this perfect woman.

She was oh so beautiful, she also had a bubbly and fun personality. She was full of wonderful stories. She could protect herself with swords and knives, but at the same time, she also could sew?

She was also great in bed and sometimes took initiative. Maybe, she would be even more proactive in the future, now that she had finally confessed her feelings for him.

So... all in all, she was perfect. 

Oh, one more thing. She was also fertile. She was carrying their first child. And if the first one was born healthy and strong, they could try for more children.

Now, he no longer needed to limit only two children as he planned previously. Maybe... if Emmelyn agreed, they could have more. He would love to have many mini Emmelyns or mini Mars in their home.

His mind wandered to the beautiful future they would have together. At that moment, he could really imagine his life with this woman. 

"Hey, you're here," Emmelyn's voice moved him from his reverie. The man smiled and walked toward her. He sat beside Emmelyn and took one baby clothes from the basket next to her and admired the design.

"You are so talented," he said. "How many have you made so far?"

Emmelyn shrugged. "I don't really count. I think I can make one per day. If I keep sewing every day, by the time winter is over, our baby will have close to 100 baby clothes."

"That's a lot," Mars commented. "I think ten should be enough. For the rest, we can have the royal tailor prepare them. I don't want you to tire yourself."

Emmelyn pouted. "So, what do you want me to do, being cooped up indoors like this? You don't want me to train with your soldiers."

"Well... you can read, sew one of two baby clothes per week.. just take it easy, and we can also do some couple exercise together.. ahem," Mars suggested innocently with a playful glint in his eyes.

Emmelyn rolled her eyes and held back her laughter. Of course, she knew exactly what kind of couple exercises that this perverted prince was suggesting.

They just did many rounds of such exercise last night that they woke up late. Ahem.

She finally put down her sewing. She put everything back into her basket and kept it on the table. Then, she turned to Mars and asked him about the tea.

"So, how did the tea go?" She asked with great interest. "Did you see your friend?"

Mars nodded. "Yes, I saw Ellena. She was well and healthy. So, you are right. She was telling the truth about the curse being lifted."

"Ah, I see," Emmelyn stared at Mars intently. "Did she tell you how she could have the curse lifted?"

The prince let out a long sigh and answered. "No, she didn't. So, it was either she had to do something that pained her so much that she didn't want to talk about it... or, she managed to be on the witch's good side."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... I didn't see her for five years. Last night, she said she worked to serve the witch for four years, in order to beg the witch to spare me. Being with someone for that long might change her. The witch could have influenced Ellena..."

"Oh..." Emmelyn quickly understood what he meant. "So.. you think there is a possibility that she might be on the witch's side now? That's horrible..."

Mars quickly shook his head. "No.. no, I don't want to accuse her of that without knowing the truth. So, I will try to find out where is the witch actually. I can only be at peace if I can find the witch and kill her."

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Yeay! Mars is telling Emmelyn the truth!