The Cursed Prince

Somehow Mars could understand why she insisted to go out. He could see her reddened face and he immediately remembered their lovemaking earlier.

He understood that for a woman, such things would make them feel shy. However, he, on the other hand, had no problems with other people finding out about their sex life.

He was a man after all. Sex was not something to be embarrassed about when he was among his friends.

In fact, he couldn't help but show a smug smile on his face. All this time, he was the underdog when it came to relationships and courting women or embarking on sexual adventures.

The three men he grew up with all had their share of those things, while he could only watch from the sideline.

However, now things were different. He had finally caught up.

Not only did he find the woman of his dreams, but she was also perfect for him in every way. She made up for everything that he was missing in life before he met her.

And now, Mars was even two steps ahead of Edgar and Gewen. They didn't have any woman to anchor their hearts to, and he was already married. Yeah!

Mars was only one step behind Athos who had a loving wife and children.

He could catch up with Athos too. Soon, he too would have his first child and then followed by the next one.

Mars didn't know that Emmelyn had slowly had a change of heart. After she saw the cute and chubby Brennan boys, her maternal instinct kicked in so hard, that she wanted to have at least three children too.

She thought two wouldn't be enough.

If the prince knew what was in his wife's heart, he would definitely jump in joy!

The only reason he initially didn't want to push for more than two children was fear that she would leave him based on their agreement.

However, now that they were bound by marriage, he knew she was his and she would never leave him.

When they arrived at the dining hall, the governor and his wife were getting ready to eat lunch. Their oldest children were sitting politely next to Lily. The baby was probably taking a nap.

Edgar and Gewen were there too. Edgar looked full of vigor and Gewen seemed more jovial than usual. Both seemed to be in a good mood.

When the butler announced Mars and Emmelyn's presence, the four adults looked up to see the newlyweds. They all had that knowing smiles on their faces.

Emmelyn exerted her best acting skills to pretend like nothing happened, while Mars smiled broadly when he noticed their smiles.

He knew they knew how much fun he and Emmelyn had in their bridal chamber.

"Have you got enough rest?" Lily asked with her sweet voice when Emmelyn sat across from her. She turned to her servants and made a sign for them to start serving dishes.

They quickly did what she asked.

Emmelyn smiled sheepishly and nodded. "I have. Thank you. The chamber is really nice and the bed is very comfortable."

"Ahh, I am so happy to hear that," Lily replied with a broad smile.

They knew not to pester and tease the newlyweds further and proceeded with the lunch. The hosts and their esteemed guests ate delicious dishes and chatted about trivial things.

It was really warm and, for the first time in years, Emmelyn felt like she was surrounded by family.

It was a really heartwarming scene. She almost shed tears when she saw the people around her looking happy and were all smiles, celebrating her wedding to Mars.

She felt grateful.

***

After lunch, they decided to rest for a bit and then went out to sightsee. The governor had his own vineyards to the south of the capital city. Mars offered to take Emmelyn there so she could see the beautiful scenery that he had been wanting to share with her.

"Not far from the vineyards, we have our own winery," Athos explained. "After you are satisfied with seeing the vineyard, you can also visit the winery and have a wine tasting. It will be perfect for a picnic."

"That sounds lovely!" Emmelyn said. She turned to Lily and asked. "What about throwing a picnic tomorrow? You can take the kids and we can have lunch outside."

Lily exchange glances with her husband and he nodded. Then she replied to Emmelyn. "That would be wonderful. You guys can have fun, just the two of you. Tomorrow we will join."

"Ahhh.. I can't wait!" Emmelyn smiled so wide when she heard her reply. She loved their visit to Southberry.

Mars noticed how happy Emmelyn looked when she was around Lily. He understood that she must have been feeling lonely, having no real friend in the capital, and spent most of her time alone in the castle.

The prince was glad that his plan worked. Emmelyn and Lily seemed to click really well.

If Emmelyn liked Lily so much and they could be best friends, Mars would think of a role he could give Athos in the capital once he ascended the throne, so the Greenans could move and be closer with his family.

Athos could be one of his ministers. It would be such a great honor for the Greenan family. Plus, being called back to the capital meant Athos could stay closer to his parents.

Maybe, their children could grow up together and become friends too.

Ahh, Mars had so much planned for the future.

Things were going in the right direction.

He was really happy.

"Well, then, we can rest for half an hour, and then I will take you to see the vineyards," he said to Emmelyn. 

"I'd love that," Emmelyn said. She was beaming with happiness.

***

At around 2 pm, a beautiful carriage left the castle toward the south. The crown prince and his new wife were sitting leisurely inside the carriage with the windows opened. 

They admired the beauty they saw outside the window. Spring truly came early in Southberry. They saw flowers wherever they cast their eyes on.

Green leaves had started to grow back on the trees, and so many butterflies were dancing over the colorful flowers.

Most of the butterflies were yellow and white.  There were thousands and thousands of those, creating a feeling like they were passing through a magical forest.

It felt surreal.