The Cursed Prince

Finally, Edgar complied with Emmelyn's request and told her he would leave immediately. He promised to do his best to find the information she needed.

"Thank you so much, Lord Edgar," said Emmelyn with a hoarse voice.

She trusted that Edgar would do this job properly.  Right now, Emmelyn just wanted to give birth to Harlow as soon as possible and traveled to Atlantea and confront the Leoraleis.

She must be patient until that time came.

"Well then.. I will take my leave now, Your Highness," said Edgar with respect. The man rose from his seat and bowed down to Emmelyn before he turned around and left.

Emmelyn sat still in her place for a long time after Edgar left.

"Oh, Harlow... please stay strong... You have to hang on until we can all reunite with your father," she whispered to her baby as she rubbed her belly lovingly. 

Emmelyn tried to convince herself that Harlow would be okay. In the past, she was worried that something would happen to their baby because of Mars' curse.

However, now that she knew she was cursed too, and it was far worse than the curse that was cast on him... she became even more worried about Harlow's safety.

***

Emmelyn felt unwell all day. Because she was stressed, she forgot to take Mr. Vitas' potion for several days, and now she felt the result. She experienced nauseous and fatigue. She felt like lying down in her bed all day.

Unfortunately, now it was already time for her to go back to the royal palace. She promised the queen that she only needed several days of alone time.

She had invited Mrs, Adler to come, she had checked on the castle staff and had also enjoyed her time in her own home. Everything was okay now and she should head back.

However, she really didn't want to go anywhere. With her belly getting bigger and bigger, it felt like moving around had started to become an issue.

"Roshan, could you please go to the royal palace and send my message to Her Majesty?" Finally, Emmelyn decided to ask for an extension to the queen. She still wanted to spend more time on her own.

"Will do, Your Highness," said Roshan. "What should I tell Her Majesty?"

"Tell her, I am feeling unwell and will need to rest at home and recuperate. Once I feel better, I will go back to the royal palace."

"Duly noted, Your Highness."

Roshan went to the palace to send Emmelyn's message, while Emmelyn spent her time in her chamber and rest.

***

Roshan came back two hours later with the message from the queen to Emmelyn.

Queen Elara understood that pregnancy could bring so many discomforts and asked Emmelyn to take care of her health. She would come to visit Emmelyn the next day if she was still feeling unwell.

"Her Majesty also sent some potions and sweets for you, Your Highness," said Roshan after he ended his report. He handed a wooden box to Emmelyn. It was a gift from the queen.

"Ah.. thank you so much for bringing this for me," said Emmelyn. "You may leave."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Emmelyn felt so grateful for having the best mother-in-law in the world. She vowed that in the future, when her children found their mates, she would be nice to her sons and daughters-in-law, just like how Queen Elara was nice to her and adored her.

She decided to enjoy the sweets from Queen Elara with her tea. As she was missing her husband, she asked the servant to serve her tea in the garden. They had put a small table there with two nice chairs.

Enjoying the sweets with plain tea while looking at the blooming flowers around her gave Emmelyn a sense of peace. After everything that happened in the past few months, her mind was filled with worry and distraught and she couldn't enjoy the beauty around her.

She closed her eyes and inhaled the fragrance of many different flowers around her. It felt calming, and for a short time, she could escape from her troubles.

When Emmelyn opened her eyes again, she saw Roshan stand before her. His sudden appearance startled her, that she almost jumped from her seat.

"Gosh, Roshan! What are you doing here?" she asked him with a shocked expression.

Roshan didn't make a sound and suddenly came to her like a ghost.  She didn't like it.

The butler looked apologetic, and he bowed down so deeply.

"I am very sorry, Your Highness, but I didn't want to disturb you. So, I waited until you open your eyes," he explained.

"What is it?" Emmelyn asked him curtly.

"There is a letter for you," the butler said. He handed a small rolled parchment to Emmelyn respectfully.

The woman furrowed her brows. 

A letter? She didn't know anyone who would send her a letter. The only letter that she looked forward to every week was the one sent by her husband, and it wouldn't be here until two more days.

Nevertheless, she reached out her hand and took the letter from Roshan.

"Thank you, Roshan. You may leave," Emmelyn said. The butler bowed down again and left her.

Emmelyn opened the roll impatiently and read what was written inside. There was no name, signature, nor stamp. The handwriting was really nice like it was written by a woman.

Who this might be?

She narrowed her eyes and read the letter carefully.

'Dear Princess Emmelyn of Wintermere. We have your nephew with us. Your brother Killian left his son before he went to the capital to get his revenge. If you want him, meet us at a Burningsun Tavern in King's town with 1000 gold coins tomorrow at noon. ALONE. If we see you bring any guards or reinforcement, we will kill him.'

Emmelyn's eyes widened with shock after she finished reading the letter. 

Killian had a son? How?

He was engaged to a princess from across the ocean. Emmelyn knew they didn't end up getting married because when she went to Glasswell, his former fiancee said Killian broke off their betrothal and left her.

So, which son were they talking about? Did Killian really have a son? Who was the mother?

No.. this must be a trick, Emmelyn thought.

She wouldn't be baited to meet a non-existing child.