The Cursed Prince

"Nooooo!!!!"

Emmelyn screamed at the top of her lungs when she realized what happened to the queen. She put two and two together and realized why the king acted like a madman and the whole royal palace was engulfed in deep sadness.

Even John was in tears and Mr. Vitas suddenly looked even much older than he already was.

The queen was dead.

Oh my god...

Emmelyn felt her heart torn into a million little pieces. She had never felt this much sadness for someone's death, not even her family.

To her, Queen Elara was the mother figure she never really had. Her own mother was cold and distant. Queen Elara was the first older woman that Emmelyn loved and looked up to as a mother.

She loved her mother-in-law like she would her biological mother. The queen's warmth, love, and acceptance from the beginning were what touched her heart and enabled her to finally forgive her enemy and accepted them as her new family.

Now... that sweet and caring woman was gone. 

And the king thought Emmelyn was responsible for her death.

"Queen mother..." Emmelyn dropped to her knees and sobbed uncontrollably. She couldn't even think straight and tried to explain herself. Her mind was in a mess as it was solely filled with grief and so much pain.

She was simply heartbroken.

"How dare you...! How dare you pretending to grieve over my wife's death....!" King Jared clenched his jaws in fury. His bloodshot eyes were filled with hatred and grief when he looked at Emmelyn.

It was obvious that amidst his condition, he tried so hard to hold back so as not to kill the woman whom he thought responsible for his wife's death.

It was because Mr. Vitas and John were on their knees, between the king and Emmelyn. They became his voice of reason, during this lowest point of his life.

"It's not me..." Emmelyn whispered as she pressed her chest. She suddenly felt a pang of pain hit her. This stress was too much for her to handle. She couldn't breathe.  "Aahh..."

And suddenly, everything turned black for her.

"Your Highness...!" Mr. Vitas who was watching her out of worry was shocked to see Emmelyn collapsed.

The old man quickly came to her aid and asked the king's guards to carry Emmelyn inside. He looked up to the king and begged again. "Your Majesty, Lady Emmelyn needs medical care, otherwise she could lose the baby..."

King Jared gritted his teeth, and he growled, "Take her to the Grey Tower and lock her up until I decide what to do with her."

The king's guards immediately did as the king said. They grabbed Emmelyn by her limbs and carried her inside. Mr. Vitas followed them anxiously.

The courtyard turned quiet like a grave and nobody dared to move nor make a sound. Everyone was tensed and anxious. Everything that happened from last night until this morning felt so unreal. So many things happened in such a short amount of time.

"Elara...."

After Emmelyn was out of his sight, King Jared Strongmoor was shaking and his emotions welled up again. He dropped his body to the ground and then he wailed like a madman. 

All this time, he had always presented himself as the cold-hearted and vicious king. Even though he loved his wife dearly, he never let people see her as his weakness.

He learned from experience not to show too much affection in public to his wife and son, so his enemies wouldn't take advantage of his love for them to suppress him. He only showed his deep affection in private.

However, there was no point in hiding it anymore. His dear wife, the love of his life, was gone. She was taken away from him in such a cruel way.

He had been protecting her and he did everything within his power to keep her safe, but he kept failing miserably.

She had suffered so much in the early years of their marriage from losing their children... and now... she finally lost her life.

What meaning did his life have after Elara was gone?

Nothing.

The fearsome king was wailing and sobbing like a madman and nobody dared to move. All servants, palace guards, and government officials who were present in the palace courtyard could only watch.

Somehow, their king's grief and vulnerability affected them too. Nothing seemed able to console him.

General Frey who came to the palace an hour later found the king still wailing and sobbing.

The leader of the Golden Knights came immediately after he received the report that Lady Emmelyn was captured. He had been looking for her all night to no avail.

When the general stepped inside the courtyard and witnessed the king's grief, the middle-aged general felt his chest heavy. He had been serving King Jared for almost 30 years and they were quite close.

They fought side by side in the many battles decades ago, when the king was still active in his conquest initiatives.

Once his only son was old enough to lead their army, King Jared focused on strengthening his power internally, and let Mars do the conquest work. 

Now, the great king of Draec Empire was sobbing and wailing like a child. The sight sent chills down General Frey's spine. Never in his life, he thought he could witness this scene.

What would other people think if they knew their king acted this way?

"Send news to the crown prince. He must be notified of what happened in the capital immediately," General Frey said to his deputy. "Let me take care of His Majesty. Don't let anyone outside know about his condition. Kill anyone who dares to spread this news."

"Got it, Chief!"

***

Emmelyn finally opened her eyes. Her body felt broken and her head and chest were in a lot of pain. She batted her eyes and took some time to gather her memory.

What happened?

Yesterday, she was lured out of her castle by a shady letter. Some people claimed to have Killian's son with them and asked for a ransom of 1000 gold coins.

She came to see them under a disguise to make sure they really had her nephew.  It turned out to be a lie and they caught her. The thugs claimed they were ordered to keep her for a few days because...

Emmelyn bit her lip as her recollection of the event that happened afterward brought back the knowledge that Queen Elara was killed.

And she was the main suspect.

Emmelyn could tell that much from the king's reaction and his treatment of her when he saw her this morning in the palace courtyard.

But she didn't know what exactly happened.

"Your Highness..."

The very old and tired physician spoke from beside her bed. Emmelyn turned to him and found Mr. Vitas sat on the chair by the window. When she saw a familiar face who didn't look hostile, her tears broke again.

"Oh, Mr. Vitas... What happened? Where am I?" She tried to sit and instantly shrieked when she realized one of her legs was chained to her bed. "Aaaahh! What is this?! Why am I in chain?"

"I am sorry for the chain, Your Highness..." Mr. Vitas spoke softly. "You are under arrest for the queen's murder."

"But I didn't do it! It's Ellena! It's Ellena!!" Emmelyn blurted. Her face felt so hot and tears welled up in her eyes. Even her eyes felt hurt from crying so much. "She planned all this to frame me... Can't the king see through that evil wench???!"

Mr. Vitas looked at Emmelyn dead in the eye, as if trying to read her mind. Did Emmelyn tell the truth? Mr. Vitas didn't know if Emmelyn really killed the queen or not. He didn't know her that well.

The only reason he stood up for her was the child in her womb.

Mr. Vitas knew how much the queen and the crown prince loved that baby. That's why he would do anything to make sure nothing would happen to him.

As for whether Lady Emmelyn was really guilty or innocent, he didn't know... and he didn't really care. 

"Unfortunately, my lady... all evidence points at you as the killer..." finally, Mr. Vitas said.

"Tell me what happened that makes the king suspected me as the perpetrator?" Emmelyn asked the old physician between her sobs. "What evidence??"

"The queen went to see you in the crown prince's castle because your butler said you were very ill. Queen Elara was worried, so she came to bring you some medicine. She went to see you in your chamber and didn't come out until her guards became worried." As he spoke, Mr. Vitas kept looking at Emmely, trying to see her reaction.

He continued his explanation, "The captain found the queen dead in her own pool of blood, with so many stab wounds and your knife stuck on her chest. They looked for you everywhere but you already ran away with the golds you stole from the crown prince's treasure chest."

Emmelyn pressed her lips in shock. She could imagine the scene vividly. How the queen was lying motionless on the floor with blood gushing through her wounds... and Ellena, that bitch, stood watching.

"I didn't do it..." she muttered. "My butler took me to a tavern in king's town and I met several thugs that kidnapped me."

Suddenly, Emmelyn felt indescribable fury as she realized Roshan must have been involved in this scheme.

He knew Emmelyn went to a tavern in the king's town!

She was not sick and couldn't possibly be in the castle to see the queen.

Gosh... she was backstabbed by a butler she trusted.

This realization made Emmelyn feel hurt and angry. She really didn't have anyone she could trust in this kingdom. Only enemies and more enemies.