The Cursed Prince

After dinner, Emmelyn and Mrs. Adler continued sleeping on the wagon, covering themselves with the old blankets. Emmelyn felt better after she drank the soup and rested.

They woke up in the morning to the sounds of birds and forest chicken from around them.

Emmelyn was pleasantly surprised to know that after sleeping for three days, her wound from giving birth had healed significantly. And her breasts were no longer swollen and as painful as before.

She massaged her breasts one by one to lessen the pain. She almost broke down in tears when she remembered Harlow. Harlow should be drinking her milk voraciously, like usual.

Emmelyn missed her baby so much.

"Did Lily take Harlow with her?" She asked Mrs. Adler who was now getting ready to make tea for them to warm up their bodies in the chilly morning.

The old witch nodded. "Yes, Your Highness. Lady Greenan came in the evening and she was so sad when she thought you passed away. She took the little princess with her."

Then, while she lighted the fire and boiled water for them to make tea, Mrs. Adler told Emmelyn what happened after the princess fell asleep.

Everything happened pretty much as expected. Mr. Vitas came and confirmed Emmelyn's death, much to Lily's shock.

Mrs. Adler offered to help with the funeral process and secretly slipped the small bell inside Emmelyn's clothes. The old witch also made sure nobody harmed her body.

Mrs. Adler spread superstitions that women who died from giving birth would bring bad luck to anyone who touched them. That's why, as much as possible, the servants in the palace tried to avoid touching Emmelyn.

They didn't want to experience bad luck themselves.

Mrs. Adler's explanation made Emmelyn smile bitterly. Ahh.. even though there was no such a thing as the superstition spread by the old witch, in Emmelyn's case, it was almost the truth.

She was the source of bad luck to the people she loved and cared about. 

Now, she had come to a point where she practically lost everything, and the only way to make sure that she could gain them back and didn't cause them further harm was by finding the source of her bad luck.

This was what made Emmelyn feel determined to go to Atlantea and find the Leoraleis to make them lift their wicked curse, no matter what it takes.

"What about Ellena or the Prestons, did you hear anything about them? Did they came?" Emmelyn asked Mrs. Adler. She wrapped the blanket more tightly on her body.

"I didn't see them," said Mrs. Adler. 

"Oh..."

Emmelyn imagined her funeral must be so quiet. She wondered who came to see her being laid out to her 'final resting place'.

When she asked that to the old witch, Emmelyn was surprised to know that many of her servants apparently came to pay their final respects. Well, except for Roshan, of course.

This made Emmelyn grit her teeth. She felt extremely furious and wanted to make Roshan pay for what he had done. That old weasel was wicked. He could pretend to act nice and respectful in front of Emmelyn, but behind her back, he dared to stab her.

Ahhh.. she should have known. Someone who could be bought with money was never loyal to begin with. She just remembered she also bought Roshan with one gold coin to allow her to work in the crown prince's castle.

The butler made up some excuse and reported Mars' personal servant to the prince for poor performance and made him transferred to the royal palace to work in the stable.

Back then, Roshan didn't care if the new servant, the one who paid him with gold to be the prince's personal servant, would try to kill his master. And that was exactly what Emmelyn did.

Fate worked in a mysterious way though. The person she wanted to kill slowly melted her heart and after a tumultuous courtship, they ended up falling in love with each other. Now they were married with a baby.

But that still didn't change the fact that Emmelyn came to kill Mars and Roshan was a traitor who would sell his master for money. So, it shouldn't be surprising if he sold his loyalty to Ellena and helped her frame Emmelyn.

Mars didn't know this, Emmelyn thought. How could she leave him behind, with their baby, with a snake like Roshan living under the same roof, working for him?

No, Emmelyn should not allow it to happen.

She tapped her slender fingers on her knee. What should she do? Maybe she should just hide somewhere and waited until her husband returned before she went to Atlantea?

She already sent Edgar to search for information. Edgar was weeks ahead of her and he was also faster because he was a healthy young man. Not only was Emmelyn a woman, but she was also still in recovery after giving birth. 

She must rest a lot to ensure she could recuperate properly. If not, she might not be able to come home safely to her husband and child.

"Grandma..." She looked at the old witch. Doubt was evident in her face. "What do you think if we stay near the capital until my husband comes home? I need to make sure everything is okay back home before I can leave and find the Leoraleis..."

She explained her thoughts to Mrs. Adler and asked her opinion. "I cannot leave my husband and child with a traitor like Roshan. They might not know that he was involved in framing me. And besides... if my husband believed me, I don't have to go to Atlantea alone. I already sent Lord Edgar to search for information about the Leoraleis."

"Oh.. in that case, I agree with you, Princess," said the old witch. "It is best if you rest somewhere and recover. Hopefully, His Highness can be home quickly."

"That's right. I think it's the best thing I should do," said Emmelyn. "We just need to hide. Since they all think I am dead, they wouldn't look for me."

The old witch looked deep in thoughts. She was not a native of Draec too, so she was not familiar with the area. Where should they hide?