The Cursed Prince

Gewen managed to reach the little forest at the same time as Mars.

When he saw the two graves under the oak tree, Gewen felt his heart fell to the ground. This was so sad...

He remembered they just buried Killian several months ago, and now his sister was buried here too?

Even though Gewen didn't come to Killlian's funeral, he knew what happened because Mars told him about it.

At that time, Gewen could see how much the prince was saddened by the fact that his wife's last family member died in their hands, Gewen's hands to be precise. It was his arrows that killed Killian.

Gewen knew Mars's remorse and guilt for the demise of the Rosehills were deep. He blamed himself for what happened. And now Emmelyn had to die too?

The Rosehills were so unlucky. Now, everyone from the family had perished, leaving no survivors.

Wait... Didn't John say Emmelyn already gave birth to a daughter before she passed away? That meant, the Rosehills actually had one remaining family member who was still alive.

A little baby, who was also the offspring of the man responsible for their calamity. What a complex situation.

Poor baby. Gewen took a deep breath when he imagined such a small baby had to live without her mother.

Mars got off his horse and walked limply toward the new grave. It was a very simple grave with a grey plain tombstone, very different from the beautiful grave next to it.

The striking difference ached his heart.

Mars intentionally made Killian's grave nice because he was Emmelyn's brother. The tombstone was made of white marble and there was a small statue as decoration next to it.

Emmelyn also asked the gardeners to plant Wintermere flowers around the grave. So, during winter, they could see the white flowers bloom in the area. It would be so beautiful.

Right now, they could see some lavenders and tulips on top of Killian's grave. The flowers grew on their own early this spring. Overall, the grave looked peaceful and beautiful. The same couldn't be said about the new grave next to it.

Mars dropped to his knees when he reached Emmelyn's grave. He assumed the treatment that Emmelyn received was really bad because she was accused of killing the queen.

So, when she died, they just tossed her casket into this nameless grave and put a plain tombstone.

Everything became vague as Mars's vision was blurred by tears that kept dripping down his cheeks. He thought he had experienced the worst thing in his life and nothing could top his mother's death.

But apparently, he was wrong. This... was the worst day of his life.

Worst of the worsts.

Gewen didn't know what to do. He was not good at consoling people. Ask him to seduce a woman and make a sad girl smile, he would do a great job. 

But, in this situation, he was at a loss for words. He could only stand a few meters away and gave Mars privacy to grieve.

He would be here, in case his friend needed him. 

Mars wanted to scream and called Emmelyn's name but he couldn't let out any sound. He just broke down and cried for hours.

He now realized that even though he had killed Thessalis, his bad luck stayed. The curse won. He would never be happy. Now, he was back to zero.

His beloved mother, his rock, was taken away from him in such a cruel manner. His wife, the only woman he had ever loved, the one who made him think his life was worth living... was gone. 

At this point, Mars would never know the truth. Emmelyn died and carried the secret to her grave. Thessalis said Emmelyn came to Draec to seduce him and destroy his family for her revenge. But was it the truth?

Mars didn't want to believe the witch. He wanted to hear Emmelyn's side of the story.

No matter what it was, he would believe her. She just needed to say Thessalis was lying and Mars would forget about it.

But now... the truth had been lost forever.

The cold wind blew the prince's long hair to the side and Gewen could see his face was filled with tears. The sight made Gewen feel sad too. He didn't even like Emmelyn, but now he felt bad that she was gone.

He never expected that Mars would be inconsolable when the woman he loved died. Was this how it was to fall in love? Could losing someone you love destroy you in this manner?

This made Gewen feel more reluctant to fall in love. He hoped he would never have to experience such a thing. So annoying. Being dependent on someone to feel happy seemed so horrible.

When that person died or left, the void that they left behind would feel so painful.

No, thank you. Gewen didn't want that to happen to him.

Not just Mars. Look at his father. Gewen had heard the servants talk about how the king went mad when Queen Elara died.

He couldn't imagine losing his mind over a woman. No human was worth losing your sanity over. No, thank you.

He let out a long sigh and finally stepped closer. He thought Mars had been crying for a long time now. No amount of tears would bring back the dead. So, why not focus on the living, right?

He had a little baby that needed him. He might be too devastated to even remember his daughter, but Gewen wouldn't let him dwell in his grief and abandon that little baby. He knew Mars would blame himself for that if his clear mind returned.

"Your Highness," Gewen wrapped his arm gently around Mars's shoulder. "Don't you want to see your baby? Her name is Harlow, right? She must need you right now."

Mars often talked about his unborn child to Gewen on their way to Wintermere. He told Gewen that the baby's name was Harlow because Emmelyn liked that name, and they didn't know if it was going to be a boy or a girl.

Gewen praised himself for remembering the name, because it seemed, mentioning 'Harlow' just now managed to move his friend from his grief.

Mars wiped his wet eyes and turned to Gewen. His gaze was filled with sorrow. Gewen was right by speaking about the baby. Mars was buried in his grief that he had forgotten about his child.

That's right. They had a baby. It was a girl. Her name was Harlow.

He had not seen her yet. He was too busy grieving.

"Harlow.." he muttered in a barely audible voice. He lowered his gaze and looked at the plain grave and his mind wandered to the past. Emmelyn and he agreed on the name Harlow after the baby kicked for the first time.

It was such a beautiful memory. Now felt like a distant dream.

Sigh.

Now, the baby was here. She no longer kicking from inside Emmelyn's belly. She was out and alive. Mars couldn't wait to see her.

"Where is Harlow now, do you know?" Mars turned to Gewen and asked him hoarsely. "I have to see my daughter."

Gewen nodded. "I do. Lily Greenan took her in. She is staying with them now."

Mars looked away. John's words echoed in his mind. 

The little princess is so young and already has to suffer so much.

Mars felt so sorry for his daughter. It seemed Harlow really took after him. She was born in misery just like him, and had to suffer so much in her life. Just like him.