The Cursed Prince

Finally... Ellena could marry the man of her dreams.

It took her a long time and a detour, but it was well worth it.

Mars's daughter would not be a threat, so Ellena didn't need to get rid of her. Different story if it was a boy. Once Ellena married Mars and gave birth to her own son, she would have to get rid of Mars's son from Emmelyn.

She couldn't let him live because the boy would take away Ellena's biological son's chance to claim the throne.

But a daughter... was not a threat. In fact, she was perfect. As a new father with a small baby, Mars would need a woman to help him raise his daughter, and Ellena would make herself available for the job.

She would get rid of all the other women who might be considered for the role, leaving only her as the most possible candidate.

She praised herself for being so patient. Ellena had proven herself to be able to play the long game. She worked for Thessalis for years to get her trust and gain her favor. Her patience paid off.

Thessalis was finally willing to lift the curse she cast on Mars if Ellena would pay the price, Queen Elara's blood. Ellena was patient and she did what was required from her.

Killing the queen was the worst day of Ellena's life. Taking someone's life was not easy. It was traumatic, but she got over it with time. In fact, now she was ready to kill again if needed.

Stupid Emmelyn, Ellena smiled wickedly when she remembered the moment she got an idea to get rid of Emmelyn once and for all.

The idea came from Emmelyn herself. How stupid could you be?  To offer the enemy an opportunity to frame you further?

Ellena wanted to laugh, but she had to hold back. There were two maids in this library and they were watching her. If she laughed, they would be suspicious. She had been presenting herself as a grief-stricken lady, wearing all black attire and disheveled hair.

She even practiced crying for days to get the tear marks on her cheeks. She couldn't let her cover blown up, just because she was in a good mood, could she?

Ahh... why on earth those men took forever to return?

Ellena was so impatient. She had been here for almost six hours already. She was hungry. However, she didn't want to go. What if Mars returned when she was away?

She couldn't let it happen. She must strike while it's hot. The man was currently drowned in sorrow and pain. He was at the most vulnerable state and Ellena must take advantage of the timing.

The king was notified of his son's return and would soon be here. Today was the perfect day to sort everything out.

She glanced at the scroll in her hand and her lips twitched. Emmelyn gave her this idea when that stupid woman offered to write down her confession in exchange for her freedom.

Ha. Of course, Ellena would not let Emmelyn go a free woman. However, when she heard of her offer, Ellena realized that she could use the method to make Mars hate Emmelyn for good.

She wouldn't even need Emmelyn's real letter. She just had to find a good forger to copy Emmelyn's handwriting and write her confession, as planned.

Roshan was very helpful in this regard. He managed to find a document with Emmelyn's handwriting on it, so they could copy her style.

The document was some stupid contract between Emmelyn and the crown prince to produce for him, three heirs.

Tch. Thinking about the contract made Ellena's blood boil. She hated Emmelyn to the core. The agreement was supposed to be between Mars and Ellena.

He asked her FIRST to be his wife. And if the curse was lifted earlier, Ellena would be the mother of his children.

His real wife. The future queen of Draec.

That stupid homeless princess just beat her to it.

Ellena gritted her teeth when she thought about it.

Her body was stiff with anger. But then, she heard steps from behind her, and she relaxed her body again. She must not show any emotions other than sadness and grief.

Ellena pretended to cup her face with both hands and sobbed despondently. Her performance was so good, that everyone who saw her would feel pity for her.

The servants and maids in the palace knew how close she was with the crown prince when they were young, and how Mars no longer cared about her after he was together with that homeless princess.

But look at what happened now? Even though Ellena was tossed away, she was still loyal and came here to grieve for the queen's passing.

They all felt sorry for her. The prince was surely in love with the wrong woman. He loved the enemy who ended up killing his beloved mother.

It seemed, he traded a diamond for a rock.

Ellena could see it in their eyes, and she was quite happy with the outcome.

Now, how to make Mars see the same thing? How to make the man she loved understand that Ellena was the best woman for him? How to make him realize that he was better off with her?

Ellena had the fake letter, she also had the baby who was in need of a mother... surely it was enough. Right?

Ellena praised herself for her intelligence. She worked fast and efficiently to accomplish all her plans.

After she managed to find a forger to make 'Emmelyn's letter', she paid a lot of money to a local witch to make a potion that would induce early labor. Ellena knew Emmelyn's letter wouldn't work if she was still alive.

That means Ellena had to make sure that Emmelyn gave birth quickly before Mars returned.

If Ellena was late, all her plans would be futile. She needed to have everything in motion before Mars reached the capital.

That way, nobody could save Emmelyn from execution. Once she gave birth to the baby, Duke Preston could run her trial and she would be executed immediately for the queen's assassination.

It was, oh, such a perfect plan.