The Cursed Prince

Yes. This was the moment of truth.

Mars must know what Emmelyn did. She faked her death, left him and their baby, and went far away from Draec.

Ellena found out about Emmelyn's plan through a sheer coincidence. Ha. Heavens must be on her side.

Again, Ellena couldn't believe her luck. After she decided to make Emmelyn deliver her baby early so she could face trial, Ellena went to find the local witch near her family's estate to get the potion to induce early labor.

When she was visiting the witch, Ellena saw her making several different potions. One of them was a sleeping potion.

It turned out, the witch's husband had severe insomnia and she always had to prepare a sleeping potion to help him sleep.

At the time of Ellena's visit, the witch was making the sleeping potion in large quantities because her husband was going away to another province for the whole month.

"My poor husband needs this, otherwise he cannot sleep," said the witch when Ellena asked why she made so much. "He will be away for one month. So, I am making the potion that could last him throughout the duration of his trip."

"Oh, your husband will need a big jar to carry the whole potion," Ellena commented. "Why don't you make it thicker and he could mix it with water whenever he wants to drink it? I think it is more practical."

"Men." The witch shook her head and sighed. "You know how they are. They are not as meticulous as us. I did that one time. It was a disaster. My husband forgot to dilute the potion and drank it whole. He went into a deep sleep for three days, and his friends almost buried him because they thought he died in his sleep!"

"What?" Ellena looked very interested when she heard the witch's explanation.

"Yes. So, now I would rather make him the potion in big quantities than give him the thicker version."

Ellena nodded in understanding. She scooped the potion from the bowl and observed the dark color.

Her mind went to Mars Strongmoor, the man she loved. Ellena thought this potion looked like something that Mars could use.

She knew the prince had severe insomnia too.  At least, for as long as she knew him, Mars needed the sleeping potion from Mr. Vitas to help him sleep.

But even that potion didn't always help. There were days when he could only sleep for a few hours. And not only he had a hard time falling asleep, but he also got nightmares.

Ellena felt deeply sorry for Mars. She wished she could help. Now, seeing the witch's husband had insomnia and he seemed to be doing okay with the potion made by his wife, Ellena's mind wandered and thought about Mars and his sleeping problems.

Maybe she should get the potion for Mars too. She would give it to him when he needed it.

A faint smile curved up on her beautiful face as Ellena thought about the man. She was a selfish woman, but she was not selfish when it came to that man.

Ellena always thought about how she could help the crown prince.  Like the time when she decided to search for Thessalis and beg her to lift her curse.

Now, she would also get the sleeping potion for Mars. She knew he would need it.

Well, maybe not immediately, but Ellena would get the potion for him no matter what.

She thought It was better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

That's how much she loved him. She didn't think about herself. She only thought about him.

"How much is this sleeping potion? I want to get that one too," said Ellena with a smile. "Someone I care about also has trouble sleeping. I want to give it to him as a gift."

The witch looked up to Ellena and then turned to the potion in her jar. She pursed her lips as if trying to think about her own husband. Finally, she shook her head. "I am sorry, my husband really needs this. I cannot sell it to you."

"Why not?" Ellena furrowed her brows. "I will pay a lot of money for it."

She couldn't believe someone could say no to money. She took out two gold coins from her purse and put them on the witch's hand.

The witch looked conflicting, but after a moment of hesitation, she shook her head again. "I-I am sorry, Your Grace, but I cannot give you this potion. This is for my husband. He will leave for Glendale tonight and he needs this to rest."

Ellena rolled her eyes impatiently. "Why can't you make a new potion for your husband? It should be easy, right?"

"No, it's actually not easy to make. The main ingredient is difficult to find. I have to go in and out of the woods to look for a certain type of mushroom. I only have a few in stock, and I don't know if I can find them quickly."

The witch looked really sad because she had to say no to two gold coins. However, she loved her husband and she wanted the man to get proper rest.

So, she rejected the gold. With so much respect, she raised the gold and gave it back to Ellena.

The noblewoman was angry, but she didn't want to lash out at the witch. Ellena realized she still needed the witch's help to make the potion to induce early labor.

She finally decided to be patient and coax the witch to give her what she wanted.

"No, you just take the gold. Think of it as my deposit for the sleeping potion you will make for me in the future, once you can find the ingredient,"  she said with a sweet smile. "What do you think? Will you be okay with that?"

The witch's expression turned bright and she smiled broadly when she heard Ellena's generosity.

"Well, then.. in that case, I can accept this. I will go to the woods first thing tomorrow to find the herbs and mushrooms needed to make the sleeping potion for you," she said with a beaming face.

"That's good. By the way, you can make mine thicker. My boyfriend is not your husband who is careless. He will remember to dilute his sleeping potion before he drinks it," said Ellena. She wanted to giggle when she used the word 'boyfriend' just now. 

Ah.. she couldn't wait to see him again and gift him the sleeping potion so he could sleep well.

"Noted, Your Grace. I will send my son to let you know when the potion is ready." said the witch. She went to her cabinet and took out a small bottle from the top shelf. "This is the other potion that you requested. I have it ready."

"Ah.. this is good." Ellena accepted the bottle from the witch and gave her two more gold coins as payment. "I will take this now."

The witch stared at the coins in her hand, looking dumbfounded. Then, she looked up and batted her eyes. "Th-this is... too much, Your Grace. You already gave me two gold coins."

"Yes, and I am giving you more," replied Ellena. "If you are loyal to me, I will give you even more gold."