The Cursed Prince

Edgar drank his tea and ate the snacks provided just to be polite. They didn't talk much after that. Once he was done, the man decided to take his leave. 

"Your Majesty, thank you for your hospitality. I really need to go back to my country," Edgar rose from his seat and bowed down to Maxim. Then he turned to Emmelyn, showing a really sad face. "Your Grace...  please take care of yourself. I really hope we can see each other again."

Emmelyn smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Lord Edgar. Please be careful on the road. May the road you travel is smooth and the sun keeps shining on your back."

Edgar felt touched and he nodded back. He couldn't really say anything now. Emmelyn was adamant about not wanting to go back to Draec with him. He couldn't force her.

"Thank you." Finally, that was all he could utter. The man sighed and turned around to leave the lounge. Horatio showed him the way out and took him to meet his men who were waiting outside the main palace.

"Ohh.. he is sooo handsome," Kira gushed. "Why did he have to leave so soon?"

She looked sad when she realized there wouldn't be any more opportunities to meet Edgar and get to know him further. Kira wanted to protest since Emmelyn promised to introduce Edgar to her, but the man barely looked at her.

However, when she remembered how Emmelyn saved her life from Raphael, Kira could only swallow her disappointment and sighed. 

"Actually, Edgar is heading home," Emmelyn explained. "I asked him to do something important to me. Maybe if you asked him to travel together, he would be willing to take you."

Emmelyn only said those words to coax Kira. She also felt bad about baiting Kira with Edgar to keep her company to Summeria but the man ended up leaving so soon.

She actually didn't think Edgar was interested in Kira, but who knows, if they spent more time together, perhaps... feelings could grow between them.

One could hope, right?

"Nah... I am fine," Kira brushed it off. "I went exploring a little bit yesterday with Lysander. This city is huge and very interesting. I am very happy that we came here. There are so many things to see and do. In fact, I will go visit that library you once told me."

"Oh.. the Archelius Library?" Emmelyn asked. She had heard a lot about the library. It was said to be the biggest library in the world with the most complete collection of books and historical artifacts.

Two years ago, she also wished that someday she was able to visit Castilse to see the library. Now that she was here, she didn't even remember about it, but Kira did.

"Yes. You said that place is amazing. So, I will visit the place later."

"Oh...  how nice!" 

Maxim noticed how much Emmelyn was interested in the library, so he offered to take her there. "Do you want to go to Archelius? It's not far from here."

He was happy to know Emmelyn loved reading. She was smart and educated. Archelius Library was one of his favorite places to visit when he was younger. It's just that now he was the king, he didn't have much spare time to go there.

"Oh.. do we have time?" Emmelyn asked.

"Of course we have time," Maxim replied. "We have just arrived here. Do you want to continue going to Myreen immediately?"

"Well, I...." Emmelyn looked around her and realized Maxim was right. They were no longer in a hurry. She just wanted to reach Castilse as soon as possible to meet Edgar and send him back to Draec.

Now that the mission was accomplished, shouldn't she be kind to herself and took a well-deserved rest?

"Edgar said Myreen is one month away from here," Emmelyn bit her lip. She, too,  wanted rest, but she remembered that she still had a long journey to take to get to Myreen and confronted the Leoraleis.

"We can take Aslain to get there faster," Maxim replied. He hoped this time Emmelyn wouldn't say no. It would be nice to travel with her on a back of a dragon, just the two of them.

"Well..." Emmelyn started to look conflicting. She liked the idea of taking a well-deserved break, seeing around, and enjoyed the culture and arts in Summeria. Of course, visiting Archelius Library would be like getting one of her dreams to come true. "Maybe you are right."

"Very well, we can visit the library after lunch, if you want it."

"Sounds good."

Emmelyn was wondering why Maxim had not talked about taking Emmelyn to see his mother. Was his mother sick?

"Uh, by the way. When can I see your mother?" She decided to ask Maxim. "I mean... we came here because you said your mother was staying in Myreen once. So, she could help me to give me clues about Myreen."

"We will see her at lunchtime, don't worry," Maxim replied. "After we see her, we will go to Archelius."

"Ah, okay." Emmelyn felt excited again. She and Kira finished their tea and decided to go back to their chambers and rest for a bit. Emmelyn felt exhausted after a long journey. She was physically and mentally exhausted and thought a good rest was needed to bring her energy back.

Meeting Maxim's mother was very important. She didn't want to give the wrong impression. So, she must rest well and present herself to be likable, so Maxim's mother would be willing to help her.

"See you at lunch time," Maxim said to Emmelyn when the girl asked to go back to her chamber. "Horatio will come and get you."

"Oh, there's no need for that," Emmelyn said. "I know where the dining room is now."

"We are not going to have lunch in my private residence. We will meet my mother in her residence." Maxim pointed to the beautiful building across the garden. "My mother lives there."

"Ah, I see. I will wait for Horatio to come and get me then," Emmelyn replied. 

"See you soon."

After Emmelyn and Kira left, Maxim turned to see his mother's palace. He hoped the lunch would be a good time to introduce Emmelyn and his mother and the queen dowager could see how good Emmelyn was.

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This is the chapter for the summoning pens. XD

I will publish another chapter soon. Oh, I can't wait for Edgar to immediately meet Gewen on the road.

PS: Which one do you want to read first?

A. The scene where Emmelyn arrives in Myreen and meets the Leoraleis

B. Edgar revives Queen Elara