The Cursed Prince

"Do you know if Lord and Lady Greenan are still in the capital?"

"I believe they are, Your Highness. They have returned from Duke Greenan's estate several days ago to pay their final respects to the queen," said Mr. Vitas.

He looked at Emmelyn intently. He was still surprised to find out that this princess apparently knew the witch and had met her. Did this mean... all the rumors were true?

She was actually a princess from Wintermere who came here to get her revenge?

So.. did she really kill the queen?

"Oh.. could you please find Lady Greenan for me?" Emmelyn asked.

Mr. Vitas nodded with respect. "I can do that."

"Thank you. I need to talk to her."

"But there is no guarantee that she will be allowed to come here and see you," said Mr. Vitas again. He had heard how Lily Greenan tried to ask permission from the king so she be allowed to see Emmelyn in her prison, but the king was too broken to even see anyone and talk to them.

"I hope you will still try," said Emmelyn. She was understanding that she couldn't demand anything in her position. She just hoped Lily would believe her. "Please tell Lady Greenan that I hope to see her."

If Lily trusted Emmelyn and didn't think she killed the queen, then she would find ways to help Emmelyn. At this point, Emmelyn really didn't have anyone else she could trust or rely on in the capital.

She hoped her letters would reach her husband soon enough and she could get support from Lily. The rest, she could only rely on fate.

Though... with her situation, things were looking really grim.

Knowing that she was cursed with bad luck, Emmelyn didn't have high hope for herself. After the queen's death, she actually saw things very differently now.

Yes, she suspected Ellena was behind Queen Elara's murder, but if the queen was not close to Emmelyn, she wouldn't die in the first place. It was the curse that killed her.

Now... what would happen to Mars and Harlow in the future if they stayed in her life? Maybe they would have the same fate as the queen.

Emmelyn shuddered as she thought about the possibility of Harlow died stillborn or in infancy, like all Queen Elara's other children. That was every mother's worst nightmare.

If that really happened, Emmelyn would blame herself. She knew she was cursed, yet she didn't leave and inflicted her bad luck on the people she loved. Wouldn't that make her responsible?

***

"My Lady, this is your dinner. Mr. Vitas asked me to bring some lemons for you to help with your digestion," said the maid who came to bring her food in the evening.

"Thank you. Please put them on the table." 

Once the maid left her chamber, Emmelyn got to work. She took a blank paper and a quill. She took the lemons and squeezed them into a small bowl. With the help of the candlelight, she sat down and started writing her letter.

She learned this technique from Maxim last year. To write a secret letter he used invisible ink made of lemon drops. To read the words, one must warm the paper on fire. The lemon ink would show on the blank paper after the fire warmed it.

People who didn't know this technique would think the paper was blank and there was nothing on it. So, it was perfect to send secret messages.

When Emmelyn learned how to do it for the first time, she was so impressed. Maxim had so many tricks up his sleeves. Whenever she thought she had seen it all and nothing could impress her anymore, he changed her mind.

She remembered asking him one day about his background and what made him so resourceful. The man just shrugged and said, "Because I am really smart?"

Emmelyn rolled her eyes so hard and then hit the man on his shoulder. "Tch!"

"So, you are saying I'm not smart?" he asked back.

They were sitting by a small bonfire, with a stick in their hands as they were roasting rabbit meat, Emmelyn's favorite. Maxim caught two rabbits with the traps he made earlier. It was then that he taught her how to trap animals.

Emmelyn who just lost her teacher and got stuck with Maxim was worried about what to eat since they were stranded in the forest and there were no villages around where they could buy food.

Maxim chuckled when he heard her grumbling tummy. He whipped out three traps in no time and an hour later they were enjoying roasted meat. It tasted quite good because apparently Maxim always carried salt and seasonings with him.

"Yes, you are smart," Emmelyn had to admit. "However, I can't help but wonder how did you learn all those tricks."

"I read a lot," Maxim replied nonchalantly. "I have also met many smart people during my travels and I always make sure to pick their brain."

"How long have you been on the road by the way?" Emmelyn asked again. "What about your family? Do you still have parents? Where do they live? Don't you miss them?"

"Whoa... whoaaa.. hold on. Is this an interrogation? An interview.. or a background check?" Maxim replied jokingly. "So many questions."

"Up to you," said Emmelyn. She took her meat from the fire and took a bite. The roasted meat was so delicious. "I am just curious to know who you are and where do you come from."

When they first met, Emmelyn thought Maxim was also a traveler like her who came from Terra, since he spoke her language.

However, once they encountered other people in Atlantea, this guy spoke to them in the local language perfectly. Then she realized Maxim was actually from Atlantea, but he just happened to speak many languages.

"I came from a country in the central part of Atlantean continent," finally, Maxim replied. "It's quite boring actually. There is nothing there. That's why I left."