The Cursed Prince

Fortunately for Emmelyn, Mr. Vitas came back with Lily Greenan not long after. Apparently, the old physician managed to force the king's guards commander to bypass the chain of command and made a decision on the spot to call Lily.

He said if something happened to the crown prince's heir, then the commander should answer to Prince Mars and that was enough to scare the man. He immediately sent his fastest knight to come to the Greenan's residence in the capital and fetch the princess.

When Emmelyn saw Lily enter the chamber, she was in tears. Happy tears. She was glad to see Lily was okay and now could come and be with her during the toughest time in her life. Childbirth was no joke and she was sincerely worried that she would die during giving birth.

If that happened, she wanted Lily to take Harlow in, at least until Mars returned to the capital.

"Oh, Lily..." she cried while reaching out her hand toward the Southberry princess. Lily tried to smile to make Emmelyn feel calmer. She took her hand and gripped it gently.

"I am here, Your Highness... you will be fine," she whispered. "It's going to be okay."

She had given birth three times, so she was quite experienced and knew what to expect. However, she never gave birth to a premature baby. So, deep inside, she was worried too. What if...

What if something happened to Emmelyn and/or the baby? Lily would feel heartbroken.

She witnessed Emmelym's and Mars's wedding and she felt close to them. She liked Emmelyn and Mars and hated to see anything bad happened to the couple.

"Lily..." Emmelyn could speak more clearly because her contraction had stopped. "How long... will this take.. Do you know?"

Lily swallowed. She was conflicting about whether she should be honest to Emmelyn or tried to find a diplomatic way to explain things.

Childbirth could take between one hour to 36 hours, depending on the woman's physical health and the baby's conditions. 

Her first son was delivered after a grueling 28 hours, while the second and the third took less time to be born.

However, saying to this woman who was enduring so much pain that her labor might take more than one day and one night, Lily was worried that it would make Emmelyn dispirited.

What to do? She didn't want to lie...

"It depends..." Finally, Lily replied after Emmelyn gripped her arm stronger. "My youngest one took a few hours to be born. It was painful but the joy and relief once the baby was out were worth it."

Emmelyn bit her lip. She was not stupid. Lily only mentioned her third son's birth. That meant, her firstborn might have taken a lot longer.

"Can you... can you please get Mrs. Adler to help me with my labor?" She asked again. This time she looked at Lily with pleading eyes.

She had talked to Lily about Mrs. Adler before and was sure that Lily could use her husband's influence to bring the village witch to help Emmelyn if the royal physician could bring Lily here.

No matter what, she was about to give birth to a prince, the direct descendant of the current monarchs. His safety was paramount.

Lily nodded reassuringly, "Yes, yes.. we already sent someone to pick her up. She will be here very soon."

"Oh.. thank heavens," said Emmelyn with relief. 

She was right. Harlow was truly her savior. He was the reason why Emmelyn was not (yet) executed for the crime they accused her of, and now because of him, Emmelyn could see her friends, Lily and Mrs. Adler.

Now... she was wondering what would happen if Harlow was born? Would they take him away from her and execute her?

Or, would they let Emmelyn live so she could nurse her baby?

How much time would she have after Harlow was born?

That was, of course, if Harlow survived.

If Harlow couldn't make it, Emmelyn was as good as dead.

Mr. Vitas kept checking her pulse and took note of the time between her contraction. After the initial excruciating pain, Emmelyn's contraction slowed down to every half an hour and it was enough to give her rest.

She was exhausted by the pain and stress. Luckily, Lily was there and she was so helpful. She helped massage Emmelyn's arm and legs to make her feel relaxed while they waited for Mrs. Adler's arrival.

"Can you please send all these maids out?" Emmelyn asked Lily. "I need to talk to you in private."

Lily nodded. She turned to Mr. Vitas and spoke to the old man, "Sir, please take the maids with you and ask them to help you prepare some medicine and other things. Let me talk to Her Highness in private."

"Understood, Your Grace," said Mr. Vitas in understanding. He bowed down his head a little and motioned the two maids to follow him. Before he closed the door, he turned to the two women and said, "I will be back with the village witch."

Emmelyn let out a sigh of relief when she saw them walk out of the chamber. She held Lily's hands and pressed them. "Lily, do you believe me that I am innocent?"

Lily nodded. "Of course I do, otherwise I will not be here."

"Please, please... never doubt my innocence..." Emmelyn was crying again. "I love Queen Elara. She is like a mother to me."

"I know..." Lily whispered. 

"I believe Ellena and the Prestons are behind the assassination. They have always wanted to take over power and Ellena loves my husband. She would do anything to get rid of me," said Emmelyn. "I have confirmed it myself. She killed the queen to frame me."

"What? She confessed to you that she was the one who killed the queen?" Lily's eyes went round when she heard Emmelyn's words. Subconsciously, she pressed her lips in surprise.

She had only met Ellena a couple of times six years ago when she traveled to the capital before Ellena went 'missing'.

Lily had a good impression of Duke Preston's adopted daughter. Ellena looked sweet and caring. She was especially close to the crown prince. Even Lily could guess back then that Ellena was in love with Mars.

Did Ellena really have the heart to kill the mother of the man she loved?