The Cursed Prince

The Singing Cat is such a funny name, Emmelyn thought to herself. As soon as she landed in Glasswell harbor, she immediately looked for the inn in question. Lyla had told her to wait for a letter from Lysander there. 

She found it easily because the inn was quite popular among sailors and travelers. She was lucky to get the last vacant room since the place seemed to be in high demand.

"You are lucky! A guest just checked out this morning and now we have one empty room," said the innkeeper, a fat woman with red hair who seemed to be in her 50s. The woman looked at Emmelyn with a probing gaze. "However, it's quite expensive. It's actually the best room in our inn."

Emmelyn could look for other cheaper inns to stay. However, she was too tired by the long journey and felt that going back and forth here to check the letter from Lysander would be a hassle, so she had no choice but to say yes.

"Yeah, that's fine. I will only stay for two days," she said. "I am waiting for a letter. My brother said he will send the letter here, and I am too sick to go back and forth to another inn. I will take your room."

"Oh.. yeah, that's a good decision," said the innkeeper with sympathy. "We also have some potions to help with recovery if you need it."

"I am fine. I bring my own," Emmelyn replied. "Say, do you have a letter from Lysander Lowell? He is my brother and I came here to look for him."

"No, I am sorry. Maybe it will arrive tomorrow. I will knock on your door and let you know when his letter arrives," said the woman with a smile. "How long do you plan to stay here? The cost is 10 bronze coins per night. You can pay in advance. Breakfast and dinner are additional 2 coins."

Emmelyn thought it would be better to eat at the inn, so she didn't have to go out much just to look for food.

"Yeah, sure. I will pay," Emmelyn took out on silver coin and gave it to the innkeeper. "You can keep it as a deposit, in case I need to extend my stay. Just refund me the amount that I don't use when I check out."

The fat woman looked especially happy when she heard Emmelyn's words. She thought this young man was an easy-going person. She liked having such customers. Usually, they were generous and didn't nitpick on every little thing.

"This is perfect. You can call me if you need anything. My name is Elora," the innkeeper put the money inside a wooden box that she took from under the table and locked it again. "Very well, let me take note of your stay. Your name is...?"

She pulled a quill and got ready to write down Emmelyn's name. The princess, who was still under her disguise as a young man, introduced herself as Killian Lowell, the brother of Lysander Lowell.

"You can call me Killian," Emmelyn added. "Nice to meet you."

Elora became more interested in her new guest. She thought this man was especially polite, showing that he was well educated. Elora had soft spots for well-educated and well-mannered men who visited her inn.

"Nice to meet you too." Elora nodded with a smile.  Then she extended her hand to motion Emmelyn to follow her. "Shall I take you to your room? Do you have other bags with you?"

Emmelyn only had one package on her shoulder that contained all her worldly possessions. She shook her head politely. "No. Just this one bag."

"Very well. Then, I don't have to call my servant to carry it for you."

"Yeah. I am good."

Emmelyn followed Elora to the second floor and arrived in a big room with a huge window overlooking the ocean. She could see the harbor and many ships parked there. She could also see the sunset on the western horizon.

The view was really nice. The amenities were quite decent too. Emmelyn could understand why Elora said this was one of the most expensive rooms in The Singing Cat.

The room was equipped with a big bed with a thick mattress, covered by a satin bedsheet, a thick animal skin rug on the wooden floor, a big table and two chairs for dining or writing letters. It even had quill and ink prepared on the table.

Emmelyn suspected this type of room was prepared for merchants or noblemen who traveled for business or other important things.

"I will send my maid to bring you wine and some bread to wind down," said Elora, winking. "That's part of the service you get when you stay in this room."

"Ah, thank you," said Emmelyn with a smile. She was happy because the innkeeper seemed to like her. She decided to be nice to Elora so she could get valuable information.

Someone like her, who worked in the service industry such as diners or inns would meet so many people who came and went through their places.

Those people would talk and brought information, something that might be trivial for others but important for Emmelyn.

While waiting for Lysander's letter, Emmelyn would try to get more information about the third bounty and about Margueritte and Dolores, Mrs. Adler's witch sisters.

If she could get enough info on how to find the two witches, she would prefer to see them first and consulted them on her problem.

She thought, as people who practiced magic, they must know something about the Leoraleis and how Emmelyn could break their curse.

However, if finding Dolores and Margueritte would be a hassle, she would go straight to Summeria.

Elora left Emmelyn to enjoy her room and closed the door behind her. Ten minutes later, a maid knocked on the door.

"Come in," Emmelyn said. "It's not locked."

The maid entered and brought her a jug of wine and two cups, together with a small basket of bread. 

"Dinner will be served in one hour in our diner, in first floor," the maid informed her.

"Thank you. I will go down after I rest for a bit," said Emmelyn.