The Cursed Prince

Emmelyn spoke again, hoping to get Margueriette's attention. Maxim walked to her side and he cast his glance around them. He had a really high tolerance for cold, but he had to wrap his coat tightly this time. 

As far as they could see, there was only ice around them. It looked surreal. How could someone live here? He was wondering.

"Hello... we come here to visit," Emmelyn spoke politely. "Is anyone home?"

"Who are you?" 

Suddenly, from one of the castle towers, they could hear someone's voice talking back. Emmelyn and Maxim looked up to see the origin of the voice.

They saw a stunningly beautiful woman poking her head from the window at the top of the tower. She looked pale as a ghost but still beautiful nonetheless. Was this Margueritte?

Emmelyn was very surprised to see how young Margueritte looked. Wasn't she supposed to be older than Mrs. Adler? How come she looked like she was only a few years older than Emmelyn?

"Oh, hello..." Emmelyn smiled sweetly at the witch and did a slight curtsey. She thought the snow queen would like it if Emmelyn showed her respect. They came here as guests and didn't want to offend Margueritte for whatever reason. "We came in peace."

The white witch squinted her eyes at them and the next moment she jumped lightly from the high tower and landed gracefully before the two people.

If she looked beautiful from afar, now that she stood very close to them, Emmelyn could see how Margueritte looked young and pretty like a proper queen. Emmelyn actually wondered why Margueritte didn't go to a kingdom and marry a king.

She could easily see many kings would feel smitten by this beautiful woman. The white witch turned to Maxim and smiled sweetly at him.

"Hello," she said to him, without paying heed to Emmelyn's greetings. Maxim batted his eyes when he realized the pale woman was showing interest in him.

"Are you Margueritte  The White?" he asked the witch with admirable calmness.

"That, I am," the witch replied with her melodious voice. "Who wants to know?"

Maxim cleared his throat and replied, "My friend here is looking for you."

He took Emmelyn's arm and stood closer to her as if indirectly announcing that he was close to this woman. Margueritte narrowed her eyes and finally turned to Emmelyn.

"And you are?" Margueritte asked Emmelyn with a voice as cold as ice.

Suddenly, Emmelyn felt shivers ran down her spine. Margueritte was too overbearing. Emmelyn felt her knees turned weak.

However, she steeled her heart and pretended that she was not scared of the white witch. Emmelyn smiled sweetly and took out a letter from her coat pocket, and gave it to Margueritte.

"My name is Emmelyn. I am a good friend of Alexia Adler. Perhaps... you still remember her?" she said to the witch.

Margueritte tilted her head, showing a bit of interest when Emmelyn mentioned Mrs. Adler's name. She took the letter from Emmelyn's hand and turned around, waving at them to follow her.

"Come in," she said with a cheerful voice.

Emmelyn was surprised by the sudden change in attitude and turned to Maxim, asking him with her eyes, what to do. Maxim nodded silently and took her hand to walk behind the witch.

"We are waiting for two more friends," the man spoke carefully as he walked to the witch's side. "Are they allowed to enter too?"

"Depends," said Margueritte. "If this letter put me in a bad mood, I will turn you both into ice and them too."

Emmelyn's heart skipped a beat. Margueritte seemed like the eccentric type. Her attitude changed like the wind direction, she was unpredictable.

Now Emmelyn could only hope the letter didn't have anything bad in it that would put the white witch in a bad mood.

She and Maxim walked with vigilance as they entered the ice castle. Since Margueritte had not made her stance clear, both didn't lower their guard and trusted her immediately. Who knew if her castle was equipped with traps?

The temperature dropped even lower when they entered the main hall of the castle. Emmelyn started grinding her teeth again. Maxim immediately clasped his hand on hers, in an effort to transfer warmth to her.

Emmelyn could only nod in approval. She didn't care about formalities in this situation. She needed warmth and Maxim provided for her. She needed it for survival. So, she didn't feel guilty, being a married woman but holding hands with another man.

Besides, her scummy husband didn't deserve her. In Emmelyn's opinion, Mars severed their relationship when he decided to hunt her following his father's urge. What kind of husband was that?

Gah...! Thinking about him only made her blood boil. 

Emmelyn's steps halted when her ears caught the sound of such beautiful music playing inside the castle. She didn't quite know the musical instrument used but the music sounded like it was played with a flute.

She and Maxim exchanged glances. Who was playing the music?

"Mother, who are these people?"

A deep male voice suddenly rang in the air as the music stopped.

Mother?

Emmelyn furrowed her brows. She didn't know Margueritte had a son. And the man sounded like he was already an adult. She looked up to search the direction of the voice but couldn't see anyone. Who was talking just now?

Margueritte waved her hand and replied sweetly, "We have guests, that's all. Not enemies."

She went to the big chair that was designed to look like a throne in the middle of the room and sat there leisurely. Emmelyn saw the room they were in looked similar to the throne room in Draec royal palace, albeit much smaller.

There were no other chairs around them, so Emmelyn and Maxim could only wait for Margueritte to finish reading the letter from Mrs. Adler, while standing.

The music resumed and Emmelyn felt her heart wrenched by it. This song was really sad, she thought.

It's amazing how someone could play music with such talent that anyone who heard his song would feel like having their hearts broken.

This made her feel curious to know who was playing the music.