The Cursed Prince

Mars looked at Edgar attentively and waited for words to come out of his lips. The king wished he could read minds, so he could know what happened to Edgar all these months.

He was so impatient, but he didn't have the heart to force the man to talk.

Finally, Edgar looked calmer and fresher. He opened his eyes and looked at Mars seriously. He said, "I was sent to Atlantea by your wife to find information about a kingdom called Myreen and the family of wizards that rule the country."

Mars felt his heart bleed when he heard Emmelyn was mentioned. Damn. He missed his wife so much. He only realized now that Edgar was the last person to see Emmelyn before the queen's murder.

"She was really bothered by them since she kept hearing about her being cursed by the Leoraleis..." Mars sighed. "I can understand now how it made her frustrated and decided to send you to look for information."

'But I wish you didn't go,' was what Mars wanted to say, but he kept it in his heart.

Apparently, Edgar thought the same thing.

The man sighed and said, "I wish I didn't go."

His sudden words made Mars surprised. The king looked at Edgar closely to read his expression.

Did Edgar know that after he went away, the queen was murdered? The royal palace didn't announce the queen's death publicly because Jared Strongmoor still refused to hold a royal funeral. 

Mars had to make up a crime to announce when he set up the bounty for Emmelyn. Many people in the capital knew about it, but he thought outside of Kingstown the news about Queen Elara's death would be considered rumors.

Did Edgar pick up the gossip on his way here? How much did he know?

"To be honest, I also wish you didn't go, Edgar..." Mars muttered softly.

He had got over his sadness after months of mourning and self-blaming. But today, the wound tore open and became fresh again. His heart pained.

"I heard that Queen Elara was murdered and you have been after Emmelyn as the killer. Is that true?" Edgar didn't beat around the bush. He asked Mars with an urgent tone. "You set up 1000 coin bounty for her head?"

Mars furrowed his brows. So, he was right. Edgar got wind of the rumors and he had misunderstood of what actually happened.

"No, Edgar... Emmelyn didn't kill my mother... She was framed," Mars quickly explained to his friend because he didn't want Edgar to think Emmelyn was guilty of the crime. The king added, "Whatever rumors you heard outside, it's not true."

"Huh?" Edgar thought he misheard, so he asked Mars to repeat his statement. "Come again? So...  you DO know Emmelyn didn't kill your mother?"

"Of course, I do," said Mars, unconsciously lowered his voice down. He didn't want Harlow to hear him talking to Edgar about Emmelyn killing the queen. "She would never do it. She loved my mother. Emmelyn is innocent."

Edgar suddenly felt more confused.

So, Mars KNEW Emmelyn was innocent, but why did he set a bounty for her head?

And why did he hunted her like an animal that she had to flee for her life?

When he met Emmelyn in Castilse, did Emmelyn lie to him and made up stories about her own husband after her so Edgar didn't feel suspicious to see her in King Loriel Ashborn's palace?

"So... you do know that she is innocent and you didn't set up a bounty for her head?" Edgar asked again.

"I do know she is innocent, but I did set a bounty for her...." Mars' reply made Edgar become more confused.

"I don't understand." Edgar looked at Mars with furrowed brows. "Why did you hunt her and treat her like a criminal if you KNEW she is innocent? How could you do that to her?"

Mars became baffled by Edgar's barrage of questions. Shouldn't HE, the king, be the one to ask Edgar all the questions about where he went and what he did for the past few months?

"It's a long story, but basically, I was protecting her," Mars finally replied. His voice sounded bitter when he realized his protection plan failed gravely. He was such a failure of a husband. "All the evidence and witnesses pointed at her as the main suspect so everyone wanted her punished."

He added, "I was not here when that happened. She was locked up in the Grey Tower until she gave birth to Harlow. Then... she escaped by faking her death. When my father found out Emmelyn escaped, he forced me to chase her and punish her. The ministers in the government also pressured me to show that I uphold justice. So, I set up the bounty openly.. just to please my father and the other lords."

Edgar clenched his fists to his sides when he heard Mars's explanation 

So, he was right. It was King Jared Strongmoor again...

The old king clearly hated Emmelyn so much. Edgar felt more and more sympathy toward Emmelyn. 

"How is it protecting her?" Edgar asked Mars curiously.

He knew his friend was smart, but he simply didn't understand how could hunting someone with 1000 coins bounty be considered protecting her?

This didn't make sense. Of course, anyone in their right mind would be scared and tried to run away as far away as possible. He couldn't blame Emmelyn for fleeing and seeking protection from King Loriel.

"Well, in public, I did show everyone that I follow the law and uphold justice by hunting down the person suspected of the crime, but underground, I set up a second bounty with 50,000 gold coins for people to bring her to me safely," Mars explained what happened. He knew Edgar was smarter than Gewen and would get it immediately.

Edgar's eyes bulged when he heard the statement. "Wait.. so, openly, you provide only 1,000 gold coins for her head, but secretly, you pay people so much more gold to protect her and bring her alive to you????"

"Exactly," Mars confirmed.

"What???!" Edgar shook his head in shock. "She didn't say anything about the second bounty. She didn't know this... Oh my gods..."

"Who are you talking about?" Mars asked his friend. He didn't expect Edgar to react this way.

"Emmelyn! Your wife. She thought you were hunting her for a crime she didn't commit," Edgar blurted.

Mars felt his heart skipped a beat. Why did Edgar have to bring that up now? Did he hear anything or meet anyone who met Emmelyn before she died?

"How did you know what she thought?" He asked Edgar. "Did you meet anyone who said so?"

Edgar Chaucer nodded. He leaned his back on the chair and massaged his temple in frustration. 

So, there was really a grave misunderstanding between Emmelyn and Mars.

Edgar felt devastated.

"Edgar, tell  me what you know!!" Mars became emotional. "Why are you reacting this way? Did you meet someone who saw Emmelyn before she died?"

Mars knew about King Loriel Ashborn's bounty and both he and Gewen suspected Emmelyn's death was related to Summeria.

Maybe she was killed by them or died while protecting herself from those bounty hunters from Summeria.

Edgar was in Summeria recently. So, he might know something about Emmelyn's death.

"No...no... no..." Edgar covered his face with both hands and then he looked at Mars with a frustrated expression. "I  met your wife in Summeria. She was the one who made King Loriel Ashborn lend me a dragon to reach home faster."

"You.. what?" Mars thought he was dreaming and this conversation he was having with Edgar now was not real.