The Cursed Prince

Note:

This chapter is dedicated to Maude Fluckiger for gifting a castle to this book today. THANK YOU so much! I am grateful for your kindness and support.

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Maxim read the letter from Duke Lance Goodwin and his brows furrowed. Then he folded the letter and put it in his pocket..

Contrary to what the mayor expected, the king was not triggered or distraught by the fact that two of his brothers-in-law had worked together with the enemy, a big force from across the ocean to topple down his government.

Maxim stayed calm and didn't show any change of expression. Why? Because he didn't really care.

He actually took the Summerian throne so he could use the resources he could get from being the king to look for Emmelyn and help her.

Now that he had realized how everything had been for naught, Maxim had no more desire to keep the throne. He would just let his sisters fought among themselves for the power.

He would take his mother to somewhere safe and make sure her last days would be spent in happiness. All the royal physicians already told him that she wouldn't live long. 

So, he wanted her last days to be peaceful and happy. Maxim actually thought about taking Queen Maude to Myreen since she seemed to love it there and had been missing the place for a long time.

Maybe, she would like to be buried near Aunt Catalina? He could ask her... when the time was right.

And then, of course, Maxim would marry Elise, his fiancee. After the wedding, he could decide to just live in Myreen. The country seemed nice because they didn't have to bother with humans from the kingdoms around them.

Or, Maxim could also travel the world again, like what he had wanted all along. He just wanted to live for adventures. Being a king was not something he actually liked doing.

He only needed a bit of time until he could make sure Emmelyn was safe. After Renwyck and Raphael came to Castilse and revive Emmelyn, Maxim would say goodbye and send her away to be with her family. Then, he would set off for Myreen.

Before he left, he would just hand over power to the prime minister. Duke Lance Goodwin was an honest old man who was loyal to his family for generations. He was also Maxim's father's best friend. Maxim could rely on him to always focus on Summeria's best interest. 

If Maxim's sisters and husbands' families wanted the throne, they would have to fight it among themselves. Once they are all destroyed, after trying to kill each other, Duke Lance Goodwin could wipe them out and then took power.

He would be a better candidate than any of them. As for Draec? Maxim wouldn't worry too much about them. He was sure Mars Strongmoor just wanted his wife back. He had no desire to expand his power to Atlantea.

Being in the same position, Maxim knew how much work was involved in conquering and maintaining power in such a big empire.

Knowing that Mars was a family man, Maxim thought the man would focus on raising his family and develop his country, rather than going to a prolonged war.

That was why the king of Summeria didn't think too much about the coming war. He stayed calm and his expression aloof.

This calmness made Lord Sforza feel deep admiration for the young king.

He thought the king was so formidable and confident that he was not worried about any enemy, big or small, even if his own family turned against him and wanted to overthrow him.

The king was truly amazing!

Lord Sforza looked up to Maxim with adoration evident in his eyes. The king glanced at the mayor and said. "Can I borrow some quill and paper? I will write my reply to the prime minister."

"Yes, yes, Your Majesty," said Lord Sforza hurriedly. He gave the order to his butler and not long after, Maxim had sat at the desk and wrote another letter to Duke Goodwin.

He gave the prime minister authority to make decisions on his behalf until he reached the capital. He predicted that he would arrive in Castilse after one month, just around the time needed by Renwyck to reach Mount Tempest and get help for Emmelyn and then they could all meet in Castilse.

Once everything was over, he would do as planned. He would leave everything behind and went to Myreen.

After he gave the letter to Lord Sforza to be delivered to the capital, Maxim continued his trip. He refused the offer to stay overnight in Cromwell and rest.

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Meanwhile, in Castilse, Gewen had to say goodbye to Kira. He had heard of the news about the enemy from across the ocean and realized it must be Mars and his army. So, Gewen decided to leave Castilse and meet his people.

The residents of Castilse were not too affected by the news of the incoming enemy, yet, because they had confidence that their vast army was strong enough to deal with any enemy. Life went on as usual in the capital.

However, in the royal palace, the people were not as calm and relaxed. They understood that this foreign enemy came with a vast army and they worked together with some traitors from the royal family themselves.

This made things complicated on their side. To address this problem, the prime minister led all the ministers, high officials, military commanders, and important noble houses in Summeria for an emergency meeting to discuss their plan since the king was away.

This had never happened before. Summeria had not gone into any war for five years since the previous king fell ill.

Even before that, they were never in the position where they had to prepare for defense toward enemies coming to attack. They were always the one to do the offense.

So, when Maxim left, they didn't have a contingency plan on what to do while the king was away.

After they caught some spies in the capital, the security and defense were tightened. They also gathered the noblemen in a big meeting to make plans on protecting those whose lands would be affected by the battles.

Military forces were immediately deployed to the most outer border and got ready for battles. They were prepared for full-on warfare.

Gewen had been visiting Kira from time to time in the royal palace after she saved him the other day. They became friends because of their relationship with Emmelyn.

Both had the same interest to see Emmelyn well. So, Gewen and Kira were anxiously waiting for Emmelyn's return to Castilse.

Gewen went back to his accommodation and continued to stay there while waiting for news on Emmelyn. Sometimes he would meet Kira in Archelaus Library, sometimes they drank together and discuss trivial things.

To support himself, Gewen hunted animals and sold them to the local butcher.  Sometimes, when he could get animals with good fur, he would sell them to the fur coat maker and made extra money.

That's how he sustained his life in Castilse. This whole experience truly humbled him and after a while, even Gewen didn't recognize himself.

Now, it's time for him to leave Castisle and join Mars at the Summerian border.

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From Missrealitybites:

Don't worry, I plan to make up for the lack of chapters this week (I promised 3 chapters per day since we are still #3 on Golden ranking).

I will write more and give mass release this weekend after I finish all my work with my clients. THANK YOU for supporting this book and for giving <The Cursed Prince> your golden tickets. xx