The Cursed Prince

The atmosphere turned completely silent, even ten minutes after Queen Elara left Emmelyn's room. No one made a sound. No one moved.

"Uhm .. That was ... my mother," said Mars in an awkward voice, breaking the silence.

Emmelyn was finally moved from her daze and immediately pushed Mars's body from on top of her.

"Gosh!! I don't want to see your mother .. How could I have the face to see her after what happened just now????" blurted Emmelyn, covering her face. "No. I refuse to go."

Oh my God .. what did just happen? The queen of Draec Kingdom caught Emmelyn sleeping with her son?

Emmelyn's mind drifted to the event several years ago when her mother caught her older brother sleeping with a maid when he was 17 years old. Jeez ....

Emmelyn remembered how the incident created an uproar in the palace. The royal family became the source of gossip and ridicule for months. The nobles talked about the embarrassing incident at parties and social events.

Of course, the young maid was immediately fired and sent back to her village ... while Prince Luis was given a stern warning.

Now, when Emmelyn found herself in the maid's position, she couldn't imagine the embarrassment she had to endure when she met Queen Elara face to face.

Mars massaged his temple. He also felt very embarrassed because his mother saw him in that situation. It was so awkward.

However, he couldn't blame his mother because he understood that the queen must be so worried about him that she barged into his chamber to check on his condition.

Mars never overslept like today because he had severe sleeping problems. So, when the queen found out that her son was still in bed at 10 am, she must think something bad had happened to him. 

Other people would not dare to go into the prince's chamber and check on his condition without his permission. So, it was only natural for the queen to come and see him.

Uff ... maybe he should put a lock on the door to prevent a similar incident from happening in the future.

It was so shocking and awkward!

"You have to show respect to the queen and see her," Mars said, touching Emmelyn's hand and squeezing it gently. "Besides.. she is not only the queen. She is also my mother. Please don't do that to my mother."

Emmelyn stared at Mars with pursed lips. Somehow this man's sincere expression tugged her heartstrings, and she couldn't say no. It looked like her guess was right. Mars was very close to his mother.

Ugh... she was so embarrassed, but she knew she had to see the queen.

[Aahhh... so frustrating!!!]

Finally, Emmelyn could only let out her irritation by hitting Mars with a pillow. The prince caught the pillow expertly. He grinned when he realized Emmelyn had given up and was willing to meet his mother.

Emmelyn got out of bed and took the blanket with her. She covered herself with the blanket while checking which dress she should wear to meet the queen.

Emmelyn took out several dresses from her wardrobe and chose the one that looked very modest. She put on the dress and finally sat on the chair to do her hair. Meanwhile, Mars was sitting naked on the bed, watching the girl's every movement with great interest.

"Aren't you going to get dressed?" asked Emmelyn with a frown when she realized the prince was taking his sweet time to get ready. 

"I will now," said Mars. "I just wanted to see which dress you are going to wear."

 The man got off the bed and took his clothes from the wardrobe. He deliberately chose a shirt that matched Emmelyn's blue dress.

Mars looked very handsome that morning. His long hair was slightly disheveled and somehow added more charm to his masculine look.

Emmelyn almost held her breath when she saw the dashing man standing by the doorway, waiting for her.

"Let's go downstairs," said Mars as he walked out of their chamber. "Oh, by the way, what should we tell my mother about your identity?"

Emmelyn followed Mars' steps, "We already discussed this two days ago. You met me at Glendale and I followed you here."

"Very well," said Mars casually. After he made up his mind on the night of Emmelyn's drunken confession, Mars became more relaxed in dealing with his and Emmelyn's situation.

At this moment, he felt it would be better to give in and follow her wish. He must make Emmelyn feel at ease living with him. If Emmelyn suspected that Mars was in love with her, the girl would become worried, and she might try to leave him.

Mars actually felt bad about lying to his mother, but before he could win Emmelyn's heart, he shouldn't get his mother's hopes up. It was better like this.

After all, what his mother needed the most was grandchildren, not a daughter-in-law. Kids could come first. Their mother would follow suit.

"Where is Her Majesty the Queen?" Mars asked Roshan, who greeted him in the hall on the first floor. The prince looked around and did not see the figure of his mother anywhere.

Roshan bowed deeply. "Her Majesty the Queen has returned to the palace with Lady Athibaud, Your Highness."

Mars frowned in surprise. "My mother returned to the palace? Didn't she say she will be waiting for me downstairs?"

Roshan bowed again. "She changed her mind. She said she didn't want to embarrass Lady Emmelyn by showing up without a warning like today. So, the queen decided to formally meet her later. Lady Emmelyn is invited to the palace for afternoon tea with the queen at 4 pm."

Mars's hand, which was holding Emmelyn's, suddenly tightened its grip when he heard Roshan's words.

His mother was inviting Emmelyn to the palace??? Good God!

The prince was grateful that his mother was very understanding. The queen chose to cancel her visit because the incident must have embarrassed the couple.

But ... with her inviting Emmelyn personally to come to the palace, there would be many complications. Emmelyn might take the opportunity to look around the palace and find ways to kill the king, just as the girl had planned.

What if Emmelyn was desperate and tried to kill his mother later today? Queen Elara was a much easier target. Emmelyn might change her target again and go for the queen!

Mars could not imagine the sorrow and heartbreak he would feel if the woman he loved killed the mother he loved so dearly.

Suddenly, his head throbbed with indescribable pain.

Emmelyn turned to the prince. She asked in surprise. "What happened to you?"

She had felt Mars' hand grip her hand, and the girl immediately suspected something was wrong.

Mars looked at Emmelyn with a pair of worried eyes. "I will go with you to the palace."