The Cursed Prince

Mars felt so happy when he heard her words.

So, he was right! Emmelyn would love his surprise. The prince knew right away what he must get her as soon as he heard her stories about Wintermere.

Mars could sense how much Emmelyn missed her country. Actually, he would love to take her there. However, he didn't want to take that much risk with her being pregnant.

Traveling for two months just to get there was too long for a pregnant woman, no matter how tough she was.

Maybe after she already gave birth and their child was a bit older, they could all go together. It was also important for their children to know about their mother's homeland and get a connection to it.

"Thank you so, so much..." Emmelyn sobbed and hugged the man tightly. "I love you! This is perfect."

Mars smiled broadly when he hugged her back. The corner of his eye captured such a beautiful view of their yard filled with small white flowers.

That was the only flower that bloomed in winter and grew only in Wintermere. The Wintermere flowers.

After the crown prince found out how much Emmelyn loved the flowers and that it was the only thing that she liked about winter, Mars decided to get them for her.

He sent pigeons two months ago to his cousin Ethos who was now the governor of Wintermere to send the flowers to Draec in ten wagons.

He gave careful instruction to make sure the flowers would all be alive and healthy when they reached the capital.

When the wagons started the journey, those flowers were still in bubs. They grew slowly in the journey and finally bloomed last week.

Yesterday, Mars finally got word that the wagons got stuck in a small town near the capital because the road was covered in slippery ice and it became too dangerous to continue.

Not wanting to wait any longer, he set with his horse and a group of soldiers to come and get those wagons. That was the emergency that he had to take care of yesterday, that he didn't have time to send someone to notify Em that he would come home late.

He also didn't even have time to eat. All because he wanted to make sure Emmelyn got her present in time. And now, seeing how much she loved the flowers, Mars knew it was all worth it.

"I love you too," he whispered and rubbed her hair lovingly. "I know you love seeing those flowers in winter. I wish to bring you to Wintermere so you could see your homeland, but it's too far. So, I hope by bringing those flowers here, I could bring Wintermere to you..."

"Thank you," Emmelyn sobbed again. "I do miss my home very much.. This is perfect. Now, I feel like I'm home..."

Mars let her cry on his chest until she was satisfied. He kept patting her back gently and let her know that it was okay to cry.

After Emmelyn finally had enough of shedding her tears, she let go of her grip from his arms and wiped her eyes.

She turned and looked outside their window again. Her eyes were gleaming with tears but her lips were smiling.

"They are so beautiful..." She turned to him. "Don't you think so?"

"Yes, they are beautiful," Mars confirmed.

"But.. they were not there yesterday..." Emmelyn was confused. "When did you put them there?"

"Well.. last night after you went to sleep. I asked my men to plant them in the ground. I want you to wake up to this..." Mars smiled proudly at his work. "We brought ten wagons filled with Wintermere flowers and my people took care of them well all throughout the two months journey."

Emmelyn could imagine the amount of work and care being put into the initiative of bringing Wintermere flowers all the way from the end of the continent by the sea, to Draec.

She felt grateful, and what's most important was she felt loved. The prince's love and devotion to her were evident from this gift alone.

"Thank you so much..." Emmelyn rubbed her eyes, trying to stop crying, but her tears kept streaming down hard. "Oh my gosh... I must look really weird now... crying and smiling at the same time."

"No.. no.. not at all. You don't look weird," Mars chuckled. "You look beautiful like usual."

Emmelyn pouted but she obviously looked flattered by his words.

"Last night, however... when you were crying and eating at the same time... THAT was weird," Mars added with a chuckle. "Roshan told me what happened and every time I imagine the scene, I couldn't help but laugh."

Emmelyn instantly hit him with her small hands. "How dare you calling me weird!"

Mars immediately hugged her tightly and kissed her lips before he coaxed her. "I was just joking, Honey. I'm sorry for teasing you earlier. You look so cute when you pout. I just want to kiss you incessantly..."

"You...!"

"There... there... let's look at the flowers. Aren't they beautiful?" Mars distracted Emmelyn by mentioning the Wintermere flowers again. "Would you like some ginger tea to accompany you enjoying the view?"

Emmelyn nodded. "Yes, please."

"All right. Wait here, I will be right back." Mars planted a kiss on her forehead and then went outside their chamber. He returned ten minutes later with a tray filled with a teapot and two cups.

The delicious smell of ginger tea wafted in the air, and suddenly Emmelyn felt like she was back in Wintermere.

Mars poured ginger tea for them and gave one cup to Emmelyn. He decided to sit on the sofa with the window opened wide, so Emmelyn could see the whole yard outside their window filled with her favorite flower.

He pulled Emmelyn to his lap and covered their bodies with a thick blanket. They sat together in silence, with a cup of ginger tea on hand, watching the scenery outside.

"Now I feel at home," Emmelyn whispered.

"I am happy to hear that, Honey," Mars replied. "Very happy."

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From the author:

What do you think about this chapter? How many of you guessed it right? hehehe

PS: If you don't already know, my Instagram is @missrealitybites. I often post pictures, spoilers, and even video teasers about this book there. Go check it out and give a follow. xx

PPS: What do you think about the current cover? I love it!! The artist's name is Same Van Rijn. His Instagram is @samevanrijn. He made most of my covers.

I decided to commission Edgar AND Gewen's picture next (together). Let's hope Same is not uber busy and he could make it for us.