The Cursed Prince

There were around 20 soldiers traveling with them on horses. They rode before the carriage and behind it. Some other dozens were patrolling around the route that the crown prince would be passing with his wife.

If it was up to Emmelyn, she and Mars would just go without security protocol, just the two of them. She missed going on adventures with Maxim when she was roaming Atlantea.

Now, going on adventures with her husband must definitely be better than going out with a friend, right? Unfortunately, the man she married was the future monarch of this empire.

His safety was paramount. So, she could forget about going back to a civilian's life. Everything should follow the protocol to make sure that the crown prince would be protected.

And since her baby was the next in line after Mars, then her baby should also get the same level of protection.

However, no matter how much she missed her old life, Emmelyn was grateful for her new life. She knew what she was getting into when she decided to accept the crown prince's hand in marriage.

So, she had to take the good with the bad, including losing some of her privacy when she wanted to go out only with her husband. Those soldiers would always follow them, openly or secretly.

"We are here," Mars said when their carriage stopped. He got out of the carriage and took Emmelyn's hand to help her get down. As soon as her feet touched the ground, Emmelyn was amazed by the beauty around them.

Mars was right when he said the vineyards were beautiful. Most of the grapes were already harvested in autumn, but they could see the small ones here and there.

The leaves also started growing and they looked so fresh and lush. As far as the eyes could see, on the valley below them were vineyards with a meticulous layout. It was very pleasing to look at.

"My favorite time to come here is in autumn. The vineyard was filled with big bunches of grapes and the farmers were picking them," Mars explained and pointed to the west. "The sun set right over there. It was amazing to see."

"Ohh... it does sound amazing!"

Emmelyn nodded. She could imagine how it would. Even without the grapes and no sunset, the scenery around them was already amazing to see.

Mars gave a sign to his men, and they all retreated with their horses and cleared the perimeter, leaving him and Emmelyn, just the two of them.

"Do you want to walk around?" Mars offered and reached out his hand. Emmelyn nodded and took his hand happily.

They walked holding hands and explored the vineyard. They could hear the sound of birds chirping and see those yellow and white butterflies flying above their heads.

"I've never seen so many butterflies before," Emmelyn commented as she looked up to admire the small winged animals.

"Yeah.. I heard from Athos, these butterflies came here from a far away country every year without fail. Their annual migration becomes quite a spectacle," Mars explained. "It's another thing that I love about Southberry. It is very unique in many ways."

Emmelyn nodded. "That's beauty of traveling. We get to see what makes other places unique."

She remembered her own experiences back when she was still traveling. Ahh.. maybe she could satisfy her wanderlust by exploring the lands under her husband's control?

Draec ruled over 30 countries and they all had something unique about them. If they explored one country per year and spent one month there as they took their annual holiday, they would only finish the exploration after 30ish years.

It was not too bad. She would have things to do and to look forward to in life.

She could imagine once she and Mars settled down after he ascended the throne, they would be busy with state affairs and raising their children.

The annual trip around the kingdom would be a good thing to do as a family. Not only she could enjoy traveling, but it would be good to expose their children to other cultures and lands since they were young.

They would learn so much about their kingdom and their subjects, and hopefully they would grow as intelligent, kind adults with the wisdom to rule Draec after their father.

Thinking about the future made Emmelyn excited and subconsciously a smile curved up on her lips.

Mars stole a glance at his wife and saw her smile. Internally, he was wondering what was inside that beautiful head of hers.

However, he didn't ask. He believed she would share what she was thinking if she wanted to and there was no need for him to ask every time.

As long as she looked happy, he wouldn't probe her. He didn't need to know every single thing.

"Let's sit here and enjoy the view," Mars said, pointing to a fallen tree at the end of the vineyard. It was quite big and looked comfortable to sit on.

Emmelyn agreed. They walked toward the fallen tree and sat there. The sun was bright but it was not hot. They still had to wrapped their coats tightly because the temperature was still low.

"Would you like some glow wine?" Mars offered. Emmelyn sat, leaning on his sturdy chest and closed her eyes. When she heard the word 'glow wine', her eyes immediately opened.

She turned to him and nodded vigorously. "I would like that, yes. But where can we get glow wine in here?"

"Our coachman brought it with us in the carriage. I will light a small fire to warm the pot and we can drink it while enjoying the view," Mars explained.

"Oh my... that would be amazing!!!" Emmelyn fluttered her lashes in excitement. She cupped Mars' handsome face and planted a long passionate kiss on his lips.

He was really a dream husband, she thought.

It was those little things that he did that made her fall head over heels for him. Like taking her to see beautiful places and remembered what she liked and didn't like.

Even after they got married, he still showed how much he cared and pampered her.

Now, Emmelyn was seriously wondering what did she do in her previous life to deserve this thoughtful man?

Mars closed his eyes automatically when she kissed him. He always loved it when she took initiative.

Well.. he loved her even if she didn't take initiative... but you get the idea.