The Cursed Prince

"Thank you for the food," Mrs. Adler looked beaming when they ate lunch. The food was really good and she seemed to rarely taste such delectable dishes.

"You're welcome. I might not be able to come often in the future, so I decided to come now," Emmelyn explained. "Soon it will be winter and I heard that snow here is quite heavy."

"It's okay," Mrs. Adler responded with a chuckle. "It's similar to Wintermere if not lighter."

"Ah, I see." Emmelyn nodded. "Well.. that's good."

Mrs. Adler could see Emmelyn's countenance today looked different compared to when she saw her the last time. She poured tea for them into cups and gave one to Emmelyn.

"So, how are you doing? Have you thought about what I told you during our last meeting?" The old witch asked Emmelyn with a probing look.

Emmelyn let out a sigh. She did think about what Mrs. Adler said to her: about the curse, her being the bringer of bad luck, and the prophecy.

Emmelyn finally admitted to the old witch that she actually doubt Mrs. Adler's words for days, until Mars told her the truth about his curse. Now, she was conflicted about what to believe and what she should do.

"I didn't know if I could trust the prophecy and everything," Emmelyn said with a low voice. "So many things don't add up. I have never seen a country with those banners and colors you mentioned and I have traveled quite a bit. If I would be the cause of the great war and you said that my source of bad luck is in Draec, shouldn't it be related to this kingdom here?"

"Maybe... maybe not." Mrs. Adler shrugged. "Prophecy doesn't always come in clear pictures. People can get into misunderstandings and make their own assumptions."

"Yeah.. so, you see my problem here? Some of what you said are true. The prince confirmed many things when we discussed it. He told me about the curse and his father's past. Apparently, his whole family was cursed, not just him. That's why he doesn't have any living siblings..." Emmelyn sighed. "I feel so sad when I heard everything. It's a really tragic tale. I wish the late fiancee didn't kill herself."

Mrs. Adler nodded. "Intense anger and deep sadness can make people do the unthinkable... Like yourself. You defy all odds, traveling halfway across the continent on your own to avenge your family's death. Lady Marielle took the extreme path by hurting herself because she was consumed by grief. While her godmother took the other extreme path by hurting other people to vent her anger... just like you."

Emmelyn was in a daze. Mrs. Adler was right. Now Emmelyn could understand why Lady Marielle killed herself, and why her godmother cursed the Strongmoors.

When Emmelyn learned about her family's demise, she felt so furious and hurt... that she vowed to make everyone responsible for the invasion pay with their lives.

The journey from Atlantea took four months to get to Wintermere, and then she took another two months to reach Draec.

The journey was hard and dangerous, but she took it without a second thought so that she could find the prince and the king of Draec who were responsible for the attack on Wintermere.

She had experienced such anger, so she understood why the witch cursed the Strongmoor family. However, if Lady Marielle didn't kill herself, the witch wouldn't be so furious.

So, if only Lady Marielle was still alive, there might be a chance for peace to happen. As long as she lived, she might be able to find another man who would love her and cherish her.

Once she moved on, several years later, all the enmity would slowly disappear and she might be able to forgive King Jared.

But, with her gone, the opportunity would never come.

Emmelyn reflected on her own situation. After spending so much time with the prince and getting to know him and his family, and got entangled with him now through their child, Emmelyn finally changed.

She had decided to move on from her revenge and stop any plans to kill the prince and the king. She could never forget what they did... but at this point, she was as good as forgiving them. She just couldn't be families with them.

"So.. it already happened, and there is nothing we can do about his curse unless someone can find the witch's whereabouts and ask her to break the curse... or kill the witch to break the curse by force," Emmelyn added. "But it seems unlikely since the king has been searching for 27 years to no avail."

"Honestly, if I were you, I wouldn't bother," Mrs. Adler said. "The royal family only reap what they sow. There is always a consequence to whatever we do."

"Yeah, I would understand if the king is the only one being affected. However, it's cruel and heartless to make children pay for their parents' sins," Emmelyn clenched her jaw. "Those innocent babies die because of their father's mistake. And it's not even a mistake. He only wanted to follow his heart and marry the woman he loved."

Emmelyn was worried that her child would also have to pay for King Jared's sins to his fiancee. She was so mad when she thought about it.

"It's true, but angry people are often not rational. If you care about yourself, I would suggest you go as soon as possible. Go as far away as possible."

Emmelyn let out a long sigh. "I think it's too late now."

"Why too late?" The witch squinted her eyes and looked at Emmelyn with a probing look. She suddenly remembered that Emmelyn had an agreement with the prince to bear him children. "Ahh... are you pregnant?"

Emmelyn nodded. "I cannot leave now. I will leave after this baby is born."

"Wait..." Mrs. Adler raised her hand, motioning Emmelyn that she would check something. She went to the kitchen and took a big bowl with water. The old woman stirred the bowl and looked inside attentively.

Emmelyn tilted her head trying to see what the witch was looking at, but she couldn't see anything but water.

"What is it?" Finally, she asked.

"It's my divination window," Mrs. Adler replied. "I am trying to see your option. If it's not too late, I will still suggest you to go and leave this kingdom."

"So.. is it too late?" Emmelyn asked.

Mrs. Adler clicked her tongue and shook her head. "No, it's not. You can still go without causing the great war but...."

"But what?" Emmelyn asked urgently.

"You have to die." Mrs. Adler replied.