The Cursed Prince

It took Emmelyn a while to accept the fact that she was going to share a chamber with the scummy prince again. She looked at the beautiful big wooden bed that was supposed to be hers alone.

She hadn't even had time to enjoy this chamber to herself. Last night, Mars slept here with her and now, after just one day, immediately abandoned his plans to have Emma stay in her own place.

The girl massaged her forehead and let out a long sigh. Hmm .. at least she should see the bright side.

She would not lose this beautiful room. She didn't have to move to another room, but instead, Mars would move here.

She was already getting used to the bed, the soft sheets, the smooth wooden floor, the beautiful curtains ...

She just had to get used to meeting that perverted man every day.

Hmm .. but it's not that bad either, right? She was deep in thought.

This way, she would be less lonely and bored. She still had someone to talk to, so she would not go crazy.

After all ... ahhh, didn't Mars already say that he wouldn't fall for Emmelyn?

Although his words were quite hurtful, for Emmelyn, they actually made her feel relieved. Yesterday, she fretted, thinking what she should do if Mars would really fall in love with her.

If that happened, she feared that the prince would force her to stay in Draec and become possessive of her. Knock on wood... if that happened, then all of Emmelyn's plans would be ruined. Mars might cancel their agreement unilaterally, and if so .. What could Emmelyn do?

So, after hearing from the man himself that he would not fall in love with Emmelyn because of their considerable difference in status, Emmelyn's heart became calm now.

She could stay here and carry out her duties to completion and keep her end of the deal.

Ahh .. that's right.

After all .. Mars had offered Emmelyn to join his army in combat training whenever she wanted to.

Apparently, the man still remembered that Emmelyn could wield a sword and had disguised herself as a man for a month in this castle without attracting anyone's suspicion.

Ahh .. of course, Emmelyn would accept the offer because she already missed practicing sword-fighting. After all, she was bored of staying in this castle without doing anything fun.

The girl washed her face and changed clothes. Her appearance this morning looked a little disheveled. Maybe because she drank too much last night, the hangover signs were still visible on her face.

Luckily she already took that hangover soup. Her headache was now almost gone.

Emmelyn walked with light steps and a happy heart into the dining room. There, she found Mars sitting while reading a parchment. On the table in front of them, breakfast was served.

"Good morning," said the girl.

"Hmm .. good morning," said Mars without looking up at Emmelyn. It seemed that he was still busy reading the parchment in his hand.

Emmelyn took a deep breath. Her lips curved up in a faint smile. Ahhhh ... it's so nice to have someone to talk to again!

She then sat across from Mars and began to take food onto her plate. Two servants swiftly served them for breakfast. One person poured tea for her and Mars; the other one peeled fruits and sliced them.

With a wave of her hand, Emmelyn shoved them back into the kitchen. The two servants bowed swiftly, then disappeared behind the door.

"What are you reading? You look so serious..." Emmelyn asked, biting her bread.

Only then did Mars lift his face and look at Emmelyn. "Oh .. this is a battle strategy for Southberry. I'm just reading it to discuss with my generals later."

"Oh ..." Emmelyn nodded. "When exactly will you go to Southberry?"

She had to make sure of the date of Mars' departure so that she could arrange for her to go find the witch in Bydell Village.

"Four more days," said Mars. "Why? Do you want to come with me?"

Emmelyn hurriedly shook her head. "No. I have better things to do around here."

"If you want to come, you can disguise yourself as a man again and come with me," said Mars, placing his parchments on the table and starting to eat, following Emmelyn.

"No, thanks," said Emmelyn.

She could not trust this man not to take advantage of her. Hmph!

"Fine. Whatever. Southberry is very beautiful, you know. You can use that opportunity to travel outside the castle with me and see the world. Don't you feel tired of being cooped up here all the time?"

"I told you I have things to do," Emmelyn replied, rolling her eyes.

"All right, I believe you."

They then ate without saying anything else. After they finished breakfast, Roshan came over to Mars and gave him his report.

"Your Highness, I have prepared the clothes you requested. I have put them in Lady Emmelyn's chamber," said the man respectfully.

"Hm .. thanks, Roshan." Before the butler could excuse himself, Mars snapped his fingers and gave him a new order. "Oh, by the way.. please move my personal belongings to Lady Emmelyn's chamber. From today on, I will stay there with her."

Roshan stood rooted in his place for a few moments. He couldn't believe his own hearing.

So ... what happened yesterday? Lady Emmelyn was told to move into her own chamber, only for the prince to join her a day later?

Did the prince and his woman had a fight yesterday, so they decided to sleep separately, and then they made up and now went back together again?

Then, why did Prince Mars move into Lady Emmelyn's chamber? Wasn't the room so feminine? Why didn't Lady Emmelyn move back into the prince's room?

Roshan truly did not understand how the royals think. Their lives were so complicated, he thought.

However, as a professional butler, Roshan didn't show his judgment on his face. The man still looked calm and unfazed.

"Yes, Your Highness." After bowing respectfully, Roshan walked out of the dining room.

***

Emmelyn checked herself in front of the mirror and let out a happy sigh. The men's clothes that Roshan had prepared, fit her perfectly.

After tying her hair with a black string, Emmelyn now looked like a handsome young man.

"Doesn't it hurt?" Mars asked, pointing at Emmelyn's flat chest.

"No, I'm used to it," said Emmelyn without turning her head. She knew what the prince meant by his question just now.

Mars wanted to know if Emmelyn was uncomfortable with wrapping her chest around with a piece of fabric to make it look flat.

"This is nothing. Corset... now that hurts," said Emmelyn, frowning at the thought of the horrible thing.

"All right. Are you ready?" asked Mars. "I'll introduce you as an envoy from Glendale who is here to visit for a week."

"I'm ready," said Emmelyn.

To prevent Emmelyn from being bullied by his soldiers, Mars did not allow the girl to disguise herself as a poor soldier or an ordinary servant. She would be called Lord Aldrich, the son of a high-ranking official in Glendale, one of the Draec colonies.

"Very well. Lord Aldrich, welcome to Draec. I hope you will enjoy your stay here," said Mars with a broad smile.

He walked out of the chamber first, followed by Emmelyn, who happily took the sword from the table.

Finally .. she would be able to practice sword-fighting again.

When they arrived at the field, Emmelyn could see that the soldiers' faces, who marched in neatly, were very bright. Perhaps they realized that the prince was in a good mood because he had only ordered them to gather and start training by 10 am.

They still clearly remembered their experience yesterday. By 5 am, they were already forced to train non-stop until late at night. The prince kept pushing them and his attitude was very harsh.

Today, the crown prince let them rest until 10 am, then summoned them to the courtyard. When he arrived, his face was bright and decorated with a smile. This meant that Mars must be happy.

"Good morning, everyone. I hope you slept well last night and got enough rest," said Mars.

"Thanks to Your Highness' generosity, we are all well-rested," said a senior soldier, representing his peers.

"Good." Mars pulled Emmelyn's hand to stand beside him. He then introduced his 'guest' to the soldiers who were marched in before him.

"This week, we have a guest from Glendale. Lord Aldrich will be training with us. You must respect him and treat him well."

Emmelyn nodded. "Good morning, everyone."

All the soldiers greeted her back in unison. "Good morning, Lord Aldrich."