"Then what happened?" asked Emmelyn.
She could already guess that Mrs. Adler was right again. The curse happened and it was caused by King Jared's past.
Poor children, Emmelyn thought. She felt very sorry for Mars' siblings who all died as the result of the curse. They were all innocent but had to suffer such grim consequences.
"My grandfather the king had no choice at all because at that time my mother and father were already married. The king also couldn't reject his son's bride when they arrived at the palace because my mother was already pregnant. I was my parents' first child. Maybe that's why I survived until I become an adult. The curse had not been cast when my mother was pregnant with me," Mars explained.
"So... who cast the curse?" asked Emmelyn in a choked voice. "Is it Lady Marielle?"
Mars nodded. "My father and his family did not know that Lady Marielle's godmother was a very powerful witch. When my father broke off the engagement, Lady Marielle was really hurt. She soon committed suicide."
"It was the darkest day in my parents' life. My father didn't mean to hurt his fiancée. He grew up knowing that someday that girl would be his wife. However, after he fell in love, he knew he couldn't marry a woman he didn't love."
"Besides .. no matter what he did, he wouldn't be able to change the reality. He could not possibly bring back the dead. The witch came to the palace on the day that I was born. She disguised herself as a guest at the palace. My father threw a celebration to announce the birth of his heir."
"In front of everyone, the witch cursed me, a newborn baby. She said that I will never be happy. She also further said I would not be able to touch women and my family line will die with me. After that, she cursed my mother's womb, so that all the children born to her would die a horrible death..."
"After casting the curse, she disappeared. My father tried to search the entire country and asked her to break the curse, but even 27 years later, as you know, we haven't succeeded."
"The next day, all the women who touched me at the party died. There was an uproar in the palace and many people were angry with the king, my father, because their wives or daughters died from touching me."
"My father immediately went into a rage. Everyone who was present at the party and knew of the witch's curse was ordered to keep this a secret. Otherwise, they would be sentenced to death for treason."
"My father had spies all over the country so he managed to make sure no one outside knew what was going on. His spies would catch anyone who divulged the secret and my father would kill them."
Emmelyn shuddered at Mars's explanation. She knew that's what King Jared was known as. His reputation out there was horrible.
He was known as the cruel and ruthless king, and his bad reputation was passed on to his son who was often referred to as the devil incarnate himself.
However, now that she had heard Mars' story, Emmelyn could understand why King Jared did that.
Of course, as a father, he just wanted to protect his child. If everyone found out about the curse, there would be unrest among the people of Draec and their enemies would take advantage of that fact.
They would know that the crown prince of Draec Kingdom would not be able to touch women and have children, so the survival of the throne would be threatened.
Certainly, this would have an impact on the stability of the country and would pose the risk of a power struggle.
"So what happened after that?" Emmelyn asked attentively.
"Since that day, my family become depressed. I grew up as a sickly child. My mother was worried every day that I wouldn't live to see the next sunrise. Those were really difficult years. That's why my family trusts Doctor Vitas so much. He was always loyal. Every day he would assist my parents in caring for their weak son. Until finally I can slowly be healthy and grow up to adulthood," said Mars. "I never have any more health problems once I become an adult."
He continued in a trembling voice, "Unfortunately, all the children after me were either stillborn or died in infancy. My mother was devastated. She felt that it was her fault. If it weren't for her marrying my father ... her children would not have suffered the witch's curse."
Emmelyn understood why this talk was so hard for Mars. The man carried the heavy burden alone as his father's successor. Moreover, coupled with the expansion of their kingdom, he had to lead and manage an even bigger country than what his father had.
If he had siblings, even if they were girls, that responsibility could be shared. King Jared could find a good husband for Mars's younger sister and the two of them would be able to take some of the responsibility for leading Draec.
In fact, it was possible that Mars could hand over the throne to his younger sister and her husband to become king and queen of Draec, while he could live in freedom and do whatever he wanted. At least, he would be able to go on adventures and see the world.
Emmelyn imagined that if Mars had a younger sister, the girl might end up marrying Edgar or Gewen, Mars' own best friends. They were so close anyway, like family.
[Okay, maybe Edgar, since Gewen was too narcissistic to ever have a wife.]
Gewen or Edgar would be good candidates because they had been with Mars for the last ten years leading Draec's army to invade kingdom after kingdom around them. Both had shown that they shared the same vision and unchanging loyalty to him.
"Are you... are you sure that your children will not suffer from the curse?" Emmelyn asked softly.
She didn't want to hurt Mars's feelings by rubbing off on these old wounds, but she did want to worry about the safety of the children she would bear from her womb.
Mars stared at Emmelyn for a very long time. He didn't say anything and it made Emmelyn feel upset. What did this man's gaze mean? Why didn't he say anything?
"Answer me," said Emmelyn in an urgent voice. "I want to know if the children I am going to give birth to are in danger of dying stillborn... or dying as babies ..."
She bit her lip and looked at Mars with resolute eyes. She felt that her concern was valid and she had the right to know.
Finally, Mars shook his head. Two drops of tears dripped from the corners of his eyes as he finally answered Emmelyn's question.
"I honestly don't know." His voice sounded trembling and filled with sorrow. His sadness was evident and it turned Emmelyn's mind into a mess and tears started forming in Emmelyn's beautiful eyes.
Mars continued with an aggrieved voice. "I don't know ... and I can't guarantee that my children won't suffer from the curse. In the past, the witch only cursed my father and mother's children, but I honestly don't know if ... my children will be affected or not..."
Emmelyn's heart immediately shook when she heard the prince's answer. She was also shocked by his apparent grief. Emmelyn did not expect Mars to cry when he talked about the curse and the potential risk on his children.
"Oh ..." The girl pursed her lips. Apparently, Mars didn't know the answer.
Mrs. Adler made it clear to Emmelyn that her children were not affected by the curse, and so far everything the old witch had told her was the same as what Mars had said.
Should Emmelyn trust Mrs. Adler that her children would be all right?
She felt her throat choked. Emmelyn didn't know what to think.
Mars saw the girl's expression and understood her shock. The man raised his hand and stroked Emmelyn's hair.
"You don't have to worry about our agreement ..." he said in a soft voice. "I won't make you give birth to three children just to die. If our first child doesn't survive ... that means he is also cursed and I won't try to have another child. I don't want to sacrifice an innocent soul, just to maintain the political stability of my kingdom."
"..." Emmelyn was completely at a loss for words when she heard him. His voice was soft, but they sounded loud and clear to her ears.
Right there and then, whatever defenses and walls that covered her frozen heart, had now completely melted away.
Emmelyn could no longer deny that her heart was already touched and she fell in love with the man in front of her.
"If that happens, I will set you free from our agreement and return Wintermere to you," Mars said with a smile.
Now, it was Emmelyn's turn to fall silent. She could feel the sincerity in the prince's words, as well as his deep sorrow.
She knew that Mars was trying to do his best in whatever he could to be a good future king for Draec.
He bound Emmelyn in their agreement out of desperation to produce offsprings who would become his heir as the future king of Draec, solely to avoid power struggles and civil wars.
Emmelyn remembered that before she got to know Mars well, her views of him were the same as his reputation out there, that Mars was the devil incarnate himself. He was ruthless, mean, and evil.
However, now that she knew him in person, and got entangled deeper with the so-called devil, she actually thought that this man was more like an angel.