"What's the Atlantean continent like?" asked Mars with interest. He actually really wanted to one day go on an adventure like Emmelyn to other continents, but unfortunately, his freedom was very limited.
Since he had no siblings, all the burdens of being the king's successor fell on his shoulders.
His father could not possibly have allowed him to venture out on his own to a distant place and would likely be unable to provide news for a long time.
If anything happened to him on the way, there would be political unrest and a power struggle in the capital. Even if he was actually okay, there might be people with malicious intentions spreading bad news about Mars and provoking riots.
Emmelyn frowned, trying to remember. "Hmm ... the continent of Atlantea, according to the book I read, written by Marco The Adventurer, is bigger than Terra. There is a vast desert in the middle of that continent, and some areas are quite harsh. Like.. they were real wilderness with so many wild animals and dragons. I've only explored a few kingdoms, so the rest, I read from his book."
"Have you ever been to Summeria?" asked Mars. "I heard it's the largest kingdom on that continent."
Emmelyn shook her head. "I've never been there. Summeria is a bit in the middle of the continent. I didn't travel that far inland," said Emmelyn. "But Maxim is from Summeria and he said the country is terrible and super boring. That's why he left."
Mars frowned at Emmelyn mentioning Maxim's name again. Especially considering that Emmelyn had said that the man was more handsome than Gewen.
"You haven't explained who Maxim is ..." said Mars again.
"What is there to explain? Maxim is just my traveling companion. We were both caught stealing wine from an evil merchant and then had to escape together. He was a very fun guy, and we got along very well. We ended up traveling together when my teacher had some problems back home and returned to his hometown in Sorbee."
"How long were you traveling together?" asked Mars. His tone was investigative.
"Uhmm ... I don't know ... maybe four months," said Emmelyn. "I left Antlantea when I heard the news about Wintermere being attacked and decided to go home ..."
Emmelyn then fell silent. She didn't like to talk about the events when Draec invaded her country. It would only ignite the resentment and hatred in her heart.
Mars also realized the same thing. He coughed a little and tried to distract Emmelyn from the topic just now. The man stretched his body and took a deep breath.
"I'm so tired after riding one day and one night. I want to rest first. Do you want to come?" he asked, getting up from the chair.
He thought it was better to end the conversation here and keep the talk about Summeria and Maxim for another time.
After all .. why would he be jealous of someone who was so far away across the ocean?
Maxim was from Atlantea, very far from here, even farther than Wintermere.
It seemed Emmelyn also didn't know his news after they separated when Emmelyn returned to Terra continent to get her revenge.
Emmelyn pursed her lips and shook her head. She was still upset because she remembered that Mars and his army attacked her country last year.
"No. You can rest on your own," the girl said curtly.
Mars took a deep breath.
This was the Emmelyn that he was used to. This Emmelyn was always talking curtly to him, and she acted like she didn't care about him.
Mars actually regretted the fact that their conversation earlier brought up old wounds. If he could turn back time, he wouldn't have made Emmelyn talk about her life before she came to Draec, to avoid rubbing salt on old wounds.
He hoped that, over time, Emmelyn would get used to living here with him, accepting him and his family, and forgetting the grudges between them.
He promised to make up for everything that Emmelyn had lost... many times over.
However, he knew their journey would be long and far from easy.
"Alright ..." the man ruffled Emmelyn's hair and walked out of the dining room. "See you later."
Emmelyn did not look at Mars at all as the man walked away from her and then disappeared behind the door.
After Mars left the dining room, Emmelyn took a deep breath and threw her gaze out the window. She then walked out and approached the small pond next to the dining room, filled with fish of several colors.
She then decided to sit in the doorway and stare at the fish swimming in the pond. For some reason, seeing them swim quietly gave her a feeling of peace.
Emmelyn didn't go up to their chamber until two hours later, and it made Mars start feeling restless.
His body lay restlessly on the bed. He couldn't help but toss and turn, thinking about how Emmelyn had been after their conversation.
Finally, two hours later, he decided to go downstairs and look for the girl. Mars found her enjoying dinner in the dining room. The girl's face looked normal. Not sad nor upset.
Ahh ... apparently, his worry was groundless. Emmelyn looked all right. She enjoyed her meal with gusto as usual.
Mars approached the girl and sat beside her. For some reason, there seemed to be an anticlimax in his longing for Emmelyn.
Previously, while still on the road, he had imagined that he would hug and kiss her and vent his longing to her by making love all through the night.
But things didn't go the way he thought. They got into a conversation, which made the atmosphere a little awkward because Emmelyn was reminded of her revenge. They didn't even have dinner together.
Earlier, Mars was eating alone, and Emmelyn just sat down to accompany him. Now, Emmelyn also ate her meal without him.
"How's your rest?" asked Emmelyn without turning her head. She was busy concentrating on eating her food.
"Not bad. I've been resting for two hours. Your bed is very soft. I missed it while I was in Southberry," Mars confessed.
In fact, it wasn't just the bed that he missed, but the soft and smooth-skinned figure that was always sleeping beside him on the same bed. But Mars didn't say it.