"So… you saw me and Lorian?" Mars asked Emmelyn carefully. He was secretly happy to see Emmelyn was upset when she saw another woman kiss him.
It means… she still harbored feelings for him. Could he even hope that she still loved him?
"So, her name is Lorian?" Emmelyn raised an eyebrow. An expression of displeasure was clear on her face. She hated the name already.
"You have never met her. She is Gewen's younger sister. I asked Ilma and Lorian, his two sisters, to help me with Harlow's care. Some people advised that she needs to have her care supervised by noblewomen so she could grow up properly with manners and such."
Mars lowered his head and touched Emmelyn's arm softly. "I didn't want to make you feel disappointed in me for failing to raise our daughter properly… so I followed their advice."
Emmelyn pursed her lips even more. "Why should it be Gewen's sisters?"
"Well… since they are my best friend's sisters, I thought I could trust them. The Athibauds are loyal to the crown and the girls are well educated. I just thought at that time, they were the most logical choice," Mars explained. "I don't want to invite just any random noblewoman into Harlow's life."
"But she was obviously so close to you that she dared to kiss you," Emmelyn pulled her arm from her husband's hand. When he touched her, she suddenly remembered Lorian kissed him. It made her feel disgusted. "Maybe you both have been fooling around behind my back."
"No… honey, it's not true." Mars couldn't help but grin widely. "I never fool around with anyone."
It was obvious now, Emmelyn was truly jealous. Ahh… the lonely husband felt extremely grateful that his wife still loved him. He couldn't wait to clear up all their misunderstandings and bring her back home.
They could restart their life together. He promised to be the best husband and father that his wife could be proud of.
"If you didn't give her any chance, how could she think it was okay to kiss you?" Emmelyn asked again, looking very annoyed.
"No… I didn't expect Lorian to do such a thing," Mars explained patiently. "It was totally one-sided on her part. When she kissed me, I was caught off guard. I was feeling so tired after an arduous journey and fell asleep. She thought she could take a chance with me."
He added, "I immediately punished her. I sent her home and, from that moment, she is not allowed to ever set foot in the royal palace ever again."
Emmelyn bit her lip. She thought Lorian's punishment was too light. However, she also understood that the girl was Gewen's sister. Mars couldn't possibly kill her for that crime.
It would destroy his relationship with his best friend. So, Mars had to pardon Lorian this one time.
Knowing Gewen, Emmelyn wasn't surprised if his sisters were not too bright. Lorian might not think right when she tried to kiss the king.
She would not do it again if Mars gave her a harsh warning and punished her never to appear before him and not to set foot in the royal palace.
"Very well…" Emmelyn sighed. "What about the other sister? What's her name?"
"Oh, she is Ilma. Ilma is smarter than Lorian. She hasn't tried anything weird. Well, I hope she would stay that way," Mars replied. "I already gave her a harsh warning, so that she wouldn't dare to pull such stunt."
"Why do you have to keep her? You could have sent her together with Lorian," Emmelyn grumbled.
KNOCK
KNOCK
Before Mars could reply to her question, they heard knocks on the door. Mars got up and opened the door for the servant who came with a tray filled with a pot of tea and two cups.
"Your tea is here, honey…" Mars said cheerfully.
He took the pot from the servant and poured tea into the two cups, much to the servant's surprise. He knew this man was royalty, a monarch from an empire from across the ocean. Mars shouldn't be pouring his own tea.
However, the king of Draec didn't give him a chance to do anything. The pot was placed on the table beside the bed and he gave one cup to Emmelyn. Then, Mars turned to the servant and said, "Thank you. You may leave."
"Oh… okay, Your Grace," said the servant. "I will be outside if you need me again. Just call me."
The servant left and closed the door behind him. Mars watched Emmelyn sipped her tea and made sure she could hold her cup properly. Ahh… she looked weak but could still hold her cup and drank on her own.
"I have to keep Ilma because I need someone to help care for Harlow," Mars said to Emmelyn. His voice was really gentle when he spoke because he knew she was upset and jealous. He had to tread carefully.
Mars added, "Harlow is really small and she is a girl. She needs womanly figures around her. Edgar and I don't really understand how to do things right. I try my best, but I am so scared that I am not doing a good job. So… I get as much help as possible."
Emmelyn placed her cup on the table next to her and turned to look at Harlow who was now trying to suck on her toe. Emmelyn chuckled and pulled Harlow's toes away from her mouth.
"You are doing a good job," Emmelyn muttered. "She looks very healthy and happy."
"You think so?" Mars' heart fluttered when he heard her compliment. Ahh.. that was all he ever wanted to hear. If Emmelyn said he did a good job, then it must be true.
Emmelyn nodded. "Yeah."
Unknowingly, tears welled up in his eyes again. Mars whispered, "Thank you…"
Emmelyn looked up and turned to him with raised brows. "Why thank me? I should be the one to thank you for taking care of Harlow alone.. and do a great job at it…"
Emmelyn held her breath. She pressed her chest because it suddenly felt so heavy.
So many milestones in Harlow's life went by without Emmelyn by her side. She could imagine how lonely and hard it must be for Mars to witness them all by himself, without her to share them with.
"But I don't want to do it alone anymore…" Mars said haltingly. "I miss you so badly… I came here with Harlow as soon as possible because we missed you so much. We need you, wifey…"
Mars inched closer to Emmelyn and touched her shoulders with both hands. His eyes were filled with longing as he stared at her. Emmelyn looked at him back and she felt her heart ached for him.
She missed him so badly too. Gosh… she was so happy to know that, apparently, her husband didn't betray her. It was a misunderstanding. Mars was still that loving husband that she knew.
And even though they were separated for such a long time, he stayed faithful to her. He could have got any woman he fancied, but he was so stubborn and only wanted her.
This made Emmelyn's heart flutter.
"I-I miss you too…" Emmelyn said in a barely audible voice. Tears started dripping from her eyes. Then she cupped her face with one hand, while the other was still hugging Harlow. "Every night I went to sleep, I hoped I could dream of you and Harlow. That's the only way I could survive this craziness…"
Soon, she was sobbing despondently. Mars immediately wrapped his hands around her back and hugged Emmelyn tightly, careful not to crush Harlow in the middle.
"Oh, honey… I couldn't sleep without you… but in the rare moments that I do, I prayed to gods that I can see you in my dreams too," Mars said. "I felt like I was going crazy for missing you too much."
He couldn't hold it any longer. Mars tugged Emmelyn's chin closer to his face. He kissed every single tear that fell to her cheeks and rubbed her hair lovingly. Then, his lips moved down to find hers.
Her lips were still soft and sweet, just the way he remembered them.
Slowly, Mars kissed Emmelyn with all his heart.
.
.
*************
From Missrealitybites:
Yes! They are finally back together. From the next chapter, everything is good between Emmelyn and Mars. They will plan their journey home, have some fluffs, and plan for siblings for Harlow… hahaha.
PS: Thank you, Rose Hollygolightly for gifting a dragon to "The Cursed Prince" today. I love you!
