Mars's heart ached when he saw her looking so sad. If it was up to him, he would prefer to be here with her. He would even renounce his title and his throne if that was needed to keep her happy.
However, for this one specific thing, he couldn't give it to her. Mars should be the person to deal with the witch.
One, he couldn't really fully trust other people to handle this matter. And second, he knew that it was something that he must do on his own.
The witch kept Ellena's heart and right now, his priority besides killing the witch was to make sure Ellena could get her heart back.
Mars didn't want to owe a debt for life to that woman.
"Honey… I am sorry, but I cannot send other people in my place. This is something that I have to deal with personally. The witch has made my family suffer for decades and caused my siblings' deaths, together with so many other innocent people." Mars touched Emmelyn's arm and rubbed it gently to coax her. "I hope you can understand this."
Emmelyn felt like crying. Why did it have to be this way? They just finally had something good together. They already named their baby, Harlow moved for the first time today, and earlier they also had beautiful lovemaking.
But now, things were looking bleak again.
She couldn't help but cry. Damn pregnancy hormones, she complained inwardly. At a moment like this, Emmelyn actually wanted to be tough and not become an annoying crybaby.
However, it was hard to do. Especially with everything that had happened recently.
"I am very sorry," Mars let out a long sigh. Today was supposed to be the day he consoled his wife and shared her sadness, but he ended up making her cry again.
He felt so bad.
"It's really far…" Emmelyn said between her sobs. "You will be gone close to half a year. I will be on my own…"
Mars knew she was right. And it pained him too, just as much as it pained her. He really wanted to be here with her and go through all the milestones of her pregnancy together.
But as the future king, he had learned not to be selfish and to prioritize the greater good. Emmelyn would be safe in the capital. He also would ask his mother to take Emmelyn under her wing.
She would definitely take good care of Emmelyn and Harlow while Mars was away. Before he went, the prince would ask Emmelyn to move to the royal palace so she could get closer to Queen Elara.
They could bond as mother and daughter, and Emmelyn wouldn't feel so lonely anymore. It was really not a bad plan. It would be better for her to move to the royal palace than to stay alone in this castle.
Mars would ask his mother to allow Emmelyn to invite Mrs. Adler to the palace if she wanted the old witch to come and keep her company.
"I will go to Shadowend with my trained men. We can travel faster than regular people and arrive there in around one month," Mars said to coax Emmelyn. "We will not use carriages but the fastest horses in the kingdom. So, the back and forth trip would only take slightly over two months."
Emmelyn's eyes widened when she heard his explanation. She knew it was possible to conquer the distance in slightly over one month for a one-way trip. However, it would be a really arduous journey.
"It's too much.." she said. "You will be exhausted and fall ill. I don't want you to force yourself."
She could imagine riding a horse for 30 days in a row with only a little rest would take its toll on her husband. So, even though she badly wanted him to return as soon as possible, Emmelyn also didn't want her husband to suffer.
"No, I'm a big and strong man," Mars said to her with a smile. "I will not be defeated by such journey. You don't have to worry about me. Please.. just focus on your health and Harlow. I will be fine."
Emmelyn pursed her lips. "Why don't I join you? It's my homeland anyway… I know the area like the back of my hand. You will need someone local to know the ins and outs. I can help you."
She added, "If you take me with you, I wouldn't feel so alone and lonely. I can also see my home country again. And… you don't have to force yourself to travel in a rush. We can just take it easy and travel by carriage."
Wouldn't it be better if she joined him? That way, they could still be together. She could also help him and he wouldn't need to worry about leaving her behind. And it was the same with her. She wouldn't worry about him either.
However, Mars didn't see it that way. He shook his head and touched her cheeks gently. "Honey, I am sorry, I cannot take the risk by taking you with me to Shadowend. This is your first pregnancy and we don't have Mr. Vitas to call if anything happened on the road. You are safe here.. And that's my main priority now."
Emmelyn pursed her lips and looked away. She hated that he was right. They couldn't possibly bring the very old court physician to go with her to Wintermere just to care for Emmelyn on the road.
"We can bring another physician who is younger and healthy," she turned to him and argued again. "There is surely another physician in this big empire, isn't it?"
"We do have other physicians, but Mr. Vitas is the best and most experienced," Mars replied. "And he is very trustworthy. If it's regarding my family's safety and health, I wouldn't settle for anyone less than him."
"Uff… I don't like this," said Emmelyn dejectedly.
She no longer had the appetite to continue her lunch. Right now, she felt like she wanted to cry.
