"So, are you saying… Ellena and Thessalis planned this?" Gewen finally found his voice. "What for??"
Mars didn't reply and let Gewen figure things out for himself. He didn't want to accuse Ellena openly because no matter what, she was his friend and they grew up together.
He wanted to be completely sure about what happened, and he didn't actually direct his suspicions to Ellena because of his personal bias.
Without clear evidence, Mars wouldn't want to punish Emmelyn for murder, and he would do the same for Ellena. As the king, he had to be fair and uphold justice.
Gewen was not dumb when it came to woman's heart. He could slowly see what the king was seeing. He knew Ellena well and he liked her because she was his friend.
However, if he wanted to be honest with himself… Ellena would be able to do something like this if she put her mind into it.
And Mars was right. She did spend four years living with that wicked witch. Did Ellena change because of the witch? Was she really the one who framed Emmelyn?
Gewen didn't want to answer his own question because he might not like the answer.
So, all along, Mars believed that Emmelyn was innocent and Ellena was guilty but he didn't say anything?
He treated Ellena well, like he would his friend. And… didn't he set the bounty for Emmelyn? If he didn't think she killed the queen, then why did he do that?
So confusing!
"But.. if you think Emmelyn is not the killer and she was framed, why did you set up a bounty for her head?" Gewen asked Mars. This was so confusing. He couldn't understand how his friend's mind worked.
"I did it to make my father and the ministers happy. They all demanded me to go after Emmelyn because they think she is the killer," Mars explained.
"I sent soldiers to search for Emmelyn and announce to the public that if they could find her, they would get a reward 1000 gold coins. But, at the same time, I also sent Damien to do a secret mission together with some of my best spies," the king added.
"What secret mission?" Gewen was curious.
"I sent them to spread news underground that a mysterious client is willing to pay 50,000 gold coins if they could find Emmelyn and bring her alive to him."
"Fif-fity.. thousand gold coins?" Gewen's eyes bulged. "That's a lot."
"Yeah, so much more gold than what the king offered, right?" Mars chuckled. "Which reward do you think all the bounty hunters would try to get? My meager 1000 coins or the 50,000 coins from the mysterious client?"
"Well… who is the mysterious client? Do you know?" Gewen asked Mars intently. "I cannot imagine someone so rich is willing to pay that much gold for your wife."
Mars hiccuped. He thought Gewen could guess it immediately. He was wrong.
"The mysterious client is me, Gewen. But I won't let people know that, otherwise my father, Duke Preston, and the others would be on my back. I asked Damien to keep it a secret," he finally explained it to Gewen.
The king stared at his friend intently, trying to assess if Gewen really understood this time, or if he needed to explain it again.
"So.. the mysterious client who offers the 50,000 coins is you, and the king who offered 1000 coins is also you!" Gewen gasped. "That is genius!"
Of course, any sane people would prefer to catch Emmelyn alive so they could get the bigger reward.
Whoaa.. even 1000 gold coins were enough to buy them land and lived comfortably for the rest of their lives.
But they could get fifty times more if they caught Emmelyn alive? That's an insane amount of money!!
Everyone who was after the money would choose the second reward, to please the mysterious client even if they had to offend the king.
This way, wherever she was and whoever finally managed to find Emmelyn, they would do their best to keep her safe.
It was like asking the whole world to protect Emmelyn, in exchange for money. Well, Mars had so much wealth, being the king of Draec, and he wouldn't hesitate to spend it all for his wife.
"Thank you," Mars replied with a faint smile. "When I was forced to hunt her down, I came up with that plan. So, I am not worried about her."
"But.. wouldn't she think you are really after her by sending those soldiers to look for her and give that 1000 gold coin reward?" Gewen asked him.
The man was not dumb, he was just slow sometimes. When Mars explained what happened, Gewen was impressed. However, soon after he saw the flaw of this plan.
Mars nodded. "I know. That's what I am afraid of. However, I have thought of all possible ways to avoid this and couldn't find any. She might hate me for doing this now, but I hope when the time comes and I can explain to her…. she will forgive me."
Gewen tried to imagine himself in Emmelyn's shoes. Then, he looked at his friend and slowly his gaze was filled with pity. Gewen knew it would be so hard for any woman to forgive their husband if they were put in this same situation.
He patted the king's shoulder in sympathy. "Well…"
"Why this reaction? Do you think she won't forgive me?" Mars asked Gewen. He really wanted to know Gewen's opinion because Gewen seemed to be an expert when it came to a woman's heart.
His friend hiccuped. "I am thirsty. Do you have water?"
It was obvious that Gewen wanted to avoid this question. He was put between a rock and a hard place. If he told Mars the truth, the king might hate him. If he lied, Mars would find out eventually and hate him too.
No, some questions were better left unanswered. Just like the time when a woman came to him and asked if she was fat, Gewen would refuse to answer.
What kind of question was that? There was no right or wrong answer without the woman feeling offended.
"Answer me!" Mars asked Gewen again. "Gewen!"
The king took a jug of water and pour it into a cup, then shoved it to Gewen. The handsome general had no choice but to drink and finally answered the king's question.
"She won't forgive you," the man blurted after he downed his water. "BUT… you can minimize the impact of your crime by going after her personally and explain to her what happened."
Mars let out a sigh. If he could do it, he would. He would go find Emmelyn by himself and need not send those spies to announce 50,000 gold coin rewards, not because he wanted to keep his money, but because he wanted to see her in person. He missed her so much.
However, he was the king of Draec now. He had so many responsibilities on his shoulders.
He also couldn't bear to leave Harlow for a long time with the Greenans. He was worried Harlow would think Lily was her mother and Athos was her father.
No way! He wouldn't let it happen. He still slept in Harlow's room to this day to get his daughter used to his presence and know that he was her father, not Athos Greenan.
"I wish I could…" Mars said in a low voice. This was something impossible for him to do in his current position. Who knew where Emmelyn was currently going?
Was she on her way to Wintermere?
Or was she traveling to Atlantea? She seemed to have fond memories in there.
Wait… she also sent Edgar to Atlantea two months ago. So, there must be something important in Atlantea that she intentionally sent Edgar there to do something for her.
What was it? What was the reason she sent Edgar?
Uff… Mars wished Edgar left behind a note or something, to let him know what was going on. Emmelyn also didn't leave anything, just that one letter that might not even be written by her.
"I cannot go and look for her myself, Gewen," Mars added. "But I can send you to go on my behalf."
Gewen coughed when he heard the king's words.
No… no… no…
"Why me? Don't you need me here?" He tried to reason with the king. "I am more useful here than out there."
"No… I don't need you here at all," Mars shook his head impatiently. "I want you to go to Atlantea and find Edgar, but at the same time, you also have to find Emmelyn. You must speak on my behalf and tell her what happened."
Gewen swallowed.
No… not again. He just returned from an arduous journey to Wintermere. He still wanted rest and fooling around.
"Tell Emmelyn that I believe her. Tell her that Harlow and I are waiting for her return," the king said with a firm voice. "I am trusting you with this mission because you are my friend. Please, don't fail me."
.
———
From the author:
Hehehe… I hope you are happy. ^^
As I said, this book has a mind of its own and it always finds ways to steer the direction of the story. I don't always know what is going to happen. But trust me, the story will have a happy ending. 🙂
