"I need to go to Summeria as soon as possible," Mars said when he entered his dining room. Edgar and Gewen were waiting for him to have dinner together. They both looked up when they heard his arrival.
Mars' words made Edgar immediately feel uneasy. He knew Mars would want to go and get his wife when he knew Emmelyn was still alive.
Ah… if only it was that easy. If Mars went to Summeria, he might as well get himself killed.
Edgar had not told Mars what King Loriel said to him before he left Castilse. The Summerian king indirectly declared war by threatening to take back everything he considered stolen from him, which were Emmelyn, Harlow, and Wintermere.
Edgar did not readily tell Mars about it because he thought it would only incite the young king's anger. Edgar was worried Mars would take rash actions because he was really upset.
No.. no… they couldn't do that. They still needed to revive the queen, punish Ellena, and deal with the Prestons.
However, now that the queen was already brought back to life, they could start thinking about other things. Mars needed to know that his kingdom might go into war soon. So, Edgar decided to speak up.
"Your Majesty, I think it won't be wise for you to go to Summeria by yourself," Edgar said carefully. "It's very far and…"
"You came here with a dragon. Well, the dragon needs to go back, right?" Mars asked Edgar. "You said it will need a few days of rest before the dragon can travel again and go home. I am thinking maybe I can go with it and get to my wife as soon as possible."
"That's right, but…" Edgar took a deep breath before he explained the truth. "If you go there, your safety is not guaranteed."
Mars looked at Edgar deeply. Somehow, without asking the question, he could already know what Edgar wanted to say.
Did Maxim say to Edgar something that implied Mars's safety would be threatened if he dared to set foot in Summeria?
Was Maxim really in love with Emmelyn and wanted to keep her in Summeria?
"Did he declare war?" Finally, Mars asked Edgar bluntly. "Tell me."
Edgar nodded. "It was implied, yes."
Mars's clenched his fists so tightly. If his self-control was not this great, he would have slammed his fist on the dining table.
HE KNEW IT!
From the first time he heard about Maxim from Emmelyn, Mars already harbored resentment. He was jealous and angry to see another man having such a close friendship with Emmelyn.
He couldn't do anything in the past because Emmelyn had a life before she met him and he had to accept that. He had to respect that she had friends and other people in her life.
However, now that he was convinced this Maxim guy was trying to take Emmelyn away from him, Mars couldn't let him.
"What war?" Gewen was the only one who didn't know the full story and now was trying to piece together all the information he got from both sides. "Why is Mars' safety is not guaranteed?"
Edgar turned to see Gewen and suddenly he had an idea. He spoke to Mars urgently, "Please just send Gewen. He has a sweet mouth and can talk to women. He might be able to convince your wife to come home."
Gewen pursed his lips. He was suddenly reminded that he had wronged Emmelyn all this time, thinking she might be guilty of Queen Elara's murder when in reality it was actually Ellena who did the crime.
Would he even have the face to meet Emmelyn? It was so embarrassing to come to her and apologize for his treatment in the past.
Edgar quickly told Mars and Gewen what King Loriel said to him before he left Castilse. "I didn't want to say this earlier because I didn't want you to be overcome by anger when we have to try and revive your mother. But now, you have to know the truth."
He added, "Lady Emmelyn told me she might never come back to Draec. And later that day, King Loriel also indirectly stated that he would take back Wintermere, Emmelyn, and Harlow and he was ready to go to war for them."
"What?? The audacity…!" Gewen was shocked and angry too.
"Yeah. From their interaction, I can see that King Loriel cares deeply about Lady Emmelyn and maybe even in love with her." Edgar explained. "I am worried that we would really go to war with them over a woman."
"No, Edgar… it's not a war over a woman," Mars shook his head. "It's a matter of honor. I am not a real man if I can't defend my marriage and keep my woman."
He added firmly, "I know I have made a lot of mistakes, but I am not a wicked husband. I will not let another man come in between Emmelyn and I, especially because we have a child who needs her mother. I love Emmelyn and she loves me."
"What happened between us is a grave misunderstanding. I will not let her go because she misunderstood my intention. I will go to the ends of the world to get her back. The only way I will back down is if she told me she no longer loves me."
"Your Majesty, I have my men in Castilse and its surroundings. There are around thirty people keeping an eye on lady Emmelyn, but it's far from enough to help you if you decided to go to Castilse on your own with the dragon," Edgar said patiently.
He continued to talk some sense into his emotional friend, "I know you are a formidable man, but the Summerian vast army will crush you if you came to the enemy's nest. And then what…? Draec will lose their king and your daughter will lose her father. In the end, Loriel will win, and he will get everything he wants. He will get Lady Emmely, Harlow, Wintermere… and maybe even our kingdom."
"I agree with Edgar. You must not go," Gewen spoke up too. "I am very disappointed and angered when I found out Ellena is responsible for all the crimes… I can't believe I have been defending a killer for so long."
Mars looked at Gewen seriously. He was happy to see Gewen's mind was finally opened. He was the one who always told Mars to be impartial and give Ellena the benefit of the doubt, while he acted partially toward Emmelyn.
"I will give Ellena what is due to her. Now that my mother is back, I can demand justice for Emmelyn," Mars said. "I actually have a plan in mind for Ellena and the Prestons. Don't you say anything to anyone that my mother is back. I want them to be surprised."
"Huh? What do you have in mind?" Gewen asked Mars.
"I don't want them to flee before I can get my hands on them. Let them think everything is going fine," Mars explained. "If I want to send you to go to Castilse on my behalf to talk to my wife, I need you to bring news that I have punished the people who made her suffer."
"Oh… okay," Gewen thought about it and suddenly his face went pale. "Wait… If we are really going to war with them… They might kill me as soon as I land there."
Edgar nodded. "That's right. That's the risk you must be willing to face for our kingdom."
"…"
Edgar added, "We can afford to lose you, but we cannot afford to lose our king. Besides, you are not married, you don't have a wife or children who will miss you."
Gewen rolled his eyes at Edgar's heartless words and blurted, "My mother will miss me."
