"Nooo...! Why are you doing this to me?!?" Gewen was so frustrated that he forgot his manners and grabbed the crown prince by the collar. "Whyyyy???"
Mars was baffled by Gewen's reaction. He pushed the man on the chest and fixed his collar. "What is wrong with you?"
Gewen pursed his lips and didn't reply immediately. He was lamenting his bad luck. All his sexual adventures would finally come to an end, and he would have to navigate a new life being someone's husband.
Mars repeated his question. He looked at the man intently and asked, "Is something bothering you?"
Finally, Gewen replied with a low voice. He was looking really frustrated.
"I am happy for you, but... you know how I always tell my parents that I will only get married after the crown prince is married. So, if you get a wife now... it means my parents will be all over my back and demand me to find a wife as soon as possible. You know what I mean?" Gewen massaged his temple.
Mars smiled when he heard Gewen's response. Ahh, that's right. He did hear Lady Athibaud said she couldn't force Gewen to get a wife because her son always hid behind the crown prince.
Now, if they knew Mars was getting a wife, Gewen would have no more excuse to keep his bachelor's status.
This was really good!
Mars decided to use this for his own gain.
"In that case, if you don't tell anyone that I am married to Emmelyn, then your parents wouldn't force you to get a wife," Mars replied. "So, it is in your best interest to keep this wedding a secret."
Before they came to Southberry, Mars actually felt worried that Gewen would not be able to keep his wedding a secret.
Well... normally Gewen could be trusted, but for something as important as his wedding with Emmelyn, Mars really didn't want to take a risk.
However, now he realized that for this one secret, he could rely on Gewen to never speak a word about it. Hehehe...
"Uf, you are right. I will not tell anyone. If my parents caught wind of this situation, I am done for," Gewen nodded.
"That's good." Mars patted Gewen's shoulder and calmed him down. "You help me, I help you."
Edgar watched their banter with an eye-roll. He thought Gewen was too much.
"Congratulations on your engagement," Edgar said to Mars after Gewen calmed down. "I hope everything will go well for you."
"Thank you, Edgar," Mars smiled broadly. He pulled Edgar and hugged the man tightly. It was good to see a supportive friend for a change.
Edgar patted Mars on the back and said, "You can always rely on us on anything."
"I know that. Thank you!"
Athos remembered that when he married his wife, Lily, his brothers were the ones who came and support him. He was quite lucky that he had many brothers who could be there for him.
Mars lost all his siblings before they were born or in infancy. He was lucky to have these two men he called best friends in place of his brothers.
"Okay, you guys better rest now. Let's meet tomorrow morning for breakfast and discuss the technicalities," Athos told them to follow his butler who would show them their respective chambers.
After all his esteemed guests went to their chambers to rest, Athos immediately went to his own chamber.
Lily returned half an hour later. Athos assumed his wife spent some time with Emmelyn before coming back.
"How is it?" Athos asked Lily with interest. "What do you think about her?"
Lily smiled. "She looks like a good woman. I like her."
"Is she pretty?" Athos asked again. "I'm just curious to know what the woman who could conquer my cousin's heart looks like."
Lily gave her husband a side-eye. "You sound like a gossipy old woman."
"No.. I'm just curious. That is all. You don't have to tell me." Athos shrugged and took off his coat and got ready to sleep.
"You will see for yourself tomorrow before the wedding," Lily replied. She also took off her coat and her dress and slipped into her nightgown. Soon, she took the space next to her husband in bed and hugged him. "Good night."
"Good night, Love," Athos kissed her hair and closed his eyes.
Athos felt lucky because, even though his marriage to Lily was a political marriage, he and his wife fell in love with each other when they were introduced for the first time.
Not all his brothers were as lucky. For example, his brother Milan hated his wife so much. The woman was a vicious princess with a sharp-tongue who always found faults in anyone around her.
The servants were terrified of her and talked about her behind her back. Sometimes Milan was worried that they spat on the food before serving it to him and his wife.
That was how unlikeable she was.
However, Milan couldn't do anything. He was already bound to that woman in marriage and it was done to keep her family's loyalty since her father was the former king in the kingdom they conquered five years ago and turned into a province.
Athos could only count his blessings for having such a sweet and adorable wife like Lily who had given him three healthy sons. His life was content.
Now, he hoped his dear cousin, the crown prince would feel as happy as him in his marriage.
Being a king was such a stressful job. He couldn't imagine Mars could do his duties as the king without good support from his wife, like what happened to Milan.
***
Emmelyn really liked her chamber. It was designed with a princess in mind. This reminded her of her own chamber back in Wintermere.
The chamber she was sharing now with Mars was really good too, but since Mars was a man, she was being considerate by asking Roshan to design it with neutral colors and furniture.
Emmelyn already knew that Mars was not into pink lilac bedsheet after she spent more time with him.
The man was just pretending to like the design of her feminine bedroom as an excuse to keep staying in the same chamber as her.
It was sneaky, but she found it endearing. However, now that she knew better, she made a point to tell Roshan to design their new chamber on the ground floor to be fitting for both a man and a woman.
Ahh.. Emmelyn felt really mature now. She could share and be more understanding of the other person's situation. She also had experienced living together with a man that she loved for months, and soon they would bind themselves in the holy union.
Gosh...! Time flew by so fast!
It felt like it was only yesterday that she went out and about in Atlantea, doing all sorts of shenanigans. Now, she would soon become someone's wife.
And in a few months, she would be a mother!
And later... she would also be the queen of Draec. They just needed to wait for the right time. Once Mars took over power from King Jared, he would announce his marriage to Emmelyn and made her his queen.
She plopped her butt on the chair next to her bed and was deep in thoughts.
So much had happened in the past year. She had lost her entire family, and now gained a new one.
Wait.. not all her family was wiped out. Killian was still alive.
Emmelyn had not had the opportunity to talk to Killian. And she also hadn't told Mars about her brother. She was wondering if she could tell him before the wedding.
However, Lily said the bride and groom shouldn't meet before the wedding. That's why she was sent to rest on this tower, while Mars and his friends were staying on the opposite tower. They would only meet tomorrow evening for the wedding.
"I have to tell him..." Emmelyn finally decided. "But maybe I should wait until after the wedding. Once I become his wife, Killian will be his brother-in-law, and Mars would have no choice but to help Killian."
She let out a long deep breath and took off her clothes and changed into comfortable sleepwear. She felt so free and relieved after removing the bandage from her chest so her bosom could breathe.
Tomorrow was going to be a long, but beautiful day. She couldn't wait!
***
Emmelyn was feeling jolly and optimistic about her wedding tomorrow. However, that night, she couldn't sleep well. Deep down in her mind, she was worried that Killian's sudden appearance with Ellena had some sinister meaning to it.
So many questions were still unanswered.
Emmelyn had nightmares in her sleep and she jolted awake with cold sweat.
"Oh my god... "
Cold sweat dripped down her body as she tried to catch her breath. What was it that she saw in her dream? It felt so scary.
Emmelyn massaged her temple and tried to remember her nightmare.
She remembered blood. A lot of it.