The royal palace became so gloomy after Mars received the devastating news about Emmelyn. There was a finality in it that made him know right then, that he was not so lucky the second time around.
This time, his grief and pain were so unbearable that he refused to see anyone. Gewen didn't know what to do to console Mars.
He thought the grief and sorrow that Mars showed when he found out about his mother's and Emmelyn's death months ago was already bad, but apparently, it was nothing compared to what he experienced now.
If it wasn't for Harlow, maybe Mars wouldn't want to live anymore.
What would he live for? The two women he loved had left him forever. They were his source of happiness and his purpose in life. Who cares about his people and his kingdom?
Now that he had lost his wife and his mother, Mars realized what really mattered in life. It was not this empire or the millions of people he had to rule, but the few people his heart belonged to.
Sure, he had a sense of duty for his kingdom and his family, but now... it didn't matter anymore.
If he could do it all over again, he would never leave Emmelyn just to kill the witch.
If he could do it all over again, he would never listen to his father's order to conquer those other kingdoms. He wouldn't let Emmelyn lose her family and her home.
If he could do it all over again, he would leave Draec to start a family with Emmelyn somewhere far away and forget about all the enmity, conflicts, and grudges between their families. He would make up to her for all the sufferings and losses she experienced.
It's too late now. No matter what he did, how much he regretted everything, he couldn't bring her back to life.
"Athos, what should I do?" Gewen wiped the tears from his eyes when he met Athos and talked to him about the king's condition. His eyes were red and his face looked sorrowful. "I want to go and find Edgar, or kill the king from Summeria for causing this tragedy... but I cannot leave Mars alone. He has no one else in the capital."
Gewen truly believed that the third bounty was what caused Emmelyn's death, even though Emmelyn could actually die because she fell ill on the journey. He wanted to find someone to blame for his friend's suffering.
Surely, Mars's bounty didn't cause Emmelyn's death, because the bounty hunters would come to the capital to claim their reward if they did kill Emmelyn.
And the second secret bounty would in fact make people try to keep Emmelyn alive so they could bring her to get the 50,000 gold coins reward.
Gewen didn't want to see that the person he should be blaming instead was Ellena and the Prestons who had put Emmelyn in a situation where she was framed for murder and had to flee to survive.
The man was blinded by his loyalty to his friend. Even though Mars told him he was suspicious of Ellena, Gewen still found it hard to see her sweet childhood friend as a villainess.
He thought Ellena was just a woman in love. It was unfortunate that she loved the wrong man and was put in a difficult position after the man fell in love with another woman and left Ellena high and dry.
No, it was easier to blame the king from the faraway land, on Gewen's case. Blaming Ellena would only strain their relationship and it wouldn't bring Emmelyn back from the dead.
It was really strange that the king of Summeria knew Emmelyn, let alone after her. Gewen was curious to know the reason and what actually happened between the two of them.
Now, how could he find the answer?
Gewen thought Mars must want an answer too. He lost the woman dear to him and there was a mystery surrounding her death. If Gewen was in Mars's shoes, he would want to know too.
But Mars was currently grief-stricken. He couldn't think right. All he did was crying as he locked himself up in his chamber and refused to do his royal duties or meet anyone.
Lily was quick to take Harlow to her home, otherwise, the baby would witness her father's mental breakdown.
Today, she was carrying Harlow in her arms with a grim expression, listening to Gewen speaking, while her husband carried their own baby, Jorei, on his lap.
"Don't go," she advised Gewen. "At least, not now. His Majesty needs someone to stay by his side and go through this moment together... You are closer to him than my husband. He might want to see you when he is ready."
"That's what I thought too," Gewen said. "But at the same time, when he is ready and wants to talk... he would want to know the answer. I want to give that to him. I am thinking of going to Summeria to collect intel and find out everything about the king there. He might be the answer to what happened to Emmelyn."
Lily looked at Gewen in disbelief. "I think the answer is right here in the capital. You don't have to go far to know what happened."
"What do you mean?" Gewen asked Lily. "Did you know something I don't?"
"Lady Emmelyn had told me over and over again that she was framed by Lady Ellena. That little witch is the reason why Emmelyn faked her death and left Draec. So, anything that happened to her should be blamed on Ellena."
Lily clenched her jaws in anger and added, "Who knows if her uncle sent assassins to find Emmelyn and kill her? I actually suspect that Emmelyn's death has to do with the Prestons."
Gewen shook his head in frustration. "There is no evidence that Ellena killed the queen and frame Emmelyn. We all know how much they hated each other. I won't be surprised if Ellena talks bad about Emmelyn, and vice versa. They can't help it. They loved the same man."
He added, "Mars is not stupid and he loves his wife so deeply. He is just like his father, the previous king. Don't you think he would have punished the Prestons and Ellena if they are really responsible for what happened?"
Lily was wondering the same thing. Why was it so hard to see justice for Emmelyn, her friend? Why couldn't the king punish the Prestons?
If he truly loved Emmelyn as he always made himself appear to, then, why wouldn't he make the people who were responsible for her sufferings pay?
This made Lily feel so angry.
"I ask myself that question every day," Lily responded curtly. She rubbed Harlow's hair in frustration. "Imagine how will Harlow grow up, knowing that her father didn't do anything to punish the people who are responsible for her mother's death?"
As if she understood the adults' conversation around her. Harlow tilted her head and looked at Lily with her big round eyes.
Her eye color had shown now and it was golden, just like her father and her grandmother. She was so adorable that Gewen was dazed and stopped talking.
He let Lily's words sink in. As he watched Harlow, he agreed with Lily that it would be bad for Harlow to grow up not having a mother and she would blame her father for what happened.
"Look... I will not hesitate to kill anyone who hurt my friend and his family, but without evidence, we will only have she said she said, and Emmelyn is also no longer around to prove her claim," Gewen finally spoke after he thought about it deeply.
He continued his words, "We must uphold justice and not punish people just because Emmelyn said they are wicked and responsible for a crime that we cannot prove. This only shows that our king is fair. He told me he also suspects Ellena, but he hasn't taken any direct action against her and her family because he doesn't have evidence."
"Give the man a break. He is the one who suffers the most, we are only experiencing second-hand sorrow, he is the most affected by everything that happened, yet he still tries to be fair and doesn't go on a rampage to kill anyone just because he thinks they are guilty..."
Gewen stared at Lily pleadingly. He understood where she was coming from. Lily was really close to Emmelyn and she was upset by Emmelyn's death, but Gewen believed it was not fair to blame Mars for not taking quick actions like what Lily wanted.
Wasn't it a good sign that their new king was a much better leader than his father?
Before Lily could respond to Gewen's words, their butler showed up at the door and bowed down respectfully.
"Your Grace, the king is here. He just arrived," he said with a low voice.
Everyone in the room exchanged glances. They were very surprised by Mars' sudden appearance.
He had been mourning for more than three weeks and didn't want to see anyone, including them. But, now he suddenly came to the Greenan's home?
Did something happen?
"How does he look?" Lily asked her butler. She wanted to know if the king still looked devastated, haggard, or if he already looked slightly better.
"His Majesty said he came here to bring back the little princess. He looks haggard and tired and to be honest, a bit scary..." Ben explained.
"Oh..." Lily had never seen the scary side of Mars so she didn't know what to expect. However, Athos and Gewen did. Both men immediately looked distraught.