That's why this whole thing was a bad and bad situation for Mars. He could either lose his friend, or the woman he loved.

If the curse was broken, he might lose Emmelyn, but if he was still cursed, Ellena would die!

Why was he so unlucky?

Mars organized his emotion and tried to appear calm on the surface. He didn't want Emmelyn to know what was going on. At least until he could talk to Ellena in the library and get to the bottom of it.

"I have. I need to talk to her soon, but first I have to take Emmelyn to see my mother," Mars replied in a low voice. "You can go to the library and see Gewen and Ellena there."

"Ah, okay, Your Highness." Edgar turned to Emmelyn and bowed down with respect. "It's nice to meet you, Your Highness. I will see you around."

Emmelyn nodded and saw the man took his leave to a door to their right. She could suspect that Edgar must be going somewhere, where Gewen and that girl were waiting.

What was her name again? Ellena?

Emmelyn bit her lip. She hated the name already, even though she didn't know the girl personally. She didn't know why.

Usually, she was a fair person. She would treat everyone kindly in the beginning and only if they treated her badly, would she respond the same.

She felt guilty for hating Ellena, just because she was Mars' old friend.

The way people talked highly about Ellena being the only woman that the crown prince liked and let to be around him, made Emmelyn feel so jealous.

Suddenly, she no longer felt special.

And... what if Ellena really hugged Mars earlier because she knew the curse was already broken?

"That's my parents," Mars said to Emmelyn, as they walked closer toward the table of honor. His words moved Emmelyn from her reverie. She turned her sight from the door to the direction of the monarchs.

There, King Jared sat with his wife, and some lords and their wives were sitting around them. The ladies, understandingly, moved away when they saw the crown prince approaching.

Emmelyn's heart was surrounded by ice again, as she caught sight of the middle-aged king. Fortunately, Mars didn't look like his father, even one bit.

Otherwise, Emmelyn would always be reminded of King Jared as the destroyer of her kingdom every time she looked at the prince.

Mars took after his mother's good looks and when Emmelyn saw him, she would be reminded of the queen's gentleness and warmth.

"Please don't say anything about Wintermere in front of my parents if you don't want to die," Mars pleaded with her. He could see the change in her countenance when she saw his father. He could kind of guess what she was thinking.

He, too, didn't want his father to reject his relationship with Emmelyn before he could convince the king that Emmelyn was safe and wouldn't plot any harm to him and their family.

Gosh.. Mars realized, he had so much work to do on both sides. He had to win Emmelyn's heart and at the same time, he had to calm his parents down.

He really hoped, this child Emmelyn was carrying could soften both sides and, one day, they could all learn to forgive and accept each other, for the sake of the child.

Uff.. now Mars felt guilty for placing such a heavy burden on the child, to be the ambassador of peace between their families. Sadly, the prince had no choice.

Emmelyn nodded faintly. She had decided not to kill the king, because of the child she was carrying and because of Mars. She had given up on the idea of revenge and just wanted to go away as soon as she completed her end of the deal.

However, Mars didn't know this. He must still think that Emmelyn was planning to look for trouble.

The man whispered again. "Also, please don't keep saying you're a prostitute from Glendale. My mother can accept you, but it will be hard for my father."

Emmelyn nodded again.

They had arrived in front of the monarchs and as it was custom, Emmelyn curtseyed before the king. She forced a smile and then turned to the queen. She tried to avoid looking at the king as much as possible.

"Good evening, Your Majesty." Her voice was sweet as usual.

Queen Elara pressed her lips and smiled broadly. She obviously looked impressed by Emmelyn's beauty. The first time they met, Emmelyn was wearing a simpler dress without any makeup.

Tonight, apparently, when she put an extra effort, she looked so much more beautiful. The queen felt so warm and happy inside. She approved of this girl to be her son's wife.

What a beautiful and charming young lady, she thought.

"Good evening, Lady Emmelyn. You look so beautiful tonight," Queen Elara reached out to Emmelyn, then rose from her seat and hugged the girl.

Everyone present exchanged glances. They didn't expect the queen to embrace the new girl who came with the crown prince.

Who was she? They all asked each other secretly. Not only did the crown prince touch her and seemed to dote on her, but the queen also treated her really well!

Was she a princess from the neighboring country that came here to be betrothed to the prince? Was this Prince Mars's future wife?

Whoaaa!!

What a delightful surprise!

Perhaps, this royal ball was held to announce their engagement?

How amazing!

The prince turned 27 today. He was of the perfect age to settle down and get married. The people of Draec were all dying to see who he would end up with since he was known for hating women.

Many people even thought the prince was into men and would never have heirs. However, now, seeing how beautiful and charming the lady he was with, the gossip suddenly didn't feel relevant.

Maybe the crown prince just had not found the perfect woman who could capture his heart. Maybe... finally, the girl came into his life, and he knew he had found the one?

Otherwise, why would he take her to this royal gala?