The royal carriage from Myreen had been traveling for more than one month and they were still far from the destination. Just to leave Myreen and got back to Hellmoon Wilderness, they needed half a week.

From there, they continued the journey by traveling slowly toward Summeria. The difficult terrain and the distance made the journey become all the more slowly.

If only Emmelyn was not 'sick', they could have easily returned to Castilse on the back of Aslain the dragon. They only needed one month when they went from Castilse to Myreen, riding on dragons' backs leisurely. So, going back should take the same amount of time.

However, they couldn't have the luxury now, because Emmelyn was 'sick'. Maxim wouldn't risk Emmelyn's life just to arrive faster in his hometown.

Besides, what was there to do and to see in Castilse? Nothing. The only thing that mattered to Maxim was right here, on this carriage with him..

Emmelyn was lying down with her eyes closed on the makeshift bed inside the carriage. She looked pale and sickly, and sometimes Maxim would worry that she wouldn't make it.

A maid was keeping an eye on her and taking care of her every day in this carriage, while Maxim and Renwyck were flying low and slowly above them on the backs of Aslain and Eris. Sometimes though, Maxim would join her in the carriage, just so he could see her and talk to her.

Maxim had never felt so worried before. Fortunately, Emmelyn's condition didn't deteriorate and she stayed in bed as if she was just sleeping. After one week, Maxim was finally used to it and realized that Emmelyn was indeed saved by the magic crystal.

Even though Emmelyn had given up on life and wanted to die, the magic crystal's shard, which accidentally entered her system when it was broken, managed to keep her alive.

Maxim saw this as a second chance for him to make up for his mistakes.

It was his fault that Emmelyn was suffering so much. His love for her had brought her all the pain and caused her to feel helpless... and finally gave up.

Ever since they left Myreen, Maxim had been ridden with guilt and feeling very sad. If Emmelyn died because of him, Maxim could never forgive himself.

His plan now was to bring Emmelyn back to Castilse and made sure she got the best care from all the top physicians in Summeria.

Then, he would go back to Mount Tempest and found Raphael. If the ice prince could bring back Emmelyn's mother-in-law from the dead, maybe he could help Emmelyn too.

Yeah... Maxim felt wishful thinking every time he thought about Raphael and how he might be able to help Emmelyn.

No matter what price he asked, Maxim would pay. He didn't care even if it would cost him the world. There was nothing more important than Emmelyn's life.

And then... once Emmelyn woke up, Maxim would find Elise and marry her to put an end to this craziness caused by his mother's and Aunt Catalina's stupid agreement.

Finally, he would send Emmelyn back to her family, her husband and daughter.

She could finally feel happy again... Emmelyn would be reunited with Mars and Harlow. Maxim was certain that Mars Strongmoor would bring Emmelyn back to Draec and Maxim could never see her again.

He and Emmelyn could say goodby to their friendship and they would no longer have anything to do with each other.

Maxim could only wish her happiness. She deserved that much, after going through so much pain and suffering because of him.

While Maxim...

Ah... he didn't want to think about his own bleak future. 

***

Maxim and his small group were resting on top of a hill. From here, they could see the next city was not far away. If they traveled at their usual pace, they would probably reach the city by sunset. 

The people were eating lunch, while the two dragons went hunting for their own food. Maxim felt grateful to have Renwyck and his dragons with him on this journey.

Even though the king didn't bring any security team, the wizard and the dragons were enough to protect his small group from bandits and robbers who tried to harass and rob them on the way to Castilse. They were also responsible for hunting animals for the king and the servants to eat.

Maxim barely used his sword and arrows because everything was taken care of properly. He could focus his attention on Emmelyn, and make sure she was fine.

Maxim sipped his wine from the waterskin to cheer himself up. Then, he put the waterskin back to the carriage. They were now ready to continue their trip. 

"Your Majesty, it looks like we are going to have another storm in a few hours," Renwyck came to the king and informed him of what he had heard from his dragons. "We need to hurry and get to the city to find shelter."

Maxim would always believe Renwyck when it came to weather or natural phenomenon. Usually, his dragons would be able to predict the weather accurately and saved them from being trapped in unfavorable weather. 

For example, last week, Eris notified Renwyck of a snowstorm one day earlier. So, they decided to stop in the nearest city and waited on the storm to pass, to avoid the risk of being stranded in the storm because they couldn't reach the next city.

It was a life-saving decision because the storm was so bad, it actually killed many travelers who were stuck in the field outside of the cities.

In an event such as the storm, Aslain and Eris could take care of themselves by flying to the nearest mountain and looked for big caves for them to hide and rest while waiting for the snowstorm to end.

However, the same couldn't be said for Emmelyn, the coachman, and the maid who traveled with the royal carriage. They needed to stay somewhere safe since the dragons couldn't take Maxim and his entourage to the caves with them.

"How far is the next city?" Maxim asked Renwyck. "I think we can see it already from here."

"Yes, Your Majesty, that's the next city. Based on my prediction, the city is around six hours away from here at our current pace," the wizard replied. "Eris just returned from doing surveillance and he said if we move faster, we can reach the city right before the storm comes."

"Faster?" Maxim furrowed his brows and turned to see Emmelyn who was sleeping on the makeshift bed beside him. He shook his head disapprovingly. "No. We must not do that. Emmelyn's body would suffer if we move faster than this. The road is bad and this carriage's movement is very shaky."

"I understand, Your Majesty, but we don't really have a choice. This storm is predicted to be much worse than the last one." The old wizard looked at Maxim pleadingly.

He knew his king was worried about Emmelyn, but as a citizen of Summeria, Renwyck felt he had the obligation to their kingdom to advise their king to do the right thing.

King Loriel was responsible for the life of millions of his people. He must not endanger himself just to make sure the woman he loved could travel comfortably.

Seeing the stubborn expression on the king's face, Renwyck hastily added, "If we got trapped in the storm, Lady Emmelyn will have it the hardest, Your Majesty. We all might not make it back to Summeria. We don't want that to happen."

Finally, Maxim relented. He sighed and nodded at Renwyck. "Very well. I will ask the coachman to drive faster."

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I made several memes for Gewen, Mars, and Edgar today... hahaha. They are kind of funny. See the pictures in the comment.

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