"Tell us what happened in Castilse?" Mars urged Gewen again. He only heard that Emmelyn was gone when Gewen arrived and that's it. He needed more.

Mars had not met his wife for a really long time, and he missed her so badly. Any additional news, even a tiny bit of information about her would make him feel better.

"Eh... I didn't get much, I'm sorry," Gewen scratched his head.

Actually, all his body felt itchy and he was dying for a nice hot bath, but he held it and tried to focus on the conversation. So, he continued talking while scratching here and there.

Gewen cleared his throat. "I talked a lot with Kira about Emmelyn and she said Emmelyn left Draec with the sole mission to find Myreen and get her curse lifted. She mentioned to Kira about Edgar. She said she wanted to go to Summeria to find Edgar's tracks since she sent Edgar first to get information, and that's why they were immediately headed to Summeria after Emmelyn landed in Glasswell and met Kira."

"When did they meet Max- I mean Loriel?" Mars asked again. "Did they meet him in Castilse?"

"Hmm.. I think she mentioned that Emmelyn and King Loriel bumped into each other on the way to Summeria. He was looking for her and she was going to Castilse. At first, she didn't seem to know that Loriel, her friend, was the king, based on her conversation with Kira," Gewen replied.

He added, "Initially, Emmelyn planned to go to Summeria to trick the king into helping her, but it turned out the king was actually her long-time friend. Kira said they were so close, and so they decided to go to Myreen together."

Gewen intentionally omitted the fact that Kira told him she wished Emmelyn and Maxim would end up together. 

"I see..." Mars nodded. 

This was not enough. He really wanted to hear more about his wife. If only Gewen arrived before Emmelyn left and he could get a glimpse of his wife, Mars would feel so happy.

Unfortunately... there was none. Gosh... he missed Emmelyn so very badly.

"Thanks, Gewen. I appreciate it." Mars sighed. "By the way, you look so rough. Do you want to wash up and rest? We'll talk about the battle plan tomorrow after you have got a nice rest. We will need all information you could share with us about Castilse since you stayed there the longest."

"Ah, that's a good idea." Gewen nodded. "I do feel itchy."

"Well then, you should take a bath."

"I will." Before he turned around to leave, Gewen said, "Hm... the people in Castilse don't really act like there is a war coming to their doorstep. The people in the capital city seemed very relaxed and confident about it. I only heard a little bit about the government officials. They were forced to make a decision because the king was gone."

Mars furrowed his brows when he heard Gewen's words. This king of Summeria, Loriel, seemed like he was not really interested in protecting his kingdom, just like what King Stevan of Astland had stated about his brother-in-law. He said Loriel was unfit to be the king of Summeria, because he didn't care.

This made Mars feel curious. Loriel was an enigma to him. How could someone be so casual about being a monarch of an empire and act so carefree about it?

Ugh.. at the same time, Mars also felt annoyed because he realized this Loriel apparently cared more about getting Emmelyn to Myreen than taking care of his country.

But... what actually happened to the king and Emmelyn? What took them so long to return from Myreen? Did their mission to break the curse fail?

Were they still in Myreen?

Was Emmelyn okay?

All these thoughts made Mars feel so anxious. He just wanted to march forward and get to Castilse as soon as possible.

***

"Your Majesty...! You are back!" Horatio lost his composure and almost broke down in tears when he saw the king stepped down from the big and luxurious carriage. King Loriel had been away for far too long and the situation in the country was a mess.

Maxim halted his steps and looked at Horatio with furrowed brows. He knew Horatio well and thought this butler was the most expressionless person he had ever met. No matter what he was feeling, Horatio would always show a cool and professional expression on his face.

Did something bad happen? Maxim knew there was a war going on at the border and he was not interested in rushing home.

He knew his army generals and their vast army could handle any enemy well, even if they were big in number and got additional help from the lesser kingdoms around Summeria.

They would not lose the war. At least, for the next several months they would easily handle the attacks. Once Renwyck and the other two wizards got into action, they could add significant support with the three dragons they rode to battles.

It was only a matter of time. Maxim just wanted to spend as much time as possible with Emmelyn before he had to say goodbye to her forever and let her return to her family in Draec.

Once Emmelyn was revived, she would want to go and see her daughter, and Maxim would gladly send her away. This should end the war, right?

So, Maxim was not at all worried about war or whatnot. He took things calmly and with the confidence of a victor.

"I am sorry, it took longer than expected," Maxim said. He felt sorry for Horatio who seemed so distraught when the butler saw his arrival. "We had to take the slow way by traveling by road. Emmelyn is very sick and we cannot take the dragon to go home."

"I am so glad you have returned, Your Majesty," Horatio now cried all of a sudden and it made Maxim feel confused.

"Hey... I am here now. Why are you crying?" Maxim asked Horatio. "Were you worried that I might have died during my journey?"

"No... Your Majesty... that's not it..." Horatio wiped his eyes with his sleeves. He looked so sad. "They took the queen dowager last week. They wanted you to surrender and give King Stevan of Astland the throne."

"What???" Maxim was so shocked when he heard Horatio's words.

Now he understood why the royal butler looked so distraught. Apparently, something bad had happened to his dear mother. Suddenly his head became hot with rage.

His weak and ailing mother didn't deserve this, he thought furiously. 

"HOW DID THAT HAPPEN????" He almost grabbed Horatio's collar and forced him to talk, but Maxim could immediately control his urge. He knew Horatio was not responsible for what happened. 

Those lousy king's guards...! What were they doing that his mother could be kidnapped??

"Your Majesty... they sent a traitor inside the royal palace and kidnapped the queen at dawn. The guards have all been looking for her ever since. We only received the letter from your brother-in-law, King Stevan, today."

Maxim balled his fists in fury. He initially didn't care about the war and would even leave Castilse with his mother to get away from everything. But Stevan dared to touch his mother?

Bad move!

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