Finally, after he took a long deep breath, Mars nodded weakly. “That’s .. right. I met Emmelyn in Glendale.”

Queen Elara’s body suddenly staggered. Mars hurriedly grabbed his mother’s body and carried the woman to a chair.

“Mother, are you okay?” he asked anxiously.

Queen Elara closed her eyes. She massaged her forehead and shook her head, trying to look okay. Having managed to calm down, she then opened her eyes and looked at Emmelyn.

“Please, sit down.” She gave her order with a cold voice.

The girl complied with Queen Elara’s order and sat down on a chair near her. “Your Majesty.”

Queen Elara took a deep breath and began to speak. “You can’t mention your background to anyone. Soon my ladies-in-waiting will come for tea together. I don’t want them to know who you really are. Just make stuff up about who you are, I don’t care, but they must not hear a single word about you being a prostitute or any brothels.”

Emmelyn laughed internally. Of course, Queen Elara was ashamed to introduce Emmelyn to outsiders, thinking that the girl was really a prostitute, who was born and raised in a brothel.

“I also do not want to hear again about how you two met,” said the Queen, continuing her words. Her voice sounded bitter. “Do you understand?”

She stared at Emmelyn with a disappointed look. Emmelyn quickly looked away. She was worried that the queen’s piercing gaze would uncover the secrets of her heart.

She nodded meekly. “I understand, Your Majesty.”

“Good.” The queen coughed and pressed her chest. She then waved her hand and motion Emmelyn to get out. “Now… I need to talk to my son. Would you mind waiting outside?”

She pointed to the beautiful garden beside the lounge which was visible from the two sliding glass doors that were opened.

“Of course, Your Majesty …” said Emmelyn. She got up from the chair, bowed slightly to the queen, and walked away from Queen Elara and Mars, towards the garden.

Her steps looked sad, and her back hung low, giving the impression of sadness when the queen saw her from behind. However, the queen the crown prince didn’t see Emmelyn’s lips twitched and almost formed a smile when she left the room.

Mars and his mother both looked at the girl’s back view with different thoughts raging in their minds.

Mars was thinking of damage control, while his mother was thinking of how she could make sure her son would never marry this beautiful lowly prostitute.

A male servant came in quickly and cleared the wooden box and the crumbled pie scattered on the floor. Queen Elara deliberately waited until the servant finished his task and left, then she talked to Mars.

The queen took several deep breaths before she spoke to her son.

“Darling… How far have you been involved with that girl?” asked the queen in a trembling voice. She hoped that the relationship between Mars and Emmelyn was only limited to physical. That was all.

However, the queen could not forget the scene when the two of them entered this room earlier. Mars was holding Emmelyn’s hand and looked so attentive toward her.

Queen Elara knew there was no way her son didn’t have feelings for the girl.

What’s more … this was the first woman in his life that he could have an intimate relationship with. She saw with her own eyes this morning, Mars and Emmelyn were having sex. 

Queen Elara could imagine that the emotional bond between the two of them must have been so close that Mars could ignore Emmelyn’s status as a … prostitute.

Mars saw the worry on his mother’s face and his heart ached for her. He had never lied to that woman before. When Emmelyn made him lie, by saying that he did meet Emmelyn in Glendale, the man felt choked.

From a long time ago, Queen Elara was the only female figure in his life, because the damn curse made Mars unable to interact with any other women.

His mother was the only woman who could touch him and not die. This woman’s affection and care for him was boundless. Mars couldn’t possibly lie to her, especially regarding such a sensitive matter like this. 

Finally, the man knelt at his mother’s feet and hugged her knees.

“Mother … I will tell you a secret, but I beg you to promise me that you will support me and what I am going to do about it. No matter what,” said the young man in an urgent voice. “This is very important.”

Queen Elara looked at Mars with a face filled with confusion. She didn’t understand what was going on.

“What do you want me to promise?” asked the queen.

“I want you to promise, that you will believe in me in whatever I do, and you will help me get the girl,” Mars said earnestly.

“W-what did you say? You want me to help you get a prostitute? How could—”

Mars hastily shook his head. “Emmelyn is not a prostitute, nor was she born in a brothel. She was lying to you.”

“How could she lie to a queen?” asked Queen Elara with an expression of disbelief. “Don’t you lie to me to protect her…”

“I’m not lying. Mother, look into my eyes .. have I ever lied to you?” asked the prince very earnestly. “I really respect you and I love you. I will never lie to you.”

Queen Elara looked into her son’s eyes that looked so much like her own. There, she found sincerity and determination.

Ahh .. Queen Elara knew her son very well. She trusted that Mars would not lie to her.

Finally, the queen nodded. “Alright .. I believe in you.”

“Thank you,” said Mars. He took a deep breath and then briefly told the queen what had happened. “Mother, you have to pretend that you know nothing in front of Emmelyn. I don’t want her to be angry because I reveal her secret.”

“Alright ..” said Queen Elara, who began to feel curious. The woman glanced out the window and found Emmelyn still exploring her pretty garden, admiring the blooming flowers. “I will pretend that I know nothing.”

“Also, please don’t tell father about this …” said Mars again. He took his mother’s hands and begged. “This is OUR secret.”

The queen nodded.

She just wanted to see her son happy. If Emmelyn was not a prostitute … and was worthy of her son, then Queen Elara would help Mars win her heart.

“Emmelyn is a princess from one of the kingdoms we attacked last year and is now our colony. She came here to avenge her family, who were killed in the war in Wintermere …” said Mars finally, after making sure his mother was ready for the shocking information he was about to share.

“Oh my God…” Queen Elara pressed her lips in shock. “No wonder she didn’t want to tell me her real name.”

“Yes. She is here under a disguise. She doesn’t want people to know who she is.” Mars cleared his throat. “Her real name is Emmelyn Rosehill.”

“Rosehill?” Queen Elara furrowed her brows. “I have never heard of them.”

“Wintermere is a really small kingdom by the sea. I don’t even remember that place until she told me about it.” Mars massaged his temple when he continued his explanation. “The Rosehills were the ruler of Wintermere, before we took over.”

“Oh…” The queen could kind of understand her son’s dilemma. She looked at him in the eye and asked him earnestly. “How did you two meet? Tell me the real story….”

Mars let out a long sigh. “We met when she disguised herself as my servant for a month. She wanted to kill me in my sleep.”

The queen suddenly passed out.