Gewen didn't understand why Mars laughed so heartily. He didn't see anything funny. He turned to Edgar and saw the burly man was smiling too.

Something isn't right, he thought.

"Are you making fun of me?" He crossed his arms on his chest and raised an eyebrow.

Mars only patted him on the shoulder and said, "We were talking about my boyfriend. I plan to bring him as my date to the royal ball and make it official. I am just so happy. That's why you see me in a good mood."

"Oh..." Gewen needed a few seconds to digest what his friend just said.

Wait...

Mars... would bring Lord Aldrich to the royal ball... as his date?

For real?

"Are you out of your mind????" Gewen brushed off Mars' hand from his shoulder. "The whole country is watching you like an eagle, wanting to see you marry a woman and produce heirs... yet you want to announce to the world that you are into men???"

Gewen was a narcisstic man who was sometimes so full of himself, but he was a loyal friend and he wouldn't let the prince destroy his reputation.

If Mars wanted to sleep with any men (and even though he wasn't attracted to Gewen no matter how handsome he was)... he shouldn't make it public knowledge.

He had to deny it with all his might!

Once the people who disliked the royal family caught wind of this, they would turn it into a weapon to incite rebellion and whatnot.

Gewen couldn't let Mars ruin himself and his kingdom.

He grabbed the prince's arm and stared into his eyes intently. "I won't let you!"

Mars smiled when he saw how his friend was so caring about him, even though sometimes Gewen could be unbearable. 

"I understand your concern," he said. "I will make sure nobody can recognize him as a man. I'll have the royal tailor created a beautiful dress for him. The maids will help him with makeup too."

"No amount of dress and make up can make a man turn into a woman," Gewen furrowed his brows. "His voice and his Adam's apple will give him away."

"I will take care of that. You don't have to worry," Mars laughed again. He downed what remained of his wine and then took his leave. "I'll be off now. He is waiting for me to have dinner together. I'll see you the day after tomorrow for our regular training."

He patted Edgar's and Gewen's shoulders and then walked out of the tavern.

The two young generals exchanged glances.

"He is courting death," Gewen muttered under his breath. He turned to Edgar and chided, "Why didn't you say anything?"

Edgar just shrugged.

***

Mars arrived just in time for dinner. Emmelyn was sitting in the dining room, facing so many delicious dishes, freshly prepared by the cooks from the kitchen.

"Hey..." Mars took his seat next to the girl and got ready to eat. "Are you planning to start without me?"

Emmelyn just shrugged. She took her plates and got ready to take the foods she liked. Mars followed suit. They ate in silence.

After they finished eating, Mars clapped and Roshan immediately arrived with a small porcelain bowl. The prince accepted the bowl and gave it to Emmelyn.

"Please take this after every dinner. Doctor Vitas had prepared the concoction to help with your pregnancy."

Emmelyn took the bowl and drank its contents. Her face immediately creased as she tasted the bitter concoction. "Gosh.. what is THAT?"

"Uhm, vitamin?" Mars quickly waved his hand and Roshan handed the second bowl, which was smaller, and filled with a tantalizing soup. "Drink this to get rid of the taste."

Emmelyn drank the soup in one go and finally her expression changed.

"Gosh.. that tasted awful..." she complained. A moment later she shuddered, as she remembered that her pregnancy would last for another 8 months? Uff... "Do I need to drink it every night?"

"Yes." Mars nodded. "It's not too bad. You'll get used to it after several days, or a week. I was like that too. Now I can drink all his potions without batting an eye."

Emmelyn remembered when she was still disguised as the prince's personal servant, she had to prepare his sleeping potion every night to help him sleep.

One time, she tried the potion a little bit out of curiosity and found it tasted horrible. She never wanted to try it again.

Mars must have gotten used to all kinds of potions made by the royal physician since he was a child. The man told her he was a sickly kid, didn't he?

"Aren't you drinking your sleeping potion?" Emmelyn furrowed her brows. "I haven't seen you taking any sleeping potion for weeks already."

Mars was instantly beaming when he heard her question. Ahh... apparently Emmelyn really paid attention to him. She NOTICED he had not taken his sleeping potion for so long already.

Couldn't she tell? 

She was the reason he longer needed it.

Sleeping with her in his embrace was enough to relax him and calm his mind. Mars had not even had any nightmares since she came to stay.

"I no longer have problems sleeping," the man admitted. "Soaking in warm water is enough for me now. If possible, I prefer not to take too much medicine into my body."

"Ahh..." Emmelyn nodded. "How long do I need to take this potion?"

"He said it's only for the first three months," Mars explained. When he saw her expression turn brighter, he immediately added. "Uhm... I don't want to ruin your joy, but after three months he will replace the contents. You will be given another potion and still have to take it until our baby is born."

Emmelyn let out a long sigh. Apparently, she, too, had to get used to taking this potion for the next eight months.

"Fine." Finally, she relented and prepared to rose from her seat.

"Are you going to sleep now? Or do you want to go out for a walk?" Mars got up from his seat too.

"Out for a short walk," Emmelyn replied.

"I'll go with you."

.

.

>>>>

From the author:

I'll publish 10 chapters total between today and tomorrow (February 13-14) to show my gratitude for your support during the Valentine's Day Event and boosted it to Top Ranking, and for voting power stones. We are almost in the Top 50.

THANK YOU!!