Mars didn't pay any heed to the officials' talk.

"Yes. Harlow is a girl," he replied to his father's question. His face looked proud of his daughter. The king only nodded. He went back to his throne and sat with a murky face.

"You came in the right time," he said in a hoarse voice. The king motioned his son to take a seat because he had an important announcement to make.

"I came as soon as I knew," Mars explained. He realized he still needed to visit his mother and paid his last respects. He planned to do it later today.

Now, he had to sort out the issues in the capital and make sure his father was not surrounded by corrupt government officials who only wanted to take advantage of his poor mental health.

"So, did you kill the witch?" King Jared asked Mars. "Tell us what happened."

He had harbored deep hatred and grudge to the evil witch who had inflicted so much pain and suffering on his family. If it was up to him, he would have loved to see Thessalis be brought to the capital where he could personally hand the punishment to the wicked woman.

"Yes, Your Majesty," said Mars calmly. He had sat on the chair close to his father and gave the basket to John who arrived to help him with the baby. "She is dead."

"Did you meet the Bellevars?" King Jared asked again. He was interested in finding out if his former future inlaws did live in Wintermere.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Mars could only reply truthfully. It was a sin to lie to the king and sooner or later his people would arrive back in the capital, together with Elmer and Bruinen and they would tell the king what happened exactly.

"Was Duke Bellevar healthy?" the king asked with a low voice. It had been 28 years since the last time he saw the couple who was like his uncle and aunt in the past, because of their close relationship with his parents.

"No, Your Majesty. When I saw him, he was... delirious. I believe he went mad after his wife died."

He could imagine the grief that the old duke was feeling. After weathering a stormy life for most of their lives together, his wife left him on his own. The duke was in exile, without any family. It must have hit him hard in his psyche, that he lost his mind.

The king didn't comment further. He then continued asking about Elmer and the others and Mars explained to him what happened.

"They are on their way back," he said. "I came here as soon as I can when I heard the news about Her Majesty."

"So... Ellena's heart..." Duke Preston rose and couldn't help but ask. "Did Your Highness find it?"

Mars nodded. "Yes. Elmer is taking care of it."

The duke sighed in relief. Mars could understand that even though Duke Preston disagreed with Ellena's choices, now with the fact that she helped Emmelyn escape, and was angry at her, but he was still worried about her.

He knew about the gossips spread in the capital that Ellena was actually the duke's illegitimate daughter. So, he could understand the fatherly affection and care that Duke Preston had over the girl.

"Nothing will happen to Ellena, Duke Preston," Mars to the old duke. He then turned to his father and continued his explanation. "We have taken care of Thessalis Morelli and punished her for her crimes."

The king nodded. "That's good."

Mars knew his father well and he suspected that the king had something really important to say. He looked unusually solemn today.

He was right.

King Jared, who looked twenty years older after his wife died, cast his glance around the room and then spoke with a very serious tone.

"My son. You have proven yourself to be a capable leader in and out of the battlefields. You are also smart and devoted to this country. I believe, now it's time for you to take over the throne from your aging father."

His voice started to tremble as he continued his words. "In front of all the ministers and lords that have been serving Draec devotedly all through the years, I want to announce my abdication. I want you to take over power and rule our kingdom as the new king."

Mars was very surprised to hear this. He wanted to take over power last week when he thought his father had really gone mad but changed his mind last night after he realized his father was not crazy as many people said he was.

Mars was not interested in the throne at this moment in his life. He wanted freedom. He wanted to look for Emmelyn. He wanted to be hands-on in raising his daughter. He was not ready to be king.

"Your Highness..."

One by one the ministers and high lords and lesser lords rose to their feet and turned to look at Mars with great respect.

"Father..." Mars muttered. He looked around them and saw most of the people in the room were showing support for him to take the throne.

He knew they all had their own agenda. Some were scared of the current ruthless king and hoped he could replace his father and be a better and more compassionate ruler. Some only pretended to support him while they planned their own agenda behind his back.

Some thought they could get the benefit if they suck up to him and showed open support to his government. These people would want a piece of that power too.

"My decision is effective immediately. However," the king looked at Mars deeply. "I want you to uphold justice for your mother and punish those who are guilty of her demise."

Mars knew there had to be a catch. His father wouldn't go down without asking him to do something. Mars should have known.

"As the king, you have to set an example," the king spoke firmly.

.

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from the author:

Sorry for the delay in publishing this chapter. I was reading something very interesting and fell down the rabbit hole. Let me share with you what I found... hehehe.

Octavian Agustus is the first Roman Emperor. He was Julius Caesar's nephew who became his heir after Julius Caesar died. In our calendar, the month of August was named after him.

This man is great! He surrounded himself with 4 capable and smart friends and slowly ascended to power when he was 17 years old, and his 51-year reign made Rome the great empire it was known in history.

Agustus married twice for political reasons to secure alliances. He divorced his first wife Claudia soon after their marriage and never touched her.

He married the second wife Scribonia (also to secure alliance) only for one year before he suddenly met the love of his life, a woman named Livia in a royal event. Back then, Livia was actually married to his former enemy.

She already had one son and was pregnant with her second son. Back then, women were considered property of their fathers or husbands and she was married off to her husband according to her father's decision.

Agustus loved her deeply and 'persuaded' Livia's husband to divorce her, which he did. At that time, Scribonia, his own wife, was also pregnant with Augustus's child.

Since he didn't love his wife, Agustus divorced Scribonia on the day she gave birth to his only child, a baby girl named Julia (so he could keep his right as the baby's father), and several months later, he married Livia on the day Livia gave birth to her second son. Augustus didn't want to wait for one day longer.

His love for Livia was deep and they lived happily together for 51 years even though they didn't have any biological child together. He adopted Livia's two sons and raised them as his own on the day he married her.

They were couple goals and he gave his wife so much freedom and rights that were unheard of in that age. People said Livia's power in Rome was only second behind the emperor (when women generally didn't even have any rights over their own person).

To secure an alliance with his now powerful best friend, Agrippa, Augustus' adopted son, Tiberius, was betrothed to Vipsania, Agrippa's daughter, when the boy was six and the girl was one. They got married 15 years later and were deeply in love with each other.

Suddenly, Julia - Augustus only biological child, lost her husband who was 25 years older. She too was married off by her father to secure an alliance.

Since Julia was now single, Augustus thought the only way to secure their familial bond with his adopted son Tiberius and give him the right to become his heir to the throne, was to marry him off to his daughter. So, he asked Tiberius to divorce his wife Vipsania and married Julia.

Tiberius was basically the crown prince but he had no say over the matter and, with deep sadness, he divorced his wife to marry the promiscuous and adulterous Julia to fulfill the emperor's order.

At that time, Vipsania already gave Tiberius a son and was pregnant with their second. They lost the second baby, probably because of grief.

It was recorded that Tiberius once ran into Vipsania again and proceeded to follow her home crying and begging forgiveness. Soon afterward, Tiberius met with Augustus, and steps were taken to ensure that Tiberius and Vipsania would never meet again.

I feel deeply sorry for Tiberius and Vipsania. :(

Tiberius ascended the throne after Agustus passed away and became the second emperor of Rome. His marriage to Julia only lasted for 5 years because she got into affairs with several other men. Tiberius never remarried.

Okay, that's it. A beautiful love story that made me tear up today. It has nothing to do with this book, don't worry, I don't ever plan to write stories with a sad ending. Ugh.. nope. Not gonna happen.

Reading history just made me feel grateful that I was born in modern times, and I don't have to go through that sh*t many women in the past were so unlucky to experience.