Chapter 18: We Need a Room

The duo passed the tree where the mercenaries were hiding. Zenia caught a glimpse of the two men, but she could not see their faces. Vaughn remained vigilant while Zenia relaxed her guard. Vaughn had experienced being attacked by assassins at such a young age, so it was understandable why he always kept his guard up whenever he was out.

Zenia noticed Vaughn's behavior and chose to remain quiet. Although she was curious, she did not pry. She had a hunch that something may have happened to him that it made him too suspicious of anyone and everyone around him.

Zenia suddenly gasped and peeked at Vaughn. 'Does this man suspect me too?'

Vaughn somehow guessed the sudden change in Zenia's behavior. He remained calm and tried not to look at her. 'My dear wife, I will not suspect you because I know you better than you know yourself.'

They continued walking, but Zenia kept looking at Vaughn as if she was waiting for something outrageous to happen. Vaughn was beginning to feel uncomfortable. Zenia did not notice that she kept staring at Vaughn.

'Little devil, what are you trying to do?'

Zenia's eyes widened when a shooting star streaked across the vast night sky. Vaughn noticed a sudden change in Zenia from the corner of his eyes. Zenia's eyes followed the direction of the shooting star, and completely ignored Vaughn's presence when she ran to the direction of the shooting star.

"It's so beautiful…" Zenia said softly as she watched it. She was most enchanting when she was wearing a faint smile on her lips.

Vaughn was mesmerized. He knew that Zenia was beautiful, but he did not expect her to be so enchanting.

"Yes, it's the most beautiful thing that I have ever laid my eyes on," Vaughn uttered those words while looking at Zenia.

"Isn't it so?" Zenia met Vaughn's gaze while smiling.

"Yes, you're right." Vaughn gave her a warm, gentle smile.

He wished that they could stay like that for a while and forget about everything. If Zenia would ask him to run away together at that moment, he would not hesitate and gladly take her hand. But, he also knew that Zenia would never leave her family behind. Vaughn was not afraid that another man might snatch Zenia from him. What he feared most was that Zenia could not bear to live without her family.

He sighed and knew that his worst fear could come true. It would only be a matter of time when Zenia would ask him to allow her to go home after they got married. What would he do? He had waited for a long time to live his lifelong dream – to live together forever with Zenia. He closed his eyes and hoped that Zenia would have a change of heart and come to love him more than anyone else.

"Big Brother Vaughn, are you hurt somewhere? You seem to be in a lot of pain." There was worry on Zenia's tone.

"I'm okay. I just fear that I won't be able to hold on to my dream."

"You just need to try harder. Put your heart and mind in achieving your dream. Besides, you still don't know what will happen when tomorrow comes."

Vaughn gave Zenia a warm smile. "Yes, you're right."

They continued to walk and talked about a lot of things. Vaughn no longer paid attention to the men behind the tree.

"Boss, do you think those two men were the ones that the women were discussing before?" The lanky man could no longer hold it in and threw the question at the short man with a wooden leg.

"Hmm, I'm not sure. But, why do I feel like they are a couple?"

"Boss, what made you think so?"

"I don't know. I just feel like saying it."

"Do you think one of them is the Crown Prince?"

The short man looked at the lanky man in disbelief. After some time, he creased his brows. He looked at the direction that Vaughn and Zenia disappeared to. 'Could it be?'

The boss put his hands behind his back and began to walk to a crowded area. The lanky man just followed his boss. There were so many people looking at them, and the lanky felt like he became shorter than his boss. The gazes of people told him that they looked weird.

"What's the plan now boss?" He could no longer take it and began to ask.

"We go stay for the night in that inn. We need to know if one of those two guys is the owner of the black horse."

The lanky man couldn't believe what his boss just said. "We go in there in these clothes?"

"What's wrong with what we are wearing?" The boss sniffed himself while the lanky man watched with embarrassment.

'Boss, there are so many people watching, do you have to do that now?' The lanky man could only cry without tears.

"I don't smell bad at all and this means there's nothing wrong with my clothes. What are you worried about?"

"Just look at them, boss. They all wear fine clothes and we – just look at us!" The lanky man protested as he stomped his foot. "If we need to expose ourselves to so many people, why not do it in style?"

"What do you mean in style?"

"I mean, can't we buy some fancy clothes for once and try to look like other nobles? That way, it won't feel awkward when going to that inn."

"Hmm, it makes sense." The lanky man couldn't believe that his boss agreed so quickly.

"See there?" He pointed a shop to his boss. "That shop seems to sell cheap but elegant-looking clothes. We can buy there."

The boss just nodded his head and they went in. They tried different clothes while laughing. It was their first time to shop for some fancy-looking clothes. They had money to burn, why not burn some?

After some time, they went out of the shop looking and feeling grand. Clothes really could make a man. They never had so much fun and decided to go shopping again the next day.

They went to the inn and booked their rooms. Everyone looked at them, and both of them thought that they were being admired. Now that they had changed their clothes and looked so posh, they attracted everyone's attention.

They had no idea that the neon-colored suits in purple and orange were just too eye-catching. They were actually being ridiculed for choosing such clothing.

They went to the reception desk. "Manager, please give us two rooms."

The manager's eye twitched when he saw the men.

"Please sign your names here." The manager handed them the registration form and tried not to look at them.

The short man with a wooden leg, also known as the boss, was named Luhikemees Pudustjalaga. The lanky man was named Karmja Pikmees. The manager looked at the signed registration form. Their names were as outrageous as their clothes.

The two men thanked the manager and headed to their room.

"Boss, what will we do now? We need to get that horse to get the rest of the money." The lanky man kept pestering his boss. He tasted what shopping felt like and he just wanted to use the money to buy more stuff.

"Shut up! Can't you see the number of people here? Do you think we will be able to get that horse unnoticed? Remember that the contractor said that he wants us to do it quietly. We won't only lose the rest of the payment, we can also say goodbye to our heads if somebody else finds out what we are trying to do."

"But, boss…"

"No buts! Just do what I tell you to do. We just need to observe and wait for now."

* * * * *

Zenia was somewhat relieved that the men did not follow them. She was not sure what might happen when they tagged along in secret.

"What do you think of the men hiding behind the tree earlier?"

Zenia was surprised when Vaughn asked suddenly. She thought he let it go already.

"I am not sure, but I don't feel like they are up to no good. I think they are looking for someone or something."

"I thought so too, and I think they can't be trusted. You need to raise your vigilance and try not to be so relaxed."

Vaughn wanted to add, 'Especially when I'm not around.' But, he decided not to because it might arouse Zenia's suspicion regarding his identity.

"I know. I just want to relax tonight, and I feel that those men are not going to make their move. I haven't had a proper rest." Zenia began to yawn, and Vaughn suddenly felt tired as well.

He rode non-stop just to be with Zenia immediately, and he was very tired. When he saw Zenia earlier, his exhaustion seemed to vanish into thin air.

"Let's go back and rest."

The duo made their way back to the inn. It was still quite early to go to bed, but the two of them were really tired. The men who were hiding behind the tree were not there anymore. Zenia surveyed the area and could not detect their presence, but she somewhat felt that they would be back again.

'Are they mercenaries?' Zenia brushed off the thought from her head. She should get some rest first to rejuvenate her body and rekindle her spirit.

She secretly looked at Vaughn who was walking by her side. He was in deep thought that he did not even notice that Zenia was looking at him.

'Who are those men? Did the Left Minister send them to harm Zenia?' He somehow regretted that he did not bring some shadow guards along.

"Big Brother Vaughn," Zenia called softly, but Vaughn was already lost in his thoughts.

It was impossible for the Left Minister to know about Zenia's arrival in Tissuria. They did not receive any message regarding the Left Minister's spies. Redivo already informed Vaughn before that none of the spies that were planted in Ishelon had returned to report to the Left Minister.

"Big Brother Vaughn!" Zenia was no longer polite. "We're here already. Go inside your room and rest. Don't think too much. If the men we saw earlier are here to cause trouble, they don't have any strength left to fight at this very moment."

Vaughn paused for a while and nodded at Zenia. "You too my cute brother, go to sleep." He tapped Zenia gently on the nose.

Vaughn quickly went inside his room and locked it. If he had not done so, he was afraid he might do something humiliating just to make Zenia allow him to stay in her room.

He followed Zenia's suggestion and did not think much about the men they encountered during the night. As soon as his back hit the bed, he immediately fell asleep.

In the other room, Zenia was still awake. Although she told Vaughn that the men they saw earlier wouldn't dare to do anything, it doesn't mean she should be complacent. She already noticed the exhaustion from Vaughn's eyes, and she could tell that he had no ill intent toward her. Getting Noir back was enough for her to be indebted to Vaughn. She felt that the meal they shared together was not enough to express her gratitude.

After spending time with Vaughn that day, she had a good grasp of his character. The more she spent time with him, the more she found it oddly familiar. It felt like she met him before but couldn't remember when and where. Even the way she addressed him earlier was oddly familiar. Zenia sighed and went to sleep after assessing their safety.

Meanwhile, the rooms that the men occupied were just below Vaughn's and Zenia's. Karmja Pikmees was thinking about the new clothes that he would try on for tomorrow. Luhikemees Pudustjalaga lied down quickly and was happy with the soft bed. He liked the pink color of the room so much. In the next minute, Luhikemees Pudustjalaga began to snore.