Chapter 29: Sending A Secret Missive (Part 1)

Zenia and Vaughn no longer discussed the matters regarding the mysterious man in the caravan. Zenia ate to her heart's content as she kept praising Vaughn for bringing her to that restaurant. The sound of her laughter could be heard from time to time, which made Verone resent her even more.

Vaughn was glad that Zenia was not someone petty. Although she told him that she hated him for lying to him, he knew that she was enjoying his company. Showing her beautiful sceneries, feeding her with delicious food, and taking her sight-seeing in town was enough to quell her anger.

Vaughn imprinted these things in his memory so we would know how to coax her in the future. He knew that there would be times when some inevitable events would anger her.

"Are you full or do you still have some room for dessert?" Vaughn gave her a sheepish smile.

He remembered that all people from Ishelon loved sweets, even the men. It was Zenia who told her that when she was young.

"Desserts?" Zenia's eye twinkled with anticipation.

Vaughn was lost for words. He just wanted to tease her for a bit and suggest they eat sweets later. Looking at the current her, he had no other choice but order those desserts.

After some time, Verone saw the desserts being delivered to the private room that Vaughn and Zenia had occupied. She had been waiting for them to go out for an hour now. Seeing the number of plates containing various desserts, she knew that she would only look like a fool if she lingered longer.

"Let us get going Marique, I will deal with the wretch another day." Verone stood up and walked to the door without waiting for her friend.

* * * * *

"What should we do now, sir?" A shadow guard asked Redivo when they learned about the Left Minister's plan to push the marriage between the Crown Prince and the second wife.

Redivo could not think straight. Vaughn specifically told them not to send any shadow guards or try to send a message to him. He did not know where Vaughn was at the moment either.

"Who is the woman that the Left Minister wants to wed to Prince Vaughn?" The anger in Redivo's tone was undeniable.

"It is the Left Minister's niece, Verone Rocca."

"Isn't she the woman that disappeared after getting involved with the Third Prince?"

"She's expected to return in eight days, sir."

Redivo sneered. 'Very good Left Minister. I underestimated you. Everything had been planned all along.'

"I will handle this and have a talk with the Crown Prince."

Everyone knew that the Crown Prince that Redivo mentioned was Vaughn's stand-in. Like Vaughn, Redivo knew the ugliness of Tissuria's harem. Everyone was scheming and vicious. He hoped that Zenia would bring everything in order once she accepted her position.

Redivo watched Zenia bloomed into a fine lady. He was with Vaughn each time they visited Zenia in secret. He knew that Zenia was not someone who would covet power and wealth. She already had riches and power. She could rule over a kingdom if she wanted.

He knew that Zenia was not the same as most women who were dependent on men. She was someone who would rather do things on her own than rely on others. She was born to roam freely and should not be restrained by rules. She knew how to follow proper etiquette and decorum, and would not become a vicious vixen.

"What brings you here Redivo?" The stand-in Crown Prince should speak and act like Vaughn and everyone understood the importance of adhering to consistency to avoid arousing any suspicions.

All stand-ins were required to learn Vaughn's penmanship and signature. Although the Crown Prince had his own seal, Vaughn preferred signing all the documents under him. They were very careful in choosing a stand-in. Having absolute loyalty to the Crown Prince had always been the top requirement.

The stand-in Crown Prince was signing some documents when Redivo arrived in his chamber.

"My Prince, we received a report that the Left Minister's niece will arrive in the capital in eight days."

"What does it have to do with me?" The stand-in prince continued signing the documents without looking at Redivo.

"She's going to be your second wife."

The Crown Prince nearly drew a line on the document upon hearing it.

"Come on! What's this now? Where is that blasted prince anyway? He is yet to marry his main wife and there's already a second one? He's such a player!" The stand-in stopped pretending and voiced out his concern.

Redivo surveyed the surroundings to make sure that there was no one there but them.

"Ruvin, how many times do I need to remind you that you always need to act like Vaughn each time you impersonate him? You need to do your best not to meet them. Knowing the Left Minister, he will do everything to push his plan. Also, he's not a player."

"But Big Brother, what if we happen to cross paths?"

"To avoid that, you need to stay in your room until Vaughn returns. I will tell them that you don't feel well, and you may be experiencing wedding anxiety."

"You mean I can't play outside for the meantime?"

Redivo leaned forward to his brother. "I mean, you can't play."

Ruvin wanted to protest, but he saw that his brother was dead serious. He shut his mouth and listened well to what his brother had to say. How could they send a secret missive to Vaughn?

* * * * *

Vaughn and Zenia went to a nearby inn and booked their stay for a couple of days. Zenia wanted to visit all the shops in town. In her estimate, she may need two to three days to finish.

"Hello, we'd like to book a room please." Zenia flashed her sweet smile to the manager behind the counter.

The manager's eye twitched when he saw that smile and that face.

"Single or separate rooms?"

Vaughn was about to answer when Zenia beat him to it. "A single room, we're husband and wife." She smiled once more and gave the manager a certain chill down his spine.

Vaughn smiled when he heard her gave that kind of reply. It warmed his heart.

The manager gave them the key to their room. Zenia suddenly felt so tired that she wanted to lie down. She hurried to the room and left Vaughn behind.

As soon as she opened the door, she ran to the bed and slumped. She knew that Vaughn was just behind her.

"You don't have to accompany me anymore. I know my way to the capital. I think you need to inform the Crown Prince what happened, including that man we saw in the caravan."

Vaughn did not expect that she would say something like that.

"But, the Crown Prince specifically instructed me to look after you."

Zenia gave off a light laugh. "I'm not a little girl or a weak woman. I can manage on my own. It is important to tell the Crown Prince right now. Can you send a message?"

"No."

"Do you have a way to inform them without leaving this place?"

"No."

"Then it's settled. You need to go back now. I will be in the capital in ten days."

Zenia stood up and walked to the desk. She looked for some papers and a pen. She pulled out the two chairs and gave Vaughn a signal to sit beside her. She took out the map that Vaughn has drawn previously and spread it on the table.

"We are here, right?" She pointed at their location on the map. Vaughn nodded.

"I plan to go here." She pointed a place, east of their current location.

"That's a forest. Why would you go there?"

"I need to find a certain plant."

"What for?"

"Oh, I will tell you about it one day." She smiled and tucked the map inside her dress.

"That's it?"

"Yeah, I just want to reassure you that I won't go anywhere else."

"Why don't you go there first and I'll accompany you before I go back?" Vaughn suggested, hoping that Zenia would agree.

She looked at Vaughn and tried to see if he was scheming something. She dismissed her initial suspicion.

"Okay, it might be easier that way. We need to go tomorrow at daybreak so we can finish early. The sun should be up when we reach that forest." Zenia lied down on the bed and closed her eyes.