Chapitre 13: Reporting to His Highness Prince Vaughn

It took some time before Zenia calmed down. Renaria explained that it was a natural thing to occur between married couples. There was nothing shameful about it. Zenia's face literally turned crimson while her mother explained things to her regarding the roles of each of them, especially the woman.

Renaria planned to talk to her daughter about it on the wedding day. It was a good thing that she had decided at that moment. She did not expect her daughter to have such kind of reaction. She shook her head and remembered the men that were surrounding Zenia. They could be the reason behind Zenia's lack of suitors.

Zenia could get along with men very well. She was, after all, the head military tactician. She could interact with them with ease. However, she had zero abilities when it came to the relationship between a man and a woman.

"Did you understand everything?" Renaria looked at her daughter, who seemed to stop breathing a long time ago. She found it funny how Zenia's face remained as red as before.

Zenia just nodded her head profusely without looking at her mother. She did not want to hear anymore and just wanted to escape from there.

"That is all, you may g-." Renaria did not have the time to finish everything that she wanted to say when Zenia dashed out of the room.

The shadow guard saw her and was astonished at her speed. Anyone who got lectured like that by the madam of the Anisen household may have reacted that way. Their Crown Princess was still pure and innocent after all.

Zenia calmed herself down when she finally reached her room. She left the wedding dress at her mother's room and had no plan to retrieve it. Thinking about it made her heart raced once more. She cursed Vaughn a thousand times in her mind. Why did he send her that dress?

She remembered something and stood up. She walked to her window and flung it open.

"You, Vaughn's shadow guard come here right this minute!" It was a very imposing tone that made the shadow guard shiver.

He never thought that he could have two such masters in this lifetime. It even crossed his mind that their Crown Princess seemed more domineering than the Crown Prince – poor Prince Vaughn. What would happen to his lord in the future? The shadow guards that had been monitoring Zenia knew her fighting skills. They sometimes thought that her skill was better than Vaughn's. Would their Crown Prince become a henpecked husband?

"My Crown Princess what is your command?" The shadow guard asked as he kneeled and bowed his head. He dared not look at Zenia at all. He kept staring at the ground as he waited for Zenia's command.

Zenia's eye twitched when she heard him called her Crown Princess. She was still unmarried to Vaughn. Zenia looked at the shadow guard and did not hesitate to voice out her command.

"Tell the Crown Prince of Tissuria that I will follow the things he suggested. I will inform my brothers about this so they can cover the rest for me."

The shadow guard was speechless. He was still supposed to guard her. The next shift would take place at daybreak so that he could report everything to Vaughn.

Zenia sensed something and added, "You need to report to him everything now and don't worry about me. You know I'm not useless and I may even be better than you when it comes to fighting. Go, NOW!"

The shadow guard got the assurance he needed. "As you wish, Crown Princess." The shadow guard disappeared into the night without a trace.

* * * * *

"Is there any news yet?" Vaughn was getting impatient. He knew that the gifts just arrived, but he wanted to know Zenia's reaction when she saw the dress.

"My lord, the gifts just arrived. To my calculations, the Crown Princess could be inspecting them now."

'Inspecting? Would she even be interested in them? That woman was so heartless when she was still a little girl. I doubt she had changed.' Vaughn thought to himself while sneering.

"What about the movements of the other groups? Do they seem to change their route?"

Redivo was surprised when Vaughn suddenly asked about it. He really wanted to make sure that Zenia would be safe.

"We found no changes in their plans. I think they are still oblivious that we already caught one if their spies and confessed everything." Redivo used his calm tone to reassure Vaughn.

To be honest, he was not one hundred percent sure that the enemies wouldn't make some last minute changes in their plans. It would be up to Zenia and her brothers to make sure that she would be safe even on her own. They already presented the best course of action. Redivo hoped that with Zenia's ingenuity, she would be able to design a perfect plan to avoid any mishaps during her travels.

"Hmm, let's wait for Zenia's reply then." Vaughn was full of confidence when he uttered the words.

Redivo remained silent. How did the prince know that Zenia would send a reply? He looked at Vaughn and saw that their prince seemed to be in a daze.

Redivo shook his head and knew that Vaughn could be thinking of Zenia again. Sometimes he thought that Vaughn was pitiful. His very existence was unknown to Zenia. Redivo doubted if Zenia could remember meeting Vaughn when she was still a little girl.

So many things had happened, although he was grateful that Vaughn met Zenia during that time. Tissuria may seem like a good place to live, but the palace was full of snakes in different sizes and colors. It was Zenia who gave Vaughn the strength to go on and to never give up.

A few hours passed by and the shadow guard that Zenia sent finally reached Vaughn.

"My lord, I'm here to report." The shadow guard kneeled and bowed his head.

Vaughn stopped what he was doing and Redivo went to his side to hear the shadow guard's report.

"The Crown Princess wishes to let you know immediately that she will do as you suggested. She will ask her brothers to cover the rest for her." The shadow guard remained kneeling and dared not look at Vaughn. He could feel that his sweat was already trickling on his back.

"Is there anything else?" There was a hint of excitement in Vaughn's tone.

Redivo coughed a little and he knew what other things Vaughn wanted to know. The shadow guard was not able to hide the slight trembling of his body. Vaughn's face turned dark and seemed to guess what happened in the Anisen Manor.

"Speak, or I will do something really despicable!"

The shadow guard had decided not to tell about the seizing thing that Zenia did.

"T-the C-crown Princess called my lord a p-p-perverted prince after she had shown the wedding dress to her mother." The shadow guard stuttered as he tried his best to soften the blow.

"Perverted prince!?" Vaughn stood up from his seat, his face getting darker and darker.

'You are still really good at making me mad Zenzen. I can't wait to meet you and settle this face to face.' Vaughn had different thoughts running in his head.

Redivo tried to suppress his laughter. Vaughn had yet to have an encounter with a woman, and Zenia labeled him as a pervert.

Vaughn felt that he could no longer hold on. He turned and headed to the door. Redivo guessed what Vaughn wanted to do. He quickly followed after Vaughn and caught him by his arm.

"Where do you think you're going, my lord?"

"If you already know where why still ask?" Vaughn replied with a hint of anger in his tone. He did not look at Redivo and, tried to walk out of the room.

"You need to extend a bit more patience. You have gone this far, why waste it?"

Vaughn looked at Redivo with a pair of angry eyes. He never had close contact with a woman before how could he be a pervert? Vaughn calmed himself down and did not show any signs of leaving the room.

"You can let go of me."

Redivo knew that Vaughn was sulking. He had been watching over Vaughn since birth. Vaughn had spent more time with Redivo than Queen Mina. Redivo was the only one who knew the true appearance of Vaughn behind that mask.

Redivo sighed and he feared that he needed to explain something to Vaughn. His Crown Prince may be intelligent, but there were some matters that he could only understand when he experienced them.

"Tell us exactly what happened." Redivo turned his attention on the shadow guard who was still kneeling.

The shadow guard felt that his doom was about to come.

"T-the Crown Princess went to Madam Anisen's quarters. I did not have a visual, but I could hear them. The princess showed the wedding dress that the Crown Prince prepared and told her that it was indeed a wedding dress. But…" The shadow guard hesitated. He knew things would get ugly the moment he finished narrating everything.

Redivo turned pale when he remembered their tradition regarding the wedding dresses. 'Could it be Vaughn sent the kind of wedding dress that should not be sent?' He was hoping that it was not what he thought it was.

He returned to his calm self when he thought about no one outside of Tissuria knew that they had such a tradition.

"Don't stutter and just speak freely." Redivo commanded the shadow guard.

"Madam Anisen told her daughter that the wedding dress she brought must be worn during consummation."

Vaughn just drank his tea and spat it out quickly upon hearing what his shadow guard had said. Redivo stiffened from his spot. He couldn't believe that Madam Anisen knew about Tissuria's wedding dresses.

"What wedding dress for consummation? It's just a wedding dress to be worn during the ceremony." Vaughn was flustered as he banged his fist on the table, scattering its content on the ground.

Redivo felt like a headache would come soon. He shouldn't be the one who must explain things to Vaughn, but he got no choice. He was about to approach Vaughn when he suddenly thought of something.

"My lord, why did you send that type of wedding dress to your bride?"

"It was grandfather who told me to send it. He said that Zenzen will be touched and will eventually know my true feelings for her."

"So it's like that." Redivo slightly nodded his head and gave Vaughn a somewhat sinister smile. "We need to pay a visit to your grandfather, my lord."

"Why?"

"He should be the one to explain things to you."

"Huh?"

* * * * *

It only took Vaughn and Redivo an hour to reach the place of the former King of Tissuria. To be precise, he was Vaughn's great grandfather. He abdicated the throne earlier and some said that it could be the reason why he had able to live longer than his sons. He never showed himself again in the palace, except when Vaughn was born.

Vaughn would visit his grandfather from time to time. When he was about to suggest changing the bride to Zenia Anisen, he visited his grandfather first and told him everything. He also told his grandfather about the naughty and mischievous side of the young Zenzen.

His grandfather liked Zenia very much. He believed that Zenia and Vaughn were made for each other. He had lived in seclusion all his life ever since his wife died. He made sure to keep his body healthy and his mind sharp.

King Tarendino always believed that the former king had long died somewhere. He did not know that Vaughn was still in contact with him and he was living well. In fact, the former king seemed to be more physically fit than the current King of Tissuria.

"Vaughn, you're here! Took you long enough. Did Zenia like the wedding dress?"

Vaughn's face turned crimson from embarrassment. The former king flashed a naughty smile. He knew that Redivo, who was still a virgin at such age, would not be able to explain things to the groom.

"Grandfather, why did you make me prepare that kind of wedding dress? Even my mother-in-law knows what it is. Why did you say that to me?" Vaughn felt so wronged. His own grandfather hid the truth behind the dress.

The former emperor gave a light chuckle. "If your mother-in-law knows what it is, then she also knows that you are showing your sincerity to her daughter."

Vaughn was puzzled so was Redivo. 'Isn't that to show how perverted the groom is?' They both thought to themselves.

'These two inexperienced men!' The former king shook his head.

The former king began educating Vaughn and Redivo about their wedding traditions and customs. The tradition about wearing the wedding dress before consummation had been lost. Only a few sincere grooms had practiced it.

Most men in Tissuria, just like their current king, regarded marriage as a means to produce an heir. They may favor a wife or concubine at one point, but it wouldn't last forever. Most men wouldn't bother to prepare that particular wedding dress since they did not intend to keep only one wife in their lifetime.

Vaughn finally understood everything, but Zenia totally misunderstood his intention. She even labeled him a perverted prince.

Vaughn let out a deep sigh. 'We have a lot of time ahead of us Zenzen. I will make sure to spend it together with you from now on.'

"Redivo, our plans have changed." Vaughn flashed a sinister smile and Redivo had goosebumps.