Chapter 64 - Vaughn, the Crown Prince of Rogues

Zenia was gasping for breath when Vaughn finally let go of her. She was glaring at him, and he only gave her a smile. That smile was so dazzling that it practically blinded her. She wondered if he, the rogue one, was also giving out the same smile when he was wearing his full mask.

Right now he was wearing a half mask that exposed his chin and lips. Zenia couldn't help but stare at those lips that did not seem to belong to a man. But his prominent jawline gave off a very manly vibe. If he did not have a scarred face, he could be one of the most sought after man in Tissuria. What would he look like? 

Zenia waved her hand above her head as if trying to clear something or shoo away a bug. Vaughn did not find any flying bug and just thought that his wife could be experiencing a sort of anxiety attack at the time. He should be gentler in the future.

It was his first time kissing a girl and was not able to control himself properly. But now that he knew how, he would be much tender next time around. He grinned, and it caught Zenia's eyes. She somewhat guessed what Vaughn was thinking. 

Zenia never suspected that he could be someone so shameless. She knew that he would be wearing a half mask to perform the wedding ceremony. It was important to drink wine and share a kiss. She could do nothing to him at the moment but to scowl. Vaughn felt the intensity of Zenia's glare and paid it no mind. He knew that she wouldn't be able to deflect his advances in front of so many people.

The officiating minister was already old, and he could read what was going on in the minds of the young couple. He was afraid that their Crown Prince might spend his time caressing a pillow for the nights to come. Their Crown Princess was way too far from being ugly and useless. He sighed and pitied those simple-minded people who chose to believe the rumors instead of trying to uncover the truth first.

Vaughn pulled down Zenia's veil to cover her face once more.

"We will meet the guests now when we go down this stage. It's important to mingle with them for a while and try to be friendly." Vaughn was hoping that his little devil would not do something outrageous when somebody annoyed her.

"Hmm, I understand. I hope this would be the first and last banquet that I need to attend." Zenia seemed to calm down and no longer angry at him.

Vaughn was relieved when he heard Zenia's calm tone. It was like giving him a clean slate – an invitation for fresh incidents of shamelessness.

They went up the stage separately and went down together as a married couple. Before they descended the stairs, Vaughn put his arm brazenly around Zenia's waist. She wanted to shove Vaughn's hand away from her waist, but he stopped her.

"This is part of Tissuria's tradition, bare with it for a while." He smiled at her, and it seemed true.

Zenia chose to believe the Crown Prince for now and just ask Big Brother Vaughn later regarding the truth.

Zenia greeted the guests that went to congratulate them. The Anisen family had taken their seat and waited patiently for Zenia and Vaughn to come to them. King Tarendino, Queen Mina, and the rest of the Royal Family were seated in their proper places. The newlyweds should greet the guests first before they could join their family. They would then be seated at the center of the reception hall.

After the seemingly endless greetings, Zenia and Vaughn finally took their seats and the dishes were served. Zenia was already starving, and Vaughn noticed it quickly.

"Have some soup first before you try the dishes." Vaughn scooped the soup into her bowl.

Zenia found the Crown Prince's action a bit familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She felt like they had been doing this for quite a few times. She shook her head and drank her soup.

"This is soup is tasty and so delicious." She smiled at her husband and continued, "Can your chef replicate this? I would like to have it later too."

"Of course, every dish here is prepared by my people. Just tell them what you want to have from these dishes."

There were so many varieties of dishes and the purpose of having them was to know what types of dishes that Zenia preferred to be served to her during meals. Even though Vaughn knew that his wife was a foodie, he still wanted to know her favorites. 

The guests couldn't believe the amount of variety of dishes that the Palace of the Crown Prince was serving. All of them was simply delectable that none of the guests could tell which one was their favorite.

"Hmm, the dishes are all good. Can I have some of them replicated later?"

"You don't want all of them?"

"Some are just too oily for me and some are too salty or bitter."

"Which dishes did not meet your standards?"

Zenia pointed out the good points and bad points of each dish, and Vaughn took note of everything. The Anisen siblings were blessed for having good ears and all thanks to the genes of their parents. The Anisen family could clearly hear what the newlyweds were discussing. Zander was smiling sheepishly.

'My Zenzen's interest did not change in the slightest. She's still a foodie. Good luck to you Crown Prince if you can replace the spot of delicious food on her list of favorites. I, her brother, will always occupy the top spot of course.'

Zekiah looked at his brother and could clearly read what the silly big brother was thinking. He shook his head and returned to eating. In his mind, he would always be Zenia's most favorite brother.

Ovid was grinning when he heard his daughter pointing out the flaws and goodness of each dish. Renaria just smiled and knew that Vaughn would not treat her daughter unfairly. In fact, he was a perfect son-in-law if he was not a Crown Prince. She knew that sooner or later, he too should have another wife and some concubines to strengthen his foothold on becoming the next King of Tissuria. Right now, her daughter believed that she could divorce him later and would be able to go back to her normal life once the problem had been solved. Would the Crown Prince allow her?

Everyone was satisfied with the food. The sweetness of the desserts was just right for them. Vaughn had instructed the chefs to make the desserts sweeter for Zenia and the rest of her family as well as the delegates from Ishelon. The King of Ishelon was currently bedridden and the one who decided to grace the occasion was the Crown Prince Jade, who just turned sixteen.

It was indeed a joyous occasion, but the Palace of the Ninth Prince was currently gloomy. They could not trace the whereabouts of Elida and Damien was becoming angrier by the minute. The Left Minister was still unconscious, although the doctors said that he was out of danger at the time. Damien did not attend Vaughn and Zenia's wedding under the pretext that his grandfather's condition was still unstable.

His mother already left them, and his grandfather may not have gotten over the thought of losing his only child. It was only right for him, as the son of Concubine Jayda, to be filial to his grandfather who was still in the hospital. Attending a joyous occasion while his grandfather was still unwell did not seem right. King Tarendino accepted his reasons and pardoned him. 

The men that he stationed at the venue had disappeared without a trace. He did not know that the men that came with Zander were some of the elite soldiers of Ishelon. Most of the men he stationed near and around the venue were taken care of by them.

No one in the Ninth Prince's palace dared to come near the master of the place. Being filial was not in Damien's vocabulary. He just simply did not want to see the wedding which would only remind him of their failure.