Chapter 72 - The Unexpected Visitor

When Vaughn and Zenia arrived at the Palace of the Crown Prince, they were back to how they used to. There were no traces of misunderstandings, and they still looked harmonious. Everyone in the palace wished that their Crown Princess would stay with their prince for good.

They were about to go to their bedchamber when Redivo came rushing in.

"My Prince, your great grandfather arrived and has been waiting for you in the study room for a long time now. He said he wanted to meet his great-granddaughter-in-law."

Vaughn turned white upon hearing it and looked at Zenia who was equally shocked.

"Do I have to go through another ceremony again to greet your grandfather?"

"N-No, you can stay in the room and rest. I will greet my grandfather alone."

"Oh, okay. I will go to the room then," Zenia smiled and turned to leave.

"Let's go, he should not meet Zenzen. God knows what he might say when he meets her."

The master and subordinate went to the study in a hurry.

Zenia removed her face veil the moment she entered the room. She was allowed to remove it whenever she was in the room. No one would go there, except the maids and stewards that Vaughn trusted the most.

She changed into a more comfortable set of clothing and decided to see the view from the balcony. Her eyes caught a familiar figure taking a walk just below from where she was. She recognized him, and she quickly wore her face veil and jumped down from the balcony. Harnen was not quick enough to stop the Crown Princess, and his heart sank. Guarding Zenia was the most taxing job that he ever had in his entire career.

"Psst, grandpa!" Zenia called after the old man whom she met at Luna Inn.

The old man gave her a dazzling smile the moment he saw her. She quickly pulled the old man behind the tree and sneaked peek at the surroundings. She remembered her shadow guard and when she looked up there he was. She made a gesture for him to keep quiet, and he nodded. Harnen was crying without tears. But the Crown Princess was his immediate boss. Maybe she would employ him in case the Crown Prince kicked him out.

"Why do we need to hide, everyone here knows…"

Zenia suddenly covered the old man's mouth when she heard some voices. She let go when she was certain that it was safe.

"What are you doing here dressed like that? You look like a retired king or something," Zenia chuckled lightly.

"Why can't I dress like this once in a while? I especially come here for you."

The old man handed Zenia's backpack to her.

"My backpack! I thought I will never see this again. But, how did you know that I am here?"

"That is my secret," he whispered and gave Zenia a wink.

Zenia always thought that the old man that she met in Lunaria was not a simple one. Now, she was thinking that he could be a spy. But, for whom? No matter what, he helped her back in Luna Inn. It was only right to return the favor. If he was an enemy, she could deal with him later.

"You need to get out of here grandpa. The moment they learned who you really are, they may not let you off."

"No one will dare touch me, especially in this place."

"Why is that?"

"It's because…" The old man looked at Zenia and decided not to let her know anything.

The old man sighed and was thinking about what would happen to him and his grandson the moment this feisty girl learned of their deception. At least neither of them would suffer alone.

"It's because I used to work here." The old man acted as if he was about to cry.

"Let's get you out of here first to avoid any kind of misunderstanding."

"Don't bother, I can find my way out. Anyway, I already delivered your stuff and that's the only reason I came here. Congratulations, I hope that you and your husband will have a blessed union."

Zenia wanted to tell the old man that it was not necessary since they would divorce anyway. She looked at the old man and she knew that he uttered his wishes from the bottom of his heart.

"Thank you, grandpa."

The old man patted Zenia's shoulder and walked away with a smile on his lips. Zenia used her gust of wind to return to the balcony. Harnen was simply dumbfounded when he saw it. Just how powerful was their Crown Princess?

The old man went to his old room where he used to stay whenever he visited Vaughn. He surveyed the entire room, and it remained the same. His grandson kept it clean all the time as if he knew that he would return there someday.

The old man pulled out a chair that was neatly tucked under his desk. He spread out a piece of paper and picked up a pen. He began to write something. When he finished writing his letter, he folded the paper neatly and sealed it. 

He opened a drawer and took out a small box. It contained the favorite necklace of his deceased wife. It was the least expensive item among the pieces of jewelry that his wife had owned. But, she loved it the most. It was the first necklace that he had given her when he was still a prince with no name.

At the time, he worked under the guise of an ordinary laborer so he could save some money to buy the necklace and marry his woman. He and his wife loved each other so much that he declined the marriage proposals that the ministers had suggested. All the marriage proposals were intended to help him strengthen his power and influence. Among his brothers, he was the most qualified to be the next emperor.

His father emperor was against the union between him and his deceased wife. The emperor suspended his allowance and always restricted him unless he agreed to marry the woman that his father had chosen for him.

His deceased wife stayed with him even though she knew that they would be facing endless hardsh.i.p.s. He thought that he would go before his wife, but she shielded him from the arrow that contained poison. The doctors were able to suppress the action of the poison but failed to remove it totally from her system. They did not know that the poison was slowly devouring her inside. She was in a lot of pain, but she kept smiling at him as if everything was fine.

The old man held the box tightly as tears trickled down his wrinkly face.

* * * * *

Redivo and Vaughn dispatched a few more men to search for the retired king. He was just in the study when Redivo fetched Vaughn. When he returned together with Vaughn, they did not see any trace of the old king anywhere when they got there.

"Where is he? Don't let him meet the Crown Princess. He might do something unnecessary." Vaughn commanded his men using a stern tone.

He wanted to introduce Zenia to his great grandfather but the timing was off. There were certain issues that he must iron first before he could allow his grandfather to meet Zenia.

"My Prince, the retired king has left and told us to give these to you."

The palace guard handed the letter and a box to Vaughn. He began to read the letter. His grandfather informed him that he already accomplished what he came to do. He also told him to take care of Zenia and to give her the necklace.

Vaughn took out the necklace from the box and recognized it as something that belonged to his great grandmother. She had always worn the same necklace in all of her portraits.