Chapter 100 - Lunch with Zekiah

Zekiah had his fill and did not expect that the dishes in the Crown Prince's palace would taste superb. It was on par with the dishes served in the Anisen Manor. Their mother could cook delectable dishes that could not be found anywhere else. Zenia's cooking was better than their mother if only she would choose to stay in the kitchen than throw knives in the Anisen Manor's training ground. 

"You're telling me that there's a Royal Decree telling you to go on a honeymoon with the Crown Prince? What kind of bull crap is that? Is the King of Tissuria a stupid monarch? Does he really need to issue a Royal Decree for that?"

"Shh, lower your voice. That's why it's too suspicious. I am certain that it's that dumb Left Minister's idea, although I don't have a clue why he wants us out of the capital for a few weeks. However, he just gave me a perfect alibi so I can infiltrate Luna Inn."

"I see… If you go there, you need someone to pose as you so no one will suspect. Big Brother sent some of his elite soldiers there. If you need some assistance, they will definitely recognize you."

"Hmm, I may be able to attend to my other business and let Big Brother's men look for the doc.u.ments instead."

Zekiah raised one of his eyebrows, "What other business do you have to attend to?"

"I still need to look for a few poisonous plants that I can use for my new toy."

"Have you finished the design?"

"Yup, and I already met someone who can make it for me."

"Zenzen, so capable." Zekiah pinched Zenia's cheeks just exactly when Vaughn and Redivo had reached the dining area and saw that scene.

Zekiah had already seen Vaughn when he pinched Zenia's cheeks once more. He looked at Vaughn and sneered. Vaughn clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.

'What does this brat trying to say? Is he competing with me?'

Zenia felt Vaughn's presence and turned to his direction.

"Your Highness, would you like to eat now? I will tell the kitchen to serve our food now."

"You have not eaten yet?" Vaughn could not believe that Zenia would wait for him to eat together, and she broke another rule.

Vaughn had established a concrete resolution that he would really abolish the absurd customs, traditions, and rules. He would enjoy every minute of his life with his beloved wife and children. 

'Hmm, children…'

"No." Zenia simply replied, and Vaughn waited for her to say more but did not utter another word.

He could not ask her why she had waited for him. Zenia signaled a maid to tell the kitchen to serve the food. Zekiah had a hunch that Zenia simply allowed him to eat everything on the table and did not want to compete with him like they used to.

Zekiah stood up and decided to stop teasing Vaughn…for the meantime. 

"Your Highness, would you mind if I take a look around?" Zekiah asked politely, which led Vaughn into thinking that Zekiah could be suffering from a dual personality disorder.

"Redivo, accompany my brother-in-law. Let him see the training ground that the Crown Princess had designed."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The two men left the dining area and food soon filled the table. The servants of the main residence already knew that Zenia had a big appetite. The table would almost always contain a lot of different dishes.

They were glad that the Crown Princess was eating with the Crown Prince. They too found the rule of eating alone, which every member of Royal Family was expected to follow, was absurd. It was always best to eat with someone. They also noticed that the Crown Prince's appetite had increased ever since he started eating with Zenia. He seemed livelier and less moody. In fact, it had been a long time since they saw the Crown Prince slashed someone.

The maids left the couple who were discussing something while having their lunch. The maids thought that they looked good together. They were harmonious and nice to look at. The servants wished that the peaceful days would never end.

* * * * *

"Grandfather, is everything set?" Damien had been anxious ever since the Left Minister informed him that the King agreed to issue a Royal Decree for Verone to enter Vaughn's harem.

"Everything is all set. The Crown Prince and Princess will depart in two days. Make sure that your men are stationed properly. Vaughn will surely have his own people to monitor us."

"Did my father tell you the route they will take?"

The Left Minister retrieved a piece of paper from the inner pocket of his coat and gave it to Damien.

"That's their complete itinerary. On the last region they will visit, the King gave them the freedom to choose the places that they would like to explore. It's best if you can borrow some men from the masked man from Venetia to make sure that you still have enough men with you in case something happens."

"I know grandfather."

* * * * *

"Were you able to discuss everything with your younger brother?"

"Uhuh, I just need to tell him that he should pose as me, and he knows what to do. He will disguise as one of your guards when we depart. You can place Thunderbolt as one of the carriage horses. He will not let anyone ride him, not even Zekiah."

"We need to follow the itinerary that the King gave us to avoid trouble. I don't know if he will send some palace guards to monitor our trip. I am certain that the Left Minister and Damien will send some."

"Why does the King need to give us an itinerary for our trip? Why can't we just go to visit the first place that I would like to visit?"

"Do you have any place that you want to visit first?"

"It may take long before I can enter the Royal Apothecary, I would like to see it first. I want to know if the head pharmacist is knowledgeable when it comes to concocting poison."

"Aren't you mistaken? The head pharmacist concocts a cure and not poison."

Zenia looked at Vaughn in disbelief. "Do you mean you are not using poison here to cure a certain disease? No wonder your mortality rate is higher than our kingdom."

"Poison as a cure?"

"Yes!"

"Do you want to use poison to cure your enemy?"

"Of course not! What I mean is the head pharmacist will surely know how to prepare the poison that I need for my needles. The poison and cure preparations follow the same procedure. But, I don't know the right amount of ingredients to use and when to add it. You need to be careful when preparing it."

"If you want, I can accompany you later."

"Isn't it dangerous if you go with me? I will just disguise myself as a maid and let Big Brother Vaughn go with me."

"Vaughn... I sent him on an important mission. He's not here."

"Is that so? That means he wouldn't be able to join us then." Zenia gave the Crown Prince a playful smile.

"He might be back tonight or tomorrow at dawn."

"Then he can accompany me tomorrow after lunch."

"It will be too late. We still need to prepare a lot of things. We should go there now."

Zenia sighed, "I will just wait for the day when Big Brother Vaughn can accompany me."

"But, I can accompany you right now." Vaughn was getting impatient.

He wanted to make Zenia focus on him, the Crown Prince and her husband, instead of  Big Brother Vaughn . He did not want Zenia to rely on his other identity too much.

Zenia looked at Vaughn who was not bothered that his wife was insisting for another man to accompany her. Her suspicions became stronger.