Chapter 131 - Going to Gretia

Zenia woke up before Vaughn and could see that she was trapped within his arms. She did not notice when had Vaughn hugged her. Perhaps, she was too tired after taking care of the Ninth Prince's men last night. She gently lifted his arms to get up, but Vaughn pulled her closer to him.

Zenia felt Vaughn's light chuckling and hit his arm.

"You rogue! You're getting more and more shameless. Let us get up before the sun rises. We need to reach Zeze before it's too late."

He kissed the top of her head before he released her.

"Do you want to eat first?" He asked her lovingly and smiled.

Zenia took the dress that was delivered to them last night. Vaughn did not wear it.

"We have no time for that now, but you can tell the manager to have it packed. We can eat it along the way." She dashed to the bathroom to get changed.

Vaughn stood up and checked the clothes that he washed and hung.

'Not yet totally dry, but it will do.'

He wore the clothes and went out of the room. He locked the door behind him. He made the request to the manager and told him to deliver it in their room. Jorick was already up and working in the kitchen at the time. He went out of the kitchen to ask the manager about the special of the day that he should prepare. He saw Vaughn talking to the manager by the counter. Jorick instinctively backed off.

'What is this man doing here? Is he looking for me to cause trouble?'

Jorick peeped and saw Vaughn leaving the counter.

'Are they staying here?'

Jorick walked to where the manager was and asked, "That man earlier, is he a guest here?"

The manager frowned when he heard the way Jorick asked a question.

"Yes, he and his wife are supposed to go somewhere today and asked me to prepare some packed food for them."

"When did they arrive?"

"Yesterday. They are ordinary merchants who are looking for a good place in Tissuria to put up a business."

"Where did they come from?"

The manager was already getting annoyed, but he knew that it wouldn't be good to show his annoyance in front of Jorick. He knew that the Ninth Prince had always favored Jorick. But, he was uncertain why the Ninth Prince's men allowed some people to beat Jorick up.

"I don't know exactly where they came from. I heard that they have been traveling from kingdom to kingdom. They have been visiting shops earlier and making assessments. I guess they are trying to find out what kind of business is suitable to put up in Solaria."

"They visited shops yesterday?"

"Yes."

Jorick recounted what happened yesterday, and the couple seemed to be legit merchants. But, the woman was annoyingly nosy. However, he could feel the sincerity of the woman in helping him. It somewhat felt more genuine than what the Ninth Prince had shown him. He really wanted to recover his memory soon.

He did not tell the Ninth Prince that fragments of memories were slowly returning to him. He even dreamt of his family being consumed by the raging fire. He was hoping the merchant couple came from the same kingdom as him.

He had always felt that he was not someone from Tissuria, and he never asked the Ninth Prince where he had found him. He just felt that the Ninth Prince would never tell him, and he did not want to think that his benefactor would lie to him. To be precise, he asked once but got a vague reply. To avoid experiencing disappointment, he chose not to ask anything again.

"How long are they going to stay here?"

"I don't know. They already booked their room for a week and paid in advance. The man just asked me to prepare packed foods. I think they are going on an excursion."

Jorick looked at the manager and extended his hand, "Give me the order, and I will prepare it right away."

The manager was shocked at what Jorick just said. He never volunteered to do things before. He handed the order, "Please make it good. I don't want to lose these customers. The woman is a foodie who loves the dishes that you made for them earlier. They were the ones who ordered so many dishes yesterday."

Jorick looked at the manager, and it was his turn to be shocked.

"You mean there were only two people who ate those dishes yesterday?"

The manager cleared his throat. "To be precise, it was the lady who ate most of the dishes."

Jorick couldn't believe his ears. If he had not seen Zenia, he would think that the one who ate most of the dishes was a really fat lady. Where did she put all of the food that she ate yesterday? She was slim and young.

Jorick arrived at the conclusion that Vaughn and Zenia were married couples and merchants who just wanted to do business in Tissuria. He hoped that he could meet them again and have a long talk. He could ask them about the kingdom that they came from. He believed that they came from the same kingdom as him.

When Vaughn reached their room, Zenia was still in the bathroom. He could hear the sound of splashing water. He knew that Zenia was taking a bath. He returned to their room in a hurry for fear that someone might suddenly sneak in while he was out.

He surveyed their room and found no traces that someone broke into their room. He let out a sigh of relief and walked to the window. It was too early in the morning and everything was quiet. The location of the night market was quite far from Solaria Inn. He wondered if Zenia went there last night.

The door of the bathroom opened, and Zenia went out fully dressed. Her hair was wrapped in a towel. She walked to where Vaughn was standing.

"What are you looking at?" She asked as she removed the towel and used it to wipe her hair.

"Nothing. It's too quiet, unlike when people are walking and yelling."

"Is it always like this in Tissuria?"

Vaughn faced Zenia and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Always lively and boisterous during the day and so quiet when it turns dark. Well, except the night market I guess."

"You went to the night market, didn't you?"

"Yes, but I only stayed on the tree and did not mingle."

Vaughn could guess the reason, and he was glad that his wife was sensible enough to avoid repeating another episode similar to Elida.

"Hmm… Isn't Ishelon the same as Tissuria? Lively during the day and quiet at night."

Zenia chuckled.

"If Tissuria has many customs and traditions, Ishelon has many superstitions. Many people believe that being noisy might disturb their sleeping ancestors from deep within the grave. They might rise up and haunt the noisy ones and take them to the Netherworld."

Vaughn laughed.

"I never thought that Ishelon believes in superstitions. How come no one told me about it? Everyone in your household, including the servants did not seem to believe in any superstitions."

"Well, the people in the Anisen Manor, as well as those in the military camps, don't believe in superstitions. We believe that they would just hinder us in achieving great heights. You already knew that we are still using traditional methodologies to get things done, while your kingdom is already using modern technology."

"But, your kingdom is flourishing. Your kingdom excels in the field of medicine. Your methodologies may be traditional, but your medical field has surpassed that of the other kingdoms."

"I'm not sure about that. I think other kingdoms are better than us." Zenia remembered the doctor that worked on her burnt marks.

Vaughn recalled the note from Duke Gordon. He had a sinking feeling that the presence he felt last night could be him and his attendant. He had a hunch that they would meet him in the capital soon.

"What should we do about that Duke Gordon?"

"You mean the note?"

Vaughn nodded, and Zenia sighed.

"Just let it go for now. We need to deal with more important issues right now. I don't even know where to begin. Once we get reunited with Zeze and the rest, let's make our way back to the capital."

"Okay."

After a few more minutes, their packed food arrived. They did not tell the manager that they would not return anymore. They made everyone believe that they would just be going out for a while and return in the evening.

Zenia picked Thunderbolt from the stable. She thought that Quicksilver would arrive before they could follow Zekiah and the others. Taking the usual route from Ishelon to Tissuria could really take time.

She had no other choice but ride together with Vaughn once more. She felt Thunderbolt's displeasure, and she tried her best to calm him down. Once Thunderbolt had finally relaxed, Zenia nudged him to follow the path leading to Gretia. 

* * * * *

The sun had just risen when Verone paid the Left Minister a visit to his quarters.

"What brings you here?" The Left Minister was still half-n.a.k.e.d and holding a concubine in each arm.

Verone found it repulsive but did not show her disgust.

'If you are flirting with your concubines, you should have told your servant that you are busy. I won't bother you then.'

"The people of the Crown Prince are deliberately making the renovations as slow as possible. It is obvious that they don't want me to enter unless the Crown Prince has arrived."

The Left Minister smirked, "Whether they delay you for a year, they cannot go against a Royal Decree. Not even Vaughn can do something about it."

"What if that ugly wench has decided to make things more difficult for me?"

"You can always complain to your father-in-law that the main wife is being difficult and does not follow the rules of Tissuria."

"Won't the Anisens complain?"

"They could try, but I don't think that our King will listen to them. Their daughter is already married to Tissuria and considered a citizen of Tissuria. She should follow the law or face the consequences."

Verone looked at the Left Minister and smiled.

'Just wait Zenia Anisen, the title of Crown Princess will soon be mine.'