Chapter 137 - Crown Prince and Princess, You’re Finally Here!

Vaughn and Zenia arrived before the break of dawn. Everyone was still fast asleep, except the guards on night duty. The couple went to the old man's quarters and found him sleeping soundly.

Vaughn poked his great-grandfather's face, but he just waved his hand and continued sleeping. Vaughn chuckled and did it once more. Zenia rolled her eyes and couldn't believe the childish behavior of her husband.

"Grandpa we're back!" Zenia suddenly uttered in loud enough voice that the old man could hear.

The old man suddenly opened his eyes and sat up.

"My great-granddaughter-in-law, you're back!" The old man was almost teary-eyed when he saw Zenia.

"Grandpa, your blood relative is me and not my wife." 

"I'm already tired of seeing your face since you were young. My great-granddaughter-in-law is truly pleasing and easy on the eyes that I want to look at her every day."

Vaughn suddenly became haughty and said, "Of course, she's pleasing to the eyes. I have chosen her to be my wife."

Zenia looked at Vaughn and sighed. "Now let's talk about what happened here in our absence."

The old man's face became serious. "Someone come! Send…"

He forgot that his authority to summon people had long been expired. He was not even sure if the people in the Palace of the Crown Prince had known of his glory days when he was still the King of Tissuria.

"Someone come! Send in Redivo here, now!" Vaughn finished the sentence of his great-grandfather.

The Old King looked at his great-grandson with admiration.

'This great-grandson truly understands this old man the most. I wish I can live a few hundred years more to see how his offsprings will turn into. My great-granddaughter-in-law is a remarkable woman. I'm sure that they will start producing worthwhile heirs and offsprings, unlike the previous generations.'

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Redivo got up quickly as soon as he heard that Vaughn and Zenia had arrived. He felt that a large burden had been lifted from him. Verone would arrive soon, and their Crown Princess would surely handle that despicable woman herself.

"Your Highnesses, welcome back." Redivo's smile sent shivers to Zenia.

She had never seen him smile before. She looked at Vaughn and saw that his lips twitched.

'This Redivo may have been under a lot of stress these past few days. He seems relieved when he saw us. What happened?'

"Redivo quit smiling. You might give my great-granddaughter a nightmare later."

Redivo went back to his usual self and got down to business.

"Your Highness, a Royal Decree came conferring Verone Rocca to be your second wife…" Redivo continued explaining further, but Zenia's aura was becoming darker and darker.

Vaughn looked at Zenia for fear that she could go berserk at any time. Although they had discussed it before as a mere hunch, confirming the truth was truly unacceptable. 

Zenia was quiet… too quiet that Vaughn feared that his palace might fell apart anytime soon. Even the old man noticed the ominous air surrounding Zenia.

The old man kicked Redivo who was still oblivious of Zenia's reaction. He looked at the old man who pointed at Zenia's direction. Redivo looked at Zenia and realized something. How could he be so insensitive? He stopped talking and the room fell into dead silence. None of the men dared to breathe for fear of awakening the sleeping dragon.

After a few minutes, Zenia stood up, "Please excuse me for a while."

She went out of the room, and Vaughn tried to follow behind. Grandpa stopped him.

"Let her be. She wants to vent her anger, that's good. She's not the type of woman who will keep it bottled up until she explodes."

They did not know where Zenia went, but she returned after half an hour. The time that she had been gone felt like an eternity for Vaughn. He was very worried, but he followed the Old King's suggestion.

"So, shall we continue?" Zenia returned with a smile on her lips.

None of the men in the room found anything odd with Zenia's behavior. They just thought that she could be feeling better after venting her anger. Vaughn looked at Redivo and understood what he wanted to do. The last remaining spy of the Ninth Prince must go. She may have seen Zenia's face earlier.

"Your Highness, please excuse me for a while. I will order some refreshments."

Redivo instructed a maid to bring in some refreshments and ordered the guard to eliminate the spy quietly and without a trace. They no longer need the spy to report something to the Ninth Prince. Verone's arrival was inevitable.

The refreshments were brought in by a young maid who had similar features with Romina. Zenia suddenly remembered to ask Redivo about it.

"Say, Harnen left much earlier than us in Gretia and brought with him a young girl. Where is she now?"

Redivo and the old man looked at each other.

"They did not arrive yet."

Zenia looked at Redivo with a puzzled look.

Vaughn cleared his throat and explained, "We rode the fastest horses in Tissuria. Harnen could have taken the tunnel that would lead them to the capital. He must've been confused about which tunnel leads to our palace. They should be here by tomorrow."

Zenia nodded her head and realized that it could be the case. Everyone decided to enjoy the refreshments first before resuming their discussions.

"Your Highness!" A guard came rushing in.

"What is it?!"

"The ground near Ms. Verone's courtyard has been completely destroyed. We don't know what caused it. We need to fill it up before we can resume the renovations."

The Old King and the Crown Prince turned their heads to look at Zenia. The reason it took a while for her to return was because she vented in the place where Verone would be staying. How did she even know that it was the right place?

"Just fix it first, and I will come up with a proper explanation."

Redivo cleared his throat and no longer hesitated, "My Prince, Ms. Verone will arrive at sunrise, and she has the intention to stay here using the Royal Decree."

Zenia's hand that was holding a cup of tea stopped in mid-air. She put down the cup gently and wiped her mouth using a napkin. She also wiped her fingers one by one.

"So, she's so adamant to come here. Do you think she knows our exact day of return?"

Redivo was puzzled with Zenia's question.

"I don't think she knows, Crown Princess. I think she wants to establish her position in the palace before you return. They believe that you are not being favored by the Crown Prince."

Vaughn began to sweat as Zenia shot daggers at him. She knew that the rumors were not Vaughn's fault, but she couldn't help glaring at him.

Zenia sighed, "Well, there's nothing we can do now. I'll just show her what it feels like to be neglected." She smiled, but her eyes had shown what she truly felt at the time.

The old man whispered to Vaughn, "I just realized that you are not wearing your mask yet that lass is talking to you as a Crown Prince. Does she know already?"

Vaughn whispered back. "Yes."

The old man grinned, 'Looks like I am about to hold some great-great-grandchildren anytime soon.'

Zenia looked at the old man and thought that he looked creepy. She had no idea what was going on in his mind.

* * * * *

Verone arrived at the Palace of the Crown Prince at the time she said she would be. Zenia was still sleeping and Vaughn told the maids not to disturb her. The servants were happy for the couple. They felt that the  vacation  brought them closer together. There were no more spies in the palace, and Vaughn allowed Zenia to roam around without a face veil. But, it would be short-lived. Verone already arrived.

Vaughn personally welcomed Verone who was elated and felt proud immediately. She did not expect to see Vaughn so early. When did he arrive?

'Where is that Crown Princess? Did he leave her at the Royal Villa? If she's here, the Crown Prince must've told her not to come so I won't get offended.'

Verone felt satisfied and gave Vaughn a wide grin, "Greetings Your Highness, I am Verone Rocca your second wife."

Vaughn did not say anything and just looked at Verone who was smiling at him. 

"Oh, sister is here. I'm sorry I'm late to greet you."

Verone looked at the source of the voice and gritted her teeth.