Chapter 139 - The Attack of the Rogue Prince

Vaughn seized the opportunity and kissed her lips as he held her head in place. It was too late for Zenia to protest as Vaughn slowly invaded her mouth. Zenia wanted to push him away but couldn't. He seemed to be much stronger than before. Was it due to the training he had in Ishelon?

Zenia did not protest anymore and just let him do as he pleased. The sweetness of the kiss invaded her entire being. Vaughn hugged her closer to him, and she instinctively hugged him back. They stayed that way for a few minutes until they were out of breath.

They were both panting when the kiss had ended. But, Vaughn began to feel hot and pulled Zenia closer to him once more. This time, Zenia blocked his lips from touching hers.

"You still have a lot of work to do, you better get moving."

Vaughn looked at her with puppy-dog eyes and softly whimpered, "Just one more time, please?"

"Just a peck."

Vaughn nodded his head in delight. Zenia thought she saw a wagging tail behind her husband.

Just when he was about to kiss her lips, he suddenly held her head and gave her a deep kiss. He released her lips and ran away from her as quickly as he could.

"VAUGHN PERNELL YOU REALLY ARE A ROGUE!!!"

Vaughn was laughing while running all the way to his study room.

"Did you hear someone shout?"

Verone asked her maids who were busy arranging her things.

"No, Young Miss…"

The maid did not finish her sentence when Verone suddenly slapped her face.

"What did you call me?"

Verone had a terrifying expression on her face that scared the maid. 

"Y-Young Miss?"

Verone delivered another slap on the maid's face. 

"You should call me Your Highness since I am now married to the Crown Prince even though we don't have a wedding ceremony… yet."

"I u-understand, Your Highness. I will never forget." The maid touched her swollen cheek and held back her tears.

"This goes to all of you! Don't forget how you should address me from now on."

"Yes, Your Highness!" The maids answered in unison.

Verone walked to the window and looked outside. She frowned.

'Even the scenery is bad from this room. Very good, Crown Princess. I bet she was the one who suggested this room to be given to me. Let's see how long you could keep that arrogant attitude of yours. Sooner or later, we need to face the King and Queen then I will tell them all my grievances.'

Verone let out an eerie laugh that sent shivers down the spine. She looked forward to the unscrupulous things that Zenia would do to her.  

* * * * *

Zenia gathered all the servants that were serving in the main residence to remind them of how to treat Verone.

"Gentlemen and ladies, I gathered you here today to remind you how to render great service to our guest. Treat Verone as a guest and our main residence as an inn. We currently have a very demanding guest. We need to make her stay comfortable and our services flawless so she won't have reasons to complain."

The servants were confused. They thought that they gathered to discuss how to turn Verone's life into a living hell. They had already prepared their suggestions in case the Crown Princess asked for them.

"Your Highness, what if she still complains?"

"Ask her which one did not meet her satisfaction and try to improve it."

"What if she still complains? What if she's only trying to make things difficult for us?"

"Just try your best to meet her standards."

"C-Crown Princess, what if she slaps us?"

Zenia's face darkened when she heard the question of a timid maid.

"Did she hurt you already?"

"N-No, but she might…"

"In that case, report it directly to me, your manager, and I will handle it personally."

Their eyes sparkled in delight. Their Crown Princess truly cared about her people.

"That would be all. You may all go back to your posts. I will go take a nap." Zenia yawned and ordered a maid to help her change her clothes into a more comfortable one.

"Report!" Vaughn shouted while signing some doc.u.ments in his study.

"Your Highness, the Crown Princess gathered the servants of the main residence and told them to treat Ms. Verone as a guest. She reminded them not to create trouble for Ms. Verone, and she will personally handle everything if Ms. Verone continues to be difficult."

Vaughn smirked, 'Little devil what are you up to?'

"Continue observing and make sure that the Crown Princess won't hurt herself."

"What about Ms. Verone?"

"Why should I care about her? She could kill herself if she wants. But, she should not implicate and do something bad to my wife."

"We understand, Your Highness!"

"What is the Crown Princess doing now?"

"She is now taking a nap, Your Highness."

"Don't wake her up and let her get up on her own. Call me when she wakes up so we can have lunch together. Dismiss!"

* * * * *

It was past lunchtime when Zenia woke up. Her stomach grumbled, and the maids who were in waiting heard it. 

'Why is it that each little thing that the Crown Princess does seem cute?' They wondered as they chuckled lightly.

The servants were already used to Zenia's appetite, and they knew that their Crown Prince put so much importance on her. They also knew that when there were enemies in the palace, they should keep pretending that the Crown Princess was someone willful and unfavored. 

"Holy crap, what time is it?" Zenia suddenly sat up and asked a maid who was already tidying up the table.

"It's already one o'clock in the afternoon, Your Highness."

"Did Vaughn… I mean the Crown Prince eat his lunch?"

"Not yet, Your Highness. He told us to call him when you woke up and someone is already informing him."

"Oh, okay. Prepare lunch, and I'd like to have extra portions." Zenia gave the maid a wide grin.   

"I will go tell the kitchen, Your Highness." The maid turned around and walked away.

"One more thing, did Verone and her maids eaten yet?" Zenia may regard Verone as an enemy's pawn, but she was not someone who would starve someone as punishment.

"To answer, Your Highness, we have delivered her lunch."

"Okay, thanks."

The servants couldn't get used to receiving words of gratitude from Zenia, but it made their hearts warm each and every time they hear it being said to them. It was one of the reasons they had decided to stay loyal to the Crown Princess.

Earlier at Verone's room, the lunch was delivered on time. Her eyebrow twitched when she saw her meal. It was exquisite and looked appetizing. She already prepared herself that she would be getting an unpalatable meal or some kind of leftover from last night.

The maids were courteous to her, and her meal was absolutely delicious. She could find no reason to create trouble for everyone in the palace. The palace maids remembered Zenia's words to them, and they followed her instruction to the letter.

While preparing the lunch of the Crown Prince and Princess, a maid recounted the things that transpired during lunch delivery to Verone's room. Verone thought that she could look for Vaughn to complain when the food was delivered to her. But, she was not able to complain because she couldn't find a reason to do so. She ended up staying in her room and did not step out even once. 

"Everything is ready Crown Princess. The Crown Prince is also on his way."

"Hmm."

Zenia was staring out the window and seemed to be in deep thought. It was the scene that Vaughn saw when he stepped into their room.

The maids immediately left the place and locked the door behind them. A guard automatically stood in front of the room's door to block any unwanted  visitor .

Vaughn removed his mask and walked to where Zenia was sitting. He kissed the top of her head.

"What are you thinking?"

"I am thinking where I would like to put the 100 Ways to Die torture chamber that I designed. Should I put at the back or at the front where the screams can be heard by everyone?"

"You're still thinking about that?" Vaughn seated himself across Zenia.

He began putting food on Zenia's plate. "Come let's eat first."

"Hmm. I plan to take Verone on a tour of the palace, is that okay?" Zenia's eyes shone brightly when she asked Vaughn.

He knew that his little devil might be up to no good.