Chapter 140 - I Will be Your Tour Guide

"Why will you do that? She will not be here forever. There's really no need to let her know the entire palace. Don't concern yourself too much with her."

Zenia pouted. She just wanted to have some  fun  with Verone while waiting for Zekiah's return. She would be bored to death when she got nothing to do in the meantime. She knew that Vaughn had so many things to do, and he wouldn't be able to accompany her.

Vaughn noticed Zenia's displeasure, but he was glad that she had become more obedient. She quietly ate her lunch but did not talk to him anymore. He felt worse by the minute. He would rather have the talkative Zenia than the silent one.

Zenia knew that Vaughn was testing her if she would be able to keep her promise to be obedient. It was the rightful duty of a good wife. They had already compromised and set out their likes and dislikes so they could live harmoniously together. 

'You want an obedient wife, I will give you an obedient wife.'

He could no longer take the silence between them. He put down his eating utensils and cleared his throat.

"You are free to do whatever you want this afternoon. I will be very busy. You can visit me as soon as you have finished everything that you need to do."

"I'll do that." Zenia gave him a peck on his cheek.

She started telling him stories and other stuff. Vaughn felt at ease. They were back to normal. He made her obey his command, and she was as lively as ever. That was good enough for him. He made her obey him…

'Ahh, this is much better. I'll just tell her things that she is willing to obey.'

Vaughn smiled warmly and finished his meal with gusto.

* * * * *

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Verone's maid opened the door, and a steward stepped in.

"The Crown Princess wanted to inform Ms. Verone that Her Highness will give a tour to help Ms. Verone familiarize herself around the palace."

Verone was currently sipping her tea when the steward arrived.

"Please tell the Crown Princess that I can't make it. I need to rest early."

"I'm sorry, let me re-phrase that. The Crown Princess is ordering you to meet her at the front door of the main residence at three o'clock so she can give you a tour. She also ordered me to drag you right away if you are being slow. You only have half an hour to prepare." The steward gave her a polite smile.

Verone looked at her maids and shouted, "Help me prepare right away!"

"I delivered the message, I shall take my leave." The steward left just like that.

Verone was furious but could do nothing. According to palace rules, she was nothing compared to the Crown Princess. She should obey the Crown Princess at all costs. It seemed they had underestimated the so-called good-for-nothing daughter of Ovid Anisen. It was only her first day in the Palace of the Crown Prince, yet the Crown Princess did not hesitate to bare her fangs. Verone began to panic. 

She should alert the Left Minister and the Ninth Prince immediately. The Crown Princess may not be as useless as they thought, but she could be truly ugly. Otherwise, why would she wear a face veil even though she was in the main residence? Verone took a deep breath and calmed herself. She analyzed the Crown Princess' behavior and smirked.

'She's so ugly that she resents my beauty. Perhaps, she's venting her frustrations on me. She fears the Crown Prince will not tolerate being with her anymore and starts spending his nights with me. She may be the daughter of the Anisens, but she's still someone that can be disposed of easily.'

Verone chuckled and continued preparing herself for the tour. She would follow the Crown Princess for now until she found a way to seduce the Crown Prince. Verone was confident that no woman in Tissuria could be more beautiful than her. It was impossible for the Crown Prince to resist her charm.

"Pick the dress with the most elaborate design for me."

"Your Highness, it might make you uncomfortable. That dress comes in layers."

"Don't question me, just do it. She purposely dressed so grandly early in the morning to upstage me. It's my turn to return the same treatment. Let's see if she can still act the way she did this morning." Verone declared haughtily as she glared at the maid.

"Y-Yes, Your Highness."

The maids looked at one another and did not utter a single word anymore. The sun was scorching hot and she wanted to wear that dress. They all shook their heads and braced themselves for the aftermath.  

"Is Verone ready yet?"

"Crown Princess she has not come out of her room yet."

"Notify me after half an hour that she had been waiting at the front door."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Zenia did not call for the attendants and just wore her face veil. She also donned a simple, comfortable dress. She was smiling while imagining the getup that Verone would wear. She would definitely wear something grander than what Zenia had worn in the morning.

After thirty minutes, Verone was finally ready. She looked at herself in the mirror and was satisfied.

'I look better than the Crown Princess. My dress is definitely grander than what she wore this morning.' Verone leered and walked to the front door.

When she arrived, Zenia was nowhere to be found. She waited with her maid. After five minutes, she began to feel annoyed. She felt that the Crown Princess was deliberately making her wait. 

'Is she preparing something grander than her dress this morning? No matter what she does, she won't be able to match mine. If not for her title of a Crown Princess, she's nothing. In just a few days, I will make the servants here obey me.'

After a few minutes, a maid knocked on Zenia's door.

"Crown Princess, Ms. Verone has been waiting for half an hour already. Shall we go?"

"Hmm, we can go now."

Zenia went out of the room and walked in the direction of the front door. She saw Verone emitting a dark aura. She bet that Verone's face turned dark already. Zenia sneered.

"Sister, have you been waiting long?"

Verone looked at Zenia from head to foot. She had a simple dress. Verone had a hunch that she just put on her face veil and did not wear any makeup unlike in the morning. She could see the eye makeup that the attendants put on Zenia in the morning.

"I did not wait that long, Crown Princess." Verone tried to flash a sweet smile.

"It's good then. Let's get going." 

Zenia instructed the maids to form a line as she led the group. She was walking side by side with Verone. They did not take a carriage and told Verone that it was best to walk so she could see clearly the different areas of the palace.

It wasn't difficult for Zenia to walk or run for long hours – it was a part of her training. They were walking for just fifteen minutes, but Verone was already sweating so much. It was difficult to move with her dress. She looked at Zenia who still looked as fresh as the morning dew. Zenia was lightly dressed, and Verone could not see a bead of sweat on her forehead.

"This is the training hall where the Crown Prince's men train each day to keep themselves fit."

Zenia showed Verone the different areas of the palace. Verone was not interested in knowing them at all, but she could not go against the wishes of the Crown Princess. She was already panting, but the Crown Princess looked like she could go on forever.

The Crown Princess showed Verone the stables, the weapon shed, man-made lake, pavilion, garden, and Verone's courtyard which was still under renovation. She could only point it to her since the ground had not been fixed yet.

"Crown Princess, may I ask why we are taking this tour? It seems pointless." Verone began protesting.

"Your Highness, the Young Madam is already tired and we have been walking for hours now." One of the maids voiced out her thoughts.

Zenia ignored them and simply said, "Over there is where the 100 Ways to Die torture chamber should be built."

Verone and her maids turned pale when they heard it. None of them spoke another word again. 

The tour took almost two hours to finish, and Verone was too exhausted. They took a break in the pavilion. Zenia ordered the maids to bring in some refreshments. Verone just wanted to return to her room, but it looked like Zenia wouldn't allow her.

Verone's maid noticed that her mistress was sweating a lot and handed her a handkerchief.

"Your Highness, here's a handkerchief. Let me wipe your sweat." 

"Your Highness? Since when did Ms. Verone gain such a title? She's not the Crown Princess here. You may address her as Young Madam or Concubine but never Your Highness."

"C-Crown Princess, she is the second wife of the Crown Prince. If you don't want us to call her Your Highness, we can address her as the Second Wife." The maid gathered her courage to blurt out those words.

"Are you saying that I too should change my title to Main Wife now? I don't want the sound of that. It's either you call her Young Madam or Concubine. My patience is limited and I'm a petty person. Decide now or I will make the decision for you." Zenia looked at Verone eye to eye.

Verone never felt that nervous before, not even when she was facing the Left Minister or the Ninth Prince.

'She was nothing but an ugly and useless woman, why should I let myself be intimidated by her?'

Verone tried to convince herself, but it did not work at all. The Crown Princess seemed like she was looking at the prey that she wanted to devour alive. Verone could not look away. She could feel that her heart was going berserk. She must calm down to avoid fainting.

"I prefer to be addressed as Young Madam."

Zenia sneered, "That's good then." She turned to Verone's maids, "Did you all understand?"

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

The refreshments finally arrived.

"Come, enjoy the refreshments."

A palace servant put a drink and a plate of snacks in front of Verone. Zenia was smiling at her when she picked up the snack. She hesitated when she saw Zenia's smiling face.

"Go on, try it, Sister. It's delicious. Don't worry, I did not put poison in it." Zenia gave her a smile.

In Verone's eyes, that was a menacing smile.