Chapter 148 - I Should Stay Away from Your Young Madam

The loud roar startled everyone in the training ground. Everyone in the Military Unit of Ishelon knew just how much Zander cared for Zenia. The report that he had received may have been too much. He could no longer sit still and ordered the mini-private army to be deployed immediately.

As everyone thought about it, their faces turned dark. What happened to the Junior Commander? Did the Royal Family of Tissuria put her in an awkward situation? They looked at each other and decided to ask their Commander about it. They ran to Zander's quarters.

"Commander, what happened to the Junior Commander?"

Zander looked at his men and knew that they were just concerned about Zenia's welfare. Each one of them was Zenia's brother. They knew that it was too early to deploy the min-private army for Zenia.

Stephen Higate, a high-ranking officer and Zander's good friend, noticed that something was off with their Commander. Zander was not his usual self after reading Zekiah's letter and the report of one of their men in Tissuria. He was emitting a murderous aura. Stephen Higate, whom Zander fondly called Higgs, knew that he should do something to appease Zander's anger. He needed to inject some rationality into their Commander's brain.    

Higgs read the letter and finally understood Zander's sudden outburst. He must've thought that their Junior Commander was being treated unfairly. But, who exactly was their Junior Commander? She wouldn't let go of anyone who would scheme against her. As far as Higgs could remember, the person who would be able to scheme against Zenia had not been born yet.

"Don't you think that it's still too early to deploy them? Their number can't even be regarded as a mini-private army, that's why we agreed to train them to be the elite among the elite soldiers that we have. To avoid suspicions, we cannot deploy more than twenty men. Didn't we agree that we will only deploy them when the capabilities of each of them can match ten or more soldiers?"

Zander looked at Higgs and somehow calmed down. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 

"You're right. This thing should not be rushed. Zenzen is not weak and stupid to fall in their trap."

"Yes, the Junior Commander could be stronger than the strongest soldier of Tissuria even though her strength is only so-so among the military men of Ishelon. But, no one can deny that she's a genius tactician. You also need to keep focused on our infiltration mission. We have just begun; don't let everyone's effort go to waste. Your little Zenzen might get angry at you if you neglect your duty."

Zander felt like someone poured a pail of cold water over his head, drenching his whole body. He realized his stupidity and no longer talked about the deployment of the private army.

"Thank you, my friend." Zander tapped Higgs' shoulder and went out of his quarters.

Everyone looked at the departing back of their Commander who walked with heavy steps.

"Just what happened, Sir?"

Higgs just answered them with a sigh. He knew that Zenia's brothers in arms might suddenly act without consulting anyone. She might be their Junior Commander, but she was also everyone's very capable younger brother.

* * * * *

"Your Highness Ninth Prince, we received a report that a royal doctor was sent to the Palace of the Crown Prince to examine Ms. Verone." Damien's secret guard reported to him as soon as they learned it from within the Palace of the King and Queen.

Damien did not show any reaction. He knew that Verone couldn't be pregnant with Vaughn's child. If she was, it wouldn't belong to the Crown Prince. Everything that they had done so far would go down the drain when she was pregnant with another man's child.

"Did you check what the royal doctor found out?"

"We are not clear on this, Your Highness, but they said that Ms. Verone was prescribed with supplements."

Damien began to worry. What if those supplements were for the baby in Verone's belly? Damien threw the cup, which he was holding, to the wall. It shattered to smithereens. 

The maid assigned to cleaning his room stared in horror at the tiny fragments of glass that she needed to sweep thoroughly. The last time that the Ninth Prince smashed a glass, she failed to clean everything up thoroughly and was punished severely. There were fragments left on the floor, and the foot of Damien's favorite concubine was cut when she walked around the room barefooted. The maid cursed Damien secretly.

"Find out now! Do I need to tell you this?"

"I will go now, Your Highness."

Damien massaged his forehead. Why was he surrounded by incompetent subordinates? He wondered how Vaughn was able to recruit men, such as Redivo, to follow his lead. His main wife was Ovid's daughter, even though she was an ugly good-for-nothing.

* * * * * 

"Go to the Crown Prince and tell him that I want to talk to him. It's already my second day here in his palace, and he did not visit me even once."

"Your Highness, the doctor said that…"

"Who is your master, me or that doctor? For all we know, she could be the Crown Princess' person. It must have been arranged by the Crown Princess. Now, GO!"

"Yes, Your Highness."

The maid went to look for Vaughn in his sturdy, but the guard told her that the Crown Prince did not go there after returning to the palace. The maid had decided to try the room of the Crown Prince and Princess.

The guards stopped Verone's maid from approaching the door of the bedchamber. The guards already warned her that the Crown Prince and Princess were taking a nap and should not be disturbed. The maid had decided to wait outside their door.

Vaughn and Zenia fell asleep in each other's embrace. It was already late in the afternoon when Vaughn finally woke up. Vaughn had a good sleep and could not remember when he dozed off. 

He looked at Zenia's sleeping face and was reluctant to part from her. But, he still had too many doc.u.ments to sign. He slowly removed his arm, which turned into Zenia's pillow. He kissed her on her forehead and stood up. He headed to the bathroom to wash himself up.

Zenia opened her eyes and looked at the closed door of the bathroom. She smiled and went back to sleep. She would join him later for dinner.

* * * * * 

Verone was getting impatient. "Where is that maid? The study is only at the other end of the main residence. It should not take long for her to reach it and inform the Crown Prince."

"She will be here in a moment, Your Highness. Please bear with it for a while. I'm sure that the Crown Prince will see you immediately. The royal doctor said that you are sick."

"Humph, I don't know what that royal doctor wants to achieve by not exposing me. She and I knew that I am not sick at all and yet she told me that I am really sick."

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Your medication is here, Young Madam. Please drink it." It was Rosalie who delivered the elixir to Verone.

The young maid opened the door and saw Roselie carrying a tray with a vial of elixir. Rosalie did not enter the room and followed Odessa's suggestion. 

The maid received the elixir, "Thank you, sister."

"Hmm, I have delivered it and make sure that your Young Madam will take it. I will not be held responsible if she gets worse just because she doesn't want to drink the elixir."

"I understand, sister."

Rosalie left immediately as if Verone's room had a plague. The young maid got worried about her own health. 

"Your Highness, you need to take this elixir after eating your supper as per doctor's order."

The young maid put the elixir on the table. Verone's other maids already went to the kitchen to get Verone's meal and to check if they could see the maid spy who was a kitchen worker.

'Where is the Crown Prince? What's taking him so long?'

Vaughn finished washing. He still changed his clothes in the end. He put on his mask and looked at Zenia one more time. He went out of the room and saw Verone's maid. He ignored her and gave instructions to the guard.

"Tell the maids not to disturb my wife and just wake her up when we are about to eat." 

Vaughn was about to leave when the young maid bowed to him.

"Your Highness, I've been waiting for you for a long time to inform you that our Young Madam is sick. You can confirm it with the royal doctor who did the examination."

Vaughn smirked. He heard what Rosalie had said to Zenia about Verone's  illness .

"Your Young Madam's illness is not life-threatening, but it is communicable. The royal doctor already told the maids of the main residence to stay away from your Young Madam and explicitly warned me and the Crown Princess to not go near Verone Rocca. My obligation to my people exceeds whatever obligation I may have with her. I can't let myself to contract her illness. I can't let my Crown Princess go near her too. Until then, tell her to concentrate on getting better."

Vaughn left the young maid who remained rooted to her spot for a long time. What would she say to her Young Madam? She could already imagine what would happen next.