Chapter 153 - I Give These to You

Zekiah instructed one of the maids to inform Verone that the Crown Princess would pay her a visit. Did he do it to give her a sort of warning or give Verone a time to compose herself? Of course not! The longer Verone would wait, the more anxious she would get. 

He sent the message three hours ago. Zekiah couldn't decide on which dress to wear. It also took him some time to choose the right accessories. He finished his preparation after two hours. He went out of the room five hours after he sent the message to Verone that he would be coming over.    

Zekiah, together with Rosalie, headed to Verone's room. They were carrying four bottles of the  nourishing tonic  that Zekiah mentioned before. Zekiah looked elegant and grand in his outfit. He was able to mimic Zenia's demeanor to perfection, except he couldn't help emitting a dark aura.

"Greetings, Your Highness." Verone and her maids greeted in unison.

Zekiah looked at the faces of the women who greeted him. They looked like they went through hell. Verone's makeup did not help at all. Her haggard appearance was laughable. Zekiah had no idea whether he was the one who caused her worn-out appearance. But, he was certain that he made her anxious.

"You look terrible, Young Madam. It's a good thing that I brought along a few bottles of the nourishing tonic that I mentioned before." Zekiah ordered Rosalie to hand over the bottles to Verone's maid.

"Thank you, Crown Princess. I will never forget this kindness." Verone tried to sound calm and friendly even though she was already boiling with rage.

"It's nothing," Zekiah answered calmly as he sat on Verone's favorite chair.

Zekiah already noticed that the craftsmanship of the chair was different from the rest of the furniture in the Palace of the Crown Prince. He could tell that the chair was of high-quality. In fact, it could be far superior to the furniture that Zenia had in her room. Zekiah had a hunch that Verone brought the chair from the outside. 

Verone's eyebrow twitched when she saw how the Crown Princess shamelessly sat on her favorite chair. She should know that the chair was different from the rest. She should be aware that it was her favorite chair.

"Crown Princess, why don't you sit in the chair over here where the view is more beautiful," the maid Stella offered another seat to Zekiah.

Verone's maids knew how much their mistress liked that chair. It was given to her as a reward for her performance. She didn't know the identity and name of the man who gave it to her, but she knew that the man was someone with high authority from a certain kingdom. The man was not a citizen of Tissuria.

"But, I like sitting here. It feels comfortable and just right for me. How come I don't have this kind of chair?"

"To answer, Your Highness, that chair was given to our mistress as a reward when she danced in front of the delegates some years ago." It was Tilda, the youngest maid, who answered Zekiah.

"I'm fine with sitting here. Since the Young Madam brought it here, it becomes the property of the Palace of the Crown Prince. Don't you know that simple thing? Me, you, and everything and everyone in this palace belong to the Crown Prince. Oh yeah, serve the nourishing tonic to the Young Madam."

The maids looked at each other, and then they looked at Verone who turned pale. They all knew that their mistress planned to throw away the nourishing tonic. They did not expect the Crown Princess to have it served on the spot.

"Crown Princess, Young Madam just finished her meal. She should…"

"She just finished her meal? You better serve the tonic right away. It is best to consume on a full stomach. Hurry, I want to see her drink it all up." 

Verone saw the Crown Princess' eyes sparkled. She was certain that the Crown Princess put something in the tonic. 

"Your Highness, I will drink it later. Right now…"

"Are you suspecting me? Do you think I put something in that tonic? Bring the bottles here and let me show you."

Rosalie brought the bottles of nourishing tonic and put them on the table. Zekiah looked at the bottles carefully before he finally decided to pick one. 

"Here, put all of the content of this one in a cup for me." He gave the bottle of tonic to one of Verone's maids.

Verone's face darkened when she thought that the Crown Princess came well prepared.

'That bottle must be the one that did not contain poison. Why would she take time choosing the bottle? It's as if she was looking for a certain mark. I won't let you get away with it.'

The maid poured the content of the bottle to a cup and served it immediately. Verone reached for the cup before Zekiah could touch it.

"I will drink this one, Crown Princess. You may choose another one."

Zekiah smirked, 'Are you trying to outsmart me? You think that bottle is the safe one?'

"You go drink it, and I will choose a bottle again."

Verone did not hesitate to drink it all up while Zekiah chose another bottle. 

"Ahh!"

"What is it, Your Highness?" Rosalie walked hurriedly to Zekiah's side.

"This is the bottle that I'm looking for." Zekiah smiled and handed the bottle to Verone's maid.

Verone dropped her cup and turned paler than before. She felt like choking and ran quickly to the bathroom. She tried to vomit what she drank, but nothing came out. Her maids followed her inside, and all of them were panicking.

Zekiah picked up the cup that the maid had placed on the table and sipped the delightful drink that Zenia prepared for him.

He looked at the content of the cup, "Such a waste that I have to give it away."

* * * * *

Zekiah left Verone's room without saying goodbye. All of the maids were busy attending to Verone. She tried to vomit the nourishing tonic, but she couldn't. It was as if the drink settled conveniently in her stomach, and nothing could ever move it.

"What should we do know, Your Highness?" Stella was panicking when she askerd Verone.

"Do you feel any discomfort?"

"Do you want me to ask for a royal doctor, Your Highness?"

Verone did not answer any of the questions and just walked out of the bathroom. Zekiah and Rosalie were no longer in sight, but Verone saw that the cup was empty. There was a mark left by lipstick on it. She knew that the Crown Princess drank the  safe tonic  to prove that there was nothing wrong with any of the bottles.

"Your Highness, do you want me to report this to the Crown Prince?"

Verone glared at Helena and roared, "Do you honestly believe that the Crown Prince will side with me? He didn't visit me even once! I don't know what that b**ch Zenia had done to him, but I will soon find out. I don't think there's really something wrong with the drink, otherwise, I would have fainted by now. Let's observe for a few days."

Verone ordered her maids to warm her bathwater. She also told them to put some rose petals and aromatic oil. Although she did not vomit anything, she still felt like she was covered with filth. She could smell the stench even though she knew that there was nothing there. It was all in her mind, but how come she could feel and smell it?

She went into the bathroom when the water was ready. She would like to soak in the warm water for a bit longer than usual. She should find a way to get rid of the nourishing tonic without making the Crown Princess suspicious. She feared that the Crown Princess would visit her often just to check whether she was drinking the tonic properly. She would tell Leyna to replace the content of the bottles later. 

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Young Madam, your medication is here." A palace maid knocked softly on the door.

Verone did not hear the knocking on the door. Johana opened it and went out of the room. She received the elixir, and the palace maid left. They could not force Verone to drink the elixir, but they knew she should drink it. They all agreed to keep everything a secret from Verone. They decided to mix the elixir into her food and hoped that it would still be effective.

Zekiah went to Vaughn's study to report what happened. The guards allowed him to enter but prevented the maid from doing the same.

"Brother-in-law, what brings you here?"

"I know you already had an idea of what had happened in that despicable woman's room, and I'm telling you now that it's too late to regret."

"Why would I regret it? I think Zenzen's method is still merciful. I know you are angry with Verone Rocca, and I just want you to enjoy your stay here. But, I'm curious about the content of the nourishing tonic that you gave Verone Rocca."

Zekiah smirked, "I am reluctant to part with it because Zenzen prepared it for me, but I have nothing else to give at the moment. It's just an ordinary drink, but it is truly refreshing. I made her think that there's something bad in it when in truth they are all the same."

"In other words, you toyed with her mind. You made her believe that the tonic can harm her." Vaughn laughed so hard and startled the guard.

"She should consider herself lucky because Zenzen already warned me not to go overboard. She said that she still needs to extract some information from that despicable woman. If you ask me, I'll just get rid of her. I don't think she can offer any valuable information. I doubt if her bosses had told her anything."

"Hmm, I agree. But, Zenzen has her own plans. I don't want to get in her way. Let's just wait and see what Zenzen plans to do with Verone."

Both men agreed and parted ways peacefully. Zekiah was certain that Vaughn would not let Zenia feel aggrieved. Vaughn learned that Zekiah may appear stubborn, but he would never go against Zenia's wishes.

* * * * *

"Whew! It's finished! Everything is prepared to perfection, don't you agree?" Zenia couldn't contain the excitement in her voice.

"Yes, yes, Leyna! I never thought that simple changes in the kitchen can really give amazing results. We can deliver the meals on time."

"Just remember to follow the same steps from now on. Each one should also remember their tasks. This way, we can have a proper rest. We don't need to work non-stop just to make sure that every meal will be served on time."

Zenia excused herself and headed to the section responsible for serving the meals. The head cook did not mind getting some instructions from Zenia. In fact, she felt that Zenia was someone she should not offend. She was not threatened, and she could clearly remember that the woman named Leyna did not have that kind of demeanor.

She had suspected Leyna of being a spy but did not know how to inform the Crown Prince without arousing suspicions. When Leyna asked for a leave of absence, she had a hunch that the maid would meet her master. It was a good thing that a guard accompanied her. After that, the head cook had no idea what happened next.

She remembered the main residence maids talked about the Crown Princess' beautiful eyes that seemed to gather the stars in them. The Leyna that returned had the same pair of eyes. The Leyna who asked for a leave of absence did not give her any impression at all.  

'Could it be?' The head cook looked at Zenia who was busy giving out additional instructions to the kitchen workers.