Chapter 185 - You Smell…

Zenia and Zekiah kept molding the material according to the form that they need to achieve. They did not even ask for the help of others. They worked in sync and seemed to understand what the other was thinking or trying to achieve without even speaking. They were working quietly and efficiently.

Vaughn woke up and got out of bed. He looked at the window and saw Zenia and Zekiah already working with the new material. He smiled. He knew that Zenia must've forgotten to wake him up.

'Did she eat breakfast?'

Renaria and Zander were watching the brother and sister from a distance while sipping tea. They did not dare call them out because the scene became something rare for them to see. They knew that they wouldn't be able to see them together like that again…or at least not within a short period.

Although breakfast had been prepared already, Ovid and Ruvin had not yet returned from their training. Renaria had decided to wait for a bit more before calling everyone for breakfast.

"Mother, Zenzen, and Zeze have all grown up, and Zenzen is even married now. Do you want to adopt a child or two?" Zander began sipping his tea.

Renaria sighed. She knew that his eldest son had devoted his life to his siblings that marriage was far from his mind. In fact, Renaria had always thought that Zander would not ever get married.

"Instead of adopting a child, why don't you just get married and fill the manor with your own children." Renaria sipped her tea while Zander choked on his.

"Mother, that's not funny."

"Do you think I'm joking?"

Zander just looked at his mother in disbelief. Vaughn chuckled a bit when he heard the conversation between mother and son. Renaria turned around and saw him while Zander glared at him.

"You're up son-in-law," Renaria went to Vaughn and tapped his cheek lightly and added, "Are you hungry? Zenzen is busy, and we don't want to disturb them. It would be great if I also have a daughter-in-law around the house."

"Mother!"

"Come, let us go to the dining room. The hungry bunch will be coming soon." Renaria dragged Vaughn, who could only look at his playful wife.

"That would be all for now. I hear that Zenzen wanted everyone's help with Zekiah's project. Now is the right time to warm up to them for a bit. I know that those two can be too much at times, but they are good," Ovid reminded Ruvin.

"I know that Master, and I also know that I am not good at interacting with them. I seemed to always offend them no matter what I say or do."

"They will see your good points soon."

"I promise to be their shield against danger whenever I can while they are in Tissuria. I promise, Master, that I will do everything in my power to keep them safe."

"You sound like an elder brother, ha-ha-ha."

"This is the only thing I can do for you for helping me improve my skills."

Ovid smiled and knew that he had not made a mistake in his judgment. Ruvin was someone he could depend on.

'An elder brother...'

They decided to return to the main house and join everyone for breakfast. When they reached the area where Zenia and Zekiah were working, a foul smell suddenly attacked their nostrils.

Ruvin immediately traced the source of the smell, "You two smell so bad! What did you do, get a pullus mad at you?"

Ovid shook his head, 'If only he could do something about that mouth of his.'

They all knew that a pullus could only be found in Venetia, and it is a rodent that releases a putrid smell to deter its enemy. The smell would stick to the victim for a month and no potion or elixir could take the foul smell off the victim.

The two looked at Ruvin like they wanted to rip him to pieces. They removed their masks and almost puke at their own smell. Luckily, they just finished their masterpieces and just needed to dry them up under the sun.

Zenia and Zekiah ran quickly inside the main house and went to their respective bath area in their bedroom. They left a trail of stench behind them.

Ruvin entered the main house while pinching his nose. Vaughn, Renaria, and Zander went to see the commotion and smelled the foul odor that the two left behind.

"What is that awful smell?" Renaria asked and quickly instructed the maids to lit up air-purifying incense

The incense was a gift that Ovid received from one of the kingdoms before. They rarely used it. Renaria instructed the servants to only use the incense during emergencies.

"Ah, your mischievous children are at it again."

"Zenzen and Zeze?"

"Yes, it is just like the old times when they were still very young."

"Your eldest son was suggesting adopting some children earlier because he misses the days when Zenzen and Zeze were still young."

Zander turned crimson when he remembered his mother's remarks about getting himself a wife.

"Why adopt? Just let him marry a wife and fill the manor with the little ones."

Renaria looked at Zander and grinned. Zander turned pale. He knew that they would not stop until he got himself a wife. He regretted giving a suggestion like that to his mother.

Vaughn followed Zenia to their bedroom and knocked on the bathroom's door, "Zenzen, do you need something? Do you want me to get some aromatic oil for your bath?"

"I'm good. The stench is gone, but I still feel icky. I'll just soak for a bit more. You can wait for me, and let us eat together."

"Okay."

In the other room, Zekiah kept rubbing a towel with soap and aromatic oil on his body. He could still smell the sap of the Osage Milkweed on his body, even though he already got rid of it. He stayed in the bathroom longer than Zenia.

When he got down, he was the only one they were waiting for to eat breakfast.

"Zeze is here, let us begin," Renaria announced, and everyone began.

Renaria had always been strict when it came to house rules. Everyone should eat at once, and none of them should bring any paperwork or doc.u.ment on the table. Everyone should tell their schedule for the day and whether they had any special requests for dinner.

They rarely had lunch together when there was work. If everyone was in the house during lunch, they should eat together as a family. Everyone should also tell what happened to them at work and whether they encountered something unpleasant.

Ever since Renaria retired from her work, she only stayed at home to take care of the manor and other things related to home management. She wanted to know what was happening to each of them when she could not see them. It was her way of keeping connected to her family.

Vaughn and Ruvin liked the way things worked in the Anisen household. The Anisen siblings were fortunate to have such parents. Ruvin was thinking whether his family could've been that way too if he did not lose his mother at a young age.

They finished their breakfast, and everyone stayed at the manor. It happened to be one of Ishelon's kingdom holidays when everyone was excused from working, including the soldiers and different services workers. They believed that letting people rest for a day could help increase their productivity. So far, it worked for all of them.

Zenia instructed the servants to let the finished prosthetics dry up under the sun. Zenia and Zekiah were happy with the way the finished products were turning. They looked like the real thing.

It was a good thing that it was easy to put the right color tone on the finished product to blend with the natural color of the skin. No one would know the difference.

"Big Brother is there any news?"

"We just received a confirmation that the ship that the Left Minister should take had experienced a mechanical malfunction and needs immediate repair."

"It means his trip to Prazia has been delayed," Zenia smiled and turned to Zekiah, "Zeze, how long do you think we need to wait for the prosthetics to dry? I think that the foul smell is beginning to disappear."

"In my estimate, it will take at least three days to get completely dried. You can use it by then."

"That's great! We can catch up with the Left Minister in no time. I hope we can board the same ship, but he must be waiting in Tissuria's pier."

"If he leaves in two days and you leave here in four days for Prazia, you will arrive there ahead of him by one whole day," Zander explained.

Although Tissuria and Ishelon shared the same island, it was easier to reach Prazia via Ishelon. Only the regular traveler from Ishelon knew that, including Ovid and Zander. Vaughn just listened to the ongoing conversation between the siblings. He decided that it was best for him to keep quiet since he could not contribute any valuable information at all. Ruvin did the same.

Ovid showed Ruvin around the capital of Ishelon in the afternoon. It was like they were in a ghost town. Not a single establishment was accepting customers. He saw a number of brothels, but they were closed too. He could not believe that the people of Ishelon gave much importance to take a rest during a holiday. Even if that was the case, he still enjoyed the tour. It was Ovid Anisen who was accompanying him after all.

Zander and Vaughn went somewhere in the afternoon while Zekiah went to see Gustof. He wanted to ask Gustof if he knew anything that could lessen the foul odor of the sap. Renaria and Zenia were spending their time idly. There was nothing left for them to do but wait – for the prosthetics to dry up, news about the Left Minister, and any significant event that might occur.

"Mother, let me tell you something," Zenia giggled.

"What is it?"

"I found a wife for Big Brother."

"What?!"