Chapter 204 - Hello Again, Young General (Part 2)

Zander was startled when he heard how Odessa called Zenia's pet name affectionately. He smiled because he was certain that his bride and his little sister had a good relationship. He secretly heaved a sigh of relief upon learning that. He did not have to choose one over the other. If that was the case, he would just betray both of them.

If his wife told him to sever his ties with his little sister, he could do so but only on the surface. He would still keep doting on Zenia no matter what.

"No, Odessa. Nothing bad happened to Zenzen, and I told you to call me Zander." He flashed a warm smile to Odessa, who blushed when she saw it.

"Z-Zander…"

"Hmm."

Zekiah wanted to puke and get away from there immediately, but Zander was holding the sleeve of his dress tightly. His Big Brother seemed so calm on the surface, but Zekiah knew that was not the case. He could feel his sleeve was about to get torn from Zander's strong grip.

From a distant, Lewis and Ruvin thought that a normal conversation was taking place.

"How did you know that it is me under this mask?"

"I made the masks of the Crown Prince as well as those of his decoys. I have the talent to spot a slight difference in how each decoy wears the mask." Lewis told Ruvin proudly.

"I don't understand at all."

Lewis sighed, "You don't need to understand. Just think of it as one of my special abilities. It's hard to explain to someone simple-minded like you."

"YOU!"

"No, no, no," Lewis waved his index finger in front of Ruvin and continued, "Even if you want to do something to me, you're still a stand-in for the Crown Prince. My rank is still higher than yours."

Ruvin glared at Lewis and decided to keep quiet. One of the things that Ruvin hated the most was someone reminding him of his low rank as an official. He wanted to excel, but there were things beyond his control that were preventing him from reaching greater heights.

He wanted to reclaim the prestige that his family once enjoyed, but his Big Brother told him that they should stay low for the time being. He asked his brother for the reason, but Redivo just told him that he was waiting for the dangerous times to end. Tissuria may look peaceful on the outside, but in fact, they were in the middle of a silent war.

The people of Tissuria were not aware that if everything that the Crown Prince and his men tried to suppress or stop had failed, a war might break out. Many lives would be affected, and Zenia was also trying her best to end the issue with the Left Minister and stop the force behind him from creating a dispute between Tissuria and Ishelon or Prazia.

"Zander, where is Zenzen now?" There was concern in Odessa's tone.

Within a short period that Odessa had known Zenia, she knew that the Crown Princess was impulsive. She could tell that Zenia was not someone ordinary, and she confirmed it when she met Zander once again. She did not know that the Young General that she met during their expedition was surnamed Anisen. In fact, they did not call each other's names.

The Young General would often call her Odeka, which was the name of the village dog, and she would address him as Young General. Odessa tried to correct Zander for so many times, but he would still call her Odeka. She did not correct him anymore since they would be leaving soon.

In her reverie, Odessa would often see the Young General's face and the foolish things he did. The expedition was not boring because of the Young General. He was a gentleman, although his mouth was something else and would often ruin his appearance of a gentleman. Zander protected her for so many times during that expedition. She had always been grateful, but she couldn't help feeling annoyed at him, especially when he told her to be his maid.

"Zenzen is on a mission right now. Don't worry about her. Besides, her husband is with her. Nothing bad will happen to her because her husband will surely protect her. A woman with a husband to rely on doesn't need to worry about anything, don't you think?"

Odessa felt her cheeks becoming warm. She had no idea why Zander kept mentioning about a woman having a husband to protect her. It made her remember the days when they were together during that expedition.

"You're right, Zander. I must be thinking too much. I already regarded Zenzen as my little sister ever since I've met her. I have no siblings…well, at least not from the same father."

Zander felt the sadness in Odessa's tone. There was a part in the report containing the details about Odessa's family. She lost her father when she was young, and her mother re-married. She chose to stay with her aunt, the Baroness Munchefort. Ever since then, she ceased communicating with her mother and let herself believe that she had no siblings.

The great Commander of the Ishelon Military Unit did not expect that she would admit that she had siblings with the same mother but a different father. Her mother's new husband had even tried to use the Muncheforts to gain recognition, but the Baroness quashed it immediately. Odessa's mother did not like it and decided to sever ties with the Baroness. Odessa did not go with her mother and never heard from her again.

"Zenzen is indeed a great sister…and brother."

Both of them shared a hearty laugh, which annoyed Zekiah. Zander was still holding on to his sleeve, although it was no longer as tightly as before. He tried to tug his sleeve, but Zander glared at him while Odessa was not looking.

"Let us join the others before they think that something bad had happened to Zenzen and the Crown Prince."

"Okay," Zander released Zekiah's sleeve and offered his arm to Odessa to escort her.

"But, Big Brother…" Zekiah was not able to finish his sentence when he saw Zander's attention was already on Odessa and nothing else.

Zekiah wanted to ask his Big Brother more about Zenia's private army. He shook his head and followed Odessa and Zander.

"By the way, is the Head Pharmacist your fiancé?"

Odessa looked at Zander in disbelief, "Lewis? Don't joke with me. He can't even kill a c.o.c.kroach, how can he protect me?"

A smile flashed quickly and faded instantly on Zander's lips. He was certain that he was free to pursue Odessa. In case he misunderstood something, he would just let Zenia handle everything for him. Zekiah already told him that Zenia would take no for an answer. He might not know much about Odessa's personality, but he was certain that Zenia would not go back on her words.

"So, you mean to say you are free."

"Free?"

"Yes," Zander leaned closer to Odessa and added, "Free."