Chapter 215 - The In-Laws are Coming! (Part1)

Zander was enjoying another lazy afternoon in Odessa's house. Odessa was not there, but Baroness Munchefort was a splendid hostess. Besides, she too enjoyed spending time with Zander and listening to his adventures. The more she knew Zander the more she liked him.

The Baroness was glad that her niece found a reliable, great man. She also knew that Zander must be thinking of bringing Odessa back home to Ishelon to marry her. His regular visits to accompany the Baroness for tea were enough for the Baroness to know his sincerity. He was making the Baroness feel assured that her niece would be in good hands.

"Zander, try this pastry. I made it myself," the Baroness gave a warm smile to Zander along with the pastry.

"Thank you, Aunt Aggy."

Zander heard the sound of horse hooves from a distance and knew that it was Odessa's carriage bringing her home. She was earlier than usual. He smiled and did not say anything to the Baroness, who was so engrossed in their conversation.

When Odessa came home, the steward opened the gates for her, and she put a finger against her lips and whispered, "Don't make any noise."

She was welcomed with a familiar scene that she got used to seeing in the past few days. She was glad that her Aunt Aggy was enjoying Zander's company. It was rare for the Baroness to have a friendly interaction with someone whom she had only known for a few days. 

She walked slowly to where Zander and the Baroness were sitting.

"Hmm, that looks delicious," she said happily, which startled the Baroness.

"You're early today! Come, I will get some pastries for you."

Zander stood up when the Baroness was about to leave her seat. She smiled at Zander, who had been a perfect gentleman ever since the Baroness first came to know him. The Baroness did not forget to smile at him and slightly nodded her head. She looked at Odessa and gave her a meaningful look.

'I won't be returning anytime soon. Enjoy each other's company for a while. I hope you're not hungry.'

Odessa understood what her aunt wanted to say, and she blushed. Zander was looking at her and wondered why she was turning so red. He thought that Odessa could be running a fever.

'But, she's lively just now.'

Zander reached out his hand to touch Odessa's forehead as soon as she sat down. Odessa was startled at Zander's action.

"What are you doing?"

"Your cheeks are red. I thought you might have a fever."

Odessa's cheeks became redder. She pushed away Zander's hand.

"I-I'm fine. I must be tired."

"Hmm, you can get flushed cheeks when you're tired?" Zander asked innocently.

Odessa looked at him in disbelief. She chuckled and shook her head, which made Zander more confused. 

"Well, some people usually turn red when they are tired."

"Really?"

"Really! Finish your pastry and accompany me for a walk."

Zander looked at the direction where the Baroness disappeared to, "What about Aunt Aggy? I thought she will bring you some pastries?"

"Zander, sometimes I just couldn't tell if you're actually clueless or just great at playing along."

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Just finish it first, and let's walk in the garden."

"By the way, how's the King?"

"He's out of danger for now, but we still need to observe his condition. He still hasn't woken up, but his vitals are stable."

"Do you think he will wake up?"

"He should wake up anytime soon. We can't find a reason for him not to wake up. It is possible that his body is still adjusting to the medicine that we gave him."

"What did the Queen say?"

Odessa just looked at Zander and did not give him any answer.

* * * * *

"Your Highness, the King's condition is already stable. However, he is yet to wake up."

Queen Mina remained indifferent while the Head Royal Doctor was making his report. Although the King was her husband, there was no love between them. She did love him before, but it was not reciprocated. She was hoping that after giving birth to Vaughn, the King would see her in a different light. 

Queen Mina was looking forward to establishing a happy family with the King. She waited and waited for that day to come, but it never did. When Vaughn turned three, she had decided that it was time to give up. She regretted her decision for being a pawn of her family and the King. She felt even more remorseful when she learned that her beloved man chose not to marry anyone.

"Don't let this get out. We don't know yet who wants to harm the King. Let them think whatever they want to think about the King's condition. Make sure that no woman in the harem will get hold of this information. If any of them insists on seeing the King, just tell them that I ordered it. The Queen has given a Royal Decree, and they are compelled to follow. Otherwise, they will be banished from the kingdom along with their families."

The doctors who were present could not believe what they just heard. If they had not heard it with their own ears and did not see the Queen's expression with their own eyes, they would not believe that it was the Queen who issued the decree. Even though the Queen had a very influential family, she remained passive. She just followed whatever the King had decided.

Little did they know that the Queen was the one who ordered the secret execution of those involved in Vaughn's kidnappings and assassination attempts when he was still young. The Queen had a hunch that it was the Left Minister who was giving King Tarendino the poison, but she had no proof. 

"Someone, come!"

One of the Queen's loyal shadow guards appeared. She rarely gave them a task to complete, but they kept her posted about the things that were happening in Tissuria and other kingdoms. The Queen knew that Vaughn and Zenia had gone to Prazia and had not yet returned.

"Your Majesty, what is your bidding?"

"Go to Redivo and inform him about the King's condition. If he could send a message to Vaughn, he should tell my son to return to Tissuria immediately."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The shadow guard disappeared as quickly as he came. Queen Mina gritted her teeth. She knew that she should not interfere with Vaughn's mission, but she had been anxious about the safety of her son for the past few days. She just hoped that no harm would befall Vaughn and Zenia.

* * * * *

Renaria and Ovid finally reached the Tissuria's capital without being detected. They bought a new carriage and used it during their travel. Renaria chose a bigger carriage because she needed to load lots of things.

"I still can't understand why you need to bring along so many things." Ovid could do nothing but complain.

"Of course we need to bring lots of gifts. It's your eldest son's marriage we are talking about. We need to impress our in-laws." Renaria pointed out.

Zander was not fond of wearing fancy clothes that would flaunt his status. He had simple, yet quality clothing. He would always choose simple designs over the ones with elaborate styles and accessories. Renaria feared that her son's would-be-in-laws might think that he belonged to a very ordinary family. She wanted them to know that her son had an impressive family and status. Odessa would never regret her decision for choosing Zander.

"Don't you think they might think we are flaunting our wealth?" Ovid could no help but worry.

They not only brought so many things, but they also brought the finest things in Ishelon that money could buy. The bolts of Ishelon silk alone could already buy an estate with fully furnished manor complete with servants.

"No, no, no. We need to make our in-laws feel that their daughter will have a comfortable life with us. It is only right to show them that our family is capable of taking care of Odessa and our grandchildren."

'Grandchildren…' Ovid's eyes sparkled with delight as he remembered how Zenia was when she was a baby.

"I hope they can give us a granddaughter right away."

Renaria looked at her husband who was obviously in another world enjoying some time with his granddaughter. She sighed and no longer talked. She enjoyed the view outside and felt that they would be bringing their daughter-in-law upon their return.

Zander and Odessa were walking in the garden and enjoying the beautiful flowers in full bloom. The Baroness was the one who kept the garden that way.

"The people that you want me to meet, when are they going to arrive?"

"Huh?" Zander was caught off guard and did not expect that Odessa would ask such a question.

"The people that…"

Odessa was cut off by Zander when he told her that, "Oh, them… I think they are going to arrive soon. I'm just not sure when exactly."

"Who are they? The suspense is killing me," Odessa chuckled.

Zander stopped walking and took Odessa's hand. He looked straight into her eyes, and he knew that the right time had finally come.

"Odessa…"

"Hmm?"

"When do you want to get married?"

Odessa was choked by her own saliva and began to cough incessantly. Zander patted her back and asked, "Are you okay?"

'Did I ask something I shouldn't? What if she has no plan to get married? What if she has no plan to marry me even though we hit it off? Did I misread everything?'

Zander began to panic and felt like burying himself in the ground. He began patting Odessa's back incessantly.

"Zander,  *cough*  it hurts…" Odessa uttered in a low voice.

'What should I do now? Mother and Father are going to arrive soon. What would they think of me?'

Zander continued to pat Odessa's back.

"Zander…"

No response.

"Zander."

Still, no response.

"ZANDER ANISEN, STOP IT NOW OR I WILL NOT MARRY YOU!!!"

Both of them were startled, and Zander suddenly stopped what he was doing. Their faces turned deep crimson as they stared into each other's eyes. They wanted to turn their heads, but they couldn't. They just stayed there without moving.