Chapter 218 - Zenia’s Private Army

Zenia's private army had already reached Tissuria the following day. It was almost lunchtime when they arrived. The soldiers joined the caravan, traveled as tourists, and joined the traveling troupe. Others protected Ovid and Renaria in the shadow during their journey. The Ninth Prince's men did not detect their presence and remained oblivious of their whereabouts. 

As soon as they set foot in the Capital, they scattered to different places to survey their surroundings. They did not waste time and began to familiarize themselves with their temporary home. Those who were quite familiar with Tissuria's topography went to visit their comrades in Luna Inn. Zander's men had completely infiltrated the Luna Inn. 

None of the Ninth Prince's original assassin squad had remained in Luna Inn. The manager of Luna Inn as well as the other workers who kept the Inn running had no idea that they were the only ones who belonged to the Ninth Prince's group. They did not find anything wrong with the behavior of the assassin squad. Zander's men continued to use sign language, which the workers of Luna Inn could not decipher.

"Hello, my brothers!"

"Whoa, you're here! Where are the others?"

"They are surveying Tissuria."

"You're a part of Junior Commander's private army, aren't you?"

"Yes!"

"I thought you guys are supposed to come in another month? Have you all completed your training?"

"We have, Lieutenant. It was Master Ovid who completed our training."

"Really?!"

"I think Junior Commander might be facing some trouble soon. It might be inevitable to go to war. The Junior Commander and her wife are in Prazia right now. I just hope that man is strong enough to protect Junior Commander."

"Why did you say that?"

"We have no idea what's happening to them in Prazia right now. The Commander had dispatched some men to monitor the activities in Prazia long before the Junior Commander had set sail to Prazia. However, none of them sent a message to report the situation."

"How about the Commander? Does he know this?"

"Haven't you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"The Commander already found his wife and currently pursuing her. General Higate told us that Madam instructed him not to tell anything to Commander Zander. Let him pursue his bride first. The Madam assured us that the situation in Prazia is still not grave. But, she also warned us to be ready."

"The Commander is in Prazia now?"

"No! He's here in Tissuria."

"I thought the Young Madam is supposed to be in Prazia?"

"Nope, she's here. The Commander must be proposing soon. Master and Madam are here too."

"Imagine that… The Commander is finally settling down."

Zander was already at Odessa's home for one of his regular visits. They were having their usual conversation when Zander bit his tongue.

"Ouch!"

"What happened?" The concern in Odessa's voice was obvious.

"I bit my tongue."

"Show me."

Zander took out his tongue, and it was swollen. Odessa flinched when she saw it.

'Just how hard is this guy's teeth that made his tongue swell like that?'

"Wait for me here. I will get my medicine box," Odessa stood up to retrieve her medicine box.

Zander held her hand when she was about to go.

"You don't need to do that," Zander was blushing when he uttered those words.

Odessa thought that he was having a fever because his face was getting redder. For her, it was possible to have a fever with that kind of injury.

"We need to apply medication right now before it gets worse. You are running a fever right now."

"How can you tell that I'm having a fever?"

"You're turning redder, and your hand is becoming sweaty."

"Can't you just k-kiss me?"

Zander's face turned deep red upon saying it. He had no idea what had gotten into him and made him spout those words. Odessa's cheeks began to blush, but she did not find it repulsive.

"O-okay…" It was too late for her to retract what she said.

It was Odessa's turn to have a crimson face. Zander could not believe his ears when he heard her reply. He was waiting to be rejected.

Zander flashed a naughty smile as he stood up and pulled Odessa close to him. He felt awkward after saying those words, but he was oozing with confidence now when he heard her answer.

Odessa was torn between regretting and anticipating the consequences of her decision. Zander lowered his head to seal Odessa's lips with his. He knew what to do and how to do it properly after experiencing it once. He was a quick learner.

Odessa closed her eyes and accepted the consequences willingly. It was much sweeter than she anticipated. She thought that a kiss would remain the same no matter how many times they share it, but she was wrong. Their second kiss was definitely much better than the first. She wondered if it could get better and better later. She blushed even more upon the thought.

Baroness Munchefort was about to take out the refreshments when she felt that something was odd. It was eerily quiet. She nearly choked when she saw the two people kissing once more.

She shook her head as she retraced her path back to the kitchen, 'These people, doing this in broad daylight… Zander's parents must settle the marriage at once before things get out of hand.'

Back at the Royale Palace Inn, Renaria coughed incessantly when she choked on her food. Ovid patted her back and was wondering what happened to her.

"Are you okay?"

Renaria took a deep breath and calm herself down. She rarely choked on her food. Each time she choked on her food it was because the food was exceptionally divine. The dish she was eating was just good. It was delicious but did not have an exceptional taste.

"Someone must be cursing me behind my back," she smiled at her husband.

"Who dares?!" Ovid asked in a loud voice.

Renaria chuckled and patted Ovid's hand, "I was just saying, and it does not mean that it's true."

"By the way, where's that brat off to? I saw him earlier in the stable. He seems to be going somewhere."

"Zander?"

Ovid nodded.

"He must be seeing Odessa. I guess he will inform her of our visit."

"Hmm, at least he does not need our help anymore. Do you think that Odessa is good enough for our son?"

"She should be. Otherwise, Zenzen would not say those good things about her. Besides, she was the one who took care of our Zenzen and Zeze when they got sick in Tissuria last time."

"They got sick at the same time again?"

"Yes."

"Do you think it's happening again?"

"I hope not."

The couple resumed eating their meal and discussed the details of the wedding. They were certain that a wedding would take place anytime soon. They hoped to settle the wedding first before Zander learned about Zenia's situation in Prazia. 

Even though they had not received any bad news, Renaria felt that Zenia was dealing with something big. The situation was still under control, but it could escalate into something big at any time. 

Zander was dealing with something monumental in his life, and Renaria could not bear to destroy it by telling her eldest son about his sister's situation. Renaria knew that Zander would postpone everything and go to Prazia immediately to retrieve Zenia. Besides, they also had no idea regarding the enemy's real power and ability. Zander may not be able to do something against that power and would only add to the problem.

The best thing they could do was deal with the issues one at a time. They should not be hasty in their decisions and should try to look at it at different angles so they wouldn't miss a thing. 

'Zenzen, please be safe,' Renaria prayed with all her heart.

* * * * *

The soldiers of Prazia nabbed some individuals and brought them to the palace for interrogation. The people had different opinions regarding the reason for the incident. 

"I heard that there were some people who managed to infiltrate the palace. Those who were nabbed must be the suspects."

"Someone told me that it was a military base they infiltrated."

"Where did I hear that it was a secret laboratory? Apparently, some secret experiments are ongoing."

Rodham heard all sorts of gossips, but no one was able to tell the real reason. But, he was certain that they were the ones that the soldiers were searching for. He did not stay for long and returned to the inn to inform Zenia.

"Young Madam, the soldiers took some people to the palace for interrogation. What should we do now? Those people are innocent."

Zenia looked at Rodham and asked, "Do you want to surrender your young lord to those people?"

Rodham shook his head. Zenia sighed. She knew that Rodham was just worried about implicating innocent people.

"In this world, there are things that we need to sacrifice to achieve a greater good. Right now we are on the verge of accomplishing something monumental, and we are only given this opportunity to make it happen. Think of it as the willingness of others to sacrifice themselves to bring greater benefits to all."

Zenia peeked at Rodham and tried to weigh whether she had able to convince him enough to forget about the ones that would be sacrificed.

Rodham looked at her with a straight face, "Young Madam, I have been living in this world for quite some time now, and I am not some naïve teenager that you will be able to persuade with words. I agree with the things you said, and I just feel a bit guilty about those innocent people that the soldiers have taken."

Zenia tapped Rodham's shoulder, "You don't need to worry about that. They may not be as innocent as you think. I also heard that someone tried to steal something from the palace, and my source is a reliable person."

"Who?"

"Madame Bisset."