Chapter 240 - A Relaxing Journey

After checking Vaughn's vitals, Zenia heaved a sigh of relief. There was nothing wrong with him and should wake up after an hour's rest. She was contemplating whether to check on Richaem but decided not to in the end. He was a healthy young man after all.

She went to Uncle Ross to clarify something. She designed the cannons, but they only produced one due to the scarcity of materials. Nobody informed her that they found someone that could supply them the materials they need to produce more cannons. 

"Uncle Ross when did we have more than one cannon? Who is our supplier of materials?" Zenia asked with a puzzled look on her face.

Uncle Ross gave her a wide grin and said, "We only have one cannon."

"But, you clearly said that…"

"It's called psychological warfare."

Zenia gawked at Uncle Ross' explanation.

"Psychological warfare my foot! What if they still decided to counter-attack? We don't have enough firepower on this ship."

"No, I am sure that they would be demoralized after receiving a direct hit. No kingdom in the whole Maecaea has cannon such as ours."

Zenia sighed, "We are lucky this time, but you may never have the same luck again."

"Aha-ha," Uncle Ross laughed awkwardly as he scratched his head.

"Junior Commander, the enemies are coming! The enemies are coming!" Willard shouted from the outside.

Zenia and Uncle Ross quickly went to the deck and saw that Willard and his men had finally arrived.

Uncle Ross shook his head and informed him, "You're too late Willard Loft. They just left."

"Huh? How can that be? They just suddenly disappeared before our eyes. I'm sure they just used magic to conceal their presence."

"They used a teleportation portal."

"Tele-, what?"

"Just get on board and let us set sail."

Uncle Ross instructed his men to help the newcomers aboard and bring them to their rooms. The first batch of guests was already resting in their rooms. Due to the limited number of rooms, Duke Gordon shared a room with Rodham, Jorick and Richaem were in the same room, and Wolstan and Roy shared one room.

When everyone was settled, Zenia went to the kitchen and decided to cook a simple feast. The Ishelon men already knew that Zenia was a great cook. They couldn't wait to sample her dishes once more.

In a few minutes, a delicious fragrance filled the entire ship. Everyone could not wait to eat. Wolstan left the room and trod the path leading to the dining area. The fragrance was familiar to him.

When he reached the dining room, almost everyone was already there. Only Roy and Vaughn were left in their respective rooms. Jorick and Richaem were talking joyously as they waited for the dishes to be served.

After some time, Roy finally made his appearance in the dining hall. He was impressed at the relaxing atmosphere of the dining area. He felt that every dish to be served on the dinner table would have an excellent taste even though it may be average at the most. The relaxing atmosphere alone was enough for him to savor the dishes with gusto.

Soon, the dishes were served. Everyone had seated, except for Vaughn and Zenia. They would take their meals to their room since Vaughn was not feeling well. Zenia prepared a different set of dishes for him. She knew that he wanted her to treat him differently from the others. Naturally, his food must be special.

"Ah, the Young Madam is truly marvelous. She never fails to entice my taste buds. Even the customers of Madame Bisset's restaurant were taken by her," Rodham gleefully announced while twirling his fork to sample the pasta dish called Pâtes aux Lardons.

"Are you saying that the chef who made the dishes that we ate at that inn was Zenia?"

Jorick did not hold back in mentioning Zenia's name. Vaughn was not there anyway.

"Ho-ho, so it was Zenzen," Wolstan poked Roy using his elbow, "I told you that she's really great."

Roy rolled his eyes and decided that it would be best to just keep quiet and let Wolstan boast to his heart's content.

It was a lively sharing of a meal, and everyone got to know each other better. Richaem was smiling from ear to ear while eating. It was the most enjoyable time that he experienced so far ever since he got separated from his family. Jorick would sometimes wipe his face for him.

Looking back, Jorick thought that he really owed Zenia a lot. They were able to escape from that dreadful kingdom because of Zenia. If Zenia was not there, he was afraid that he and his brother would be stuck there for good. He was certain that the awful king would recognize them as his nephews and would not spare them.

Duke Gordon and Rodham were also grateful to Zenia. They wouldn't be able to get out of Prazia unscathed if they did not meet the Young Madam there.

"Good sir, may I know where we are heading?" Wolstan had a hunch that they would go to Ishelon first and travel to Tissuria from there.

"Gentleman, our destination is Ishelon. It's much faster to travel there from Prazia. You will need to travel by land to Tissuria."

"But, we don't know anyone in Ishelon. We also lack funds."

Uncle Ross understood what Wolstan was hinting. He shook his head and smiled. Knowing Zenia, he knew that she would arrange for their accommodations in the Anisen Manor.

"Don't worry about it, gentleman. The Junior Commander will surely arrange something. You don't need to worry about anything while you are in Ishelon."

"Thank you, kind sir." Wolstan gave Uncle Ross a wide grin.

Roy only shook his head at Wolstan's brazenness. But, he too was glad that he tagged along. It had been years since he last left his manor to go on a journey. He had never been to Ishelon, and he couldn't wait to reach it.

Zenia brought their meal to their room. The dishes were different from the ones she served the guests. She took Vaughn's preferences into consideration when she prepared every dish on that tray.

She was about to push the door with her foot when it suddenly opened.

"You're up," Zenia greeted her husband with a smile.

Vaughn helped Zenia with the tray and put it on the table. He gently pulled Zenia's hand and led her to sit on the bed.

"How did we return here?"

"You can't remember anything?"

Vaughn nodded his head and said, "I can't remember anything after being enveloped in that light."

Zenia told Vaughn everything that happened, especially the part about him being the one with a pure spirit. Vaughn could not believe it too. All along, he thought that Azer was after his wife.

Vaughn looked at Zenia from head to foot and remembered how she usually behaved during a mission, especially when she needed to dress as a man. She even went to brothels, gambling houses, and other places that only men would visit.

When he met her again for the first time after he graduated from the academy, she was far from being a gentle lady. But, it did not stop him from liking her even more. She was merciless when dealing with her enemies. Her mind was unfathomable. She could even make a woman fall for her without even trying.

He wondered why he thought that his little devil had a pure spirit. The reason he called her a little devil was because she really was a little devil. Someone with a pure spirit should resemble an angel, and Zenia was the complete opposite.

Vaughn suddenly thought of something that made him shudder.

'If I'm the one with the pure spirit, does that mean I resemble an angel?'

He did not speak again and just squeezed the hand of his wife. Zenia became nervous.

"Vaughn?"

No response.

"Hey, Vaughn!"

"What?!"

"You suddenly stopped talking, and I thought something happened to you. Are you sure you are fine now?"

"Yes," he lifted Zenia's hand to his lips and kissed it, "I am fine. I just thought of something ridiculous."

He chuckled lightly, and Zenia waited for him to tell her what it was. Vaughn noticed that she was staring at him and knew what she wanted from him.

"Well?"

"Well, what?" Vaughn pretended that he did not know anything.

"What is that ridiculous thing?"

"I forgot."

"Liar!"

"I really am."

He gave her a sweet smile, and she was lost for words.

"Come, let's eat. We have a long journey ahead of us."

* * * * *

The Left Minister was also having his meal at that exact moment. They encountered some turbulence, and the Captain of the ship was forced to take shelter in an inhabited island. They stayed there waiting for the storm to pass. It was impossible for them to have a safe journey in the turbulent storm.

"Until when are we going to stay here?" The Left Minister asked the attendant that had been assigned to him by King Odhran.

"Your Excellency, we are just waiting for the storm to pass. The Captain will inform us when we are about to leave."

"Get me some wine. I am bored to death. We have been here for two days now. There is nothing to see on this island."

"Would you like me to get you some women to entertain you, sir?"

The Left Minister's eyes widened when he heard it and sat up.

"Why didn't you say that earlier? Bring them in!"

In the Palace of the Crown Prince…

"Sir Redivo we received a report that the Left Minister might arrive next week. He had been delayed due to the storm."

"What about the Crown Prince and Princess?"

The messenger just shook his head. They still did not receive any news about Vaughn and Zenia.

"Report!"

Redivo and his companions were startled when someone shouted outside – it was Harnen.

"What is it?"

"Sir, we received a report that the Crown Prince and Princess are on their way to Ishelon on board a private ship."