Chapter 248 - The Big Day (Part 1)

Odessa felt the warm tears on her shoulder when Zenia hugged her. She must've been too angry, and that was the only time that she was able to release all her frustrations. Odessa was no stranger to that kind of feeling. She knew how difficult it was to hold it in. If her Aunt Aggy was not there, she couldn't imagine what could've happened to her. The woman she once called mother was the one who gave her such an unpleasant feeling.

Odessa glared at Zander for doing that to Zenia. He made his sister worry about nothing. Zander just shrugged his shoulders when he saw Odessa looking at him.

"All right, now that everything has been cleared let us all go inside and have a proper meal."

Renaria recognized Wolstan and immediately went to greet him, "Your Majesty, I am glad that you came to our humble home."

Wolstan was surprised that Renaria knew him, "Madam Anisen, you know who I am? May I ask when did we meet?"

"Your Majesty, I was still a little girl when I saw you in Tissuria. My family was having a vacation, and you were on a large float waving at people. My father told me that you were the former King of Tissuria who chose to lie low."

"Your father?"

Wolstan tried to recall whether he met Renaria's father during his reign.

'If I'm not mistaken, Madam Renaria was a Lutheria,' Wolstan looked at Renaria once more and wondered.

Renaria was joined by Ovid and shook hands with the guests that Zenia had brought. Ruvin and Zekiah excused themselves. Ruvin went to the camp, and Zekiah visited the Anisen training ground. Renaria was not able to stop them and just shook her head. She ordered the servants to serve the meal.

Everyone had a happy discussion during mealtime. Baroness Munchefort and Odessa were not used to having a lively mealtime, but they found it refreshing. In fact, they completely loved the idea of having a conversation while dining. The customs of Ishelon were way too different from Tissuria even though both kingdoms inhabit the same island.

Duke Gordon and Rodham were already used to the lively atmosphere at mealtime. The Young Madam always had some great stories to tell and was a lovely storyteller. Rodham wished he could say the same thing with her husband. Vaughn would only nod his head and only talked to Zenia when they were dining together with the Young Duke and his aide.

Wolstan was no stranger in having such an atmosphere when eating, but Roy was having trouble adjusting. Richaem did not mind it as he focused on eating, and Jorick was only paying attention to his younger brother.

After their meal, Renaria led Zenia and Odessa to her room. She told them that they need to discuss something. Ovid led the others for a tour of the entire estate. Vaughn looked at the departing back of his wife and had a hunch that something must've happened in Tissuria. For some unknown reason, his heart began to beat faster than usual.

"Gentlemen and Baroness Munchefort, allow me to give you a tour of the entire estate," Ovid said in a gentle yet imposing voice.

They followed Ovid, except Zander and Vaughn. Zander motioned Vaughn to follow him. Vaughn was certain that something must've really happened in Tissuria. He just hoped that his mother, Queen Mina, was alright.

Zander invited Vaughn outside the manor. They went to Jubilant Tavern that Zander and his men, including Zenia, would often visit when they wanted to relax. There were alcoholic drinks, great food, music, and play. Zenia loved the sweet desserts that the tavern often served.

"Zenzen loves this tavern so much, I guess this is one of the places that she will miss once she goes back to Tissuria."

Vaughn looked at Zander and assured him, "Big Brother, we will always come to Ishelon whenever she wants. I will not restrict her."

"You can say that now, but you will soon be the King of Tissuria. You don't have much free time by then, and Zenzen should fulfill her duties as the Queen."

There was a hint of sadness in Zander's tone. Vaughn did not know how to respond. He somewhat felt guilty about it.

Vaughn had always prepared himself for the worst. He knew that Zenia might still ask for a divorce.

With a heavy heart, he assured Zander, "I promise you, Big Brother, that I can grant the freedom that Zenzen wants when she asks for it. She does not need to say it twice."

Zander shook his head, "I've always thought that Zenia would remain as a free spirit who will always roam everywhere she pleases. A lot of things changed these past few months. I thought that after resolving the case, she would be able to return to us. But, I know my sister. She already took you like her other half. She won't leave you no matter what happens."

Vaughn was surprised at Zander's revelation. A smile finally appeared on his lips, and he did not even know it.

"What made you think that way, Big Brother?"

Zander was a bit annoyed when he saw Vaughn's expression. He sighed, "I've been taking care of Zenia ever since she was a baby. I know her moods and way of thinking. Now that you know that she has already chosen you, take good care of her for me. She's our family's most precious treasure, and I hope you will cherish her more than we did."

Vaughn simply nodded his head without saying anything. He felt like he was in seventh heaven when he heard Zander's revelations. If Zenia was the one to tell him those things, he might not believe her.

Zander told Vaughn their plan of making him and Zenia return to Tissuria immediately. There was no telling when the left Minister would make his move. He also told Vaughn about the condition of King Tarendino and how Queen Mina was coping up with the situation. He also told him that Zenia's private army was already scattered strategically all over Tissuria.

"Luna Inn had been taken over by my men. They are also at your disposal. The Ninth Prince won't suspect anything. According to the information that reached me, the Ninth Prince rarely visits his men in Luna Inn."

Vaughn could not believe that Zander had already taken such great measures. He was glad that Zander was not his enemy, and he was not interested in taking over Tissuria. Otherwise, Tissuria may have been conquered by Ishelon a long time ago.

"Thank you, Big Brother."

There was nothing much to say, and Zander ordered a few drinks to share with Vaughn.

In Renaria's quarters, she explained the current situation in Tissuria to Zenia.

"King Tarendino has been poisoned, to be précised, the effects of the poison in his body began to show and put him in a dangerous situation. But, your sister-in-law and Doctor Hugo were able to come up with a way to detoxify King Tarendino's body. The whole Kingdom of Tissuria had no idea about the King's health yet."

"What about the Queen? Is she alright?"

Renaria detected the concern for Queen Mina in Zenia's tone. She knew that her daughter was actually worried about her mother-in-law for her husband. She knew that Vaughn and the King did not have a good relationship. But, Renaria could tell that the King had been under the hypnotic powder for a long time and took actions that he did not mean to do.

"The Queen is alright. She had been personally taking good care of the King to avoid mishaps. Someone tampered with the King's medication earlier. Luckily, Odessa detected it quickly. Doctor Hugo came up with the elixir that could help wake the King up."

Odessa just listened intently and did not say anything to interrupt Renaria's explanation.

"What happened to that person who tampered with the medication?"

"Queen Mina already took care of it. The King is also slowly recalling the things that happened to him. He even asked the Queen for forgiveness and plans to ask for Vaughn's forgiveness too. Tissuria is in chaos. We don't know when the Left Minister would make his move. You and Vaughn should go back to Tissuria as quickly as you can."

Zenia looked at Odessa and turned her head again to look at her mother. The wedding preparations had started. It would take at least two or three days more to complete.

"But, Mother, I can't simply abandon Big Brother and sister-in-law's most important day. I need to be here, first and foremost. I will think of a way to deal with the Left Minister later. We have gathered enough evidence to implicate him. There's no way that he will be able to escape execution."

Odessa smiled and patted Zenia's hand when she said, "That's why we agreed to just have a simple wedding tomorrow. Zander and I would like you to be there on our most important day."

"No! We can't just have a simple wedding. Big Brother's wedding should be grand and…"

Odessa put her finger across Zenia's lips and explained, "Zenzen, the most important, for both your Big Brother and I, is that everyone important to us is there. I don't need a grand wedding. If I am to choose, I want a simple wedding attended by the people important to me. It's a pity that Lewis could not be here to share this momentous moment with me. He is, after all, my brother."

They were still having a discussion when the steward suddenly knocked on Renaria's room.

"Madam, a man was asking for an audience. He said that he knew the Young Miss and the Young Madam. He said his name is Lewis Cordove."