Chapter 250 - The Big Day (Part 3)

"Of course! All women in Ishelon dreamt of it when they were young. The sword dance symbolizes the husband's loyalty to his wife, and his willingness to be the sword and shield for his wife when needed."

Zenia's eyes sparkled when she said those things. It somehow pained Vaughn because he never did those things for her. Zenia noticed that Vaughn suddenly became quiet. She immediately knew what he was thinking.

She moved closer to Vaughn and whispered, "We got married in Tissuria. Naturally, we need to follow the wedding traditions in your kingdom. It's not a big deal for me. We can get married in Ishelon next time."

Vaughn looked at his wife, who was smiling at him. He felt warm inside, and he was relieved that she really did not seem to mind.

Cough!

Zander pretended to clear his throat, "So are you telling me to practice the dance now?"

Zenia faced her Big Brother and asked, "You already know how to dance it, why do you still need a practice? You can dance now right after we get home."

Zenia saw a pitcher nearby and a glass. She poured herself a drink. She rode all the way there without stopping, and she was exhausted. The water in the pitcher tasted weird, but it was kind of refreshing. She poured herself another glass.  

"Dance now?! Are you mad?" Zander couldn't believe that his sister would suggest such an absurd idea.

"Why not? You need to get it done, and you know that, don't you?"

"Yes, of course, I know that! But, it's still too sudden! Besides, there are a lot of people in the manor right now."

"Shouldn't other people witness it too? It shows your sincerity. I'm sure that sister-in-law will be greatly touched," Zenia winked at her Big Brother.

"Are you sure?" Zander suddenly felt excited about the performance that he was about to do.

Zenia nodded her head, "I am positive."

Zander gave Zenia a wide grin and declared, "I still need to practice to make sure that everything is flawless. My wife deserves only the best."

He took off after saying those words, leaving Vaughn and Zenia behind. Zenia looked at Vaughn intently, like a predator eyeing her prey. Vaughn somewhat felt uneasy, though he liked being looked that way by his wife.

The Crown Prince of Tissuria felt the intensifying gaze of Zenia. She seemed to be analyzing him from head to foot. She tousled his hair and chuckled. Her soft laughter was inviting, and it awakened something in him. 

Zenia clicked her tongue and shifted her eyes on Vaughn's semi-exposed muscular chest. She smiled silly and looked at Vaughn with seductive eyes. Vaughn gulped and felt hot. Zenia touched his exposed chest.

"Hmm, I didn't realize this before, but you have a wonderful chest. In fact, it's probably the most beautiful that I have ever seen."

She inched her way toward Vaughn until her chest touched his arm. Vaughn's face began to flush as Zenia kept rubbing her bosom against his arm as she tried to touch his shoulders and other parts of his body.

"Zenzen, what are you doing?" Vaughn tried to sound calm.

Zenia whispered in his ear, "I want to study your body."

Vaughn smelled the alcohol from her breath and remembered that she poured herself a drink earlier. He fetched the pitcher quickly and realized that it contained the drink that the tavern manager was promoting before. 

He gathered her in his arm and carried her out of the tavern. Thunderbolt was waiting outside. 

"Why are you carrying me? Put me down. I still want to touch your body," Zenia bit Vaughn's earlobe.

The tingling sensation from Zenia's bite created ripples in Vaughn's heart. He had been trying to suppress the burning desire arousing from deep within him, but she was making things difficult for him.

"You're drunk, and I'm taking you home before you do some damage here."

"What kind of damage? I'm a good girl."

The mischievous look in Zenia's eyes was making Vaughn feel hotter than ever. He helped her board Thunderbolt and tried his best not to let her fall off when he jumped on her majestic horse.

Vaughn wrapped his arm around Zenia and held her waist with one hand to keep her in place while he gathered the reign in his other hand. Thunderbolt did not protest and walked gently when he trod the path leading to the Anisen Manor.

Vaughn and Zenia finally reached the Anisen Manor after two hours. It took longer for them to reach the manor because Thunderbolt was walking slowly. He helped Zenia get down and carried her to their room. He could hear some laughter near the training hall. He did not see Zander anywhere, but he could hear a sword slashing the wind.

Vaughn had a hunch that Zander must be practicing on the rooftop where no one would notice him. The people in the manor were busy preparing for the wedding. From the looks of things, he was convinced that the wedding would take place in the Anisen Estate.

He planted a kiss on Zenia's forehead and went to check on Zander. Vaughn went to the rooftop and saw his brother-in-law practicing. 

"What are you doing here? I don't want to be distracted." Zander told Vaughn without stopping.

"I just want to see how it's done. I want to perform the sword dance for Zenzen too."

"You can watch, but you should keep quiet and don't ask anything."

Vaughn agreed and watched as Zander continued practicing. Vaughn memorized the dance moves within a short time. He just had no idea if he could pull it off gracefully. He had a glimpse of the sword dance, but he never thought that the whole dance could be so…moving.

* * * * *

Before the sun had set, Zander invited everyone to the entrance of the Main Residence. Odessa was already making some preparations when a maid fetched her from her room. She looked at the Baroness, who was helping her at the time. Renaria was busy in the kitchen while Zenia just woke up.

As soon as Odessa made her appearance, Zander walked to the center of the crowd and began the sword dance. Vaughn joined Zenia at the side and held her hand.

The dance was not that complicated, but the dancer must be able to convey his emotions while dancing. Odessa was speechless as she watched Zander danced. She could really feel how much he loved her without uttering a single word. She was so touched that she did not even notice a tear formed in the corner of her eye.

She never thought that she could meet someone who would love her with all his heart and soul for what she was and for what she might become. After experiencing the kind of pain inflicted by her mother, she had decided to devote her time to her work and her Aunt Aggy. She never thought that she would meet people like Zander and Zenia as well as the rest of the Anisens.

Odessa felt she was blessed. Baroness Munchefort wiped the tears from her eyes. She knew that agreeing to the marriage was one of the best decisions that she made in her life. Her dear niece finally had a loving family of her own. 

After the dance, it was the groom's mother who should lead the bride back to the room to continue her wedding preparations. The groom must change into his wedding attire too after taking a long bath. He should wait for his bride at the altar.

The Ishelon bride must share a drink with the female members of the groom's family and her family. The four women raised their cups to foster a good, lasting relationship between them.

When the appointed time finally came, the three women led Odessa out of the Main Residence and to the direction of the altar where Zander had been waiting. The music began to play as Odessa walked down the aisle. She was wearing a veil that Renaria prepared for her. She was also holding a bouquet of flowers that Zander especially picked for her.

Vaughn imagined Zenia walking down that aisle while he was waiting for her in front of the altar. He had decided to ask for Ovid and Renaria's permission to give Zenia the same wedding after they resolved the crisis in Tissuria.   

The officiating minister read a passage to strengthen the husband and wife's union. Zander and Odessa said their vows and exchanged rings. The groom lifted the bride's veil and gave her a kiss on her lips. Zander and Odessa did not notice how long the kiss went, and everyone was patient enough to wait for them to conclude the ceremony.

* * * * *

The men in Luna Inn received the order of their Junior Commander and immediately executed it. They reached the Royal Apothecary in record time and sought out the spy of the Ninth Prince.

"If I'm not mistaken, you must be Doctor Hugo. The Left Minister would be very pleased when he learns that you're still alive. You can perfect the elixir now that you are here."

"Who are you? Why are you doing this? I have no intention to go back to the Left Minister's side."

"You have no other choice but to…"

Thud!

The man was not able to finish his sentence when Zander's man slashed him to death. The blood scattered in the room, and Doctor Hugo could not believe what just happened.

He looked at the imposing figure of the man and knew that he was someone from the military.

"Are you alright, sir?"

"Y-yes. Thank you for helping me, but who sent you?"

"We received an order from our Junior Commander that a spy of the Ninth Prince had infiltrated the Royal Apothecary. We came here to eliminate the spy, and I believe this man here is that spy."

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

One by one, the other men came rushing in.

"Captain, we eliminated all the other spies in this area. This place is safe and secured. What should we do next?"

"Contact the Junior Commander's private army and have them replace the eliminated spies. We should not alert the Ninth Prince's side. Choose the men with the same built and height as the spies we just killed."

"Yes, Captain."