Chapter 256 - Paying the King of Tissuria a Visit (Part3)

"What do you think?" Vaughn suddenly blurted out of the blue.

"Think about what?"

"Do you think the Head Royal Doctor is one of the traitors?"

"I don't know. I haven't met any of the Royal Doctors. The only doctor I know in Tissuria is sister-in-law. I hope he's not a traitor."

Vaughn looked at Zenia, who was looking outside. Vaughn knew that she was analyzing something and no longer bothered her. He wondered what she was looking at. The place looked ordinary to him.

Zenia saw something suspicious en route to the Head Royal Doctor's office. She saw a seemingly harmless hawk on a tree branch. She was not certain if it was the Head Royal Doctor who put it there, but she recognized it right away. It was a spy hawk from one of the kingdoms that she had visited when she was young. She could not remember the name of that kingdom. She remembered the hawk because she found the majestic bird so fascinating at the time. 

Someone told her that it was a spy hawk. The red spot that looked like a mole on the bird's broad chest was the special mark of a spy hawk.

'Is it a gift or someone is monitoring the movement of the Head Royal Doctor?'

Whether it was there as the doctor's pet or sent to monitor his movement was no longer Zenia's concern for the meantime. She would look into it when her plans had gone awry.

Vaughn traced Zenia's line of sight and saw the hawk. He was curious if she was interested in raising a hawk. He wondered why there was a spy hawk there.

'Did Redivo send it here?'

He looked at Zenia and decided that he would take her to the training grounds of the spy hawks they were raising. The spy hawks were partly responsible for their information gathering. He was certain that Zander was also using something similar to what they were using in gathering intel reports. 

Looking at Zenia, it looked like she did not know any of it. She did not even know how Zander and his most trusted men could send messages anywhere in Maecaea within a short period. It was rather dangerous to train the hawks. Vaughn thought that Zander's means of gathering information or sending messages involved a risky process. If that was the case, it was best for Zenia not to know anything.

They finally reached the office of the Head Royal Doctor. Zenia and Vaughn got down from their carriage, and a steward greeted them.

"What brings you here, gentlemen? You should know that no one is supposed to enter the Main Palace."

The steward was an elderly man in his sixties. He had a friendly face and aura. Zenia did not find anything odd with him. She wondered if the old steward was just good at acting.

"Kind Sir, I belong to a merchant family that specializes in cultivating rare herbs and plants. I come here today to present you with various medicinal plants that the Head Royal Doctor my find very useful." Zenia gave the old steward a friendly, merchant-like smile.

"I am also adept in identifying various herbs medicinal plants. Why don't you show it to me first to check? If I find your merchandise useful, I will take you to my master immediately."

"Certainly."

Zenia reached for the box containing the Mortelium plant and handed it to the old steward, who took it graciously.

He slowly opened it while thinking negative thoughts, 'Humph! I don't think that this young master has something precious to offer.'

His eyes widened when he finally opened the box and saw the content. He looked at Zenia in disbelief.

"This is the Mortelium plant! How did you cultivate this? We tried growing it once before, but failed."

The old steward gave Zenia a wide grin, and his demeanor changed completely. He was wearing a poker face before, but it became friendly when he saw the plant.

"This… It's our family's secret. We cannot let anyone learn our secret methods or we could lose our business," Zenia gave the old steward a meaningful smile.

"Of course, I understand. Are there any others? You mentioned earlier that you have various things to present."

"I have other plants to offer, and all of them are as precious as the others."

The old steward liked what he heard and felt like he was floating among the clouds. Zenia signaled Vaughn to take out the small chest containing the precious plants.

Zenia opened the chest, and the old steward could not believe that he would be able to see such a rare sight. All the hard-to-find plants were there, and each one was indeed as precious as the others.

"Your words are indeed true. I will take you to my master right away. You may call me Steward Lou. I can feel that I will be seeing so much of you in the future. Please follow me."

The Steward Lou led the way as the couple followed behind. The office had simple decorations and painted in white. Zenia felt like she was being suffocated. She was used to seeing various colors and lively surroundings. The office reminded her of the mausoleum of the first King of Venetia.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Master, I've brought some guests over."

The Head Royal Doctor stopped writing and uttered, "Come in."

Steward Lou introduced Zenia and put the box of Mortelium plant on the table. The Head Royal Doctor immediately recognized the faint smell coming from the box. He opened it, and his eyes sparkled.

They talked for hours about the different plants as well as the business deal of supplying the Mortelium plant and other rare plants in large quantities.

"The deal you are proposing is indeed tempting, but why do you need large quantities of these plants? These plants are not easy to grow and may take time to be harvested again. Otherwise, they won't be able to produce the effect that you want to attain."

Zenia was trying to make the Head Royal Doctor spill the beans so they could visit the King already.

The Head Royal Doctor sighed and knew that he had no other choice but to tell everything. He wanted to cure the King and make him wake up before another unfortunate event would occur.

"We are trying to develop a new elixir using the Mortelium plant to cure the King. I am certain that you already know that Mortelium plants can be used to cure many illnesses and health issues."

"I also know a bit about concocting an elixir. Can you please accompany me to the King? I may know something that you have not heard of before. As a merchant, I need to travel to the various regions of Maecaea to see if there are business deals that could make me earn more and more money."

The Head Royal Doctor was having second thoughts even though he could not see and feel any ill intent from Vaughn and Zenia.

"Alright, I will take you to his place. But, it is up to your own abilities if his wife would allow you to take a closer look at him."

The Head Royal Doctor boarded his carriage while Vaughn and Zenia took their own carriage. It would take almost half an hour to reach the King's quarters.

"Are you worried?" Zenia broke the silence by asking Vaughn.

Vaughn was slightly startled and puzzled why Zenia would ask such a thing.

'Do I look like I'm worried?'

He gathered Zenia in his arms while the carriage was moving.

"I'm not worried. I just don't know how to face the King in his current state. Big Brother-in-law told me that the King has changed. I am yet to see to believe it. I just hope that my mother is doing fine." 

Zenia detected a hint of sadness in Vaughn's tone. She had no idea what was making him sad, but she knew that she should hug him and make him feel at ease.

Zenia hugged Vaughn and planted a kiss on his cheek, "Well, whatever the King's reaction maybe, I am right here for you."

Vaughn smiled at her and hugged her back. Zenia somehow felt Vaughn's apprehension and fears. She knew that he was not convinced that King Tarendino had changed for the better.

One of the soldiers guarding the quarters of the King had decided to fetch the Queen. 

"Head Doctor, what is the meaning of this?"

Queen Mina was fuming mad when she heard that the Head Royal Doctor brought some people to see the King. 

"Your Majesty, we come to help," Vaughn answered the Queen's question right away.

Queen Mina was startled when she heard Vaughn's voice. She could not be mistaken. He was her son!

Queen Mina tried to suppress her tears and heaved a sigh of relief knowing that her son and daughter-in-law had finally arrived in Tissuria safe and sound.

The Queen looked at the man with a beard and a mustache and recognized his eyes immediately. There were no traces of burnt marks on that man's face. Queen Mina was relieved and understood why her son hid his face to the world for a very long time.

She turned her head to the young merchant and almost chuckled when she saw Zenia's disguise. It was her first time seeing the infamous manly disguise of her daughter-in-law.

Queen Mina pretended to clear her throat and answered, "If you really come to help, I can show you my husband."

The Head Royal Doctor had decided that it would be best to let them talk and asked to be excused. Queen Mina gave her permission for the Head Royal Doctor to leave.

They entered the King's room and Queen Mina ordered, "Leave us!"

The guards obeyed the Queen's command and left the room. King Tarendino began to stir and saw Vaughn's face.

"Son…"