Chapter 260 - The Left Minister Visits the Main Palace (Part 2)

"Wow, it's so powerful. I never imagined that you can make it a hundred times better than before."

"You're overpraising me, Your Highness. I simply reduced the length of the springs to make it react quicker than before."

"No matter what, it's still much better than my original design."

Zenia took off the needle launcher and put it on the table. She retrieved a piece of paper from Vaughn's pocket and spread it on the table. Mr. Smith's eyes sparkled with delight when he saw the draft of the design. He walked closer to the table to get a better view.

"Your Highness, you really amaze me. I can't see any flaw in the design." Mr. Smith touched the design as if caressing his lover's face.

"Really? I thought some areas still need improvement, and I hope that you can help me with that."

Zenia sounded a bit disappointed. It was the second revision of her design, but she still felt like something was off with it.

"Hmmm, if you feel that way, allow me to study the design further and let you know about…"

"We don't have time. I need you to look into it now and give me an assessment. This weapon must be mass-produced within three days."

"T-three days?! Your Highness, surely you're jesting."

Mr. Smith looked at Zenia, who was staring at him without mirth in her eyes. The Weapons Master was certain that Zenia was dead serious in her statement.

Beads of sweat began to form on Mr. Smith's forehead. There was no way to refuse the Crown Princess. With the recent news about the capital, he surmised that something colossal might happen soon. He dared not ask about the urgency of mass-producing the new weapon.

The design looked perfect the more Mr. Smith looked at it. He could not find a single flaw. If the Crown Princess felt that something was still wrong with it, she could be right.

He was racking his brains out when he noticed something odd. The flaw was so simple and in plain sight, but they still failed to notice it. Perhaps, it was because they kept their focus on the inner workings of the weapon. The only thing that was wrong in the design was the location of the trigger.

Mr. Smith flashed a smile and told Zenia, "Let me work on the prototype first, Your Highness. You can come back after lunch to check it."

Zenia was very satisfied with Mr. Smith's statement.

"I will return immediately after taking care of some other business."

Vaughn did not utter a word and just took Zenia's hand when she finished her conversation with Mr. Smith. Everyone in the shop busied themselves as soon as Vaughn and Zenia had boarded their carriage.

It was a pleasant day and Zenia liked the gentle breeze touching her skin. The sun kept her warm and comfortable. Vaughn noticed that she was happy. She kept squeezing his hand, and she did not even notice.

"You seem happy."

"Yes, I never thought that the flaw can be so simple."

"Flaw? The weapon?"

"Yes, the weapon. I hope that Mr. Smith will be able to make twenty in three days."

Zenia yawned and felt sleepy. She woke up early on her own, and it was something new to her. Even when she was in the military unit of Ishelon, her Big Brother never woke her up so early in the morning to join the training. She was given a special privilege since she was also posing as medical staff. The people of Ishelon knew her as the daughter of Ovid, sister of Commander Zander, and a dedicated medical staff.

"Sleepy?"

"Uhuh."

Vaughn gently laid Zenia's head upon his shoulder.

"Go to sleep for a while, and I will wake you up when we reached the Royal Apothecary."

"Hmm."

Zenia fell asleep quickly, and Vaughn could hear her even breathing. He swept the loose hair on her face and pulled down the curtain of the window. He felt so relaxed and joined Zenia in her sleep. He did not see the Left Minister's carriage passed them. The Left Minister's carriage followed the path leading to the Main Palace.

They arrived in the Royal Apothecary after forty-five minutes. The coachman was about to tap the carriage door when Vaughn opened it. He helped Zenia to get down.

Lewis was already discussing some things with Doctor Hugo when Vaughn and Zenia arrived. In Zenia's estimate, Lewis had just returned from Ishelon.

Doctor Hugo stood up quickly and bowed when he saw Vaughn and Zenia, "Greetings Crown Prince and Princess."

Vaughn simply waved his hand and motioned Doctor Hugo to sit down. Lewis turned around and said, "Oh, you're both here."

"Did you just return, Head Pharmacist?"

"Now that you mentioned it, I, in fact, just arrived half an hour ago. That was the most exhilarating travel that I've ever been to. I do not wish to go through the same experience again, thank you very much."

"Do you want to go on an even more exciting ride?" Zenia teased Lewis, who turned pale.

"If you are thinking of making the horse jump off the cliff, I'll pass. I might suddenly die of a heart attack."

"What are you two discussing?"

"I am explaining to Young Lewis here how to make the poison he developed into a paralyzing agent. I already told him that the enemies must only be paralyzed."

"I didn't know that combining equal parts of Mortelium and Osage Milkweed and adding it to the concoction I prepared can create an effective paralyzing agent. I was wondering, Crown Princess, if you can give me the same type of weapon where you will be using the poisoned needle." Lewis smiled at Zenia, who imagined a hundred creepy crawlies were making their way to her body.

Vaughn's face became dark and retorted, "Why does my wife have to give you such a weapon?"

Lewis was puzzled at Vaughn's reaction but did not mind it. He was used to it already.

"You know that I don't know martial arts. Having such a weapon at hand can help me protect myself. Besides, I and the Crown Princess are practically in-laws." Lewis tilted his head slightly as he said the words in a haughty tone.

"What in-laws?"

"Well, since Odessa is my sworn brother and the Crown Princess is already her legit sister-in-law then that makes us in-laws."

"Enough with your delusions! If you want a weapon, go buy yourself one. Why bother my wife?"

Zenia shook her head and replied, "I will see what I can do. But, you should be careful in handling the needles. You also need to develop the antidote in case you commit a mistake in shooting and hurt yourself."

"Doctor Hugo and I are already discussing the antidote as well. It is best to come up with the antidote now just in case."

"Nothing is free in this world. You need to pay my wife for the weapon."

"What?! But I helped her develop the poison," Lewis protested.

"You are getting paid for your job, and serving her is also a part of your job. You are getting paid accordingly, or do you want me to find another Head Pharmacist."

Lewis' face turned white when he heard Vaughn's reply. He knew that Vaughn would do that if he kept angering the formidable Crown Prince.

"I got it. Geez, you don't need to threaten my position. I like it here already."

They continued to talk about the different poisons and the truth serum, which was rumored to make the compulsive liar spill the beans.

* * * * *

"Left Minister, we've arrived at the Main Palace. It looks like no one is allowed to enter. The gates are heavily guarded."

The coachman was one of Damien's men. He could not see any of his comrades among the guards. Queen Mina had replaced them and assigned them to different posts by saying they must be rotated.

Upon their arrival in the Royale Palace Inn, after they returned from the Main Palace, Vaughn ordered Mathilda to send a message to Redivo to tell the Queen to change the guards into the ones whom she strongly believed to be loyal. That way, they could prevent possible mutiny.

"Tell the guards to open the gates." The Left Minister still believed that the guards of the gate were Damien's men.

One of the guards heard the Left Minister's command. The guard had pledged his loyalty to Tissuria and the Crown Prince.

"We are sorry, Left Minister. But, the Queen gave a specific order not to let anyone in."

The guard knew that the Left Minister might pull some strings and lodge a  complaint regarding the kind of treatment that he received.

The Left Minister gritted his teeth and asked, "Is the King there? Do you know what might happen to you the moment the King has learned that you don't want me to enter the Main Palace?"

The guards looked at each other and nodded their heads. The Queen explicitly told them that no one should enter.

"We are sorry Left Minister. But, we are just doing our jobs. If you have something to complain about, you can always send the Queen a complaint letter."

"The Queen?" The Left Minister smirked.

The Left Minister did not utter another word again and decided to leave the Main Palace. He knew that it was the Queen who was blocking his moves. It had been decades when the Queen and the Left Minister started their silent war. King Tarendino was not aware of it.   

When the Left Minister had boarded his carriage, he sneered at the confrontation that happened earlier between him and the guard.

'Queen Mina is getting bolder. Let's see if she will be able to refuse my next visit.'

The Left Minister touched his chin and began thinking of ways to make the Queen submissive.