Chapter 278 - Zenia's Special Request

It was already late at night when Zenia and Vaughn had returned to the Palace of the Crown Prince. Count Cordove just told them that he had an urgent matter to discuss with them and asked for a meeting after their meal. Vaughn and Zenia agreed. 

Renard offered his office as the venue of the meeting. He said that he made sure that no one would hear anything from that office, and no one would know where its exact location was. Not even his servants knew it.

"What do you think of Count Cordove's assumption?"

"It seems outrageous but I can't deny that it is possible."

* * * * *

Earlier that night at the Second Prince's restaurant…

Count Cordove returned to Prince Renard's restaurant. Vaughn and Zenia stayed for dinner and did not refuse the Second Prince's invitation to stay there for a bit longer.

Zenia checked the kitchen while Vaughn and Renard talked in the garden.

"Don't you think everything seems so quick to solve?"

"Hmm, I guess you can say that. It becomes faster when the issue regarding the King's was resolved. Who knew that the Left Minister was actually controlling him?"

"Do you know that father really liked you a lot when you were little?"

"I don't remember."

"That was before he met Concubine Jayda. The Left Minister was the one who pushed the marriage. Father did not want to marry that woman, but he did in the end. That must be the time when the Left Minister began giving him hypnotic powder."

"It's no longer my concern. The Left Minister is dead, and the King is already doing fine."

Renard sighed, "I know I have not been a good brother to you either, but I've been trying to make it up to you. I had some issues in the past too. I thought that assassination attempts on your young life were not real. I thought the Queen just made them up."

"My mother was the only one who kept protecting me. But, it was not enough. When we visited Ishelon at that time, it was father-in-law who saved me. If not for him, I may not be standing here in front of you."

Renard wanted to say something when the manager suddenly came and informed him of the arrival of Count Cordove.

"Send him in and tell Zenzen to meet us right away."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Count Cordove went to the garden and Zenia followed after five minutes.

Renard led the group to his private office, "Shall we?"

They went inside the office that Renard would often use to receive some guests. He then led them to a room that seemed to be in a different dimension.

Zenia looked at Renard, who was looking at her with scrutinizing eyes. Vaughn and Count Cordove had no reaction at all. They did not recognize the sudden change in the aura of the room.

"Ah, Zenzen. Something tells me that I need to spill the beans."

"Yes, I would appreciate that very much Second Brother."

He smiled, "I really like the way you address me. Not an in-law, but a bonafide Second Brother."

"It's too long. Besides, it's still the same anyway."

"Please, take your seats."

Everyone complied and took their seats.

"Before you say your piece, Count Cordove, let me tell you all something about this room. We are actually in another dimension that's why I'm confident that no one will ever know that we are here or even eavesdrop on us. Long ago, I accidentally saved someone from the hands of the Dark Magic faction. He was trying to flee together with his family. I knew he was from Prazia, but I had no idea if he was a member of the Dark Magic faction. To show his gratitude, he helped me create this room. I gave him something that could help him live well with his family. My men detected some kind of activity in the Principality of Ismund at the time. We monitored it for a while, but it suddenly disappeared. We believe that it had something to do with magic."

"It is precisely the reason why I want to discuss something with you all. I believe that we are friends here with a common goal. We also investigated that occurrence back then, but, as the Second Prince said, it vanished into thin air. It was as if nothing happened at all. But, the area where some unexplained activities happened, remained barren even until now. No plant could survive the soil there. When some of my men were patrolling the Principality of Ismund a few days ago, they noticed the same kind of activity as back them. Then they began to see some people popping up from nowhere. They thought that it was just an illusion, but we caught one of them."

Zenia, Vaughn, and Renard could not believe what they heard.

"Sir, you caught that person? Where is he now?" Zenia asked away.

"I made him ingest some sleeping pills and asked a doctor to make that man fall into a coma while I'm trying to figure out what to do. I'm afraid that he might suddenly use his power to disappear."

"Aside from this and the one in the past, have you encountered the same incident even for just a brief moment?"

"I think there were cases like that, but I treated them as isolated cases. I was not even sure what to call it. Now that you've asked, there were others that we considered insignificant."

"Can you remember the places where you encountered them, sir?"

Count Cordove gave all the locations that he could remember.

* * * * *

Back to the couple's room…

"Count Cordove said that during that time they did not see any suspicious activities in the places that he listed down."

"Let us wait and see what he will find when he investigates the places again."

"If it's true that they are from Prazia, what do they want in Tissuria?"

Zenia thought for a while but gave up in the end. When Vaughn looked at her once more, her head was already resting on the table.

Vaughn carried her to their bed and was planning to finish what they had started in the morning. He would just let her get some rest and then continue. He lay down beside his wife and hugged her. A few minutes later, he fell into a deep slumber while hugging Zenia within his arms.

Plink! Plink!

Zenia was startled when she heard the tiny droplets of water hitting the glass door of the balcony. It was raining!

Vaughn was still holding her within his arms, but she was able to escape. She went to the balcony and watched the tiny droplets of water hitting the glass door. It was the first time that she saw rain in Tissuria.

The man on the bed stirred when he felt that someone left his side. He opened his eyes and saw Zenia looking through the glass door of the balcony and watching the rain.

He stood up, walked quietly to her, and hugged her from the back.

He leaned down and kissed her cheek, "You're up early."

She smiled, "I heard the rain so I went here to watch. It's the first time that I see the rain in Tissuria."

"Does it always rain in Ishelon?"

"Not always, but it rains more than here. I was thinking if the rain can cure the barren lands in the Principality of Ismund."

"We will know in a few weeks."

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Zenzen, it's me."

Zenia looked at Vaughn and uttered, "Its Big Brother! I wonder why?"

They put on their respective robes and opened the door.

"What brings you here this early, Big Brother?"

"I will be leaving soon, is there anything that you want to give or tell Mother? Jorick and Duke Gordon will accompany me to Ishelon and then they will come back immediately after that."

Zenia saw Jorick standing not far from Zander. She was thinking about whether to ask her brother and Jorick for a special request. But, it was a rare opportunity that she should not let go. She beckoned Jorick to come closer.

"I will trouble Big Brother to tell Mother to hand over to Mr. Jorick the small bag that I kept at the bottom of my drawer," she asked nicely and turned to Jorick and said, "I will trouble Mr. Jorick to please bring me that bag as soon as you returned."

Jorick could not believe how polite Zenia was. The bag must be important to her.

"Alright, I will tell Mother," he turned to Vaughn and uttered, "Take good care of Zenzen and do not let her leave your sight."

"I will Big Brother-in-law."

Zander and Jorick walked out of the Main Residence and met Duke Gordon at the training ground. After a few minutes, the trio disappeared.

"What is that bag? I can just buy you a bag from here. I'm sure that you will like it."

Zenia shook her head and explained, "The content of the bag is the one I want."

"What is the content of that bag?"

"Oh…just stuff."

Vaughn did not pester anymore. It was obvious that she did not want to tell him the content of that bag.

"You need to prepare for our trip."

Zenia was already expecting it. She just did not know when they would depart.

"Hos long will we stay there? Do I need to pack a lot of clothes?"

"Just the comfortable clothes that you like to wear so much. We can just buy some clothing there so we won't feel awkward when we visit their shops. I heard that the clothes of the people of Shadora are way different from our clothes."

"Okay, I'll follow your arrangements."

Vaughn sneered and knew that it would be such a wonderful journey.