Chapter 284 - Before the Marriage Ritual (Part 1)

"Do we need to prepare anything?"

"No. We will take care of everything for you. There's a separate house next to this temple. You will both stay there until the time of the marriage ritual arrives. You also need to be there after the ceremony to strengthen your bond further."

Chief Elder and Zosimo looked at each other and gave a meaningful smile. Vaughn and Zenia did not find anything wrong with it. They just shrugged their shoulders.

"We need to return first to the guest house and get our belongings."

Zosimo was surprised at Zenia's decision and asked, "Madam, do you plan to return to your home after the ritual? There are lots of things to see in Shadora. I will gladly give you a tour."

"Ah, we just need to bring our things here because we plan to stay here for a bit after the ritual. Are we not allowed to do that? Besides, we will still return to the guest house. We already paid for the two-week stay that we planned to spend here."

"Oh, forgive me, Madam. I will gladly take you back to the guest house now and then return here again."

They bid the Chief Elder goodbye and rode the carriage back to the guest house.

"Make sure to clean everything thoroughly. It has been a while when the guests arrived in the temple."

"What kind of decoration should we put in the main room of their house?" The young apprentice asked the Chief Elder.

"Make everything white."

The young apprentice looked at the Chief Elder with bewildered eyes.

"Not red?"

"No, I think the Gentleman prefers white and the Madam simply does not care about the color. Also, make sure that they will see the beautiful view of the ocean from their room. It will create a more romantic ambiance."

"Yes, Chief Elder."

Zenia quickly put the bag, which she requested Jorick and Duke Gordon to retrieve from Ishelon, in the luggage that she would take with her to the temple. She was careful not to make Vaughn suspicious. She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Vaughn being busy with the things he was planning to take along.

Zenia felt nervous, and her face turned crimson when the thought that she and Vaughn were going to get married again finally sank in. It was a marriage that they both agreed on and without any outside influence.

She smiled silly when she thought about marrying that boy that she had been searching for and promised to marry. It was Vaughn all along, and her search was not in vain, even though she did not find him herself. He practically offered himself at her feet.

Vaughn could no longer contain his emotions when he saw Zenia's happy face. He walked to where she was and hugged her.

"Are you that happy to be getting married to me again?" He asked teasingly and kissed her forehead.

"Well, I don't deny that," Zenia gave him a mischievous smile.

Vaughn's cheek turned red, and he swallowed hard. He was just teasing her but why did it end up with him being teased instead? He wanted to kiss her deeply, but he knew that it was not the time. They should go back to the temple at once.

"Are you done?" He asked and tried to hide his face from her.

Zenia did not find anything odd and simply answered, "Yes, I have everything I need."

Vaughn looked around and did not find the bag that she was trying to protect so hard before. He got more curious about the content of the bag but chose not to ask Zenia about it.

Zosimo helped them with their luggage, and they went back to the temple. It only took them a couple of hours to be back at the temple. The young apprentice was patiently waiting for them to welcome them personally. The Chief Elder was not there at the moment. The young apprentice informed them that the Chief Elder was making preparations already.

"Isn't it too early to prepare? I thought that the marriage ritual will happen at night?"

"To answer Madam, there are things that Chief Elder must do first to make sure that nothing is amiss. It had been a long time since he conducted the marriage ritual himself."

Zenia already knew the reason and did not press further. Zosimo helped them unload their luggage and the servants of the temple took care of carrying it to the couple's place.

"Madam, Master, I will come to fetch you in three days. For now, I shall take my leave."

Vaughn took a gold nugget from his pocket and handed it to Zosimo, who gasped at the sight of it. One gold nugget was enough to feed his family for a year.

"Master, this is?"

"Kind sir, it's yours. It's a token of our appreciation of the services that you have given us. My wife and I truly appreciate it so much."

"Then," Zosimo stood up straight, bend on his waist, and bowed his head to Vaughn and Zenia, "It is my honor to be or service to such a wonderful couple. Thank you very much for the gold."

Zosimo raised his head and bid Vaughn and Zenia goodbye with a smile on his lips. He walked to the carriage and left.

"Sir, Madam, please follow me and I will now lead you to your place," the young apprentice beckoned Vaughn and Zenia to start walking.

Vaughn held Zenia's hand and followed the young apprentice. They did not enter the main door of the temple and turned left instead. The young apprentice led them to a concealed path that spiraled down. As they descended, Zenia felt a cool gentle breeze touching her skin. She could hear the faint clashing of waves.

When they reached the place, their eyes feasted on a beautiful view of a verdant garden with different flowering plants. There was also a tall tree that provided a beautiful shade for the swing underneath it.

Zenia broke free from Vaughn's clasp and ran toward the garden. She liked the place a lot. She stood up next to the tree and gasped at the breathtaking view of the cerulean sea. She had never seen such a beautiful hue in her entire life. It seemed like it was inviting her to play amidst the waves.

She looked up above and saw some unknown species of bird flying in the partially cloudy azure sky with faint streaks of colors orange and yellow. She felt she could stay there for a long time, but she had no plan to stay there for good.

Vaughn and the young apprentice only watched her. They could tell that Zenia was pleased with everything that her eyes could see.

"Is it possible for Chief Elder to sell this place to us?"

The young apprentice was startled at Vaughn's sudden question. He just realized that the man who just asked was someone who could buy an entire island or even the entire kingdom. The gentleman in front of him seemed not to care about the amount if they would sell the place to him.

The young apprentice replied politely, "Kind Gentleman, this place serves as the temporary abode of the couple after performing the marriage ritual. I'm afraid that we will not sell it for any amount of money."

"I thought so," Vaughn continued speaking with his eyes focused on Zenia, "I just tried my luck," he turned to the young apprentice and smiled.

When she thought she spent enough time looking at the view, Zenia went back to where Vaughn was standing. The young apprentice already went inside to check on the servants who carried the luggage of the couple. They also made some last-minute inspection to be certain that everything was perfect.

"Where's the young apprentice?" Zenia asked nonchalantly.

Vaughn knitted his brows to show dissatisfaction and teased, "You left me earlier and now you're asking me about another man's whereabouts? Aren't you too bold and brave Madam Pernell? Aren't you afraid of the consequences of your actions?"

Zenia chuckled and lightly tapped Vaughn's left cheek twice, "My dear husband, don't be so petty and use that child for your evil scheme. It won't work on me."

Vaughn pulled Zenia close to him and held her in his arms.

"Seems like Madam is mocking me. Do you want to know what will happen to you when you touch my bottom line?"

"But, I haven't!" Zenia tiptoed and kissed Vaughn on his lips and whispered, "When it comes to me, do you even have a bottom line?"

Vaughn blushed when Zenia's breath brushed past his ear. He felt like a hundred ants were gnawing at his fingertips making his body numb. He really wished he could pull the time and start the marriage ritual. But, he should still perform the sword dance in front of his wife. They did not need to have a huge audience to bear witness. The two of them were enough.

Zenia separated herself quickly from Vaughn when she felt that there was a sudden change in her husband's behavior. Everything should be perfect and she did not want a single mishap.

"Let's go prepare, Master. I want everything to be perfect."

Vaughn looked at Zenia's smiling face and shook his head. He knew that Zenia would always be able to pull him back on the right track in case he went astray.

"Then, I will go to the side room first and meet you later. I still need to perform the sword dance."

Zenia was hoping that Vaughn would do it but did not look forward to seeing him dance. She thought that he was not willing to do such a thing.

'Does he know the steps?'

Zenia looked once more at the direction where Vaughn had disappeared to.