"Which kingdom?"
Zekiah knew that Zenia was targeting one of the guests. He was certain that the unwilling victim would be from another kingdom. Besides, everyone in their kingdom already knew how naughty they were after the fiasco that they had created before.
Zenia giggled as she narrated how she met Vaughn that day. She did not mention that she deliberately told Vaughn that her name was Zeze. Zenia knew that Zekiah would not agree to her plan once he learned that she used his name. Zenia could not wait for the result.
"Tomorrow I will meet him again. You have to observe everything, and on the next day you will be the one who will accompany him." Zenia gave Zeza a thorough explanation. She wanted him to understand everything clearly.
"What will I do? What if he becomes suspicious that I am not you?"
"He will notice something but I doubt he will ask. He doesn't know us, and I don't think he will mind. Just always give him a sweet smile. Watch me tomorrow so you'll know."
Zekiah did not say anything anymore and just nodded his head. He knew that arguing with Zenia was futile. He was afraid that if Zenia got mad, she would no longer play with him, and he would lose the title as Zenia's Most Favorite Brother. Brother Zander kept doting on Zenia and showering her with much affection. He did not want to lose to brother Zander.
Being the only girl, Zenia's father and brothers spoiled her too much. Her charm worked so well with the male members of the family, but not to her mother. Renaria's affection for Zenia was deeper than the others, but she also knew that Zenia must be disciplined and the male members of their family were unreliable in that department.
Ovid Anisen was an only child, and he was always with his male cousins when he was young. He only had three female cousins, and they were much older than him. In fact, two of them were already married when he turned six. Ovid doted on Zenia so much that even his sons copied his ways. Renaria told them time and again not to spoil Zenia too much, but they still did. Although Zenia turned into a fine lady, she also got used to getting her way no matter the cost.
"Can I simply admit to him that I'm not you when he becomes suspicious?" Zekiah asked Zenia with pleading eyes. His gut feeling was telling him that they would likely end up in big trouble again, especially him.
"Silly, then we should never do this in the first place if we have to admit it in the end." Zenia flashed an evil grin.
Zekiah felt his life would never be the same after that. Although Zenia kept saying "we", he knew that he would be the only one to suffer in the end.
When Vaughn came back, his retainers noticed something different around him. His demeanor was not as cold as before, and he seemed like – smiling? They felt an ominous presence and it sent chills down their spine. They braced themselves and hoped that everything would turn fine.
Everyone in Vaughn's party, at that moment, felt like the end of the world would come sooner than expected. They could almost see the flowers blooming around Vaughn instead of the usual icicles that were ready to be shot at any moment. None dared to ask, and everyone seemed to forget how to breathe. They only let out a deep sigh when Vaughn finally reached his room and shut the door.
"What happened to the prince? He seems so calm and warm."
"Yeah, if I don't know him since birth, I will honestly believe that the one who returned today is not our prince. It is also possible that he encountered an enchantress in the forest and angered her, thus she turned him into someone who seems docile?"
"It's giving me goosebumps just recalling how he appeared earlier."
"Hush, don't speak nonsense if you don't want to spend your days in the tower." The leader of Vaughn's retainers finally stopped his brothers from discussing the event that happened earlier.
In the room, Vaughn was thinking what to do for tomorrow's meeting. He was set on taking the girl 'Zeze' as his wife when she reached the marriageable age. He could tell that Zeze was much younger than him, unlike the Princess Consort candidates that he met before. They were five to seven years older than him.
Vaughn knew that the officials started presenting the Princess Consort candidates at a much earlier time because none of them wished to be left out. They wanted to boost the ranking of their family by marrying their daughter to the Crown Prince. Others were contented to let their daughter become one of the Crown Prince's concubines. Besides, those daughters of officials looked devious. Vaughn knew that they were already thinking of ways to control him once they were married.
Zeze was truly different from those scheming daughters. Although he was still young, Vaughn had seen the ugliness of the harem. The air surrounding him in Tissuria's palace was filled with an evil presence that he could not dispel. None of the concubines must be trusted. But when he saw Zeze for the first time, he felt light and purified. The air that surrounded him returned to its pure and unsullied state. He smiled just thinking about it and went to bed happily.
In the morning, Zenia was already busy discussing things with Zekiah. Even as a child, she was always too careful when planning an 'attack'. Zekiah could do nothing but listen attentively. He knew that Zenia may never talk to him for a long time or for life when her plan failed because of him.
"Now remember, don't look anywhere else and keep observing the way I move and how I talk to him. This may just be the most satisfying prank that we will ever pull off." Zenia explained while grinning. She had a sinister look in her eyes while rubbing her palms against each other.
Zekiah held his breath and nodded his head incessantly. He hoped that Zenia would not get him in big trouble. Beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead and he could feel that his entire body seemed to feel the chill.
Vaughn had been waiting for quite some time now. He went there a bit early to make sure that Zeze wouldn't wait for him. He looked calm on the outside, but he was really nervous for some unknown reason.
He decided last night that he should tell her that they must get married when they reached the marriageable age. He knew that he should propose first, but he also saw some marriage proposals being rejected before. He did not wish to propose to Zenia because that would only provide a room for rejection. He had decided to coerce her into marrying him. Vaughn was oblivious to the fact that he grinned when he thought of his deception. After all, a little girl of such age would be easy to manipulate.
In the future, he would not do the same method against Zenia again. He had learned his lessons well, and he paid dearly for it.
"Brother Vaughn!" Zenia shouted while waving her hand up high when she saw him from a distance.
Zenia was especially lovely that day and Vaughn couldn't help but blush. He knew that she was such a cute and adorable little girl, but she looked absolutely beautiful that day.
Zenia smirked when she saw Vaughn's reaction. She learned from experience that she could always get her way with her father and brothers whenever she dressed up nicely. She was quite surprised that the same method worked with Vaughn. She couldn't wait to see the end result of her careful planning.
Zekiah hid behind a bushy plant. They both wear a green dress that blended well among the lush greenery of the meeting place. Zenia thought that wearing such color would bring a lot of advantages to them.
"Zeze…" Vaughn uttered softly and a kind of never-before-seen spark appeared in his eyes.