Zenia flashed her sweetest smile. She looked like a little enchantress who captivated Vaughn's heart, and she had no idea what she had done.
Vaughn shook his head a little. He couldn't believe that there would be someone who could tear down his icy façade. She was only a little girl, who would have thought?
"Brother Vaughn, I'm not late, am I?" She asked while smiling innocently.
"Y-you're not late, I'm just a bit early." Vaughn stuttered and laughed inwardly at himself.
He could not believe that the time for him to commit a blunder would arrive so soon. No matter, he would make sure that this little girl wouldn't be able to escape from his grasp. He was certain that he wouldn't take anyone else for a wife except this girl. Even his father wouldn't be able to change his mind.
Vaughn never felt such sensation before, and he was elated just thinking about it. He never had such a strong feeling of making someone stay by his side – only this little girl made him experience such a thing.
The Kingdom Ministers of Tissuria had been sending possible Princess Consort candidates ever since he was five years old. He had seen some of them, but he was not interested at the time. To be precise, he could not care less whoever was chosen. As a prince, he knew that it was his duty to sacrifice his marriage for the good of the entire kingdom. He knew that political marriage was inevitable. The same thing happened to his mother and father.
The ministers continued to send proposals for Princess Consort candidates. Vaughn was used to seeing lots of beauties being presented at the palace. He was not interested at all. He really did not care. He thought that he could always take in some concubines in case he got tired with the chosen Princess Consort. It had always been like that with every reign. No King of Tissuria had managed to keep only one woman.
At an early age, he had seen the viciousness of some of the Princess Consort candidates. He personally witnessed with his own eyes how the Left Minister's niece pushed another Princess Consort candidate to a nearby pond. The lady who was pushed happened to be the most beautiful one among the candidates at the time. The Left Minister's niece was also one of the candidates.
None of the candidates had a chance to interact with Vaughn before, yet all of them talked like they knew each other for a long time. None of the candidates wanted to be left out. All of them lied regarding spending some time with Vaughn before. Vaughn commanded his secret guards to monitor the candidates closely and report their movements to him.
Vaughn had learned to accept his fate. He knew that he needed to choose his Princess Consort among the candidates. He only had three to five years to decide. He was hoping for a miracle and be spared from such ordeal. If only he could escape from the impending marriage. He was hoping to find a compelling reason that would make him resolute enough to refuse the marriage proposals. Never in his wildest dream did he imagine meeting someone who would give him the courage to decide for his own marriage.
"Zeze, after meeting you I have decided to marry you in the future. Let us complete a betrothal ceremony in accordance with our kingdom's tradition. I am sure that I want you to stay by my side always." Vaughn declared in a soft voice, but the authoritative tone was undeniable.
Zenia blinked her eyes. She wouldn't admit that she did not understand what Vaughn just told her.
"What is a betrothal ceremony? What's with staying by his side? Oh no, is he planning to turn me into a slave?"
These thoughts were on Zenia's mind as she tried her best to suppress her emotions. She smiled at Vaughn and nodded her head.
"Whatever you say, big brother." She gave him a sweet smile.
Vaughn was too happy to hear Zenia's reply. He kept convincing himself that she completely understood what he said, even though he had doubts in his heart.
"Wait for me here while I get the things that we will need for the ceremony. I shall kiss you afterward to seal our vow and acknowledge the fact that we are betrothed. Do you understand?" Vaughn asked while blushing. It was true that they needed to seal their promise with a kiss – it was a part of their tradition.
Zenia did not hesitate and agreed. She thought that the kiss that Vaughn had intended to give was something like a greeting, which the people of Ishelon had always practiced. Vaughn was too happy and excited when he left to prepare the things for the betrothal ceremony.
Vaughn had just read about it in books and never knew that he needed to inform the elders and get their approval to carry it out. He also needed to get the consent of the parents and elders of the bride-to-be. He had always regarded himself as someone intelligent enough to learn things as quickly as possible. He had not regarded himself as a child, and he felt guilty for not giving a clear explanation to Zenia who was still really a child.
Someday when Vaughn recalled everything that transpired on that day, he would like to kick himself for being so dumb. He had always thought that he knew everything at such a young age. He even dared to decide on his own marriage without informing his father and the elders.
Zenia and Zekiah were wearing similar dress and hairstyle that day. She planned to spend more time with Vaughn but decided at the last minute to execute the completion of the plan.
"Zeze come here!" Zenia called out for her brother.
Zekiah ran toward Zenia when she called. He lifted his dress as he ran so he wouldn't trip.
"What now?"
"Stand on this spot and wait here for Vaughn's return." She did not tell Zekiah about the betrothal ceremony.
"I thought I still need to observe a bit more. I have not mastered your behavior and moves yet." Zekiah protested, even though he knew that he was just wasting his time.
"Shh, I think he's coming. Just obey my instructions." Zenia slipped right away. She was afraid that Vaughn might see that there were two of them.
After some time, a handsome figure suddenly rushed to Zekiah and gave him a bouquet of flowers. Vaughn did not hesitate to kiss Zekiah, whom he believed to be Zenia, on the lips. Vaughn was confident that the little girl wouldn't mind because he already informed her about the kiss.
"Zeze, I will marry you when we grow up," Vaughn whispered in Zekiah's ear.
Zekiah had yet to recover from the kiss when Vaughn said something unbelievable. Zekiah suddenly burst into tears and was perplexed at Vaughn's action. He was shocked beyond belief and could not think straight. He clearly heard Vaughn called his name, but how did this youth know his name?
"Why did you kiss me on the lips, and why would you marry a boy?" Zekiah asked while wailing.
Vaughn turned pale upon hearing Zekiah's reply. He could not believe that the beautiful Zeze was actually a…boy? Not far from them, Zenia was enjoying herself. She guffawed at the scene before her eyes. She tricked Zekiah and decided to teach Vaughn a lesson.
"Who told him that I should be his betrothed, whatever that is? Just because I see him as someone nice and cute he thinks he can bully me?" Zenia thought to herself and was proud of her deed.
Zekiah only stopped crying when his father came into view. Both parties were apologetic as they cleared up the misunderstanding. Not far away, the prince saw a retreating figure with a dress similar to that of the boy in front of him. He ordered one of his shadow guards to follow the figure and know more about her.
The prince's eyes turned gloomy and somehow able to put the puzzle pieces together. He was only ten years old and yet he already possessed the mind of someone with years of experience and vast knowledge. He should not have underestimated the mind of that little girl.
A sinister plan, which Zenia could never get out of, formulated in his brain and he did not mind waiting for a long time to execute its completion. A good hunter must be patient when trying to catch a rare prey.
Vaughn sneered and closed his eyes. He imprinted Zenia's image deep within his mind and his heart. Someday, they would meet again and he would make sure that she won't be able to escape from the golden cage where he would imprison her.