Vaughn's thoughts once again drifted to that day. After the embarrassing incident that happened in Ishelon, the young Prince Vaughn was unable to stay focused. He kept thinking of ways to make Zenia pay for what she did. He had never met someone as vicious as the little girl. She looked so innocent and pure, but behind that gorgeous face and beautiful smile was a little devil.
Vaughn swore that he would never let a girl or a woman deceive him ever again. His vigilance and disgust towards a girl began on the day he met the young Zenia. But, he could not bring himself to hate the young girl. He was angry that she did such a thing, but he also knew that she might have misunderstood his intentions due to her young age.
Vaughn picked up his book and tried to divert his attention on reading. He wanted to seek out Zenia and drag her with him to Tissuria. Nobody pulled such trick on him before and he could not bring himself to hurt her. He was in a dilemma. He just wanted to spend more time with her and make sure that she would spend the rest of her life with him.
"Crown Prince, His Majesty told this subordinate to inform you that we are going to set out in a little while." Redivo's voice was gentle and calm. It interrupted Vaughn's thoughts.
"I understand." Vaughn did not give any reaction and he continued reading his book.
King Tarendino and Prince Vaughn arrived in Ishelon in separate carriages and left in the same manner. King Tarendino's carriage sped up to avoid raising suspicions. They needed to be extra careful.
It was a smooth ride. Vaughn surmised that it could be what was called calm before a storm. He became wary of his surroundings and immediately put his book down.
"Protect the Crown Prince!" One of the soldiers gave a loud shrill. Redivo used his body to shield the young Vaughn from the assassins.
Even though Vaughn was wise beyond his years, he was still a child. It was the first time that he witnessed many fallen soldiers who protected him. There was blood everywhere he turned.
The fight was so intense that Redivo was almost always nearly pushed out of the carriage. An assassin managed to get passed Redivo and attacked Vaughn.
"Ahhh!" Vaughn shouted. He touched the side of his face that the assassin managed to graze. He panicked when he saw blood on his hand.
"Crown Prince!" Redivo shouted as he shoved Vaughn from the carriage to avoid the dagger that the assassin threw.
Vaughn got up and quickly ran as fast as he could. He heard a galloping horse closing in and he tried his best to keep running. Suddenly, a strong arm scooped him up and placed him on the horse. Vaughn tried to break free.
"Whoa, young man you should not wiggle so much if you don't want to fall." It was a somewhat familiar, calm voice that made Vaughn relaxed his body.
He remembered the voice, it belonged to Ovid Anisen.
"Thank you, sire." Vaughn tried to hold back the tears that were about to fall. He was grateful and felt lucky that someone came to his rescue.
"Hmmm." Ovid Anisen answered in acknowledgment and he nudged his horse to leave that place.
Not far from them, Zander was waiting for his father's return.
"What happened, father? What's the commotion all about?"
"It seems that one of the carriages from Tissuria was ambushed and I happen to see this young lad. He should be one of Tissuria's people." Ovid handed Vaughn over to Zander.
Zander looked at Vaughn and recognized him. Vaughn knew that Zander may have known him and he felt embarrassed. Zander did not say anything.
"Take care of him and make sure that he's safe. I will go back and see the situation. Our troop is already assisting this lad's people."
Ovid had no idea about the identity of Vaughn, but he was certain that the little boy was not ordinary. He could be a son of one of the dignitaries. It never occurred to him that Vaughn could be the Crown Prince of Tissuria who was in disguise.
Ovid left Vaughn under Zander's care. Vaughn felt uneasy as Zander looked at him from head to foot.
"I can tell that you are not ordinary. Why don't you tell me who you really are?"
Zander was the type who does not mince words. The only person he was kind enough to speak with was Zenia. He did not want his precious sister to hate him.
Vaughn looked at Zander. "I-I'm just a son of a low-ranking minister of Tissuria."
Zander looked at him a raised eyebrow. "If you are just a son of a low-ranking official, why did they ambush you?"
"T-They must have thought that I am the prince. There's a last minute change of plan and my father took me with him."
"Where's your father? Did you leave him in the carriage?"
"No! He sat with the king. That was the arrangement. The king promised my father that he would protect me."
"Hah, what a good king you have! Sacrificing a young boy like you to replace the prince. He must have known that the assassins may come after the prince."
"What do you mean?" Vaughn was perplexed. It never occurred in his wildest dream that his father would resort to such a despicable tactic.
"Why did he not let you join them in their carriage? It's precisely because he knew that the assassins are waiting for you. They want to kill the prince!"
"No, it can't be! It's not the king who arranged this."
"Suit yourself. Don't blame me if you die young. I am telling you now that either the king or your father wants you dead. That's why you become a stand-in for the prince."
After so many years, Vaughn finally pieced the puzzle together. He learned that it was the Left Minister who suggested such an arrangement to King Tarendino. Zander was right all along. Someone wanted him dead, and his father was the unsuspecting accomplice.
He investigated the event and uncovered the Left Minister's plan to create a wedge between Ishelon and Tissuria. He had accomplices in Ishelon and both groups joined hands to topple both kingdoms.
Vaughn also uncovered the Left Minister's plan to hand over the title of Crown Prince of Tissuria to his biological grandson, Prince Damien. Despite knowing such important pieces of information, he got no solid proof to implicate the Left Minister. He knew that exposing the Left Minister was futile. King Tarendino trusted him so much. After all, the Left Minister was the father of Concubine Jayda, who was King Tarendino's most beloved concubine.
They were able to avoid the gruesome plot on young Vaughn's life and all thanks to Ovid Anisen. Vaughn already knew Ovid's accomplishments and admired the Military Advisor of Ishelon ever since he was four. His admiration for Ovid grew a hundred folds when he did not hesitate to save the young prince even without knowing Vaughn's true identity.
Their return to Tissuria had been delayed. He told Redivo to report that his face was disfigured by the assassin and he needed some time to recuperate. He sent a secret message to his mother to prevent her from worrying too much. He explicitly told her not to inform the king. He used a secret code that he only shared with his mother.
Queen Mina knew that Tissuria's harem was not as harmonious as Ishelon's. If she could have a choice, she wished for her son to love only one woman and to live a carefree, happy life. She felt sorry for her son. Behind the power and wealth that a King of Tissuria had, there was an endless battle for the throne. King Tarendino never had a peaceful sleep ever since he ascended the throne.
After delaying their return for a few days, Vaughn finally decided that it was time to go home. He smirked as he touched his silver mask. No assassin was left alive that day. Ovid and his men did a great job in protecting Vaughn and his entourage.
On that day, Vaughn decided to conceal his appearance to the world. Not even his mother and father should know what he looked like. He had no idea who his enemies were and could not risk anything. He made a plan to train some people that would be able to imitate his ways and means. He wanted to be at different places at once when the situation called for it. It could also prevent any suspicions of his whereabouts or whether he was finally dead.
At a young age, Vaughn's viciousness grew day by day. He was quick to understand that his life was already in danger from the moment he was conceived. His mother truly loved him. She did everything she could to make sure that she would be able to give birth and raise her son properly. She tried everything in her power to ensure Vaughn's safety.
Queen Mina could be vicious when needed. Vaughn knew that it was his mother who ordered the assassination of those who plotted against him. The queen tried to trace the mastermind behind the plots, but it only led them to a dead end. Queen Mina was not able to find out anything at all.
As Vaughn's consciousness returned to the present, the image of Zenia's smiling face invaded his thoughts once again. This visage had always accompanied him through good and bad times. His lips curved upwards. Finally, the moment he had dreamed of would come true.