"Let's just rest here for the meantime since we already paid up the room and we are very tired already," Zenia suggested, although she wanted to reach the capital soon and hope that she would be able to pick up some good news.
Vaughn nodded and they went back to the inn after he handed the brown horse to the inn's hostler. It was a good thing that the Left Minister's niece was an arrogant and stupid woman. Otherwise, he would never have known an important piece of news.
"What kind of plant do you want to look for in the forest?"
"I told you it's a secret."
'How can I say its name when I don't even know its name? All I know is its appearance when my teacher showed it to me.'
Vaughn looked at Zenia and had some doubts in his mind. 'Is this little devil for real? Does she know something about herbal concoctions? Is she trying to make an aphrodisiac?'
"In the capital, there's a place called Royal Apothecary that contains all the necessary ingredients in preparing herbal concoctions. You may go there if you want. I will ask for a special entry token for you when we get back."
"Why is there a need for a special token?"
"Only those who belong to the Royal Family or working there can enter. Everyone who is authorized to go there must present a special token. Even the King of Tissuria must follow this rule. The Royal Apothecary is keeping all types of herbs and plants, including those with poison."
Vaughn gave a detailed explanation and looked at Zenia's expression when he mentioned something about the existence of poisonous plants in the Apothecary.
"Poisonous plants?" Zenia could not conceal the excitement in her eyes. "You have poisonous plants in there?"
'This little devil is actually looking for poisonous plants. What will she do with them? Could it be…'
Vaughn looked at Zenia and the thought that she must've known how to prepare a poison came to his mind. He shuddered at the thought and decided that he should not offend the little devil.
"Yes, there are different types of poisonous plants in the Royal Apothecary, but only the head pharmacist is allowed to go there."
Zenia felt dejected upon hearing it and lowered her head.
"The head pharmacist and his assistants are the only ones who can go there."
Zenia's seemingly dead eyes came to life once more as she lifted her head up and looked at Vaughn's way. Vaughn gave her a meaningful smile. Her eyes twinkled brighter than before.
"Really? Can I apply for the position of the assistant?" Zenia's eyes shone so brightly that it almost blinded Vaughn.
He already expected that she might ask this question.
"All I know is that everyone who applied for the position had to undergo a series of tests to know whether the applicant is eligible for the position. Being an assistant of the head pharmacist is not easy."
"I can do it!"
Vaughn had no plan to help her get in the Royal Apothecary the easy way. He would like her to ask him, as the Crown Prince of Tissuria, to obtain the poisonous plant for her. This way, he could prove his sincerity to her through his actions.
"Can you help me send in my application to be the head pharmacist's apprentice? I am not from here, would that be okay?"
"I can ask the Crown Prince for that, but it is up to your ability to pass the tests. Even I don't know what kind of tests are to be given."
"That would be great! If I pass, then I pass. If I don't, then I don't." Zenia smiled mischievously and Vaughn felt shivers down his spine.
'This little devil is up to no good again.'
'I can just go there without getting detected if I don't pass the test.' Zenia grinned from ear to ear while planning for what she would do.
"When do you plan to take the test?"
"A day after I reached the capital. Hey, will your Crown Prince get mad at me for slapping his second wife?"
Vaughn looked at her in disbelief. 'What second wife? Didn't I tell you that you will be the only one? You don't believe me?'
"Why did you slap her if you are worried now?"
"Hey! I did not slap her! My hand really slipped when she was about to slap me. If I have any intention of slapping her, she would've flown." Zenia looked like a hooligan when she said it – a proud and righteous ruffian.
Vaughn thought for a while and decided that it made sense. With her strength, making that woman fly was a piece of cake.
* * * * *
Damien's carriage finally reached the inn at Lunaria. It was a place where the first-rate mercenaries had gathered. He was the mysterious owner of the place. Vaughn and his men believed that the owner of Luna Inn was the Left Minister. In truth, even the Left Minister had no idea who the real owner was.
The Ninth Prince knew that his biological grandfather was someone who would sacrifice anything and anyone just to achieve his goals. He was hoping that he was not just another pawn in his grandfather's eyes, but he also knew that he should not totally trust anyone.
"My lord, we already got the two men."
"What did they say?"
"They said that they were certain that the horse they saw at the inn's stable was the one we are looking for. When they returned to the stable, it was no longer there. They did not know when the owner of the horse had left."
Damien rubbed his chin using his thumb as he analyzed the situation. He wondered if the man that Elida mentioned had something to do with the horse. But, he immediately dispatched his men to look for him and Elida even commissioned someone to paint his face. Luhikemees Pudustjalaga and Karmja Pikmees were still in the area waiting for the owner of the horse when his men reported that Elida's man was nowhere to be found.
"What about the one who really stole the horse?"
"He insisted that the horse ran away and he did not know where it went."
Damien snickered. He knew that they wouldn't be able to extract anything from that man. They already tortured him so much and still did not tell the truth.
"My lord, why can't we just find another horse like that?"
Damien looked at his subordinate with displeasure.
"Vaughn always put his seal in the ears of his horses. It was too difficult to obtain one and we cannot forge his seal. If we cannot find that horse or obtain another one from his stable, tell grandfather that we cannot proceed as planned."
"Yes, Ninth Prince."