Gustof could only serve his two masters for now, until he was certain who planned the attack on his wife and daughter. He could not think of anyone who would dare harm his family, except the two men. Between the masked man and the Ninth Prince, he had a strong suspicion that the latter was the one who ordered it.
"No matter what happens in the future, I am indebted to you. I will be able to repay your kindness someday." Gustof stood up and bowed to Zenia before he led his family back to their cottage.
Zenia saw just how much Gustof cared for his family. He must've been an amazing husband and father. It was truly a pity that his hands that were supposed to be devoted to arts were already stained with blood.
Zenia followed everyone back to the cottage. None of them was able to detect the quiet observer who saw everything that had transpired. The figure looked at the carriage, which a group of people cleared out. He looked at Zenia's departing back and smirked.
Back in the cottage, Somita worked fast in the kitchen to prepare a feast. Gustof let go of the drinking incident and thanked everyone whole-heartedly, especially Zenia. He told everyone how he sparred with Zenia, and he never thought that he would be able to face such a strong opponent once more.
Although the young man named Von was fast, Gustof thought that Von did not possess the same amount of strength as that of the military officer of Ishelon that he once fought. Somehow, the fighting styles of the two were almost the same, except Von relied too much on his speed to topple an opponent.
It was Zander who fought with Gustof, who tried to kill the envoy from Prazeia back then. He was still a low-level assassin at the time and was wearing the same clothing and mask as the other assassins. The Ninth Prince had high hopes for Gustof, and he did not let go of such an amazing killing machine.
Gustof trained and worked hard thinking that he only needed to spend a few years before the Ninth Prince would set him free. He was wrong. Instead of letting him go, Damien raised his rank until he became the leader of the group.
He was ecstatic when he finally met his master once more, but the masked man advised him to stay with the Ninth Prince and to follow his bidding. Gustof was confused at the time and did not think much of anything. He followed his master's advice and stayed with the Ninth Prince.
He only understood everything when he got wiser with age. He knew that his master and the Ninth Prince were only using him, but he still hoped that he was wrong about his master. The incident that nearly killed the people he loved the most was proof that neither his master nor the Ninth Prince should be trusted.
"Kind big brother, please have a taste of this dish. My mom cooks very delicious food for me to eat." The little girl sat by Zenia's side and introduced the dish to her.
"My, what a good hostess you are. I bet you will turn into a great woman someday." Zenia patted the little girl's head and smiled.
"You really think so, big brother?"
"Of course!"
The little pouted her mouth. "They always told me that I only know how to cause trouble."
"That's because you still have to let them see what you can do. You are so young right now and may not be able to do big things yet, but I'm sure you will be an amazing lady someday."
The little looked admiringly at Zenia as if she had discovered a rare treasure.
"Big brother, would you like to be my husband someday?" The little girl asked without batting an eyelid.
Zenia almost chocked on her food. She did not expect that at such a young age the little girl had thoughts of having a husband someday.
Zenia cleared her throat. "Aren't you too young to be thinking of such things?"
"I know I am! But, we may never see each other again if I don't say it now. I may not be able to meet someone like you, big brother."
"Why did you think that?"
"Aside from my daddy, you're the only one who seems good. I cannot marry my daddy, but I can marry you." The little girl flashed a dazzling smile, which almost blinded Zenia.
What took place next was complete silence. Zenia was lost for words. She did not know what to say to a delicate little child.
Gustof and Somita heard what their daughter had said and felt embarrassed. Somita worked as a seamstress and she would take her daughter along. The little girl could hear the conversations among the young maidens of marriageable age. She must've gotten the idea from them.
Zenia just smiled back and never uttered a single word again. She felt that their conversation may only turn from worse to worst. She continued eating her meal and wished for the day to end soon.
Gustof sighed, 'If only this young man is not going to get married, I would gladly give him my daughter's hand in marriage. They have a ten-year age gap at the most, and that isn't bad at all.'
* * * * *
"My prince," one of Zenia's shadow guards greeted Vaughn and started narrating everything.
The shadow guard knew that they might lose their heads this time for not stopping the Crown Princess from pulling dangerous stunts. They already accepted their fate and just hoped that the Crown Prince would still give them another chance.
Sure enough, the pen that Vaughn was holding snapped into two. Redivo already lost count of the number of pens that Vaughn had broken in just a month. If he had to include all of the pens that were broken, they could have saved three year's worth of pens.
"How is she?"
"My prince?" The shadow guard was surprised and confused.
Aside from sensing anger from the tone of Vaughn's voice, the shadow guard did not feel a murderous intent from their master.
"How is the Crown Princess now? Where is she?"
"Answering Your Highness, she's safely in a cottage near the North Gate. They would be waiting for the arrival of Your Grace's in-laws."
"Hmm." Vaughn set aside the documents that he had been reading, stood up, and started walking toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Redivo called out to Vaughn.
Redivo had a bad feeling that Vaughn might do something impulsive again. He had been restless ever since he learned that Zenia went to Lunaria despite his warning.
Vaughn stopped on his tracks. "This is the last time that I will allow you to question me. The next time you do, I will not hesitate to send you to the guillotine. As for your question, you already know the answer."
Vaughn went out of the room and trod the path to his bedchamber. He was thinking whether to appear as Big Brother Vaughn or the masked Crown Prince before Zenia. One thing was for certain – he must discipline Zenia.
Redivo gritted his teeth and somehow felt resentment toward Zenia. He had been with Vaughn throughout his life and yet he could be easily discarded just like that simply because of a woman. She never put Vaughn in her eyes and yet she was able to take control of him without her knowledge. Redivo prayed that Zenia wouldn't cause Vaughn's downfall.
* * * * *
Renaria tried her best to delay their arrival, but she never thought that Thunderbolt could go so fast. Zenia's horse remained true to its name as it sped up like a flash of lightning. It seemed to know where Zenia was and speeding up to meet her. It had been a long time since Zenia rode her horse.
"Why is this horse so fast? We might still arrive in Tissuria at the appointed time." Renaria complained to Ovid who seemed to have guessed his wife's intention for staying at Roma Inn for a couple of days.
"This horse is the fastest in the entire continent. If you want to cause delay, you should've told me so we can stay at Roma Inn for a few more days."
Renaria glared at Ovid before she continued, "It's too risky to tell you. We still don't know the identity of the mole among Zander's men."
"You have a point, but you could've given me some signs about your plan."
"As I said, I can't afford to take the risk. Zeze and I believe that someone is trying to prevent this marriage. Other than the Crown Prince and his trusted men, I guess no one in Tissuria knows the true identity of Zenzen. I have a hunch that someone wants Zenia and us dead."
Silence came in between the husband and wife. Ovid was beginning to regret his decision of letting his most beloved daughter marry the Crown Prince of Tissuria.
"Damn it! Can't this horse run a little slower?"
Ovid was surprised when his wife cursed. Renaria never did that in her life. Ovid also knew that his wife was worried about Zenia's safety.
Over at the place where Zenia would rest for the night, a figure was seen making his way to the cottage. Everything was quiet as everyone slept through the night.
Zenia suddenly opened her eyes when she sensed a presence that did not belong to any of her companions. She got up quietly, trying her best not to wake up anyone.
She saw when the intruder entered a room. She had a strong hunch that the figure would not do anything harsh. She waited patiently for an ambush.
After a few minutes, the intruder got out of the room. Zenia did not hesitate to press her dagger against the neck of the intruder as soon as he closed the door quietly.
"What's your business here?"