Renaria was pleased with the conduct of the young man who fetched them. Even Ovid took a liking to him.
"Lead the way, kind sir." Renaria smiled at the young man, and it made Ovid frown.
"After you, Madam."
Renaria went first together with Ovid. A guard was in front of Renaria to guide them out. Vaughn looked around and signaled to Mathilda to come.
Zenia just got out of her room when she saw that her mother and father were walking toward the door and a little behind them was a familiar figure. He seemed to be giving some instructions to Mathilda.
"Big Brother Vaughn!" Zenia called out with affection, and she ran to his direction.
Renaria heard her daughter's voice and dared not call her out and speak with her. She saw the way that Zenia talked with Vaughn. The moment they went out of their room, no one should see them talking with each other to avoid arousing suspicions.
She glared at Vaughn and couldn't believe that the one escorting them was the same man that made her daughter's eyes shine like jewels. The man had an exquisite face that could easily capture a young maiden's heart. Renaria wondered if her daughter's heart was already ensnared by the young gigolo.
He may look like a proper gentleman at first, but it turned out that he was a complete player. How could he tempt a young, naïve woman who was about to get married? This Casanova should go! Later, she would tell Ovid to do something before Zenia would do something stupid. She deliberately walked slowly to observe the couple.
"You're up so early. I did not bother waking you up because I know that you have been spending some late nights with your mother and father." Vaughn smiled at Zenia as he tried to put the strayed strands of hair behind her ear.
"Oh, I already woke up an hour ago. I was helping Mother to prepare. Please take care of them and make sure to return them safely to me."
"I will don't worry about a thing. I told Mathilda to bring you some snacks later. They are some of Tissuria's best delicacies."
"Hmm, I'll look forward to it. I will introduce Mother and Father to you some other time, you know…"
"I understand. We don't want to arouse suspicions. Although they were able to come here in one piece, we still don't know if it's totally safe."
Renaria had seen it all. Vaughn's unpretentious affection and concern for Zenia was hard to ignore. She could tell that the man was not some kind of Casanova who would hurt her daughter. But still, Zenia was about to get married and her husband was his master. Why would he talk to her as if she was... his wife?
'Hmm, his wife…' Renaria thought to herself as she observed Vaughn's action more intently.
Ovid saw how his wife looked at Vaughn, and it made him feel uncomfortable. He knew that his wife had no interest in the young man, but he couldn't stop himself from having an ill-feeling.
Vaughn bid Zenia goodbye, and Zenia slightly bowed her head to her mother and father before they went on their way. Renaria felt that something was off with Ovid, but did not ask about it. She just thought that her husband must be anxious about meeting the in-laws. It was the marriage of their daughter after all. Even if it was a political marriage, it would still legally link the two families together.
Ovid did not say a word during the entire journey. He held his wife's hand tightly as if she would suddenly disappear when he loosened his hold. Renaria smiled and somehow understood the cause of Ovid's "odd" behavior. She wondered if she should tell him her thoughts.
After almost an hour, the carriage finally reached the palace.
"Sir Ovid, Madam, we have arrived," the coachman informed the Anisen couple politely.
Before alighting the carriage, Ovid took out a veil to hide Renaria's face and only her eyes can be seen.
"Isn't this rude to talk with the in-laws like this?" Renaria asked her husband while holding the veil that he had given her.
"It's better to be cautious. No one knew your face, and let us keep it that way. It is for your own safety."
It was rare for Ovid to be so stern when speaking with her. Renaria sighed and put on the veil. It was not the time to argue with him.
"Is this fine enough for you?"
Ovid was slightly surprised when he saw his wife wearing the veil. It seemed to enshroud Renaria in mystery. The veil did conceal her face, but it added an undeniable charm that could make the people want to know more about the enigmatic woman. It was too late to take back the veil.
The Anisen couple got down from the carriage.
"Please follow me, Madam, Sir Ovid."
Vaughn led them to the Main Hall of the palace where the King and Queen were waiting. Queen Mina was quite surprised to see Vaughn with his bare face. She somehow felt something for the young guard guiding the Anisens. She looked at the Crown Prince sitting next to her wearing his usual mask. She once again glanced at the young guard and felt like he was more like his son than the one sitting next to her.
"Greetings, Your Highness," Ovid bowed together with his wife.
"No need for formalities, we are going to be in-laws after all."
Ruvin, who was Vaughn's stand-in at the time, was looking intently at Renaria and found her beautiful even though she was wearing a veil. He wondered why Zenia looked that way. She came from good genes, and yet she looked so ugly. The world was truly unfair for some people. Ruvin felt that the good genes were wasted on Zenia.
The ministers were murmuring, and Ovid could hear them. They were more interested in knowing his wife than discussing the marriage. He felt like ripping their eyes and mouths off. Renaria felt the killing intent from her husband and took the initiative to hold his hand. Ovid calmed down a bit.
Queen Mina felt Ovid's surge of anger, and she was wondering what made him angry. It did not escape her eyes when Renaria held Ovid's hand, and it calmed him down. Truly, only a great woman could easily tame a wild beast. She looked at King Tarendino and shook her head. If only their relationship was as good as their in-laws.
The Queen learned from the spies that she commissioned that Ovid did not have a single concubine in his manor. Renaria was the Queen of the Anisen Manor and all of them were her subordinates. The father and children were loyal followers and vowed to protect and serve her. Somehow, Queen Mina felt envious of Renaria for having such a wonderful husband and family. The only consolation that she had from marrying King Tarendino was giving birth to Vaughn.
"This is a joyous occasion. Now that you both are here, let us begin the banquet first and talk about important matters later." Queen Mina had decided, and the King did not object.
Vaughn looked at his mother and was somewhat felt guilty for not telling her anything. He knew that the Queen was looking at him earlier and must be suspecting that he was the true Crown Prince. Knowing his mother, he knew that she would just keep everything in for now.
Renaria was observing Vaughn and Queen Mina's reactions and somewhat learned something interesting – Queen Mina did not know what her son looked like. The one sitting next to her must be a stand-in for the Crown Prince. The one who fetched and escorted them was the real Crown Prince.
The banquet ended smoothly, and everyone was satisfied. Ovid, King Tarendino, the Crown Prince, and the rest of the ministers went to a closed-door meeting. Queen Mina invited Renaria to her quarters. They sipped tea and talked about their children.
They both knew that they needed to talk to get to know the person that their child was going to marry. It would bring them peace of mind. Queen Mina gave an assurance to Renaria that she would never let anything bad to happen to Zenia while in Tissuria.
"Thank you, Your Highness," Renaria answered perfunctorily but was really praying that Zenia wouldn't destroy their palace when she got angry.
The meeting with the Queen went well, and Vaughn escorted Renaria to the garden to wait for Ovid.
"So, you're that Big Brother Vaughn that my Zenzen was searching for. Whatever she did to you, I hope you can forgive her. If there is someone that you must punish, please let me be the one to receive them for I did a lousy job disciplining my daughter."
"You don't need to worry about this madam. I, too, am glad to meet her once more."
"I hope you are not doing all of this just to get back at my daughter for tricking you." Renaria's seemed calm, but Vaughn felt a chill down his spine.
"Doing what, madam? I don't think I can follow." Vaughn tried to remain calm.
Renaria took a deep breath and decided to cut to the chase and just deliver the blow.
"I know you are the real Crown Prince, and the one sitting next to the Queen was just a decoy."
Vaughn looked at Renaria, whose face turned darker than the bottom of the pot. He never thought that his mother-in-law was an Asura in disguise.