The Prince's Runaway Bride

When Renaria returned to the carriage, Ovid asked her immediately. "What do you think?"

"I think he really is the one doing the dirty work, but he's not capable enough to do those things on his own."

"He has the Ninth Prince. I heard that he's quite a schemer."

"What about the Ninth Prince? Is the Left Minister supporting the Ninth Prince?"

"The Ninth Prince is his grandson. His daughter, Concubine Jayda, was King Tarendino's favorite."

Renaria looked at Ovid in disbelief. "He told me he had no daughter when we discussed fathers and daughters. We had a sort of heated argument about it. He even told me that none of his wives and concubines had given him a child."

"Ha-ha-ha, my wife your skill is as sharp as ever! I bet the Left Minister did not notice that he told you one of his secrets."

"So, who's the father of Concubine Jayda? Where is Concubine Jayda now?" Renaria couldn't believe that she was able to uncover something big without even trying.

"She's been dead for God knows how long. Queen Mina was the one who took care of her children, the Ninth Prince and a princess. I bet everyone in the palace did not know that Concubine Jayda was not really the Left Minister's daughter."

"I have a hunch that he is using the memory of Concubine Jayda to control King Tarendino because he knew she was his favorite. Otherwise, there should never be an issue about the second wife marrying first. The King should've rejected it outright, but he did not. That Verone is also the Left Minister's niece."

"Hmm, this Left Minister is really something."

"It seems like the Left Minister is planting beauties to keep his targets in check and make the women seduce the men to do their bidding. For him, women are nothing but chess pieces." Renaria frowned when she recalled the way the Left Minister had treated his women back in his estate. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it seemed that the one orc.h.e.s.trating everything had deep hatred. Who was it? What was the deal with the Left Minister that he agreed to cooperate?

Renaria had decided to have a long talk with Zenia when they meet again. She thought of the Queen, and she had a feeling that their stay in the palace would take longer than expected.

* * * * *

The King and Queen of Tissuria arranged for a place where Ovid and Renaria can stay within the palace. They were after all their in-laws and a powerful family in Ishelon. Queen Mina was too careful in handling the affairs regarding the Anisens. She was glad that Renaria was able to pacify the Left Minister's anger.

The Left Minister immediately sent for someone to turn the silk into fine pieces of clothing for himself. He did not give any to his wives and concubines, although he gave some to Verone. Because the plan to marry off Verone first had failed, the Left Minister was trying to persuade the King to let Verone enter Vaughn's palace as his concubine.

Queen Mina crushed the idea by telling him that Ovid Anisen and his wife were already there. It would seem inappropriate to let other women enter the Crown Prince's palace before the main wife.

"May I remind you, Left Minister, about the thing that happened between you and Ovid Anisen. In my opinion, you were the one at fault for insisting such an absurd idea. It's a good thing that Renaria stepped forward to patch things up and even gifted you with precious bolts of silk."

The Left Minister thought that the Queen was just being jealous of the gift he received from Renaria. Little did he know that Renaria had given five bolts of silk to the Queen and a few expensive accessories that could only be found in Ishelon.

"Your Majesty, I have accepted the apology, and I let bygones be bygones. I am not pushing the marriage anymore, I just want Ms. Verone to enter the Crown Prince's palace first in case Ms. Anisen tried to block her. We don't know if Ms. Anisen is not the jealous type. After all, she's someone who's rumored to be ugly and a good-for-nothing. What if she gets jealous of Ms. Verone's beauty and stops her from entering the harem?"

"The Roccas are not that powerful, and we can replace your niece with a better candidate." Queen Mina had somewhat felt more courageous after talking with Renaria.

The Queen felt that she and Renaria were kindred spirits. They always thought about the welfare of their children before their husband. They were not the same as other women whose primary aim after marriage was to please their husbands.

"That's enough!" King Tarendino could no longer take it and roared. "We will talk about this some other time."

Queen Mina looked at King Tarendino with hatred. He still did not reject the idea presented by the Left Minister, who sneered at the Queen.

King Tarendino looked at Queen Mina, who suddenly changed into someone he could barely recognize. The King had never seen the Queen acted like that before and wondered what triggered the big change.

* * * * *

The Anisen brothers decided to change the day of their departure to an earlier schedule. They knew that someone within their faction had already betrayed them, but they couldn't figure out who. If they were lucky, there would be no assassination attempt. They were aware that the situation had become more dangerous than before. The enemies would do everything they could to send "Zenia" to her death.

"Zeze, take this." Zander put Zenia's dagger into his younger brother's hand.

"This is Zenzen's dagger, you give it to her." Zekiah tried to return the dagger to Zander.

"Take it for your protection. We don't know if our departure has already leaked to the enemies."

Zander gathered the men that he trusted the most and told them to remain vigilant. He talked with Gustof and learned some valuable pieces of information. The brothers gave explicit instructions to the guards and servants of the Anisen Manor not to let anyone in no matter what happens. They would never send someone to the manor on their behalf.

Zekiah wore one of Zenia's dresses and his faux hair, which resembled Zenia's locks. He wore a veil, and he hid his own clothes underneath the voluminous dress. Zander and his men were waiting by the carriage. Everyone was anxious because they knew that an ambush could still happen.

When Zander saw Zekiah, he could not help but hug him tightly.

"Little Zenzen, please be careful and stay safe."

Zekiah was taken aback by Zander's action. He bit his lip and closed his eyes as he hugged his brother back. Zander felt the tightening of Zekiah's hold on his clothes. He knew that his little brother was also thinking of Zenia and hoped that she was truly safe.

They let go of each other and looked into each other's eyes. They nodded and knew exactly what the other one was thinking. The show was about to start.

They rolled off as soon as Zekiah boarded the carriage alone. Zander was on his horse and kept a safe distance from the carriage. A shadowed figure gave a signal and everyone followed Zenia's entourage. They kept their distance to hide their presence.

Zander and Zekiah felt an ominous feeling. They knew that the assassins had made their move.

'These people really want my sister dead.' Both brothers had the same thought at the same time.

Their anxiousness was replaced with a burning d.e.s.i.r.e to cut these people down and uncover their master. The brothers calculated that the site of the ambush would be near the cliff half-way to Ishelon's border.

The carriage was moving faster than its usual speed, which alerted the assassins. It would take about a day and a half to reach the border. Considering the current speed of the carriage, it may only take six to eight hours to reach it.

When the carriage was near the cliff, the assassins made their move. They swoop down and began their assault. In Zander's estimate, there were at least fifty men who attacked. There were only ten of them, including Zekiah.

Zander had a hunch that Zekiah had been secretly training ever since the fire incident. They may have had some arguments, but it did not mean he no longer cared about Zekiah. He never said anything and kept waiting for the day when his little brother would open up to him.

The sound of clashing swords reverberated in the air. Zander never felt so alive. It had been years since the last time he fought this hard. Zekiah stayed quietly in the carriage and played the role of a helpless, good-for-nothing-woman. They still had no idea how many assassins were sent.

The assassins, who surrounded the fierce commander of Ishelon's military unit, shivered when they saw the blood-thirsty eyes of Zander who seemed to be possessed by an evil spirit. For the first time, the assassins felt regret for taking the assignment. The last thing they saw before losing their heads was a flash of Zander's sword.

Zekiah was itching to join in the action. He could hear Zander's laughter, which confused the other assassins. It sounded like a cackle of a madman. The assassins' spirit began to deflate, and they saw their comrades fell one by one.

The onslaught of the assassins seemed to have no end, even though the battleground was already covered with the blood of the fallen assassins. The other men that came together with the Anisen brothers almost did nothing as Zander slashed his way through the hordes of incoming assassins.

Zekiah could no longer take it and went out of the carriage. He saw the blood-covered ground and red splatters were all over the place. He knew that Zander went on a rampage and lost his rationality as he took down the assassins as if he was chopping down some trees.

Even the men that came with them just waited by the sidelines until Zander had vented enough. They knew that their commander couldn't contain his excitement to be able to fight like this once more. They also knew their commander's rage, and he was venting it all on the men who attacked them.

"Big Brother, stop!" Zekiah tried his best to mimic Zenia.

Coldwater seemed to pour down Zander's body, and he immediately stopped his assault on the two remaining assassins.