The Prince's Runaway Bride

After having breakfast, the attendants who helped Zenia on their wedding day were summoned to the Palace of the Crown Prince once more. They still had three hours left before the appointed time to enter the Main Hall.

Zenia couldn't believe that she had to go through the same process again. She was required to wear makeup once more. She felt like she was wearing a mask each time they applied it to her face.

She only used makeup before to disguise herself and nothing more. She looked in the mirror and saw a different woman again. She knew it was her, but it didn't look like her at all. She sighed and resigned to her fate. The Crown Prince should prepare a hefty amount of price to pay.

One of the attendants retrieved her dress and helped her put it on. The inner part of the dress was similar to a corset. The attendants tried their best to make Zenia's waist slimmer. She ate a ton during breakfast, and her bulging stomach was making it too difficult for the attendants to dress her up. 

"My God! What kind of dress is this? I can't breathe!" Zenia spread her arms and the attendants who were helping her were pushed away instantly.

The attendants could not believe the enormous strength of their Crown Princess. Zenia started to remove the dress by herself. 

"Crown Princess, it is important to wear this dress on the first day that you will greet the King and Queen as their in-law." The attendants were teary-eyed while pleading.

Zenia just glared at them, and then sighed.

"Where's the training hall?"

A shadow guard suddenly appeared before Zenia. Vaughn was nowhere in the room, but he instructed the shadow guard to accompany Zenia whenever he was not around. Redivo just received an important piece of information and currently discussing it with Vaughn.

"Your Highness, it's located near the stables on the other side."

"Take me there now."

"Crown Princess, you need to be in the Palace's Main Hall in two and a half hours. It will take less than an hour to reach the training hall." The attendants tried to explain.

"Leave this room and prepare some hot water for bathing," Zenia commanded in a stern tone.

"Crown Princess?" The attendants were baffled.

"I said leave this room, shut the door, and prepare my bathwater. I will call on you again after half an hour."

Everyone left the room even though they were not certain what Zenia would do.

Zenia picked a pole and began to sway it in the same manner that she would use her sword. She moved so fast and not a sound could be heard. The attendants were starting to worry and wanted to open the door. The shadow guard stopped them.

The shadow guard, named Harnen, was the one whom Vaughn had assigned to constantly guard Zenia back in Ishelon. Even though his shift had ended and another one already replaced him, he was still required to check on Zenia once in a while.

Harnen knew that Zenia would train for a bit, probably to deflate her stomach a little. It had been her usual practice each time she had eaten a lot. She would rest for a bit after eating before practicing her swordsmanship.

The maids began to line up carrying Zenia's bathwater and waited for the door to be opened. After a few minutes, Zenia let them in. They saw Zenia's dress drenched in sweat, but her stomach looked flat. They gave Zenia a quick bath and applied makeup to her again. Everything was done seamlessly that they were able to finish in half an hour.

They put on the dress, and they did not encounter any mishap. It fitted Zenia's body perfectly. They put on her veil and notified the Crown Prince that everything was ready.

"Shall we go?" Vaughn asked Zenia lovingly as he held her hand naturally.

Zenia nodded and just let him do as he pleased. 

* * * * *

It was daybreak when Damien returned to his palace. He wanted to sleep some more, but King Tarendino ordered all his children to be at the Main Hall on time to greet their sister-in-law, the Crown Princess.

He could no longer use the excuse of being filial to his grandfather since the Left Minister's condition was already stable. He cursed and threw a fit. He recalled his conversation with his grandfather.

"The wedding went well?" The Left Minister seemed calm, but Damien knew that he was boiling with anger.

"Yes. Our men failed the mission."

"What do you plan to do now?"

"I am trying to locate Elida. I need to get some information from her."

"Where is she now?"

"She was last seen in Solaria together with Hanz, but they got separated later. She just told him that she will meet with me again in the capital."

"And she did not contact you yet?"

"She did not. I'm sure she's still trying to locate that young man."

"Is he the same man that was together with the assassins?"

"I still need to verify that one. Our investigation is about to conclude. From the looks of it, they are two different men. I have a hunch that the young assassin was truly killed." 

"Hmm. Keep me posted. I don't want to hear another failure again. If you fail again, I will leave the matters in Odette's hands. You know what it means when that happens."

Damien gritted his teeth and threw a pillow to the wall. After slaving for so many years, he still failed to gain the full trust of his grandfather. He was after the Left Minister's private army. Damien was the furtive owner of Luna Inn where the mercenaries gathered but having a band of assassins was still not enough. He wanted to take over the private army and gain full authority over it. 

The men in the Left Minister's private army were all elite soldiers that had been trained by some of the best martial masters in the whole continent. Damien was not sure if they were better than the elite military men of Ishelon, but they were far better than those in Tissuria. 

The Left Minister kept the existence of his private army a well-hidden secret even from Damien. He had accidentally seen the doc.u.ments, which contained the names and abilities of the soldiers in the private army, in the Left Minister's estate a few years back. That was the time that he had decided to show his grandfather his loyalty. The Left Minister wanted to take revenge, and Damien wanted to kick Vaughn from his position. In his mind, the only suitable candidate for the throne was him. 

He gritted his teeth. He feared that all his hard work would be for naught. In the end, he could just be a lackey of his disgusting sister.