The Prince's Runaway Bride

"Does that restaurant serve super delicious food?" Zenia asked while smiling at Vaughn as she swayed their interlocked hands.

"I am not sure, but Redivo and the others told me that the sweets may satisfy your preference."

Zenia gave the Crown Prince a confused look.

"How would they know that? You guys like bitter things."

"That's exactly how they know. The sweets there are extremely sweet for them."

"Oh, is that so? Let's hurry."

"To the weaponsmith or the restaurant?"

"Of course to the restaurant first to sample the sweets, and then to the weaponsmith. We will go back to the restaurant for lunch."

Vaughn shook his head. "We will do as you say. I will take you somewhere else after that."

"Okay."

Vaughn sat beside Zenia in the carriage. He did not let go of her hand. She was looking out the window while traveling and asking so many questions. Vaughn usually did not have the patience for it, and it was the reason why all of the princesses, except Odette, would stay away from him – they feared and hated him to the core.

They finally arrived at the restaurant. Vaughn helped Zenia, who went down the carriage excitedly. The restaurant was lovely and the ambiance was to Zenia's liking. It had a homey feel yet everything seemed luxurious.

She chose a seat by the window overlooking a beautiful garden near a lake. She saw a pair of swans who were taking care of their cygnets. Vaughn traced Zenia's line of sight and saw that she was looking at the family of swans. What was she thinking?

Vaughn and Zenia remained silent while looking out the window. Neither of them uttered a word. They could hear the sound of their own heartbeat. If anyone would take a closer look, they could see that a couple of foolish lovers were blushing. Exactly what were they thinking when looking at the swans?

"Can we get your order now, Crown Prince?" The waiter was a polite middle-aged man wearing a suit that was less elegant than that of a noble.

The restaurant was one of the most expensive establishments in Tissuria. It opened only a few days ago, but its construction began more than a year ago. The owner was a traveling businessman who decided to settle down in Tissuria. That was the only information that Vaughn's men were able to gather.

Aside from taking Zenia to eat delicious food, Vaughn also wanted to inspect the entirety of the restaurant. It became his habit to inspect every new establishment in Tissuria. This was one of his methods of rooting out the evil groups in Tissuria.

"Sir, do you have desserts sampler here?" It was Zenia who asked.

The attending waiter had no idea what it was but still answered, "Yes, we have it here."

"We'll have that for now, thank you."

"What is a desserts sampler?" Vaughn felt that the waiter just gave a perfunctory answer and did not really know what it was.

"Desserts sampler is a collection of all the desserts that this restaurant serves, but they come in small portions. It's like giving the customer a sample of each dessert, but they need to pay for it."

"Do you have that in Ishelon?"

"No, I just made that up. Who would suspect that you actually have it in Tissuria?" Zenia chuckled and looked out the window once more.

The waiter knew that Vaughn did it to give him an idea about the sampler. The waiter smiled and slightly bowed to Vaughn before he walked to the kitchen.

On the second floor, someone had been watching Zenia and Vaughn ever since they arrived in the restaurant. It was the owner of the establishment – the Second Prince.

"My Lord, the Crown Princess ordered a desserts sampler." The waiter informed Renard.

"What is that?" Renard frowned upon hearing his sister-in-law's order.

The waiter explained what it was and even added that the Crown Princess just came up with the idea. The waiter had a hunch that Zenia wanted to try all the desserts but was afraid to get fat.

The Second Prince laughed hard. His sister-in-law just gave him an innovative way to entice customers. He was also clear on who to support in case the fight to the throne broke off.

"Sister-in-law is really interesting. This marriage turned out to be a blessing for my seventh brother. Tell the others that whenever the Crown Prince or Princess visits us in the future give them the best room we have. This is to show my loyalty and sincerity."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Zenia had her fill of delicious, flavorful desserts. Vaughn just looked at her while she was eating to her heart's content. When she was done sampling all the desserts, she told Vaughn that they should hurry to the weaponsmith. The Second Prince looked at them as they left the restaurant. Renard was certain that he had chosen the right faction to support.

* * * * *

The gentle swaying of the carriage lulled Zenia to sleep. Vaughn noticed it immediately, and he put her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her to provide support. Zenia was smiling while she was sleeping.

'What are you dreaming of?' Vaughn lifted his mask and kissed Zenia on her forehead.

The gentle, warm breeze was c.a.r.e.s.sing Zenia's face. She felt like she was back in Ishelon resting on the branch of her favorite tree. She could hear the sweet chirping sound of the larks that seemed to accompany her in her slumber. All was good.

Vaughn gave Zenia a gentle nudge when they finally arrived at their destination. Zenia yawned and looked at Vaughn. She looked like a little kitten asking for some pampering. If he had a choice, he would've ordered the coachman to return to their palace. But, he knew very well that Zenia had important business to discuss with the weaponsmith.

"Your Highness, what can I do for you?" The Master Weaponsmith greeted them politely as soon as he saw them coming.

"Good day, sir. I have a design that I want you to check out first." Zenia spread out her drawing for the Master Weaponsmith to see.

The Master Weaponsmith was an elderly man, but his dexterity was still evident. He looked at the drawing for a long time as if finding a flaw. He smiled after analyzing the drawing.

"There are some areas that need improvement, I can easily correct them. If I'm not mistaken, the ammunition of this weapon should be poisoned needles?"

"Yes, that is correct. I am thinking of whether I should use the thicker needles."

"Your Highness, I suggest using both."

Vaughn just listened to what they were saying even though he couldn't understand any of it.

"Both? How? Wouldn't that require a lot of work to create different barrel sizes?"

"Crown Princess, allow me to prove my worth. I will create this needle launcher and meet your requirements."

"I will wait for it Master Weaponsmith."

The couple bid goodbye and left the shop. The Master Weaponsmith spread the drawing and grinned.

'I wonder who designed this launcher… The Crown Princess can't come up with this intricate design.' He looked up the ceiling and wondered how he could contact the designer and offer him a business proposal he could not refuse.