The Prince's Runaway Bride

The Anisens woke up early the following day. Baroness Munchefort and Odessa were expecting them. Zander wanted to go ahead to help Odessa with the preparations, but Renaria stopped him.

"Calm down! I bet you're more nervous than Odessa. You will only make her nervous when you go there ahead of us."

"But Mother…"

"Hush, help us load the gifts. It will help calm your nerves. Do I look like someone who will eat people?"

Zekiah was standing at a safe distance from them and observing Zander's action. It was the first time that he saw Zander being nervous. He did not want to go with them, but Renaria scolded him.

"Your Big Brother needs our support. Zenzen is not here, and you want to abandon your Big Brother at the time when he needs you?"

"But, he looks fine to me. Big Brother has an amazing ability and will not make any mistake at all."

"I know you idolize your Big Brother too much, but he needs you right now."

"When did I idol…fine I will get ready."

Zekiah shook his head and let them load the gifts, and he went back to his room. He thought about Zenia and wished that he could be with her at that moment. He tried his best not to show how worried he was for Zenia's safety. He knew that once they talked about how Zenia was doing, their entire family might suddenly decide to go to Prazia. He knew that Zenia wouldn't want to ruin their Big Brother's marriage proposal so he kept quiet.

'Those two had been away for a long time. The untimely sickness of the King somewhat diverted everyone's attention away from the absence of Vaughn and Zenia. Even the Ninth Prince is always asking for the King's condition.'

Even though the people of the Royal Palace had tried their best to conceal the King's health to the public, speculations began to spread. There were numerous guesses regarding the King's condition, and none of them was good. The people were satisfied with the Crown Prince's performance, and most of them had no objection in case Vaughn ascended the throne. 

"Zeze, where are you going?" Ovid thought that his youngest son was trying to escape.

"I will just go to my room to fetch something. Call me when it's time to leave."

"Okay." Ovid was surprised at Zekiah's reply and smiled in the end.

* * * * *

Vaughn and Zenia were having their breakfast earlier than usual. The times that they spent together became less and less. Madame Bisset's business continued to flourish, and Zenia was planning to bid the Madam goodbye. She made lots of profits and already knew the secret base of the Left Minister's private army.

"Vaughn, I'm thinking that it's time to go back. The security is getting tighter, and we might not be able to leave quietly when we stay longer. We can always go back here when needed."

Vaughn looked at Zenia and caressed her cheek while smiling at her. He already felt that something bad might happen, but he decided not to bring any worries to Zenia. Ever since he went through the Cave of Fire, his senses had become much sharper than before.

"If that's what you have decided, we will leave whenever you are ready. Let us inform Duke Gordon and Rodham so they can make the necessary preparations."

"Hmm, I still need to bring the gifts to my sister-in-law. I hope she will like all of them and feel our sincerity. Do you think that the Baroness will agree to marry off her niece to Ishelon?"

"The Baroness is a sensible woman and loves Odessa with all her heart. She will surely be glad when she learns your plan."

"I don't know if my Big Brother still thinks of that woman he met before, but I'm sure he's still looking for her."

"How can you be so sure?"

"He really likes that lady, and I know now for sure that the ribbon that he wrapped around the hilt of his sword was from that lady. The only time that Big Brother got really angry at me was during the time when I took that ribbon."

"What if he suddenly meets that lady again and tells you that he really wanted to marry that lady and not Odessa?"

"I will first make him meet Odessa and see what happens. I believe that my sister-in-law is still better than that lady."

"What if he really insists on marrying that lady?"

Zenia thought for a bit and declared, "I need to meet that lady first. If she falls short of my expectation, I will do everything in my power to make her leave my Big Brother and never appear before him again."

"Why must you do something despicable when you can just tell your Big Brother to stop seeing that lady?" Vaughn teased Zenia and wanted to see her reaction.

"My Big Brother can be as stubborn as me. He will do everything he can to protect that lady even if it's me. He will obey my wishes on the surface, but he will surely take her somewhere safe and marry her without our consent."

'Consent? Your Big Ape is already considered too old. He is past the legal age to get married and can decide for himself.'

"What about you? What if your Big Brother tells you to divorce me as soon as we solved this problem?"

Zenia looked at Vaughn and smiled, "That's why I told you that my Big Brother can be as stubborn as me," she reached out her hand to touch Vaughn's cheek and continued, "I will never leave you even if they tell me to."

Vaughn was only teasing Zenia. He blushed when he heard her reply. He was teased instead.

* * * * *

The Anisens finally reached the Munchefort Estate. The Baroness made sure that everything was in order.

"Aunt, they're here! How do I look?" Odessa asked anxiously.

She woke up much earlier than usual just to prepare herself. She couldn't afford to look shabby in front of her would-be-in-laws. Knowing that Zenia liked her a lot and made great efforts to build her up helped Odessa to feel at ease. She was able to calm her nerves whenever she thought of Zenia's efforts.

"You look fine. They will love you," Baroness Munchefort assured her niece.

"Should I go to the gate and greet them there?"

"You don't need to do that. We will just wait for them at the front door to welcome them. Let the steward guide them here."

"Okay, Aunt Aggy. I will follow your arrangements."

When Odessa saw Renaria, she couldn't believe that her would-be-mother-in-law looked so young. She was able to maintain her beauty and slim physique. Odessa could tell how good Ovid was in taking care of his wife. Otherwise, Renaria would not be able to maintain her looks. It was proof that she had a blissful life.

"Welcome to our home," Baroness Munchefort greeted them and invited them in.

Odessa simply smiled and was too nervous to utter anything. Renaria took her arm, and they walked inside the house together. Zander felt relieved when he saw it. Ovid smiled and followed after his wife while Zekiah looked unconcerned.

The gifts were handed out, and they had a meal together. Odessa and Baroness Munchefort liked Renaria very much. She was the same as Zenia in almost every way. Odessa felt more and more relaxed being with her.

Renaria wanted to settle Zander's matters at once so they could focus on Zenia's matters. She knew that Ovid was also thinking the same thing. They could only feel at ease when they had Zenia with them again.

They talked about so many things, and Renaria would often change the subject in a subtle way when their discussion involved Zenia. She did not want Zander to become suspicious. Ovid would sometimes butt in to help his wife out. Zekiah just kept quiet and enjoyed the sweet snacks.

Renaria looked at Ovid with meaningful eyes. He understood Renaria and cleared his throat. He nodded at her.

"Baroness Munchefort, I believe you already know the reason for our visit. I also believe that Zander and Odessa already agreed to get married. We would like to assure you that we will take good care of Odessa, and we would like to invite the Baroness to stay with us for a while so you can be assured of your daughter's living condition."

Baroness Munchefort cleared her throat and clarified some things, "Madam Anisen, Odessa is actually my niece. As for her real mother…"

Odessa fell silent, and Renaria noticed the change in Odessa's mood. She already knew that Baroness Munchefort was Odessa's aunt, but she wanted to find out, without asking, about Odessa's relationship with her mother. She found the answer that she wanted to know.

"Baroness, I think you deserve the title of a mother to Odessa. If I'm not mistaken, you were the one who brought her up. We wanted to follow Ishelon's wedding tradition, and the mother of the bride is the one who should give her away since she's the one who nurtured her from young."

Odessa and the Baroness looked at each other. They both turned their head toward Renaria and smiled.

"I will gladly fulfill my part as the mother of the bride. When do you plan to set the wedding?"

"We would like to depart to Ishelon as soon as possible. Some preparations must be done first. We are happy to welcome you to our manor. You both can stay in a separate courtyard if you wish. I believe that you will have a pleasurable stay in Ishelon."

"We will gladly join you in your journey back. We will settle everything here and get ready for the journey."

Just like that, the wedding had been settled. Odessa and Zander excused themselves and walked hand in hand to the garden. They were happy, but Odessa felt that Zander's mind was somewhere else.

"What's wrong? Are you thinking of Zenzen?"

Zander was surprised but did not hide his thoughts, "Did you notice how Mother always change the subject whenever Zenzen's name was mentioned? They knew something that they did not want me to know."

"To tell you the truth, I am worrying too. I asked Lewis to get some information from Redivo, but they had not received any report or message from their men."

"Don't let Mother know that we have suspicions. Just act like we just had a normal conversation. How is the King?"

"He is recovering just fine. My seniors believe that he will wake up soon. Doctor Hugo concocted another type of elixir to clear all the remaining toxins in the King's body. Hopefully, Vaughn is already here before something bad happens to the King."

Zander held Odessa on both shoulders and made her face him.

"Odessa, I know that this is too much to ask of you but can you settle for a simple wedding first so I can go look for Zenzen in Prazia?"

Odessa put Zander's hands around her waist, and she put her arms around his neck. She tiptoed and kissed him on his lips.

"I am about to suggest to postpone the wedding and let you look for Zenzen first."

"I love Zenzen, but I will definitely not cancel our wedding. I have been waiting for this moment for so many years. There's no way I will postpone it."

"I am willing to marry you in a simple ceremony and start a new life with you."

Odessa did not wait for Zander to kiss her as she tiptoed once again and gave Zander a sweet, lingering kiss.