Chapter 257 - Setting Up the Trap

Vaughn was surprised when King Tarendino called him son. He looked at Zenia, who just shrugged her shoulders as if it was not something surprising.

Queen Mina was teary-eyed when she heard her husband. The King recognized Vaughn as his son even though he was wearing a disguise.

Vaughn was having mixed emotions. He was not used to seeing that kind of father. He had always thought that King Tarendino did not care about him. He wondered if the King mistook him for someone else.

King Tarendino sat up while Vaughn looked on. Queen Mina assisted her husband. Vaughn was waiting for a sort of confirmation or sign that the King had changed. He looked at his mother and knew at a glance that the Queen had changed. The Queen did not seem to resent the King anymore. In fact, she looked so attentive to the King's needs.

King Tarendino smiled and looked affectionately at the Quen when she helped him. Zenia could tell that there was no pretense in the King's affection. Vaughn could tell too, but he was too stubborn to admit it.

King Tarendino looked at Vaughn and uttered, "Son…" 

Vaughn cut off King Tarendino's sentence and did not want to hear anything from his mouth.

"You must be mistaken, Your Majesty. I am just an attendant of my young master. We come here today to offer some merchandise. Are you interested to buy them?"

Vaughn was extremely cold when he uttered those words. King Tarendino could feel the resentment in Vaughn's tone. He wanted to explain everything to his son and hoped that he would understand. 

Zenia shook her head and apologized, "My attendant did not mean to be rude. Will you excuse us for a minute, Your Majesty?"

King Tarendino turned his head to his wife, and Queen Mina understood the King's meaning. He was asking her if the young merchant was their daughter-in-law in disguise. Queen Mina nodded her head.

King Tarendino turned to look at Zenia once more and nodded. Zenia bowed her head and pulled Vaughn to a corner.

She whispered in Vaughn's ear, "Now is not the time for that. We came here to see if the King truly changed and to tell him about the things that happened recently." Zenia peeked at the King, who was discussing something with the Queen.

"I know, but I can't help it. He never, even for once, tried to get close to me in the past. Now he wants to talk to me as if he always does that?"

"From what I saw earlier, it seems like that was the way he usually treats you. Maybe you were still too young to remember how it was between the two of you before the Left Minister started giving him the hypnotic powder."

Vaughn shook his head, "I don't know. I just don't want to change how things are between the two of us. I'm happy for my mother, but he should not include me."

"Let me do the talking, okay?"

Vaughn just nodded his head and sat on a chair near the door. He did not join Zenia when she walked back to where the King and Queen were sitting.

Queen Mina noticed it, and when she looked at her husband, the King was looking intently at her. Queen Mina understood the meaning behind the King's gaze. She shook her head, and the King fell silent.

Zenia felt the awkward atmosphere in the room. King Tarendino refused to utter another word, and the Queen was patting his back. Zenia sighed and decided that it was best to get to the point. Nothing would be achieved if everyone had already decided to keep quiet. 

"Your Majesty, I hate to interrupt, but we need to come up with a plan right now," Zenia talked directly to King Tarendino, who had awakened from his stupor.

"Your right. We should discuss things."

Zenia looked at the Queen and nodded. Queen Mina sighed and looked at Vaughn who refused to join them.

"I don't need to explain about what the Left Minister had done to the King, isn't it right my Queen?"

The Queen looked at Zenia and nodded, "Yes, the King already knew the details when Doctor Odessa explained it earlier."

"Let me tell you about the things that might happen now that he's back in Tissuria. We found his secret army in Prazia, and King Odhran was the one helping him."

Zenia explained further. It was King Odhran who introduced the Left Minister to the Dark Magic Lord, who helped King Odhran in kicking his third brother out of Prazia. The Left Minister's secret army would arrive any time soon. They had no idea about the exact date of arrival of the Left Minister's secret army or if they already landed on Tissuria's soil. 

Zenia also told the King and Queen about gathering the loyal soldiers of Tissuria and eliminating the traitors. It was a crucial moment, and they only had so little time to prepare. Zenia also assured them that the Ishelon Military Unit was willing to extend a helping hand. She did not mention anything about the fact that some of the military men of Ishelon were already in Tissuria. She did not want the King and Queen to think something else and worry about a possible invasion from Ishelon.

Zenia told the King and Queen of Tissuria that they had gathered enough evidence to convict the Left Minister.

"The Left Minister will not be able to refute it. He had no other choice but to surrender."

"When do you plan to present the evidence?"

"The Left Minister will surely ask for an audience. We also believe, at the time, he will carry out his plan."

"What should we do?" There was panic in the Queen's tone.

King Tarendino closed his eyes and could not believe that he trusted the wrong person. The Left Minister had been with him for a long time, and he did not notice anything strange about it. Perhaps, the Left Minister had already started giving him small doses of the hypnotic powder that clouded his judgment. The Left Minister had been controlling him.

"You don't need to do anything, Your Majesty. You just need to act like usual. You need to face the Left Minister in the Main Hall by yourself. When he insists on seeing the King, then that will be the only time that King Tarendino should grace them with his presence. The Left Minister must be thinking that King Tarendino will not wake up anymore. He will take that chance to convince everyone that there's a need to change the King. The Crown Prince is nowhere to be found and could be dead already."

"What about your business today with the Head Royal Doctor?"

"I will trouble you, Your Majesty, to tell the Head Royal Doctor that you have decided to get the medicinal plants from us."

"I can do that." Queen Mina looked at Vaughn, who already stood up.

Zenia looked at Vaughn and then the King. She shook her head and did not say anything to her husband. She turned to the King to bid goodbye.

"We will come again some other time, Your Majesty. You need to focus your energy on healing your body. We have an important battle up ahead, and we need you to be there."

Zenia bowed her head to Queen Mina and King Tarendino. She did not wait for any reply and walked to where Vaughn was waiting. They went out the door, and the guards locked it.

"Our son has too much hatred, but I don't blame him. He was too young to remember everything. The left Minister is too cruel," King Tarendino clenched his teeth and fist when he uttered those words.

* * * * *

Vaughn was quiet as he sat next to Zenia while holding her hand. Their carriage took them to the Royale Palace Inn where they had decided to stay for a while. Zenia was expecting the Left Minister to ask for an audience within a week. 

When they arrived, Mathilda ordered the kitchen to prepare the dishes that should be delivered to the Royal Couple's room. She knew immediately that Vaughn was in a foul mood. But, it did not seem like the couple had a fight. They went straight to their room and locked the door behind them.

Vaughn removed his fake beard and mustache and went to the bathing area. Warm water had been prepared in the tub. Vaughn immersed his weary body in the tub and spread his arms. The lavender oil that Mathilda added in the water soothed his nerves. He tilted his head and closed his eyes.

He saw himself when he was still a little boy. King Tarendino and Queen Mina were with him while he was playing in the spacious garden. They were laughing but the scene suddenly changed into something ugly. He saw King Tarendino hugging another woman. The King pushed his son away from him when the Young Vaughn tried to pull him from that woman.

"Vaughn! Vaughn!"

Blag!

Zenia kicked open the door in the bathing area when Vaughn did not give her any response. She thought that something bad had happened to him.

Vaughn opened his eyes and saw Zenia panting and asked, "What happened to you?"

"You did not respond when I called you for so many times. I thought that something bad happened to you."

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. I must've dozed off."

Zenia went to his side and bent down to give him a hug. She knew that he must be thinking about what happened earlier. Vaughn felt his manliness began to swell. The sweet scent coming from his wife was like an aphrodisiac.

"Zenzen, you do know that I'm n.a.k.e.d right now, right?" He teased his wife. 

Zenia pushed him away from her.  He gave her a meaningful, naughty smile. She glared at him and blushed. She stood up and left the bathing area in a hurry.