Panda Eyes, Sleepless Night

In the dead of night, Zenia suddenly opened her eyes, and her brows twitched so badly that they made her face seemed distorted. Luhikemees Pudustjalaga was the one occupying the room below Zenia's. She woke up when she could no longer tolerate the noise. She tried to ignore the snoring earlier. If not, she would have climbed out of her window, stuffed cloth in the mouth of the person below, and tied him up.

She had always been a light sleeper. A slight creaking of a door from the other end of the hallway could wake her up. She thought of switching rooms with Vaughn but realized that he too might be a light sleeper. She thought of changing rooms, but she did not want to cause too much inconvenience to the manager and the staff.

She stood up and walked toward the dark pink desk and pulled out the light pink chair. There was a lamp on the desk, and she lit it up. The noise became tolerable when she sat by the desk. An idea sparked in her head, and she walked back to the bed. She planned to switch the position of the bed and the desk.

When she tried to move the bed, she discovered that it was bolted to the floor. For the first time in her life, she wanted to cry buckets of tears.

'There's nothing I can do, might as well take a walk outside.'

She jumped out of the window and used her gust of wind to reach the nearby tree. It was the first time that she used her secret technique that way, and she was very pleased. But, she could only do it at a short distance.

Vaughn felt like something was off, but he was really too tired to get up. He heard someone snoring and the sound was coming from Zenia's room. He grinned and thought that it was Zenia. He went back to sleep.

Zenia planned to familiarize herself to the topography of Tissuria so she could have a way out in case something did not go according to plan. As a military tactician, she should know the terrain and condition of each region. She might trouble Big Brother Vaughn to accompany her for a few days and be her tour guide.

She decided to jump from tree to tree. She could clearly see everything in plain sight from up the tree. The moon shone so brightly and the stars added some light to the night sky. The illumination was enough for her to see everything clearly. She was somewhat able to guess the ins and outs of Tissuria. She just needed to let Big Brother Vaughn guide her tomorrow.

She went to a place where the people practically never sleep. She heard of it before from her father but did not expect that it was true. The place was lively, and everyone was in high spirits. She walked happily to the busy streets. Everyone, seller or buyer, is busy and smiling.

"Young master, would you like to have some pancake?" It was a young lady who offered her something to eat. Luckily, she always had her purse with her.

"How much?" She gave the young lady a warm smile.

The young lady chuckled. "You don't have to pay for it, just try it. We are giving these away as samples. In return, please tell me what you think of it."

"Okay then, thank you." Zenia did not hesitate and took a bite. She already smelled the aroma of the pancake being cooked when she reached the entrance to the street, and she thought it was appetizing.

"How is it?"

"It's really delicious. Did you make it yourself?" Zenia asked the young lady while flashing an enchanting smile.

The young lady blushed and wondered whether the young master had taken a liking to her. The young master was the most beautiful man that she had ever seen. She was confident that the young master would like her because she was prettier than any girl her age in that busy street.

She had several marriage proposals, but she declined them all. She had no plans to be tied to that place. She wanted to be married to a good family, and the young master could be the one to fulfill that dream.

"Y-yes, young master I made that myself. I can also cook other dishes and know a lot of housework. I am efficient in my work and I can take care of everything around the house."

"Hmm, that's good then. It's good to know that you can work well."

"Would you like to take me with you, young master? I promise that I won't be a burden to you. I promise to take care of your needs."

Zenia looked at the young lady from head to foot. 'She's too pretty and can easily attract a good husband here. Why does she want to come with me and be my maid?'

Zenia sighed. "It's not that I don't want to take you with me, but it's inconvenient. I'm not even from here and just happen to be looking for a good business opportunity."

The young lady's eyes twinkled with delight upon hearing Zenia's words.

"But I won't get in the way of your business. I will stay where you want me to stay and serve you well."

"Young lady, it is best if you stay here. What will your mother say?"

"I am all alone! I don't have a family. All I want is to start a family with you."

Zenia coughed so hard when she heard what the young lady said.

"Start a family with me?" Zenia pointed to herself.

"Yes! Don't you like me?"

Zenia looked at the brazen young lady in disbelief.

"When did I ever say that I like you?"

"You didn't say it out loud, but your actions say it all!"

"You misunderstood! I am about to get married, why should I take a wife?"

"You're going to get married?!"

"Yes!"

The young lady started wailing loudly, and it attracted the attention of everyone. The men who were interested in the young lady came running toward Zenia.

"Young lady, you need to stop this. They might think I did something to you." Zenia tried to calm the young lady down, but she made a louder sound.

'Let's see how you will be able to get out of here. I am the only one who has the right to refuse someone.' The young lady smirked as she created more trouble for Zenia.

"Elida, what happened to you?" A burly man asked the young lady.

She did not say anything, but she looked at Zenia. The man understood what she meant. Zenia panicked and knew that she was being set up.

"It's not what you think sir. I did not do anything to her but she started crying." Zenia explained everything without batting an eyelid. She was calm and composed. No one could see a trace of fear on that delicate face.

The burly man blushed a bit when she saw Zenia's full countenance. It was his first time seeing such a beautiful man.

"She wouldn't cry like that if you really did nothing." Someone butt in when they noticed that the burly man seemed to forget what to say.

"She wanted to go with me and be my wife, but I'm about to get married."

"You l-led me on. I t-thought you l-like me." Elida explained while sobbing.

"Young lady if you don't want me to turn you in for slandering me, you better speak the truth now to end this misunderstanding." Zenia was beginning to get annoyed by the shamelessness of the young lady.

She had not able to sleep well and was feeling tired already. Her patience was running thin.

The young lady gasped, but there was no way she would admit to everything. She underestimated the young master. But, there was no turning back.

"What do you mean? This is all your fault."

Zenia's face turned as dark as the bottom of the pot. In all her life, it was the first time she met someone so unscrupulous.

'Is this how a woman in Tissuria usually acts? No wonder that Crown Prince refused to take in a concubine or wife from Tissuria.' Zenia began to pity the Crown Prince.

"If that is what you want, then wait for the authorities to come." Zenia turned her back and began to walk away.

"STOP!" The mob ran toward her with an intention of detaining her to their place.

Zenia did not want to use her secret technique, but it was almost daybreak. With one sweep of her hand, she released a wind power that toppled several of her pursuers. She was able to escape unscathed.

Elida bit her lip and couldn't believe that the young master was able to escape the mob. 'Who is that young master?'

She decided to send a message to the Ninth Prince, who happened to be staying in one of the inns in the Principality of Ismund, and ask for protection. The Ninth Prince fancied her and even shared some intimate moments with her. But, the Ninth Prince was not the husband that she had in mind. She knew that she would never ever become his wife. She would be nothing but a concubine with a low rank. She did not wish to fight to the death in his harem.

That young master was the man of her dreams. He looked at her with gentle eyes and smiled warmly. She never felt so precious, and the only one who could give her such feeling was that young master.

'I need to find that wife-to-be and kill her myself."

* * * * *

Zenia returned to her room before the sun had risen. She was exhausted and too sleepy. She could no longer hear the snoring, and she slumped on her bed face on. She fell asleep almost immediately.

Vaughn began to stir and felt so rejuvenated. It was the best sleep that he ever had in years. He grinned at the thought that it was the first time that he and Zenia spent the night together though in separate rooms. He wondered how it would be if they actually slept on the same bed.

He washed up and decided to knock on Zenia's door to have breakfast. He had no idea what Zenia had planned for the day, but he knew that she would be asking for a favor.

"My cute brother…" Vaughn knocked lightly on the door. There was no response.

Vaughn knocked a bit louder. "My cute brother, it's time to get up." There was still no response.

"Zen Sensen open this door right now or I will take it down!" He shouted while tapping loudly on the door.

"Ahh!" Zenia almost fell from her bed when she heard Vaughn on the other side of the door. "I'm up, don't break my door!"

Vaughn felt relieved when he finally heard Zenia's voice. Zenia walked groggily toward the door and opened it. Her hair was a mess and her clothing was in disarray. She had a pair of panda eyes.

Vaughn gasped when he saw her looking like that. "What happened to you?"

Zenia just looked at him for bit more. She could no longer hold on and doze off. Vaughn caught her and carried her back to her bed. 'What did this little devil do?'

Vaughn noticed that the bedroom window was ajar, and Zenia was still wearing her shoes. He had a hunch that his wife went out last night through the window, but why?

The two men from last night had already left the inn. They went near the stables to see if the horses were still there. They felt relieved when they confirmed what they came for. They decided to continue their shopping spree. They could catch the owners of the horses later.

Vaughn stayed at Zenia's room for a while and stayed by her bedside. She looked so tired and restless.

Bang!

Vaughn was startled when he heard a loud banging on the table downstairs. He could hear voices that seemed to be in an argument. He decided to take a look for a while.

"Ninth Prince, you got to help me. You promised me last time that you will fulfill any of my wishes if I…" The woman let out a muffled cry when a hand pressed so hard against her mouth to shut her up.

"Shut up and come with me." That voice carried an authoritative tone as he dragged the woman to one of the rooms on the second floor of the inn.

'Ninth Prince? It should be Damien. What's he doing here?'