Chapter 26

Callisto never gives up. If he'd given up before, he wouldn't become the king. He wouldn't win the royal battle and stayed on top even though he was the last child of the last king. The 23rd prince amongst 23 siblings. The king was blessed with male successors. He was also blessed with a male child. It was like a royal curse he wasn't aware of.

"I have another solution." He took the cup and briefly smiled into his coffee cup before it faded, the straight face replacing the sneaky curve of his mouth. Elizebeth saw everything, turned away to feign ignorance.

"The subject of Your Majesty will listen to the words very kindly." She let the king have his way with her while she was formulating the counter-attack.

"Yes, yes. Indeed. You should listen to me very kindly, my daughter." Callisto patted her head in humming.

Elizebeth knew what was running around inside his head, "Elizebeth doesn't understand Your Majesty. Elize- Elizebeth apologize." She stammered, masking her disdain.

"Soon you will have two fathers and two mothers. Rejoice." He said subtlety. He knew Elizebeth was a smart girl. Surely she could understand his transparent intention, right?

"Why? Has Elizebeth miraculously been born by two uteruses with two different fathers?"

Callisto coughed. The words from Elizebeth were too novel. He'd never expected to hear such a retort and possibly could never hear it anywhere else. Elizebeth was a unique individual and lovely. He couldn't answer her carelessly. Sometimes he wanted to experiment with that brain to see inside it. Two uteruses?

He put down the cup on the table as he adjusted Elizebeth on his lap. He must win this young lady for his son and to have the last laugh. "I don't mean that way, Elizebeth." He patiently patched up the misunderstanding. What a mere five-year-old knows, yeah?

Elizebeth just wheezed to see the king's weird expression. She knew the king was struggling to win her over yet she's not an easy lady. Gourmets couldn't buy her. It's her future on the line here. She planned to stay single and planned to make it even more obstacles for the king.

Callisto stroke her head again. "It's when two families unite together."

Elizebeth pretended to be mesmerized by him. "You want to marry Dada?"

He was speechless once again. Where the conversation had gone wrong? Marry the duke? How crazy he was to be in the same house as that satan?

Chaos, Callisto thought. Staring at his reflection in the lake of her green eyes and trying valiantly to ignore the commotion inside him, his heart was pounding weirdly loud inside his ears, his mind felt into a chaotic state. He needed time to reconstruct his mind.

"Your Majesty loves Dada like that?" She exuded an innocent vibe even though she was in the middle of causing trouble.

Elizebeth's query nearly choked the king. If the servants were near, they would have thought Elizebeth assassinated him with her cute gesture.

"I- I love Duke so much." He agreed. Tried to be on the same level as Elizebeth but he was effectively offended by the accusation. He loved his wife wholeheartedly. His son was in second place and Elizebeth at number three. There's no room for any other individual, especially for the arrogant duke.

"So Your Majesty wants to marry my Dada?"

"No. I love him the same way I love this kingdom."

Elizebeth looked shocked to his liking. What's inside her head to make her show such expression. "Your- Your Majesty wants to live inside my Dada?"

Callisto let out a frustration sound under his throat. Elizebeth's not helpful at all. Why are they discussing his love for a duke? It wasn't his intention the slightest. He wanted to introduce his son to Elizebeth. Why is it so hard?

"How about my son?"

'Is the real question now!' She was aware.

"Your Majesty son? Why?" She tried very hard to put a dignified face amid her conflict. The king's face hardened to mask his shock.

"Eli- Elizebeth doesn't know my son?" He gulped inwardly.

"Prince Alec?"

"Yes." He perked. Exhaled in relief. It felt like his life span shortened the more he interacted with today's Elizebeth. She was so hard to please and loved to twist his words as she liked.

"Brother Demien is cleverer."

For the third time, Callisto stared at him in a foreign gaze. Why did she bring Demien to the table now?

"Prince Alec is stupid. He got to number two. I hate a second-place boy the most. Elizebeth loves Baba." strike her without a care with a dumbfounded Callisto.

Baba? "Elizebeth hate prince Alec?"

"No. Elizebeth only loves the number one boy."

In a way, she did dislike the prince. He never once surpassed Demien in anything.

"Brother Demien, brother Kyle, and brother Indulf are number one boy. Elizebeth loves them so much." Added her. Grinning the salt onto the open wound.

It hurt his pride the most. Elizebeth had the audacity to compare her brothers with his son. He was aware of one thing along with the interaction. They were at a disadvantage. The three brothers of her were all the role models of society. The prince only came closer as number two to Elizebeth.

"If Prince Alec likes Elizebeth, will Elizebeth like him back?" He didn't give up. He wanted Elizebeth to be the future mother of the kingdom. He would never give up the idea, never.

"The prince is unprepossessing." However, Elizebeth shot him down instantly with her usual cute smile.

That shocked Callisto even more. His prince wasn't lacking in anything aside from the academy and sports… yes. He's lacking in that department but number two wasn't bad. It's considered good, still. His son was smarter than the rest aside from the duke's sons.

"The prince is smart. He got number two."

Elizebeth dared to shake her head to deny. "The prince only got number two because he read a book."

Callisto stroked her head again while another hand propped his chin. The food on the table was left alone. Both had no appetite to look at it. Right now, they were in the middle of trying to win the war of nerve and the other one wanted to win her over.

"Books are meant to be read."

Elizebeth pouted but bobbed her head. "Brothers read books too."

Callisto arched a brow.

"The prince is only a book genius. He is not exactly a genius." Spouted her while smirking (but the king saw it as a cute smile).

Callisto frowned and looked away, biting his cheek to keep silent. Her words were considered as treason, insulting, and framing the royal family but she was the Elizebeth. The child of duke Shar, her father was his right-hand, his best friend, and also Elizebeth was the favorite child of the royal family. She knew she was well-loved but never once she abused her right. She acted accordingly but today it seems she decided to be a little bit different than usual.

"What actually do you after, Elizebeth?" Callisto at last picked up her attitude. She was purposely being difficult for something.

Elizebeth smiled tentatively and sat upright on his lap. Clinging to his arm but locking the eyes with him. She planned to meet the king in a formal setting. Wearing the formal attire, following the protocol as the king and his subject but the king picking her nerves this whole day. He should respect her messy sleep schedule. She must get back at the king and the revenge was now.

Finally, she said, "I want to ask Your Majesty in a formal place but while we are at the subject, I will tell Your Majesty the truth." Her demeanor changed abruptly. Her innocent gaze getting sharper, uncannily similar to the duke.

I? Not Elizebeth? This was his first time hearing Elizebeth used a strict voice on him.

She looked above him, behind the king. The sun was getting higher and the breeze was getting stronger. Her brunette hair fluttering disturbing her vision. She moved around on the lap of the king to come down. Callisto helped her down with his strange gaze, still.

As soon as her black shoes were on the ground, she twirled around and bent her knee as she picked the hem of the gown and bow as the subject of the king.

Callisto disturbed by the side yet didn't ask her to stand. She's acting like asking for a favor. "Say it." He acted like a king now instead of a devoted uncle.

"First of all, I apologize for disturbing Your Majesty's rest. I will compensate Your Majesty time if Your Majesty agrees to follow my selfish request."

"You may rise and speak freely." He granted her wish.

Elizebeth rose but put her hand on her chest, still acting like a noble. "The request I may ask is very special and sensitive to the whole region, Your Majesty."

Callisto raised his eyebrows.

She continued again, "it's about the magic realm."

Callisto's demeanor changed into the dark. It's indeed sensitive to the whole region.

Elizebeth looked at him, smiled. Her smile didn't vanish, especially looking at the king's face. "I know your true identity, Your Majesty."

Callisto stood abruptly. His face tightened, a murderous aura circling them though Elizebeth didn't bother. If anything, she's matching her aura with the king. She was the one controlling this discussion, not the king.

"A half nymph? Interesting." Her smile was so cunning.

Callisto's eyes wavered. It was his first time to see the cunning face of the duke's daughter. The feeling was different than the sons. She was much more intimidating and 100 times more menacing despite her small body.

"I don't wish to disclose the secret to anybody."

Callisto narrowed his eyes, something flickering in him. "You want to make a deal with me?"

"I'm not making any deal with Your Majesty. The lowly daughter of the duke wished to know about the magic realm, that's all." She said pitifully. "My Dada wouldn't open up to me in how many times I'm asking him. He had no weakness for me to grab too." She said cheerfully this time.

His eyes were playing tricks with him when he saw the flashback inside his mind while looking at Elizebeth. She was smaller than him, so fragile enough for him to crush her in a single blow but she looked bigger than him, looked more experienced than him, crazier than him, and the duke combined. This was underneath those cute and calm faces. She was like a fox.

Callisto burst a laugh and sat back. She looked so uncannily look like a duke, his best friend. "The resemblance is uncanny."

She puffed her chest. "The looks or the arrogance?" She knew who the king was talking about.

He smirked. "Both."

"I know." She agreed. "And maybe I will befriend Your Majesty's son after our agreement?"

Callisto smirked again, crossed his legs, and looked at Elizebeth in full admiration. "Sure. Let's set up another meeting." He knew he hit the jackpot if his son could hold her in his grasp. This time for a different reason. No more for the last laugh. No more playing. She would be the future mother of the kingdom, sitting next to his son.

He would make it happen.