Conversation with King Franklin (Part 1)

As Sian and Illianna entered the waiting room, they found Frank waiting for them.

"Come here, my favorite niece," he said to Illianna, opening his arms for a hug as he stood up.

Illianna hesitated, seeming not sure what to do.

"I don't think it's appropriate for a king to behave like that," she replied.

Frank chuckled, pointing to his head to show that he wasn't wearing his crown.

"We don't need to be formal now," he said. "I'm just here as an ordinary man."

He opened his arms again, beckoning Illianna to come closer. But she still hesitated, unsure whether to embrace him.

Seeing her hesitation, Frank walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. Illianna stiffened, not wanting to be held, but Frank didn't seem to care. As if she was a child, he stroked her cheeks.

"You're still my little girl."

"I'm not a child anymore, uncle Frank," Illianna protested as she pushed him, leaving his embrace.

"I was worried when I heard you were missing," he said. "It was only recently that I found out you were with Sian."

"How did you know I was here?" Illianna asked, curious.

"When I found out you were missing, I put spies out to look for you," Frank replied. "But it was Diana who told me where you were."

Illianna frowned at the mention of Diana's name. Noticing this, Frank said, "I know you and she don't get along, but she's a good person."

Just then, Frank turned to Sian with open arms, but Sian held up a hand to stop him.

"Don't even try it," he said.

Frank frowned. "What's the matter, son? Can't a father hug his son?"

Attempting to embrace Sian like he did with Illianna, Frank approached, but Sian held his face and pushed him away. He tried to wriggle free, but Sian grabbed his arm and pinned it behind his back while immobilizing him.

"A son shouldn't treat his father like this," Frank grumbled.

Sian retorted, "It's not like you care."

Suddenly, Tina, Agnes and Emily arrived. They probably are going to play with the children. Looking at them, Frank asked, "Are these my precious granddaughters?"

"No," Emily replied as she pointed to Sian, "We're Daddy's daughters."

"I'm not his daughter," Tina said.

Curiously, Agnes asked, "Who is this old man?"

"I think he's someone who needs a beating," Sian said. "What do you think?"

Agnes eagerly agreed, "Can I hit him too?"

Sian turned Frank towards her and made him kneel. "Go ahead," he said. "Land a kick right between his legs."

As she got ready to kick Frank, he pleaded, "No, you can't hit me. I'm your grandfather!"

Stopping her foot, Agnes was confused as she turned to Emily and Tina.

"What's a grandfather?" She asked.

"I don't know," Emily shook her head as she looked at Tina. "What's a grandfather?"

Tina explained, "Your grandfather is someone who is the father of your father."

"Papa has a dad?" Agnes looked confused.

"That's right, my little granddaughter," Frank confirmed, "That makes me your grandfather. You can call me Grandpa, Granddaddy, or Gramps."

"Yay, we have a grandpa!" Emily exclaimed cheerfully.

Grabbing each other's hands, Emily and Agnes started jumping with joy, even though they didn't know what a grandpa was just seconds ago.

"But he's not my father," Sian added, making the girls' happy faces disappear.

"No?" Emily asked with sad eyes.

"No," Sian replied.

"Then he's a liar?" Agnes asked.

"That's right," Sian affirmed, "Liars must be punished."

As Agnes turned to Frank, he interrupted again, "Wait! If I were lying, I wouldn't have brought presents for my precious granddaughters!"

"Presents?" Agnes's eyes lit up.

"Don't fall for his lies," Sian said.

Looking at Sian, Frank said, "Do you really think I would bring presents for my granddaughters and forget about my son?"

"Do you really think I'm going to fall for that?" Sian laughed.

"Why would I lie?" Frank said confidently. "As I know you like to taste different kinds of foods, I brought a new pie created by my cooks and named it the Hero Pie. Of course, I also brought the recipe with me and along with it, I have several minerals for you."

***

"This pie was delicious," Sian said as he leaned back on the couch.

As he looked at the three girls who were sitting around the table and Illianna, their faces full of satisfaction. Unfortunately, Frank only brought one pie, and it's not enough to satisfy the girls' appetite.

Finishing her plate, Emily immediately jumped on Sian's lap and begged, "Daddy, please make more pie."

Sian laughed and playfully grabbed her cheeks.

"But my little princess might become round as a ball if she eats too much," he teased.

Emily pouted and crossed her arms. "I'm not fat, and I can eat a lot more," she protested.

Sian pretended to be indecisive and teased her again, "Hmm, I don't know if I should make more pie for you."

Agnes joined in and pleaded with Emily, "Pretty please, Papa, make more pie."

Just then, Joan walked in, dressed casually. Seeing the dishes on the table, she looked surprised. "Are you guys eating again?"

Belatedly realizing Frank's presence, Joan courteously bowed and said, "Forgive my rudeness, King Franklin. It's a pleasure to see you again."

Frank reassured her, "No need to apologize, Joan. Please make yourself at home."

Turning to Sian, Frank complained, "How come she can stay here, and I can't?"

Sian looked at the clock on the wall and said, "Oh, look at the time. I need to go meet the children for morning workout."

He stood up, holding Emily and Agnes in his arms.

"Don't think you're getting away with this," Frank grumbled.

But at that moment, Beth entered the room and said, "Sian, you have guests. One of King Poutis' personal guards, Jerome, is here and he's accompanied by a young lady."

"Tell them to come in," Sian replied.

Soon after, Jerome entered the waiting room and his eyes fell on Sian, who was playing with Agnes and Emily on his shoulders.

Although Jerome was still wearing his full-body golden armor, he had removed his helmet from the day before.

Emily exclaimed, "Wow, look at him! He's so shiny!"

"He's a knight in shining armor!" Agnes added.

Jerome appeared to be around 30 to 40 years old. He was a handsome man with blond hair and blue eyes. Beside him stood a young woman in an elegant dress. Her long black hair was straight, and her eyes were brown. She wore heavy makeup, making her appear older than she probably was. But her height of barely reaching one and a half meters couldn't hide the truth. She probably wasn't older than 15 years.

Jerome seemed about to speak to Sian, but his eyes met those of Frank and Joan, and he respectfully greeted them. "Your Majesties, it's an honor to see you both again," he said, bowing his head. Then he greeted Sian, "Lord Sian, it's good to see you."

The young woman also greeted them respectfully.

"I'm Isadora, the youngest princess of Prazar. It's a pleasure to meet you all," she said, her tone mature beyond her years.

Approaching Sian, Jerome handed him a letter with his king's seal.

"What is it?" Sian asked.

"It's an invitation to the ball that will take place soon," Jerome replied. "Due to the events of the previous day, His Majesty forgot to deliver it."

"Ok," Sian said.

"Jerome, I understand why you are here," Frank spoke up as he looked at the girl on Jerome's side. "But why is the princess of another kingdom with you?"

"Even though the kingdoms of Edrorian and Tarodel seem calm at the moment, they are preparing for war. But with Lord Sian's presence in Poutis, they won't attack the kingdom. However, Prazar is different," Jerome explained.

"What do you mean?" Sian asked.

Jerome continued, "Even though Poutis and Prazar are allies, Prazar is a bit far away and they can only reach there by sea. The enemies will take advantage of that to invade while closing their borders to keep Poutis occupied."

"If they conquer Prazar, they will surely direct their attention to Poutis," Jerome said.

"But earlier you said they wouldn't come because I'm here," Sian asked.

"With the greed of these two kingdoms, there will come a time when they will completely ignore your presence, lord Sian," Jerome replied.

"Well, what does that have to do with me?" Sian asked.

Stepping forward, the princess said, "As the princess of the Kingdom of Prazar, I am here to offer my hand in marriage with the aim of creating an alliance."

"I have no interest in marrying a child," Sian replied.

"I'm not as young as I look, please consider it carefully," Princess Isadora said, biting her lips slightly. "I've heard of your taste for precious metals and brought some as a gift, which I left with the maid who guided us. If you accept the marriage, our kingdom will reward you with lands and accept some of your demands."

"I'll think about it," Sian said.

He said those words out of courtesy, but he didn't plan on accepting. If he did, the number of kingdoms coming after him using the proposal of marriage or rewards would be enormous.

"Thank you," the princess said, bowing politely.

Illianna then stood up and handed a communication cube to Jerome along with a letter containing Sian's demands to become the guardian of Poutis to the king.

Receiving the items from Illianna, Jerome looked at her for a moment.

"Is there something wrong?" Illianna asked.

"No, it's nothing," Jerome replied. "It's just that you remind me of someone I know."

After Jerome said his goodbyes along with the princess, they left. Right behind them went Tina, Agnes and Emily to meet the children from the orphanage.

"I'm going too," Joan said. "I want to look at the game hall again."

"Wait," Sian stopped her. "There is someone coming to see you."

"Who?" Joan asked.

"You will see when she arrives," Sian said.

"As it looks like you still have things to do, I think it's time to get down to business," Frank said. "The reason I came to your hotel wasn't just for sightseeing. I have some information you want."

"What kind of information?" Sian asked.

"About your parents," Frank said.