"What do you mean I can't?!" A man slammed his hand on the table, drawing the attention of the whole tavern. His appearance and clothes were presentable, and there were three other men wearing leather armor sitting at the table with him. Judging by the cordial way they treated him, the man was probably a merchant.
"I've spent a lot of money since I arrived, if I want a woman in my chambers, I deserve it," the man shouted.
The waitress who was being yelled at was one of the people hired through Charlotte's connections.
"In that case, you can go to a brothel, you know?" Milka said as she approached with a friendly smile on her face.
Often, tavern waitresses served as prostitutes if paid well, but that was not a service included at Sian's hotel.
Throwing a small bag of coins on the table, the man said, "Don't make me call the manager."
"It's not necessary, I'll take care of this myself," Milka replied.
As if understanding that her words were a concession to his will, the man put his eyes on Milka's enormous cleavage.
"I don't really like beastkins, but since I like big breasts, I'll accept your offer," he said with a wide grin on his face.
Standing up, his hands began to make their way to Milka's breasts, but his hands were stopped by hers, which caused the tray she was holding to fall to the ground.
The sound of glasses and the tray hitting the floor made the room fall silent. Everyone watched the situation, seeming anxious to see what would happen next.
"Sian, I think you should intervene," Maria said.
"I don't need to," Sian replied.
While Tod seemed confused by Sian's words, Bazo stood. "I can't stand seeing a beautiful woman being intimidated."
With Sian's gaze going in his direction, he cleared his throat and continued, "If it's a brother's woman, it's even more reason for me to intervene."
But before he could do anything, Sian put his hand on his shoulder and made him sit back down.
"Just watch," he said.
Milka had a smile on her face, but Sian could see in her eyes that the situation would not end well for the man. When it came to anyone other than Sian or people she knew, Milka, although she did not like killing, had a tendency to be arrogant and sadistic.
She learned this as a form of self-preservation when she lived on the demon continent. In that place, if you showed weakness, many tried to take advantage of it.
"What are you doing?" the man asked, clearly intimidated.
Still smiling, Milka replied, "As I said, we are not a brothel and only the master can touch my breasts. Your insolent act deserves punishment."
With absolute silence in the hall, everyone could clearly hear the sound of bones breaking, and a shrill scream from the man echoed in the tavern. The man's scream caused the three companions who were with him to stand up in his defense.
"Let him go immediately!" one of them shouted.
But Milka retorted with a firm voice, "There's no need for you to interfere, I'm just punishing him."
"You'd better not test your luck, beastkin," another said as he unsheathed his sword.
"Believe me when I say," Milka audaciously smiled, "if you dare to use those weapons against me, you won't leave here with just broken arms."
"This place is better than I expected," a man shouted. "We barely arrived and there's already an attraction to appreciate!"
"Anyone wanna bet?" another raised his voice. "I bet everything on the busty one!"
Seemingly excited for the fight that was about to happen, the people in the tavern started to cheer.
But suddenly, the commotion ceased as two men entered the tavern holding banners with the coat of arms of the kingdom of Poutis. They wore flashy and noble clothes, catching the attention of everyone in the tavern.
While the two men knelt in unison, one of them announced loudly, "Peasants, feel honored! Your Majesty, King Frederick Laousius von Poutis III, the glorious King of Poutis, has arrived!"
The other man then shouted, "Show due respect and kneel down!"
At the words of the two, the people in the tavern promptly got up from their seats and knelt down in reverence, including the merchant whose arms Milka had broken.
Moments later, a middle-aged man with some strands of white hair on his head and beard entered the tavern. He was dressed in extravagant clothes adorned with lace, embroidery, and precious stones. His extravagant cloak, crown, and jeweled gold rings showed his wealth.
It was evident that this man was the King of Poutis.
He walked with notable arrogance, and his extravagant appearance was proof of that. The fabrics of his clothes were the finest and the colors were the most vivid. He looked like an ordinary middle-aged man, but his clothes and adornments made him seem majestic and powerful.
Right behind him came two guards, one on each side. To show the grandeur of their sovereign, the armor they wore was as shiny as gold. They wore a helmet that allowed only their eyes to be seen, further enhancing the sense of grandeur and power.
In the hall, Sian and Milka were the only ones who didn't kneel, and that caught the attention of the king.
He had a look of disgust as he looked at Milka and then turned to Sian and asked, "Are you the Duke of Castilho?"
"Yep, it's me," Sian replied.
Then more footsteps were heard and Sian saw a man with an ordinary appearance approaching the King of Poutis. The man was neither fat nor thin, had short, black beard and mustache. His clothes were as extravagant as those of the King of Poutis, and his crown was not lacking in pomp either.
His name was not announced as he was in the area of the peasants, but Sian recognized him. This was Franklin Hosnein, or as he called him, Frank. He was Illianna's uncle and the King of Hosnein, the one who gave Sian the title of Duke.
Although he was a king, he was alone and his name was not announced, as this was the area of the peasants. Those who announced the arrival of the first king were brought by him.
Even with the arrival of the second king, Sian and Milka did not kneel. This caught the attention of the king of Poutis, who provoked the king of Hosnein, "To not bow to the king whom he serves, I see that you have not educated your vassal well enough."
But the king of Hosnein did not care and laughed, "This is just triviality. It's quite silent here, I thought it would be louder in a tavern. Why don't you let these poor souls raise their heads?"
"That's not your concern," the king of Poutis complained. "Having the opportunity to kneel before me at such a close distance is an honor for them."
Sian looked at the two kings in front of him and asked in a disgusted tone, "You must have been instructed that this is not the area for nobles, right?"
The king of Hosnein nodded and replied, "Of course, but when I saw my old friend coming this way, I decided to follow him and ended up finding the great hero of my kingdom waiting for me here." Laughing, he added, "I feel flattered."
"Stop sucking up to me," Sian retorted with an ironic smile.
At that moment, the sound of high heels approaching from outside the entrance interrupted the conversation.
In the direction of the sound was a woman walking towards the kings with elegant and refined steps.
This was Joan Ritschel Gauss, the queen of Gauss, someone whom Sian knew very well.
Joan had long, black, wavy hair, a slim body, and an elegant and charming appearance. Although her crown was not as flashy as the kings' and her clothes were not as luxurious, she still exuded royalty's elegance and dignity.
The queen of Gauss, like the king of Hosnein, had no companion by her side. They were probably outside since their respective sovereigns knew Sian's strength well and knew that nothing bad would happen to them with him there.
Having not invited any of these three rulers, Sian was curious about the reason why they had come to a simple hotel opening.
"Let's be direct, what do you guys want here?" he asked.
Stopping one step behind the kings and ignoring Sian's question, the queen held the sides of her dress and lightly bowed before the two kings, showing respect.
"It's a pleasure to see you, Majesties," she said with a courteous tone.
Despite her respectful form, she received only a nod from the king of Hosnein and a disdainful look from the king of Poutis.
Turning her gaze to Sian, she answered his question in a friendly manner, "That's a pretty crude way to greet a friend. It seems like you're still as rude as ever. Even though you didn't invite me, I was curious about what made you establish yourself here, so I came."
At this moment, Illianna and Edwin arrived next to Sian. They knelt down, and Illianna, introducing herself as the manager, respectfully welcomed the two kings and the queen.
The king of Poutis seemed strangely happy as he looked Illianna up and down.
"While the owner lacks education, it seems that he has made an effort to find someone worthy of managing his property," he commented.
The king of Poutis then asked to be guided to the noble area, and Edwin, who was with Illianna, led him. He then left, crossing the hall with a haughty look.
While Sian felt an inexplicable urge to punch the king of Poutis, Illianna seemed to notice and put her hand on his arm while maintaining a smile on her face.
Just behind the king of Poutis followed the king of Hosnein and the queen of Gauss, who saw Illianna's action.
Upon seeing the smile on the face of the king of Hosnein, Sian muttered, "You seem to be having a lot of fun, aren't you, old man?"
"I'm just happy to see my son and my niece getting along so well," he said in a low voice and continued, "come, let's talk, I want to catch up."
When the three rulers left, the kneeling people finally stood up, but no one said a word.
"Does he really consider you his son?" Illianna seemed intrigued.
In addition to Sian's visits to the king's harem and some other privileges, the agreement for Sian to protect the kingdom also included being adopted by the king. Although Sian has refused on several occasions, his will has been ignored.
"I'm not sure if he's doing it just to annoy me or if he's serious," Sian shrugged. "Even though I keep refusing to be adopted by him, my protests are in vain, so I just ignore it."
Nodding, Illianna warned him, "I noticed you don't seem to like the king of Poutis, but you shouldn't do anything rash."
"It's not rash if it's what I usually do, right?"
"Just don't hit or offend anyone, understood?"
"I'll try."
"If I try a little, I can even find one or two reasons why two kings would come, but why would the queen of Gauss come?" Like Sian, Illianna seemed to not understand the reason for the rulers' visit. "Besides almost killing her, you brought part of her castle down."
"It wasn't my fault," Sian said. "And what you heard are only half-truths."
"Enough talk," Illianna took Sian's arm. "Come on, even if he's my uncle, we can't keep a king waiting."
Turning to his friends' table, Sian said, "see you later."
As they were leaving the hall, Sian took one last look at Milka.
"You can deal with the insolent ones however you want, just don't cause too much of a fuss, or Illianna will give me a hard time."
"You can count on me~"
With Milka's carefree response, Sian followed Illianna as they went to the king of Hosnein."