"Anne, what… what about me?"
"What about you, uncle?" Anne was enjoying a cup of tea with her dear mother, Queen Elisa.
"That… I…"
"Mmm?"
The cruel little lady was ignoring his pledges again. Well, she knows how to hold a grudge, even more, when the childish King dared to steal from her.
"Mommy, is it okay to let Victor come with us to the show in the park?"
"Yes, my dear," Queen Elisa couldn't stop beaming with delight whenever the little girl called her that way. She had hoped for many years for the little girl to accept her but… but at the same time, she didn't dare to replace the memory of Anne's mother, her best friend. "Just tell detective Thorne and Mrs. Thorne before you go to their house, or they will freak out like last time."
"Okay, mom, thank you."
Anne was taking her tea not minding the puppy looks of certain King.
"An… Anne, that…" the King was now pitifully desperate, but his dear niece didn't call him dad, not once. He had even resorted to bribing, then threatening, then pleading.
"We should go quickly, the show is about to begin," Anne came down from the couch with her fluffy pink dress, however, before she went away, she gave her mother a little kiss on the cheek to say goodbye, "Bye, mom."
"Come back early, sweetie," Anne was already on the door, "don't forget to take Callum with you."
"Okay, Mommy!"
The Queen was so on cloud nine, that she didn't notice the pitiful man sulking on the corner of the room. He was even growing mushrooms on the side and a dark cloud was floating around his head. It was a real cloud, though, not a metaphoric cloud, as Wizard Druon hadn't forgotten the attempt against his reputation last time, he made a small magic dark cloud to follow the King every day.
The phrase 'it can't get any worse,' couldn't come from the King's mouth or a storm would start over his head that very moment. However, many of the ministers, the childish Duke of Mills, the indifferent Prime Minister Prim, and even Queen Elisa had a bet on who will make him say it more times.
The scores were like this:
5 for Queen Elisa, the highest score.
3 for Prime Minister Prim, he was amazing at that.
2 for Henry, didn't know how he did it.
1 for Anne, she didn't make any effort as she asked with bright big eyes the King to say it, the same as the Queen.
1 for Rose Prim, she managed to do it with the instructions of her mother.
1 for Moira, just had to write it or the King will get a big cake in return.
0 for Duke of Mills, he will never get to do it.
"Darling, come here," the Queen had finally woken up from her sweet dream when the sight of her husband came to her eyes. "Don't start growing mushroom over there, stop it… sigh."
"No," the King was now pouting even more, "she doesn't want me to be her dad. It is not fair, you are my wife, and she calls you mom, so I should be called dad."
"Sigh…" Queen Elisa didn't know what to do to console her dear husband.
Then from the door, a little red-haired girl came back.
"I forgot something," she went to the corner to the pouting middle-aged man, and kiss him on the cheek. "Bye, daddy."
*****
Eight years later…
"What about your books?"
"They will give it to us there."
"What about your clothes, your uniform?"
"Packed, Tia will be with me, you don't have to worry."
"That is impossible, I can't help it, what if you don't feel comfortable? What if those teachers can't handle the pressure?"
"…"
"Don't you want to wait for a couple of years more? No one would dare to say that you are too old to go to the Academy, and you can easily skip grades."
"No, I want to go with my darling and my friends."
"What if someone bullies you?"
"Who dares? Instead, you should prepare for the arrival of many letters of complaint. I have a hunch that they will come from the Principal and other schoolmates, I think some bribes will do to placate them. Though I will try not to start an international conflict."
"Sigh… then… then don't let any boy near you, they are all wolves in sheep clothes, especially that brat from the Mills house."
"I can't do that. I have to declare my ownership on my darling from the first day, hadn't you seen him? He is going to turn so many faces, how can I control that?"
"Then I will send him to the school in the north, he will learn to control his hormones there."
"You are childish."
"How can your dad childish?"
"You are… tch… I am going to be fine," Anne couldn't take it anymore, the childish King had been nagging at her every day saying she is too young to go to the Academy.
She was fourteen-years-old, and she was eager to go to the Academy to meet her new victims. Mellie had given her a special mission this time, and she had to fulfill it to the dot.
The King was pacing in her little niece's room while the Queen was helping prepare her things for the long trip.
"Daddy, I am going to be fine, brother is there too, remember?"
"That won't do," the King kept pacing. "Take Callum with you."
"No, I don't need him," Anne easily rejected the King's order, "and Moira is coming with me."
The King stopped but instead of a relief sight, he paled.
"That… that… tell her not to kill anybody."
"Mmm."
"Take care of her."
"Mmm."
"This is not convincing at all," the two crazy girls cannot take care of each other. 'It would be a disaster.'
Then from the door, the steward came announcing the carriage is prepared and the magical gate to the Academy will open in two hours.
"Then I shall go, Mommy, Daddy."
The silent King couldn't help but drop some tears.
"Sigh... sweetie, write often, would you?"
"Mmm," Anne smiled and went out. The carriage took the main street of the Capital of Lith, the banners in many houses and shops were wishing good luck at their princess. The town will miss her, but she had a mission from a fluffy black demon seated on the top of the carriage and to the sky.
'It's time to level up,' Mellie thought.