King Richard kicked his foot back and forth while hunching over for a moment, but once he saw Ephraim's discouraging frown, he stopped acting like a child and sat straight before speaking confidently.
"But they killed my father, Ephraim. If they come this close, won't they try to kill me too?"
"They only managed to kill your father because they attacked him while he was outside the city with little protection. You have the strongest soldiers from the royal army here. They will make sure no harm comes to you. And besides, I am the one that will meet with the demon king first, so you have nothing to fear."
King Richard frowned and looked down. There was a feeling of inadequacy inside of him that made him feel like he wasn't doing well enough as king, and when he spoke, it was that inadequacy that brought out his next words.
