Nick quickly grabbed Zia’s hand and pulled her in between the bookshelves. They both looked at each other with panic in their eyes – king and some other people had entered and started conversation.

Nick felt cold sweat rolling down his back, ‘F*ck! How did I end up in such mess again! Everything went so smooth and we only needed three more minutes!’

He motioned for Zia to stay silent, she nodded and they started to pay attention to the sounds behind bookshelves.

It seemed like the king was in a company of his son, the crown prince, some official and another older man.

“… therefore you just can’t run around like you own the place!” The king seemed to be angry.

“But I’m the crown prince! All of them are my subjects, they should listen to me!” The youth was arguing.

“No, they are MY subjects! The fact that you are the crown prince doesn’t mean you will become the king!”

“… but I’m your only son …” Helio still tried to argue.

“Since you don’t understand like that, let me explain it to you. Do you know how the Maxwell family became the royal family?” King asked.

“Everyone knows that! The Sun God chose our ancestor and we were blessed to rule the world!” Crown prince confidently replied.

“Helio, how can you be so stupid? Who the hell is teaching you this crap? Just because common people think that, it doesn’t mean it’s a genuine history. Or family, together with the three big aristocratic families, caused a coup seven hundred years ago! Since we were the strongest, we got the throne, but the other three became pillars of the nation and still are to this day! We have an ancient agreement and the power balance helps us to keep it, but one day, if you continue to fool around, Maxwell family might be no more!” King was really angry, “You have to become smart and strong to keep everyone in check! Do you think I could fight the barbarians and keep the southern nomads away if I was wasting my time fooling around?”

“But we have the strongest army in the world!” Crown prince still argued.

“Alright, you still don’t understand. Let me give you another example. Let’s take a look.” It sounded like king was looking through some papers, “While I was away, you or your guards assaulted three hundred sixty two people, almost two hundred and ninety were crippled.”

“But those are just commoners …” Prince interrupted while trying to defend himself.

“Silence! What do you think is the total number of people in their families, or families and friends. Let’s say it is six for each person who suffered because of you. That means during the short period of time you have made almost two thousand enemies who would be happy to see you dead! And what do you think is the chance that one of those two thousand works in palace, or may be even is your guard? Do you think you will live to become the king?”

Silence enveloped the library.

After a brief moment king asked, “What do you think is the most important in our country?”

Prince immediately answered, “Obviously, the king and the royal family.”

“Bullshit!” The sound of king slapping his desk resonated on study’s walls. Even the bookshelves Nick and Zia were hiding behind vibrated from that slap, “Most important are the common people! Because without them there will be nothing for us to eat, we won’t be able to feed and equip our armies and we won’t be even able to create an army because it consists of the same common people! Of course, Maxwell family with blood and sweat earned its right to rule the biggest county in the world, but you can’t blindly oppress the people you govern. Why do you think we are the most prosperous kingdom in the world?”

“We are blessed …”

“Stop! I don’t know what teachers you have, but they are all fired. We are prosperous because our people work! And they work because they feel happy and have hope for tomorrow. Do you think unhappy people would want their children to suffer under a bad ruler? Do you think people from other places would migrate to our Sun kingdom if here was a tyranny? These are the basics every ruler has to know! What were you studying these years?”

“Literature, arts …”

“Wait, what? Why would you study arts? As a king you have to learn the sword!” King got even angrier.

“But teacher said: the pen is a sword that a wise man uses …”

“It’s your ex-teacher now!” King interrupted, “Starting from today one hour a day you will have lesson from me or your grandfather. Unfortunately we don’t have more time to spend on you, but I hope you will soon learn and understand. I will personally organize your further studies so you don’t become a wastrel like those punks from small aristocratic families. Sigh, you can go now, I’ll call for you later.”

Nick heard a heavy sigh, then the door opening and closing. While silence filled the library, Zia was covering her own mouth with both hands, as if afraid she would scream out loud, and with round eyes gaped at Nick. She had never seen this side of her father. She didn’t understand most of what he said, but she caught few important things – coup that her family was center of, and that it was really hard to be a king. Until now she thought that being royalty meant only being loved by the people, but it turned out her father was working really hard.

“Have you two heard enough? You can come out.” Nick’s heart skipped few beats when he heard the king calmly calling them.

“Sigh” Nick slowly got up and pulled the anxious and petrified princess out form their hiding spot.

‘I should have guessed. King is known as one of the strongest Qi masters and it would be weird if he didn’t notice two stressed out kids covering in fear nearby. And judging from what I just heard, he is incredibly smart monarch, may be even far ahead of his time.’

For the first time Nick saw the most influential person in this world – king of the Sun kingdom, Alexander Maxwell. He was sitting at his table in a big chair looking at them. It felt like that stare could see through his deepest secrets.

‘Is this the aura of a great king? Or oppressive power of an angry Qi master?’

The king looked a bit scary, but was very handsome. In these few months Nick didn’t meet many people, but from all the men he has seen around palace, on the streets and even back in the sect, this man in front of him was definitely the best looking.

King’s black hair were falling down his shoulders, his face was cleanly shaved. He wore a while shirt with some golden embroideries that made him look especially elegant. Even if it was back on Earth, he could just go straight to Hollywood.

Nick also noticed an older man with gray hair and beard, dressed in a long robe who was sitting not far from king at the tea table and there was another man present, dressed in a formal attire, probably some kind of assistant or may be a minister, standing closer to the door.

The pair came in front of the king’s desk and Nick sighed again. Zia suddenly gathered her courage and ran to her father, then placed the book she ‘borrowed’ on the table and made the most adorable eyes she could. But the king continued to stare at Nick. Princess turned to the old man sitting at the tea table and looked at him desperately, but the latter shrugged helplessly and smiled.

“Father, it’s all my fault, it was my idea, Nick just …”

“Zia, leave us!” King interrupted still with a stern face.

Zia wanted to say something, but then left dejectedly. After she closed the door, silence once again enveloped the library.

“Why aren’t you kneeling?” The man at the door angrily shouted.

Nick paused for a moment and answered, “I don’t dare to disrespect his majesty.”

From the second he understood the level of intelligence and wisdom of this king, he decided to not play any tricks and reply honestly to every single question that will be asked. His future was in king’s hands anyway.

“The audacity! How dare you …” The man got even more angry.

“Explain.” King waved his hand to interrupt the man.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Nick shrugged, “Your majesty meets at least thirty people a day. If everyone of those kneels it will take one minute for each for greeting and one for saying goodbye, thus it will be a whole hour each day. That would make sixty hours a month and three hundred and sixty hours a year. Considering the need for sleep and meals – his majesty will has to watch people kneeling in front of him for one whole month every year. I think king is too busy to spend his time watching me kneeling. And I am not that handsome after all. And, in addition, just because someone kneels, that doesn’t mean they respect his majesty.”

Those were his honest thoughts. For a 21st century person to waste time kneeling was just plainly stupid and had nothing to do with respect or traditions. And if there were such traditions, according to Nick’s understanding, they were simply moronic.

King scratched his head while checking Nick’s calculations, but the old man at the tea table burst in to loud laughter.

Then he spoke for the first time, “Then how would you deal with the existing tradition that has been around for hundreds or may be thousands of years?”

Under the gazes of the three man Nick thought a bit, “I would issue royal edict describing how the subjects are not required to kneel in front of royalties any more. Right after that I would order to spread the news in taverns and brothels, that king, after returning from the war, has a short temper and does not enjoy fake flattering, but wants to judge people for their actions. Therefore he simply despises those who kneel and waste his time.”

The king and the old man exchanged glances of surprise.

“Let’s leave it. I think it’s time for you to tell me exactly who you are and what is going on.” King turned serious again.

“My name is Nicolas Berglund, my family was killed and I was held captive and tortured for a very long time. After escaping Holy Order sect …”

“What!” King suddenly stood up. His hand on the table was shaking a little while other was grabbing chair handle, “Escaped? How did you escape?”

“Well ... I kind of killed their grand elder …”

Boom … a laud boom resounded as the table below king’s palm disintegrated. He stood there in a could of dust panting, his face blushed, with a broken chair handle in his hand. Even the old man at the tea table could not sit anymore after hearing these news.

Suddenly the king appeared in front of Nick. It felt like he was even faster than the elder Sonor.

“Where is it?” King suddenly pulled up Nick’s sleeves.

Nick, of course, understood what king wanted to see.

“I wear it on my leg, I didn’t want anyone to notice or I could die.” He honestly told.

“Show me!”

Nick froze. It was clearly not acceptable to take off his pants in presence of the king.

When king saw Nick’s stupefied expression, he simply said, “We are all men here, just show it!”

Nick sighed and pulled down his pants. On his right thigh there was a black wristband.

“You really did it!” King’s eyes shone as he exclaimed.