"Who are they?" Selena asked Tang Shaoyang as her gentle tone sharpened. Especially when she discovered beauty with three children.
"She is the former Lionax Kingdom's princess, and…." Tang Shaoyang got closer to Selena and whispered. "Those three children are her brothers' children."
At the same time, Florian hurried the three kids to greet the Emperor. The five years old boy and three years old boy bowed their heads clumsily while the two years old little girl followed. The timing was perfect as the breakfast was ready when the kids arrived. "Get a seat and have breakfast too." He pointed at the empty seats.
"No, it's okay. We can eat in the kitchen. We don't deserve to eat at the same table with you, Your Majesty." Florian shook her head as she objected softly. After the fall of her kingdom, she was aware that she was not the lofty princess anymore but just an ordinary orphaned girl. Eating on the same table with The Emperor as a slave was a big no.
"So you refuse my order?" Tang Shaoyang smiled at the little girl while waving his hand. Even though he was smiling and his tone was soft, the implication behind his words was not light. At least, that was what Florian perceived and immediately bowed her head. "This slave deserved punishment for disobeying Your Majesty's order."
"Why is it so hard just to tell you to eat?" Tang Shaoyang scratched his forehead and pointed at the empty seat. "Just sit and eat the food. If you don't want to eat the food, let the children eat the food. They look starved." The three children were sniffing as the soup had a pleasant aroma.
Only after that, Florian nodded and put the boys on the chair while the little girl was sitting on her lap. "Don't stand up on the chair." The three years old boy was standing as he was too small. When he was sitting on the chair, the table was around his forehead. "It's fine. You two can stand on the chair and eat the food."
Under Tang Shaoyang's order, the two boys ignored their aunt and started to eat. For a son of a prince, they did not have the etiquette of the noble. They tore the bread with their small hands and dipped it into the soup before putting the bread into their mouth. Both boys had the same way of eating the bread.
Tang Shaoyang did not mind and looked at the curious Selena. "I will tell you the details later." Selena and Sylvia nodded as they did not mind the children's etiquette. He then turned toward Florian, who fed the little girl the soup. "What about their mothers?"
Florian's face crunched in pain at the question. She let out a sigh and looked at the children. "I can't tell about them in front of the children. It's not something they should know. I wish Your Majesty could understand." She shook her head.
"That's fine." Tang Shaoyang nodded his head and looked at the little girl. He smiled and asked. "So, who's your name?"
The little girl did not immediately tell him her name as she looked toward her aunt. The latter nodded her head. Only then did the little girl tell him her name. "Alice, just Alice." Tang Shaoyang was a little surprised that the two-year-old girls could speak fluently already.
Tang Shaoyang was about to continue his conversation, but a maid entered the dining hall and interrupted him. "I apologize for disturbing you, Your Majesty. Sir Alton and Sir Allan have arrived and are looking for you."
Tang Shaoyang nodded and stood up from his chair. "Can you look over them for the time being? If you still want to stroll around the capital, you can bring them with you too. She may know a place that you two don't know."
Selena and Sylvia had no reason to refuse that. They now had a guide for their capital's adventure. Tang Shaoyang stroked Alice's hair before leaving the dining hall. The maid led him to the throne hall as Alton and Allan were there.
"Let's get to the room and hear your report." Tang Shaoyang pointed toward a smaller room that could be used to hold a small meeting. There was a table for six people inside, and he took a random seat. "So, what's the progress?"
Alton and Allan exchanged glances for a moment before Alton replied. "We have created twenty new legions for the upcoming war, My Lord."
"Mnnn. What about—" Tang Shaoyang paused and looked toward Alton. "Twenty new legions? I thought we agreed to form only ten new legions? What's wrong?" The number did not add up with what they had agreed in the beforehand meeting.
"That's because we realized that the Lionax Kingdom has been training their knights in another world. After the battle, the main force of the Lionax Kingdom is left around a hundred and fifteen thousand knights left, and the noble houses' private force is up to fifty thousand knights. In fact, we want to create more legions, but we need your consent, My Lord." Alton explained the situation.
He did not expect that the Lionax Kingdom would have these many knights.
"Wait! Have you checked on them personally? I don't want big numbers, but I want the quality. Are they strong enough to be part of the Tarrior?" Tang Shaoyang furrowed his brow after hearing the report. "If we have too many forces, then it will also be hard to nurture them."
"That's the issue, My Lord. The Lionax Kingdom is doing well in training their knights. The gap between them is not that big as they are equally strong." Allan let out a sigh. There was a bit of respect in his tone when he mentioned this.
"Also, we have an immediate concern, My Lord. If we don't accept them into the Tarrior, then there's a chance for them to turn into bandits." Alton voiced his concern. "If we don't pay them and give them a place to live. I am afraid they may turn against us. Not that's an issue for us, but it will be the best if we can prevent this from happening."