What do you say to the king? That was my thought before I fell asleep the night before our meeting. A week ago, I woke up in the dungeon after being knocked out, and a few things have changed since then.

Firstly, the guild treats me differently now. I don’t like it, I'm receiving more respect and a lot more attention. The respect is nice, but I could do without the attention. Everyone wants to know how I survived a demon spell; no one has ever survived one before.

Secondly, Charlotte has been stopping by more frequently. I’ve come home to find her playing board games with the kids. Jonathan follows her around wherever she goes; I think he has a crush on her because his little round face glows red whenever she speaks to him. Clare regularly asks when Charlotte will return. She enjoys the female company, especially since Charlotte will do her hair for her. Alfie, on the other hand, doesn't care. He just enjoys cooking.

Thirdly, I've been receiving visits from my brother, who will accompany me to meet the king. Thank goodness for that! However, his visits have been annoying, as I’ve been getting prepped on how to speak to royalty. The funny thing is that Charlotte walked in during one of these sessions, and my brother jumped up and started to kneel in front of her. Honestly, I have to be extra nice to the king; he isn’t quite as easygoing as Charlotte.

I woke up to someone tickling my feet. Through my squinted eyes, I saw little Clare standing at the bottom of my bed, holding a teddy bear I bought her a few days ago.

“What’s up, sweetheart?” I grumbled.

“Um, Timothy asked me to come get you. There are people here,” she replied.

“Okay, I’ll go see who it is. You can go get some food or sleep or whatever you want.”

“Thank you,” she said, yawning. She left and closed the door behind her. I got out of bed gingerly; I’m still not 100% fighting fit. I think the demon spell took a toll on me. I got dressed and went to see who had arrived so early.

At the bottom of the stairs, just before the front door, I found an old man with a tape measure around his neck, dressed in a striped shirt and black pants. Next to him stood a short woman with an afro and pretty green eyes; she wore a white shirt and black pants.

“Hello, what can I do for you?” I asked.

“Hello,” the woman said, reaching out her hand. I shook her hand. “My name is Sasha, and this is Keith. We have been sent by House Ironclaw to assist you in preparation for today’s monumental meeting.”

“Preparation?” I asked, still unclear about what she meant. Then she clapped her hands, and seven women walked through the front door carrying clothes. “Never mind; I get what you mean,” I said.

Timothy popped his head out of nowhere. “There’s a room in the back with plenty of space and a mirror.”

“Thanks, Tim,” I said, giving him a nod. Tim showed the girls and Keith where to go. I closed the door and saw little Clare watching me with wide, excited eyes.

“Do you want to see what clothes they brought?” I asked. She nodded eagerly, looking especially cute. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s go have a look.”

That was the next two hours of my life. I tried on numerous outfits; more people showed up with additional clothes for me to try on. Eventually, we settled on a blue outfit. I liked it! It consisted of a tailcoat, a waistcoat, and a fancy tie; I looked ready to attend a royal wedding. My hair was treated with a strange, sloppy substance. They don't have gel in this world, or this must be their version of it. It felt horrible!

“Sasha,” I whispered to her through the noise in the room. Tim was right; there was a lot of space in here; I suspected the former owners used to teach dancing. “Can you do me a favor?”

“Of course, Mr. Heart,” she said, coming closer. “What is it?”

“Do you see little Clare?” I pointed at Clare, who was chatting with the older women bringing in the hair products. “You don’t have to, but could you do her hair for her? I know she would love it, and by any chance, could some of the materials here be made into dresses for her?” Sasha stopped dead in her tracks, staring into my eyes. Her moss-green eyes pierced through mine, and her cheeks flushed with color as she licked her plump lips.

“I’ll see what I can do,” she said, turning to leave for Clare. But she paused and smiled back at me. “You are a nice man.” She walked over to Clare, and I watched Clare’s face light up with glee as she introduced Sasha to her teddy bear.

Tim and Alfie supplied everyone with food, which they all seemed grateful for, and before long, a carriage arrived for me.

“Good luck!” Clare ran up and hugged my leg, her hair styled beautifully—shiny and straight.

“Thank you, sweetheart! See ya, Tim; look after the kids.” Outside, I recognized the same cart that Charlotte and I had ridden to the dungeon in; I could tell by the interior.