Chapter 90 - The Promise

We spent almost a whole week inside King Tully's palace, and after five days of intense training with the other heroes, I finally give them two days of well earned rest, and because of that, I want to take this opportunity to spend some more time with Ellena and Hope, but those plans are put to halt when Ellena told me that she was heading back to her kingdom to settle some official business, and as she gives Hope a goodbye hug,

she says to me.

"don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I'm finish with what I need to do."

he gives me a quick goodbye kiss and leaves.

I then think to myself.

"at least Hope was able to learn fast, I would have struggled to teach her, how to speak human."

Hope squeezes my hand and asks.

"daddy ,how long will momma take?"

I reply with assurance.

"she'll be back very soon, she just needs to do some things."

she looks down to the floor with a gloomy look on her face, I then kneel so that I'm at eye level with Hope, and I quickly start tickle her, she begins howling with laughter, I then stop and say.

"come on, don't be sad and show daddy, your beautiful smile."

she smiles and hugs me with her short arms, and as she pulls away, I ask.

"do you want to walk around in the capital city?"

her eyes lights and her pointy ears begin wiggling with excitement.

"can we?"

I respond.

"yeah there's a place I want to take you."

she then holds my hand and begins rushing me.

"come on daddy."

"before we head out I need to pressure King Tully to compensate me for my efforts."

I walk around the halls with Hope, asking guards if they know where King Tully is at, and then one finally answers.

"he's in the throne room."

I walk into the throne room together with Hope, and as King Tully gave a look of disgust when he laid eyes on Hope, he asks annoyed.

"and what do you want?"

I just get straight to the point.

"I need compensation for my services."

he laughs and replies.

"since you didn't serve your full sentence, that she should be more then enough compensation."

I lose my patience, and as I cover Hope's ears, I shout.

"no you'll give me full compensation, or this little deal we have going on is done, and you'll have to handle the vampire lords without me!"

he replies, obviously bothered with how I'm talking with him.

"fine, but you will only get paid five gold per month. no more no less."

I then remove my hands off of Hope's ear and then King Tully snaps his fingers and one of his aides gives me a small pouch and places five gold coins inside of it, I then think to myself.

"I might be earning less than the magic knights, but at least I'm earning more than the average person who only earn about one hundred and fifty silver coins per month, which converts to around one and a half gold."

I then bow and sarcastically say.

"oh you're so gracious, your highness."

his eyes twitch with anger, still getting bothered with what I say, and as I'm about to leave the throne room with Hope, Celeste invades my mind.

"hello master Collin, It's been a few days since we've seem each other."

"let's talk outside, I'd rather not stick around King Tully for too long."

I wait for Celeste outside in the hallway, and as she approaches us, Hope smiles and waves at her.

"Hello Celeste."

surprised with this she asks me.

"she can speak human now?"

I respond.

"yeah me and Ellena, have been teaching her these past few days."

shocked with this development, she asks.

"are you serious, how did she learn so quickly."

"Ellena believes she's special, and recently, I too began to believe it."

she smiles at Hope and as she pats her head, to praise her, she asks me

"so what are you doing today?"

I answer.

"oh I'm taking Hope somewhere special to me, in Grezia."

she responds disheartened.

"oh."

after a few minutes of silence pass by, Hope breaks it by saying with excitement in her voice.

"Big sis Celeste should come with us."

"can she some with us daddy?"

I smile.

"sure I don't see why not."

Hope grabs Celeste by her hand and starts to pull.

"come on big sis, daddy said you can come with us."

unable to speak Celeste just nods and gets dragged around by Hope, from the palace to the city of Grezia, and as we walk around the city center, people already had their eyes on Hope, but since she was wearing the King Tully's protective badge on her shirt, they didn't try to do anything to her, and then Celeste speaks to me in my head.

"don't worry master Collin, I assure you if anyone tries to harm your daughter, they will face my wrath."

I reply in my thoughts.

"thank you for accepting Hope, even though she's half human."

she responds.

"don't be so kind master Collin, if I'm being honest, if she wasn't your daughter, I would not be acting this way."

I reply.

"even so, I appreciate it."

Hope then interrupts our telepathic conversation, by asking.

"so where are we going daddy?"

I answer as I keep looking at all shops and stores.

"it should be somewhere around here."

I then spot Tom's Bakery, the same place that my dad brought me around thirteen years ago, I point at it and say to Hope.

"there it is, that's the same place that my dad took me to eat many years ago."

she smiles and asks.

"oh you and grandpa went there together?"

I respond trying to hide my sadness.

"yeah."

the three of us enter the bakery together and my sense of smell was instantly attack by the familiar sweet aroma of freshly baked bread, I then walk up to the front counter and say to the guy.

"three chocolate breads please."

he takes a look at Hope and replies.

"I don't serve her kind."

Celeste's face twitches with anger and she shouts at the old man while pulling on his shirt aggressively, I then cover Hope's eat.

"listen to me old man, she has the king's protection, and if you you deny her service, the king will know of this and trouble will come to your precious store."

the old man adjust his glasses and stammers nervously.

"okay that will be one gold coin and fifty silver coins."

I hand him two gold coins and as he tries to give me the fifty silver coins of change, I reply.

"it's fine keep the change, for the trouble."

I then give a chocolate bread to Celeste and Hope, and immediately Hope expresses her enjoyment of the tasty bread, we then continue walking around the city until sun started to set, and as we make our way back inside the palace,

I say to Celeste.

"thank you, Hope really needed a day like this, so I'm glad you came with us today."

Celeste smiles as she replies.

"it might not have been an ideal day, buy I'm glad that you kept your promise about hanging out together."

we say our good nights and go our separate ways, I then tuck in Hope who falls asleep quickly, while I head out to the balcony of our room and I think about Ellena's return and my mind wonders into very perverted scenarios that I want to eventually try out, I cool myself off so that my imagination doesn't go off the rails and call it in for the night.