The Real Prince Charming!

Once he got outside the dining hall, several servants immediately bowed to him before scurrying inside, obviously to clean up the mess that was made.

Henry could only reciprocate their bow, doing it more so because he respects them for what they're about to go through. Not everyone could manage to clean an entire room covered in ice.

They would probably have to stay for hours just to thaw the ice.

Of course, there's also the option to ask Elsa to retract the ice she made, but he had an inkling she left the room on purpose.

What they say is true, a woman's anger is similar to a storm, you're likely to get swept up in the chaos, whether you like it or not.

Henry simply noted the servants on the back of his mind, making sure to bump their salary just for this month.

Since it was already afternoon, it doesn't take a genius to know that Master Elias had already left to god knows what kind of business he was after.

He could already hear the noise and chatter in the ballroom. Some guests must've already arrived and the preparation is probably in its final stages.

Recalling what he was originally going to do before the chaos, he made his way up the stairs until he arrived at his father's study room.

"Come in." A reply from the inside came after he knocked.

He walked in and there his father was, standing in front of the window with his back facing him, hands also behind his back. If Henry didn't know better, he would've thought he was aura-farming.

"I'm already assuming the worst when your brother didn't come back with you," Maximus spoke first after a sigh.

Henry shared the same sentiment and sighed, "Even if I want to save him, I was too late. His arrogance has already determined his fate before I arrived."

Another sigh was heard before Maximus replied, "Even though I was already expecting this, it still pains me. Whether I like it or not, they're still related to me by blood, I even carried them when they were still infants…"

Henry groaned, "Please don't tell me you're going to start blaming yourself. It's not your fault their mothers are a bunch of power-hungry creatures that they're even willing to drag their children into their fierce ideas."

"No no, Henry. Don't start with me now. It is indeed my fault, that at least I can admit. If I give them at least a few more of my time, perhaps I could've steered them in the right direction." Maximus grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the liquor cabinet and started chugging.

Which Henry ignored, "You know that didn't work. You've already seen my attempt to help them but to no avail, the clutches of their mommies were tighter than we expected. And besides, there's still Samantha, at least you didn't fail her…though her lack of ambition in anything is a little bit concerning."

Seeing that his words didn't work, he decided to bring in the big guns.

"Well let's say you steered them in the right direction. Whether you like it or not once they grow old enough to think for themselves, they'll soon start to realize that they have a clean shot at becoming one of the most powerful men in the world. You know that better than I do, the Civil War with your siblings. When grandpa died, what happened next? Your siblings went from caring and loving to vicious and cold-blooded people who will stop at nothing just so they could warm their arses with the throne's seat."

Henry approached his father and patted his shoulders. Although he buried his head on his forearms, Henry could tell that the man was sobbing and he was just trying to hide it. No shame about that. In society, men in general are expected to be tough especially dads to their children.

"Want me to call mother her—" Before he could even finish his sentence, Maximus had already wiped himself off and stood back up, looking good as new.

"No! I mean, I'm fine. Now, go out there and have fun, my boy. It's your birthday, not to mention you have guests, as peculiar as they are but still our guests." Maximus twisted him until he was facing the door and pushed him out of the room, "I'll go out soon, before the celebration starts!"

Thud!

"Okay…"

———

In the ballroom, some guests were already engaging in conversations with the others, some were trying to form connections while others were simply greeting their old-time friends.

However, what truly stood out were King Triton and his daughters. When they saw his unknown face yet bulky and muscular appearance, especially the small crown atop his head, those eager to get the first bite of who they presumed to be a newly instated King of a small Kingdom quickly swarmed around him.

Wealthy merchants, nobles, and other high-ranking officials attempted to initiate a conversation.

"I've never seen a King with bulging muscles like you! Any tips for us?"

"What? Your Kingdom's name is Atlantis? Like the mythical kingdom under the sea? Hahaha! You're a funny man, King Triton!"

"What are your thoughts on establishing trade routes between our Kingdoms, hmm?"

At first, King Triton did his best to hide his disgust for the humans around him. He could clearly feel their disgusting nature and hidden intentions towards him. But one certain noble had a great idea to include his daughters in the conversation.

"Say, King Triton. You have such beautiful daughters, ever thought about marriage proposals? As a matter of fact, I would humbly offer my son as—"

"Keep my daughters' names out of your damn mouth…" Even though King Triton simply whispered those words, apparently it was loud enough for everyone around him to hear as clearly as day.

The man who just offered chuckled nervously, especially since now everyone was looking at him with varied expressions, "Haha~ Please excuse me, gentlemen. N-Nature calls, be back with you shortly."

And just like that, he awkwardly left the scene and so did everybody, much to King Triton's relief. They must've sensed that he's now in a bad mood for talks and knew better than to press the hulking man. After all, in their eyes, each of his biceps and triceps is as large as their heads.

That's not a particular someone you would want to mess with.

"Dad, you were being too harsh on them!"

"Oh please, Attina. That's like, the kindest father has ever been with humans."

King Triton chuckled at the antics of his daughters, "Now now, girls. We're not here to cause chaos. This is a birthday celebration of Ariel's…beloved. Let's just be in our best behaviour, alright? Though if some of these humans tried to hit on you, you have my permission to hit them on the face, alright?"

"So much for not causing chaos."

As a matter of fact, King Triton and his daughters weren't the only ones gaining the attention of everyone. As soon as Dr. Dolittle arrived with his wife and his furry friends, everyone quickly stared at them.

Some were amused while others were offended that an animal was sharing and breathing in the same room as them. Especially Chee-Chee the gorilla, it's the first time they'd seen such a fascinating creature.

One wealthy merchant even approached Dr. Dolittle with no obvious good reasons, "You possess quite a few fancy animal slaves, Goodman. You don't happen to have a spare of his kind?" He pointed at Chee-Chee who pointed at himself, "I'm quite a collector, you see."

John furrowed his eyebrows. He felt offended that his friends were referred to as his slaves, however, he was being considerate since this was his friend's birthday celebration and he doesn't want to ruin it by being in a scuffle with someone, especially a wealthy merchant.

So just as he was about to politely refuse the man's disgusting advances, the familiar blur of Polynesia flashed between them and she instantly started pecking the noble on the head. Mind you, her beak is sharp and pointed, so her attacks were very painful.

"Ow! Ow! Stupid bird! Get this bike creature off of me!"

John tried to step forward to stop the parrot, "Poly, Poly stop. We shouldn't make a commot—"

Fortunately enough, Polynesia stopped, flapping her wings to stabilize herself mid-air, "First of all! We are not slaves of John! We are his friends, so either you drill it into your head or I'll do it myself! Do you understand!?"

The merchant, still clutching his head, stared at the bird with his mouth open, "D-Did anyone just hear that? The bird speaks our language! A-An animal is speaking in our tongue!" He pointed at Polynesia and glanced around, perhaps hoping that he was not the only one who heard it and that he was not going crazy.

He turned his attention back to John, "Goodman! You must absolutely sell this bird to me! Name your price!"

Polynesia mentally clicked her tongue, once again pecking the man on the head, this time harder than the previous ones. However, the weirdness of the merchant in front of them just amplified when she revealed her capability to speak.

"Ah! Yes yes! Ow!—You can also Ow!—understand the words I'm speaking! Ow!—That is good!"

As John was rubbing his forehead from the scene they're now causing, a few more distinguished guests had arrived.

Among them were Flynn and Isabella, "You look beautiful in that dress…" The former complimented the latter.

Isabelle was indeed wearing a dress but it looked out of place for someone like her. The dress was a simple sleeveless one, which showcased her scarred muscles, which is unusual for a lady.

"A-Are you sure? I feel like everyone is staring at me. I knew it, wearing this dress was a bad idea!" She covered her face with her hands, too embarrassed to face the looks she was getting.

Flynn went on to comfort her, "Hey hey, it's okay. Since when did you start caring about other people's opinions? I remember when you told me that you would smash everyone's faces whenever they judge you, where's that girl now, huh?"

"…You're right, I guess."

———

Henry quietly made his way upstairs. He was curious what Lily was doing right now.

So when he arrived at her room, there she was, sprawled across her bed, hair messier than the sheets and still in her casual clothes.

"Lily. Wake up, didn't Mom tell you to get ready?" He approached her bed and shook her awake. He was curious where the servants were who were supposed to help Lily get dressed.

Instead, she just dreamily murmured under her breath, "Hehe, I told mom that I'm capable enough to do it myself…" And there goes the answer to his question.

"Seriously…" Henry's lips twitched several times before sighing in defeat.

He then proceeded to fetch a few servants to help her get ready. In the meantime, he also retreated to his room to get properly dressed.

He only noticed it now that his entire outfit was damp and covered with small tatters, making it look as if he had crawled on the ground filled with pebbles and dirt.

A few minutes later, he's now staring at himself in the mirror. He's wearing a military-like outfit. A jacket consisting mostly white with golden linings, white pants, and a golden chain that is attached diagonally from his collar down to his left waist.

His appearance looked like a mix of a military general from the modern ages, with a hint of medieval works around the suit.

"Looking good, Henry. Hopefully, this day comes to an end without any unexpected troubles…"

——————————

[Wrote this chapter while having a fever, so if there are any errors made, please kindly comment it so I could fix it once I get better.]