"Grandma, Mom, and Mr. Joe, what are you talking about?" Mia walked into the Queen's office with Mike.
The three people at the desk, besides Mr. Joe, had smiles on their faces.
It seemed they were having a pleasant conversation.
"Nothing much," Queen Renaldi said gently. "We're just discussing the procedure for receiving foreign guests…"
This was a lie!
When three elders gathered, the most likely topic of conversation was, of course, about the children.
Even royal family members were no exception.
The content Queen Renaldi and the other two had been discussing earlier was how to bring Mia and Mike together.
The basic strategy was to give them more time alone, preferably with some romantic interaction during these private moments.
Then, reporters would capture their sweet interactions and publicize them, which was another way to "make the raw rice cooked."
If this plan succeeded, at least in Genovia, Mike had a high chance of forming a couple with Mia.
This was a good assist for the girl.
Of course, the girl was still unaware of this, as she was currently engrossed in her grandmother's topic.
"By the way, how did you used to entertain princesses and princes from other countries?" Mia was quite clueless about her upcoming reception task.
In the girl's imagination, meetings between heirs of various countries should be very grand and high-class. And Mia, having no training in this area, felt a bit at a loss as to how to handle the reception task.
It could also be said that the girl took this task very seriously and was afraid of messing it up.
"During previous visits and exchanges, we didn't have any special arrangements for those heirs from other countries. Most of the time, they found things to do on their own," Queen Renaldi replied casually.
It was conceivable that those heirs from other countries were merely in a subordinate position during their visits and exchanges.
They were not worth Queen Renaldi's excessive effort.
This also explained why the task of receiving them was so easily handed over to Mia by the Queen.
"Free activities?…" Mia, who was unaware of the inside story, fell into deep thought.
"Why don't you ask Mike for his opinion? Perhaps he can give you a surprise," Queen Renaldi said with a smile, glancing at the idle Mike beside her.
At this moment, Mike had finished observing the Queen's office, and it didn't seem like a big deal. Besides a more expansive view, there wasn't much difference from Principal Tom's office.
It was hard to believe that a country's decrees were issued from here.
"How long is the exchange period for visiting countries?" Mike, whose thoughts were pulled back, didn't mind helping Mia.
"From arrival to departure, it's about three days," Queen Renaldi replied.
The hegemonic nation, United States, was not far to the east, so the smaller countries in the Genovia area actually faced immense survival pressure.
The annual exchange meeting was probably the time for these small countries to resist hegemony and establish a unified alliance.
Moreover, it was not difficult to guess that this alliance relationship had probably lasted for many years, so an exchange meeting with a complete set of procedures actually didn't take much time.
"How are the personal qualities of those princesses and princes?" Mike continued to ask for details.
"They are all very obedient children," Queen Renaldi, with a faint smile at the corner of her mouth, still patiently answered the questions.
Not old… very sensible… not staying long…
Mike quickly extracted the keywords from the Queen's answer.
"How about building an indoor playground for those princesses and princes to play in?" After thinking, Mike offered his opinion.
The quickest way to build good relationships with people was to cater to their preferences. The more they lacked something, the more you gave it to them.
It was imaginable that the surrounding small countries, in order to cultivate their heirs into qualified rulers, would certainly subject them to the most rigorous education.
In this situation, those young princesses and princes might never have truly enjoyed the fun of childhood.
Question: What do children like most?
Answer: Definitely playing.
That was every child's nature.
Starting from this aspect, an interesting playground would definitely give those princesses and princes a huge surprise.
Hearing Mike's suggestion, Queen Renaldi showed a clear expression, then turned to look at her thoughtful granddaughter and asked, "Mia, what do you think of Mike's suggestion?"
"It's a great idea," Mia replied.
Clearly, Mike's suggestion also opened up new avenues of thought for the girl.
"I also think this is a good suggestion," Queen Renaldi concluded. "Then the task of building the playground is entrusted to you. If you have any indecision, you can discuss it with Mike."
As mentioned before, the reception work for those heirs was not very important, so it was just right for the girl to practice.
"I understand." Mia, having a solution to the problem, looked much more relaxed.
Afterward, the girl asked Queen Renaldi for some more advice on precautions during foreign guest reception, and then accompanied Mike out of the Queen's office.
Next, the two still had many interesting places to visit.
As time passed, Mia also took Mike to the instrument training room, dance training room, archery training room, and other places one by one.
These places were all venues needed for princess training. However, Mike didn't seem very interested in these venues.
"Come on, let's go to the weapon display hall. You should like that place…" Mia cleverly invited him.
After this half-day of companionship, the girl had unconsciously forgiven Mike. It could be felt that the girl's attitude was also gradually becoming more proactive.
The royal display hall housed various retro-style weapons and armor, some of which even bore traces of battle damage, suggesting they were likely used by Genovia's ancestors.
Their historical research value was very high.
Rather than calling it a display hall, it was more like a war museum.
"I heard Mr. Joe introduce that this set of armor and matching weapons were once used by my great-great-great-grandfather," Mia said, pointing to the majestic equipment in the center of the room. "Of course, due to severe damage, this set of armor has undergone several repairs."
"If you want, you can try the sword on the armor…"
The gilded armor in front of them, besides its handsome design, had very solid steel plates on the chest, which looked very secure.
And on the shelf next to the armor, there was a beautifully crafted two-handed greatsword.
With the girl's permission, Mike reached out and grabbed the greatsword, which required two hands to wield. He swung it twice and felt it had a good feel, but its weight was too light for Mike.
"Let's go, let's go to the high tower to see the scenery," Mike suggested with a smile, putting the greatsword back in its place.
For him, whose physical attributes had reached five times that of an ordinary person, the armor and weapons here were not much different from "scrap metal," so they were not very attractive.
As for why he suggested going to the high tower to see the scenery, Mike had actually considered the girl's feelings.
Although Mia concealed it well, Mike could still sense that she wasn't very interested in the display room either.
And the reason the girl came to the display hall was very likely to please Mike.
After all, in people's imagination, boys should all like armor and weapons and such.
And Mike, having guessed the girl's thoughts, while enjoying her concern, didn't mind returning the favor and looking after her feelings.
The high tower at the front of the castle actually served as a watchtower during wartime.
Therefore, the view from here was very wide.
And the Genovia royal castle, when it was first built, took safety into consideration, so the castle was built against the mountains behind it, and in front was a large open plain.
On one hand, it was to prevent sneak attacks from behind, and on the other hand, it was to facilitate the discovery of enemies at the first possible moment.
It was currently golden October, and the red leaf forest on the mountains behind the castle, illuminated by the setting sun, looked like burning flames, a spectacular sight.
And in the cultivated farmlands on the plain in front, farmers who had just finished a day's work painted a leisurely pastoral scene.
Mike and the girl stood on the high tower, looking at such a scene.
After admiring the beautiful scenery in front of her, the girl habitually turned to look at the boy beside her.
The afterglow of the sunset shone on the boy's handsome profile, adding a layer of hazy color to him.