The King was perplexed. Why would this journalist be nervous when he actually got what he wanted. the King smelled something fishy. And what was it about that government list? Were they paid by the government to visit the homeworld and become decadent? Had they truly lost their way. He would ignore this part for now and focus on the journalist instead.

"Please Mr. Argenworth, calm down relax. Do you know where we are? This is the Rose Garden of the Emperor himself. It is a place to relax and forget about worries from everyday life. It even hosts the white roses, cultivated by hand for millennia. I have been told that amongst the aristocracy it is an honour to be here and so you should consider it. I am sure once you get exclusive information about myself and my people, you would get multiple opportunities to visit Daonlathas. Or at least that's what I would think. Now I will answer the same questions and prove that your time here is more valuable. And that you are safe."

The King then took out his elegant sword and put it on the table. The sharp edge was directed away from the journalist as he suspected he would jump at the mere sight of a sword. Nonetheless the sword was an elegant piece of craftsmanship with multiple decorations and flair on the handle. On the blade itself there were words written May thy be worthy of the name. After taking another puff from his cigar, he responded to the question.

"Well, too prove the exclusivity of this conversation, I am King Andrei Stoian the Third. Tenth monarch of the Stoinian Kingdom and Ninth of the Star Kingdom. I also hold the titles of First King of Csillia, the Cheunh homeworld, and Ninth Tennō of Shikoku, a religious title from the religion known as Shintoïsm. I am 39 T-years old and received amongst the best scholarships in Sinaia, our capital city. Even during the turbulent time of the Velutarian War, I was ensured the best of care. Even if I would rather have gone to war amongst my people, but as a monarch you learn that you have certain responsibilities which you have to uphold. As I am the King this also means that I am the head of Government, but also military. In contrast to your Empire, the military is run separately from resource gaining to the operations themselves. Here too I play an active role and helped by the Strategos, the highest non-monarchical rank. The role of the King is too serve as a bridge between the civilian part and military part of society. That's why external affairs are mostly done by myself, while the Chancellor focuses on the economic and policies side of government."

The King smiled a bit for a moment. He now had to talk about his children, but he wouldn't give too much information about them. Instead he turned to his wife who had remained silent all day and instead nodded at her to tell about their children. The Queen's voice was higher than the King's, but still not on the higher spectrum of female voices. Her voice was calming and tranquil. She was about 15 cm smaller than the King, but wore an elegant dress and had blonde hair and blue eyes.

"As for our children we have seven of them. The eldest is Crown Prince Carol and currently is single, so if any of the singly ladies in Ryccia want to become Queen, you know who to talk too." 

She said it jokingly, but then continued as the King puffed further.

"I can feel the question coming, but why so many children? Well ever since the Mardakii War it became clear to us, Stoinians, that the children ensure the survival of Mankind. Some families even have up to 14 children. Children are also a common sight in our Kingdom playing on the streets. They also are healthy as we hold a 4 hour compulsory sport lesson, where they also learn about self defense."

"As for myself, I am Queen Nynke Stoian, though formerly Nynke Lootsma. I was born on the Frisian world, as my name suggest, of Frisia or Fryslân in our mother tongue. I am also 39 years old and had a modest upbringing amongst the cattle farms of my planet. You might wonder, why the King would marry a commoner, well that's actually law implemented by King Andrei I, commonly referred to as the Philosopher King."

The journalist still looked a bit stressed. So the King decided to do the unexpected. He took out the hand with his cigar and wanted to hand it out to him. He looked friendly, but clearly he was being a bit pushy.

"Mr. Argenworth, you still look a bit nervous. Why don't you have a go at my cigar to relax a bit? It faces no health repercussions to Terrans, you aren't genetically augmented or any sort of things like that, which would not allow you to share a cigar with the Stoinian King?"