The King looked at Alyosha.
"I want to give you something for your help. What do you want? Tell me," he said.
"Don't be afraid, Alyosha," said the Minister in his ear.
"What do I ask for?" thought Alyosha. He tried to think. But there wasn't any time for it. So he said:
"I want to know my homework without reading it," he said.
"Oh, you're a lazy boy. I didn't know that," said the King.
He said something to a little boy near him. The boy brought a gold plate with a hemp seed.
"Take it," said the King. "It's a magic seed. Now you can always get good marks without studying. But remember one thing. You must never say a word about me or my people. Don't forget that."
Alyosha took the hemp seed and put it in his pocket.
"Thank you for the present, sir. I promise not to tell anyone about your people."
The King smiled at him and said:
"OK. You can stay here longer and see how we live. Good-bye."
Then the King got up and left. The little people came up to Alyosha. They thanked him too:
"You are so brave! You saved our Minister! Thank you!"
The Minister came up to Alyosha.
"What do you want to see? The garden or the King's zoo?" he asked.