Amy was studying in her room when she heard a knock at her door.
"Miss, it's me."
Amy didn't even look up at the door when she says, "Come in!"
It was one of the maids, Carol, who is Anna's replacement.
"Carol, is there something the matter? How is Lisa?"
Carol reacted with tiredness. "She is quite clumsy and acting so nervously around us. She is probably not used to being in a luxurious place."
Lisa is staying in the mansion as a guest for now. Amy had tried to ask her parents for Lisa to be employed under her as her head maid but was refused. Instead, Lisa decides to head back to the mercenaries in Getel after a day's worth of rest, to reunite with her friends and family to tell them the news and relocate everyone to Solin and apply for citizenship.
"Actually, that is not why I'm here." Carol said with the tray in her hand. "You got a letter from the palace. Apparently, it is urgent."
It's probably Leon.
Amy extends her hand for the letter and grabbed it from the silver tray, expecting to see the Golden Salamander seal on red wax but is surprised to instead see a black horned dragon on gold wax.
There are multiple wax seals that symbolize the royal family and its intent. Last time she has seen this was the summon to the palace for the Princess selection five years ago. After that, any royal letter she has received are either the golden salamander seal from Leon and the Blue rose seal as a royal invitation.
She opened it carefully and read the letter. Short but direct.
Miss Amaryllis Anthos,
You are summoned to the palace to meet the King for a casual talk tomorrow at three in the afternoon. You may bring one escort with you to the palace.
From Claude Rex
Amy froze blankly after reading the letter. Why would the King want to meet her?
She got up from her seat to leave the room, intending to inform her mother.
*
Mother had a more dramatic expression when reading the letter, much to her amusement.
"Amy, you must get ready quickly. We have five hours." Her mother panicked.
Unworried, she pats her mother's hand. "Mother, I will be fine. I will take care of this myself. I've been to the palace many times already."
"Why does the King wish to meet you all of a sudden?" Her mother asks.
Amy shrugged, "I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine."
"In any case, get ready."
After leaving the room, she could basically feel Boris and Alabaster's concern as she walks back to her room.
"You should be careful about this. Claude Rex is not someone you should take lightly of regardless of his reputation." Alabaster warned. "From what I remember about him; he has played a part during the five-year war."
Amy stopped to process this. What do you mean by this? she asked blankly.
"I am unsure but while history remembers him being a passive king, there are some strange factors that occurred during his twilight years. It wasn't until Leon became king that we begin to notice it."
Amy continued walking. She suspected it but it seems that Claude Rex isn't as laidback as she thought of him as. She will find out just how much he will exceed her expectations today.
"What was he like in the story?" Boris asked.
Actually, no one knows anything about him. He is mentioned in passing and he hasn't done anything noteworthy other than being Leon's father. Queen Helena is mentioned more often, and her policies are mentioned though criticized.
"Which ones?" Alabaster questioned.
Amy had approached her room and saw Carol. "Tell Lisa if she is willing to be my escort to the palace today before she goes back to Getel."
Carol seems concerned about this, "I don't think that is a good idea, especially for a trip to the palace, miss."
"It's the least I can do after my parents rejected her." Amy refuted politely, "besides..." she then opens the door and got in, "this is no ordinary trip." she finished then closed the door behind her.
Amy went through her closet to choose the appropriate attire. There is a dress code when it comes to attire when in public especially when she isn't a debutante.
"You know the history in Solin, right?"
"You mean all your history lessons? Of course, I listened to them through you." Alabaster answered.
Amy picked out her outfit and quickly changed into them. "In the story, Queen Helena is remembered mostly by Leon for being distrustful towards monsters and of the other nations. The reason why relations with the other human nations haven't worsened is because she knew the importance of keeping up their alliance. It was also because of her that many sapient monsters begin to target and despise Solin and why they deal with so many monster problems compare to other nations. Also, when it comes to domestic politics, she was not popular with the people because she couldn't keep every aristocrat in check. Corruption within nobility is apparent as they evade taxes and levy them on its citizens. No one knew how she died but it was theorized that Leon would have killed her since he was not fond of his mother. Leon had fixed his mother's mess in his early days as king and that was the start of his popularity."
Amy looked at her mirror as she is dressed like a young girl who hasn't debuted into society yet.
"I didn't know that."
"Well... since I've entered this world, I have been exposed to a lot of unexpected surprises, and it will never cease to surprise me."
She looked for a cloak to wear and wrapped it around her when she heard an excited knock at the door.
"Come in." she shouted.
Lisa came in with a bright look on her face. "Is it true that we're going to the palace?!" she was on the verge of bursting.
Amy gave her a smile. "Of course, we are."