Amy didn't want her thoughts to wander so by the time she left the King's palace, she heads to the carriage and chats with Lisa to keep her mind off of what had happened until she is confident that she is out of range. By the time Lisa fell asleep, the silent air is finally filled. She is a heavy sleeper so talking out loud won't wake her.
"What just happened back there?" Alabaster said in disbelief.
"The King knows. He knows about us!" Boris panicked.
"Not exactly." Amy said, "The King is a mind reader, but he cannot detect everything. For one, he didn't hear you guys or sense our connection. Remember what he said? He knows it through Helena."
"That may be true, but he may not be entirely truthful. Queen Helena may not be his only source." Alabaster said.
"I know a few things regarding the relationship with the Royal couple. They do not see each other unless absolutely necessary. And they sleep in separate bedrooms, in separate buildings, and sleep at different times."
"That far? That kind of routine is rather unorthodox." Boris admitted, "But that means that she knows."
"It probably has something to do with the deposed queen. She was deposed because of her family's corruption. In addition, her ability is a counter to his and her family controlled the government until they were finally taken down." Alabaster said.
"Do you guys believe that he is responsible for the school invasion?" Amy asked.
"Most likely. Those assassins may be armed but no one died by their hand. It was the magic circle that drove people to kill each other. If the King did this, then he probably had Rana take Leon into the Empty Space to protect him or keep him away so he wouldn't get in the way."
"I wanted to pry for more but realize the risk if I do. Too much information could give myself away and I can't let him know too much." she says regrettably.
"You made the right move here, Amaryllis. You'll give yourself away if you do." Alabaster said.
"That raises the question. How much is he hiding? And who is the more dangerous person? Prime Minister Durham or the King?" Boris said.
"At this point, I'm not sure. But there is something that has bugged me a bit. When I rejected his statement that I would become the Crown Princess, I poured my thoughts about Melissa being important and suitable. He read my mind, but it didn't seem like he noticed the 'saving the world' part since he didn't inquire about that." Amy said.
"It could be the same when you try to tell someone spoilers. It gets redacted." Boris said.
"That is an advantage and a relief if that's true." Alabaster says.
"Now the question is his range."
"King Claude was not in the palace. He was scheduled for a vacation in the Aquila province but after today, he clearly wasn't. It is clear he has spies. Not to mention, the King and Queen are in close proximity when this all happened."
Amy sighed. "I think this year; I should seclude myself. Even my indirect help last year was noticed by him. Also, the same goes for the others. Queen Helena is sharp and getting involved with her will do me no good."
"Honestly, that might be for the best. In the meantime, I will have some people checkup on you and search for any spies in the meantime. I need your permission to use the firearms if necessary."
Amy groaned at the thought of the weapons. But they are all laced with those pearls and would go off the moment that someone who doesn't have a peony gets their hands on them.
"What about the worm? You have one left. We can use it on the King. He will also make a good lackey." Alabaster noted.
"Bad idea." Boris interrupted, "That worm has mutated to the point where if used on someone would create an exact replica of Amaryllis now. Not to mention, he is a famous, well-known public figure. We can't touch him."
Amy nodded. The worm has been cultivated for nearly ten years now. She deliberately gained an unhealthy amount of weight as a baby to create those worms using her construction ability after tearing off her body fat and blood bit by bit without notice from her caretakers. By the time she lost that weight, she never tried that again as it was a dangerous procedure. With trial and error and story knowledge on the worm's recipe, many of those worms have died leaving only three left. Since then, she hasn't made any more and carefully used the worms to recruit Alabaster and Boris. So, they collectively agreed that the last worm will be used to harvest organs to replace any that Amy would lose because she will be in battle a lot after her adolescence. If they use it on the King, then things would escalate badly for them.
"I guess I would focus on my crafts this year. I haven't had the time to do any since my trip and I was thinking of improving my metalwork." She relents.
"Are you sure?"
"King Claude has already suspected us. It is wise to lay low. Besides, if we continue, we might change the narrative more than necessary."
Both Boris and Alabaster were silent, but she can tell that they are in silent agreement with her choice.
"Very well, if that is what you wish."
Amy's arrival at the mansion is met with little fanfare. They are used to having Amy and Viola head to the palace though it is rare for them to get an invitation from someone other than Leon.
Amy shook Lisa awake who woke up abruptly. She is used to Lisa's sleeping habits. "Wake up sleepyhead, we're here."
"We're back already?" she mumbled tiredly and got up.
It gave her deja vu when it comes to her closest maids. Alina was always alert and dedicated. Anna was hardworking and attentive while Lisa is quite the opposite as she is clumsy but charming, so it amused her for a bit.