Chapter 44: A Royal Summons

“Er…”

Sitting outside the reception hall of the royal palace, Allyrose muttered nervously to herself, her mind racing through countless possibilities, her breathing becoming erratic. Though it might sound exaggerated, in reality, it was anything but.

After all, the person she was about to meet was the King—the most powerful individual in the entire kingdom, not merely the capital.

Should she inadvertently offend this formidable figure and be apprehended under some pretext, escaping would be utterly impossible.

His Majesty commanded countless elite mages, none of whom she could hope to contend with in her current state. Even if she could momentarily hold her own with the Holy Light Psionic Sword, being declared a kingdom-wide fugitive would condemn her to a life of ceaseless wandering.

Everything else paled in comparison to such a fate. Allyrose simply couldn’t endure it; her good days were far from over!

So, what exactly had gone wrong? Why would the King suddenly summon her?

After much agonizing thought, Allyrose slowly lifted her head, gazing pitifully at her teacher, Yuna, who stood before her. Her voice trembled slightly as she asked, “Teacher… what trouble have I gotten into for His Majesty to summon me?”

“How should I know? I was just informed by the principal myself.”

Yuna pressed a hand to her forehead in exasperation, already sensing the magnitude of the predicament. Allyrose was, after all, her student, and if anything truly went awry, she would bear a share of the responsibility.

However…

“It’s alright, don’t worry too much. When you face His Majesty, just speak your mind. Don’t be nervous. As the saying goes, ‘A clear conscience fears no knocking at the door!’”

“But…”

Allyrose felt a sudden urge to cry. She had, in fact, done a few things that weighed on her conscience!

Could the King have discovered her dealings with the Demon Lord’s army? No, that shouldn’t be possible… Unless Luo Jia, that white-haired boy, had been too careless when delivering the message and was searched by the city guards?

But that didn’t quite add up either. If he had been searched, he would have told her. If he hadn’t been searched, then how could the King have found out?

Or perhaps…

Was it because of that incident with Arius? Did His Majesty feel that five million gold was far too much and had come specifically to reclaim the gambling debt for his son?

After pondering for a moment, Allyrose found this second possibility surprisingly plausible.

Then, just at that moment, the palace gates slowly swung open.

Yuna and Allyrose immediately rose to their feet. They then watched as a group of attendants, surrounding a lavishly dressed, golden-haired old man, slowly emerged from within the palace.

Observing the red-haired warrior woman beside her drop to one knee in a respectful salute, Allyrose quickly followed suit. In that instant, she understood the identity of the old man before them.

The King—Leo II!

Allyrose searched her memories, then suddenly realized this wasn’t their first encounter. The original owner of her body, as the Saintess, had met the King numerous times under the Church’s arrangements.

However, in those days, Allyrose was merely a puppet of the Church, having little involvement in the interactions between the King and the Archbishop. It wasn’t her place to intervene.

But now, since Allyrose had been stripped of her title as Saintess, this marked their first meeting.

To Allyrose’s surprise, when King Leo saw her, he didn’t display the anger she had imagined. Instead, he smiled kindly at the young girl who had humiliated his second son just two days prior, then playfully remarked, “Miss Saintess, it has been quite some time since we last met!”

“Greetings, Your Majesty… Saintess… No, Your Majesty, your humble servant Allyrose is no longer the Saintess.”

Allyrose sighed, momentarily flustered. To her surprise, upon hearing this, Leo chuckled softly. He then approached Allyrose, waved his sleeve, and said, “Yet, I still believe you, little girl, are more like a Saintess. Haha, rise now. If it pleases you, perhaps you would care to visit my palace for a chat? There are some matters I wish to discuss with you. Just you alone will suffice.”

“Ah…”

Allyrose glanced worriedly at Yuna beside her. After a moment, she nodded, knowing she had no other choice when faced with the King’s request.

****

Following behind the retinue of guards, Allyrose entered the opulent inner chambers of the King, which appeared to be his private resting quarters. The young girl had initially worried about what strange things might transpire, a young woman entering a bedroom with an old man. To her astonishment, upon entering, she immediately saw a graceful, mature beauty with purple hair seated at a council table, her gentle eyes thoughtfully appraising Allyrose.

The girl gasped, instantly recognizing the woman’s identity. It was Queen Ufna!

*Click, click, click…*

Upon seeing the woman described in novels as the kingdom’s most beautiful, a mature lady who, despite being over forty, still possessed an enduring charm, Allyrose froze for several seconds. A moment later, she even felt an urge to call the Queen ‘Mom’ on the spot. *Cough, cough…* If not for the fact that she was standing before the King and Queen, Allyrose would have to be a little more mindful of her actions. She dared not imagine what might happen next.

“You’re finally here, Miss Allyrose. His Majesty and I have been waiting for you for quite some time. Here, please, have a seat.”

Ufna’s every movement exuded a sense of ease and relaxation, allowing Allyrose’s tense nerves to loosen slightly. The black-haired girl nodded and took a seat. King Leo then sat beside the Queen, turning his head to slowly address Allyrose.

“Little girl, there’s no need to be nervous. I have already heard about the incident involving you and my son. Arius, that boy… I have been too lenient in his upbringing; he’s grown accustomed to being arrogant and overbearing. Haha, he needed someone to rein him in! You did very well, and I should be thanking you…”

“Oh… this…”

Allyrose had truly not expected the King’s first words to her to be about this, and she felt a bit unaccustomed to it. Of course, the young girl was still sensible; after all, it was his own son, so he wouldn’t scold him too harshly. At this moment, she certainly couldn’t join in the criticism; instead, she had to cleverly offer a diplomatic defense for him.

“Actually… it was nothing. His Royal Highness Arius can sometimes be a bit too impulsive, but he was only trying to maintain the school’s environment. He was just too eager, ha…”

“Haha, you don’t need to defend him. I didn’t summon you for that reason.”

Leo shook his head. A moment later, Ufna, who was beside him, spoke up for the King, who seemed to be at a loss for words. “We heard… that you, alone, defeated a Calamity-grade Cyclops. Is that true?”