The day after receiving the letter from Her Majesty the Queen.

Seriana, Oriana-san, and I had finished our preparations and were waiting in the lounge for the castle’s escort to arrive.

Originally, it was supposed to be just Seriana and me, but after yesterday’s discussion, it was decided that Oriana-san would accompany us as well.

She was coming as our support.

Not that Her Majesty or her ladies-in-waiting are bad people—they’re all kind and respectful, and wouldn’t ever berate us or pick at our mistakes—but even so, from Seriana’s perspective, this wasn’t someone she could afford to mess up in front of.

How many times has Seriana met with the Queen now, I wonder?

I think the first time was before the wedding, and Elisha was with her then too, wasn’t she?

Seriana tends to get cautious in situations like these, and after giving it some thought, she requested Oriana-san to accompany her, and Oriana-san agreed—so here we are.

Today, both Seriana and I left our grooming to the mansion’s staff.

They all had very serious looks on their faces, probably because they knew we were going to meet the Queen.

I haven’t met every servant in this house yet, and I’ve only been here a few days, but even so, it’s clear they’re all serious, diligent workers.

They probably always take their duties seriously without slacking off.

But even among them, today they were visibly serious to an unusual degree.

Even though the castle walls are just a few dozen meters away and basically within the neighborhood, the royal family still feels like a whole different world…

I used to get nervous too during the Queen’s healing sessions, though that was more because of the heavily armed ladies standing around rather than her rank.

Even Miles was the same back then…

As I was idly swinging my legs, lost in those thoughts, I locked eyes with Oriana-san who was seated across from me on the sofa.

Her outfit was the same as usual.

She’s the type who’s always ready for anything, never letting her guard down.

Seriana is usually like that too… but she seemed a bit relaxed during the ride to the royal capital.

Maybe she did need some rehabilitation time after all.

“Seria, you seem rather calm today.”

Though she hadn’t said anything after making eye contact, it seems Oriana-san had been watching me.

Even though Seriana couldn’t fully hide her tension, she addressed me in an impressed tone, noting how normal I was acting.

“Hm? Yeah. I’ve gotten used to it by now.”

I’m used to it now, and Her Majesty is used to me as well.

There’s no tense atmosphere during healing sessions anymore, and I can approach them with ease.

The formalities of entering the castle aside, once I’m in front of the Queen, it’s no big deal!

“Seriana is… well, she’ll be fine.”

She turned her gaze from me to Seriana next.

Seriana was sitting up straight, eyes closed, arms crossed.

She was probably trying to sense the situation outside, but normally, she could easily sense the area around the mansion without even closing her eyes.

…She’s just masking her nerves.

Oriana-san must’ve come to the same conclusion, nodding subtly.

“If something is bothering you, you don’t have to hesitate to say it, you know?”

“No, I’m sure once we’re in Her Majesty’s presence, you’ll be able to compose yourself as usual. More importantly, what about the escort? They should be arriving soon…”

“Yes. Soldiers are gathering at the castle gate right now. They should be here in a few minutes.”

“Good. Sera, are you ready?”

“All good.”

As I replied, I placed my foot on the 【Floating Orb】 rolling at my feet and lifted off the ground.

A few minutes passed.

Just as Seriana suddenly stood up, a knock came at the door from the hallway.

“Excuse me. The escort from the castle has arrived.”

◇

“…Ooooh.”

The moment I stepped out of the mansion’s entrance, I saw an extravagant carriage stopped directly in front of us.

And that wasn’t all.

Around the carriage, about ten knights and soldiers stood guard, already dismounted.

There were also a few knights stationed outside the gate.

We’re only traveling a few dozen meters, and yet the security was this intense…

Back when Seriana had just announced her engagement to Liesel, even during her commute to the academy, she had the royal guard escorting her both en route and at school—but this was even more extreme.

Maybe there really is a difference in how a mere count’s daughter and an active duchess are treated, even if both are engaged to the prince.

Well, it could also be because this time the Queen personally invited her… Still, it all feels a bit excessive.

Looking back at the mansion, I saw several figures in the second-floor windows.

Probably the servants.

Spectators, basically.

And it wasn’t just our house.

The lots here are big and the other mansions are far away, so I couldn’t see clearly, but I could tell some people were peeking out of their windows.

These are all high-ranking households, and yet even they seem curious about what’s going on.

I see.

So this is what it’s like when you get summoned by the royal family.

No wonder Miles panicked like that.

“Sera, let’s go.”

“Huh? Oh—coming!”

I was still floating near the entrance when Seriana, standing in front of the carriage, called for me to hurry up.

I’m supposed to board first, after all…

Gotta move fast!

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Sera ・ Blessing ・ 【Hideout】 +1 【Prayer】 【Mira’s Blessing】 【Wind’s Garment】

Blessed Item ・ 【Floating Orb】 +1 【Shadow Sword】 +1 【Scarlet Bee Needle】 【Fairy’s Eye】 【Dragon’s Lung】 【Amber Sword】 【Danrem’s Thread】 【Serpent’s Tail】 【Ankle Bracelet】 【Amber Shield】 【Purple Wings】 【Red Sword】 【Monkey’s Arm】 ・ 3 cards

Seriana ・ 【Area Detection】 ・ 【】 ・ 0 cards

Elena ・ 【】 ・ 【Green Fang】 【Amber Sword】 ・ 4 cards

Alec ・ 【Strong Strike】 ・ 【Red Shield】 【Fierce Horned Trumpet】 ・ 10 cards