章節 229: [47.2] You've Been Summoned
After a few more days of remaining at his bedside, I heard a knock on the door.
I looked over and watched my mother walk in with the Headmaster behind her. She handed me a letter, "Here."
I took it in confusion, "What is this?"
"Imperial summons."
I turned my chin up to look at her in confusion, "Huh?"
"Read it."
I opened the letter and read the contents quickly.
Most of the words served no purpose other than to be pretentious, but overall the contents read:
"There will be a banquet held in the honor of those affected by the recent events resulting from the Competition for the Throne. This letter seeks to inform you that you have been summoned to the banquet held in those honors by King Henry."
My face curled up, "A summons for a banquet? What does that mean?"
The Headmaster's face grew very dark, "It means the King is telling you to come to the palace and you don't have a choice."
My eyes widened, "He has that power?"
"Technically. But you're my daughter and he can't force you to do anything…" He added in slight irritation, "Although I do recommend going since the King has this uncanny ability to be excruciatingly annoying when he gets ignored."
My mother cut in, "I think you should go, Reika. You need to get some fresh air."
I shook my head decisively, "I can't leave Cyrus. What if he wakes up? I want to be at his side when he does…"
She grabbed me and spoke in an ominous tone, "You seem to have misunderstood. I'm not giving you the option. I am your parent and I am telling you to go."
"But-"
"No buts! Your face is pale and your eyes are bloodshot from lack of sleep! What if you have another insomnia episode?"
My cheeks flushed in embarrassment.
Can we not bring that up ever again?
The Headmaster spoke, "Go. Your mother and I will stay back to ensure nothing happens to him."
I tried to decline, "No, I don't want-"
My mother grabbed me and pulled me into my room, "You're going."
After having a dress thrown on and makeup done, I was sent off to the palace. They dropped me off right at the front of the gates where I was greeted by servants. One spoke, "The King would like to meet with you before you join the rest of the guests at the banquet."
I let out a sigh, "Okay, whatever. I came here for him after all."
Maybe I can run away after we have our little chat.
They led me through the winding hallways that I was convinced were created to confuse intruders.
Once we made it to our destination, the servant opened the door and motioned me inside. I stepped through and saw the King talking to Duke Newman with a serious expression. Their conversation completely ceased as soon as the door was opened.
The King heard me enter and turned to me with a bright grin, "Reika! I'm so glad you came. I was worried you would take after your father and ignore me."
His expression changed from a frown to smiling so quickly that I almost didn't believe he had been in a serious discussion before I arrived.
I opened my mouth to ask about Felix's condition, but I was cut off by Duke Newman, "I will leave you two to discuss things on your own."
He walked past me, giving me a quick glance, and then left the room without hesitation.
My lips pressed together anxiously.
He seems more distant than usual. Does that mean-
No. I can't think like that.
I'm sure Felix is okay.
If he wasn't, then I would have heard about it by now.
I took a deep breath and turned to the King, "May I ask-"
The King suddenly grabbed me and looked into my eyes with a serious expression, "Reika. Stay in the capital for a while."
I blinked in disbelief, "Huh?"
"If any woman comes to give you a blessing, run away immediately."
"A-A blessing?"
What the fuc-
"Beware of anyone who can use the Holy Light." He let me go and smiled brightly, "That's all I had to say. Now please enjoy the party."
I watched him walk away with a happy smile while I stood there in bewilderment.
Is that…
Is that it!?
Did he really summon me here for those few words!?
How am I supposed to interpret that!?
And stay in the Capital??
Where else would I go?
AND WHY COULDN'T HE HAVE JUST SAID THAT IN A LETTER?!
The servant motioned me to follow him which I did begrudgingly. I entered the party already feeling glum and a little bit irritated.
Why would he force me to come here just for that!?
Now I am completely alone at a party that I didn't even want to attend!
I don't even have my comfort people!
My mother, the Headmaster, Zephyr…
Cyrus.
Ugh… I even miss Hazel a little bit.
Who else could I bother?
Honestly, I would even settle for Priscilla right now…
Wait. Could she be here?
Maybe Felix is here too! If Duke Newman was attending, there's a possibility that his family will be here too!
I looked over at the crowd, standing on my tip toes to look for Priscilla or Felix. However, I was quickly disappointed to see that there was no trace of them.
I let out a large sigh.
I'm completely alone.
I am not the kind of person who could start a conversation or even talk to a stranger without feeling incredibly awkward.
I just want to be home…
Maybe I should just find a place to hide?
I let out a sigh and turned to face the crowd. My body froze up when I noticed I was the subject of everyone's gaze.
As soon as my eyes made contact with theirs, they pounced like wolves.
My eyes swirled as they barraged me with questions.
"I heard the Prince is still unconscious. Do you think he will drop out of the competition?"
"Is it true you caused the tunnel collapse with your mana?"
"-Did you come across a Holy light user?"
"How does the Hero of the Desert look? Is she as beautiful as the stories say-"
"-Do they know the culprit!?"
"How many people died?"
"Did you see-"
My stomach felt acidic.
I'm a sideshow act to them.
They don't care about my condition or anyone else.
They just want to gossip.
I forced on a smile, "T-Terribly sorry. I need some fresh air."
I managed to escape the crowd's clutches, but it was obvious they weren't going to let me go that easily.
I managed to give them the slip and jumped behind a large floor-length curtain that had been covering a large window.
I blew out a sigh of relief as I heard them shuffle by while they searched for me.
Looks like they didn't notice me hide behind this curtain.
I turned around to get a better look out of the window and yelped when I saw a woman standing in front of me.
I flushed and averted my gaze, "Oh. Sorry. I was trying to hide."
The woman gave a nod, "Oh. So am I."
I snuck a glance at her face, but I couldn't recognize her.
She had plain features and straight chestnut hair that went past her shoulders. There was no expression on her face, but what stuck out was that her slanted eyes and tight face gave off the impression that she was egotistical and lofty.
She wasn't curious about me and she didn't seem the type who would listen if I complained either.
To sum it all up: She didn't look like she cared much for me.
I cleared my throat feeling a bit uncomfortable, "They wouldn't stop asking me questions, I had to sneak away."
"Mmn."
"...By the way, my name's Reika."
"I'm Rebecca."
I stood there a bit in silence before growing too anxious from the awkwardness, "Why are you hiding?"
Rebecca calmly brought out an entire wine bottle she had been hiding behind her back, "Oh. That's because I'm an alcoholic."
I blinked in confusion as I stared at the bottle she had stolen from the back kitchen.
Rebecca had a very petite figure, but she was extremely tall. She probably could easily be the same height as Goldilocks.
As I was appreciating her height, she slapped the top off of the bottle and gulped down the wine within seconds.
She wiped her mouth, "I needed that."
My mouth dropped open, "That was… Impressive."
She shrugged nonchalantly, "Years of practice, I suppose."
"That's… Huh."
How do I respond to that?!
We both returned to silence. I shifted uncomfortably as she calmly stared at me.
Is she waiting for me to say something?
"May I ask why you are an alcoholic?"
I immediately wanted to bite off my tongue.
That's what I try to say to start a conversation!?
Ugh!
This is precisely why I avoid these situations!!
As I was beating myself up mentally, Rebecca answered me without missing a beat, "Oh. Maybe it's because I watched my entire family and twin sister murdered in front of me, leaving me as an orphan."
I paused.
That's a lot to dump on someone you've just met.
I averted my eyes, "Ah… That's… I'm sorry."
She shrugged, "It is what it is."
I need to reverse this conversation.
I changed the subject, "So why are you here at the banquet?"
"I was living in the village by the Vanishing island and a hurricane destroyed my home."
"..."
This was a mistake.
I should have just endured the crowd.
I lowered my head guiltily, "I'm sorry…"
She scoffed, "It was a crappy shack so it's no problem. Now I have a house in the Capital. It's better than before."
"Then… You're welcome?"
She looked at me with a small expression of confusion, "For what?"
My face deadpanned, "Nothing."
創作者的想法 
Nekoru
Nekoru In this chapter, we see a new character teaching the term "trauma dumping" by using her life as an example.
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