"How much longer are you two going to take?" Sammy called out from the corridor, clearly frustrated. "We're already late!"
"Just wait a bit more," Talia shouted back. "We're almost ready."
"You've been saying that for the past half hour," I said, also getting impatient. I checked the time again. We had been given less than an hour to prepare for a formal summons to the royal palace.
Finally, Talia and Amanda came out of their rooms. Both looked beautiful in formal clothes—Talia in a deep blue dress and Amanda in silver. In that moment, looking at Amanda, something felt different about her, though I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was.
"You both look great. Now let's hurry before we're late," I said, and we rushed downstairs.
Outside the dormitory, a fancy carriage with the royal family's emblem was waiting. A servant in formal clothes bowed to us and gestured for us to get in. As the carriage started moving toward the palace, I felt nervous. What could the king and queen possibly want from us now?
When we got out of the carriage, I couldn't help but stare.
The palace was enormous. Its walls were covered with beautiful carvings that told stories of battles, kings and queens, and magical beings. Each carved panel seemed to hold its own history.
Golden domes rose above the palace like huge suns, so shiny and bright that I had to squint when I looked at them. Each dome had a lotus-shaped decoration on top—a symbol of purity. Below the domes, stone balconies stuck out with railings that looked like they were made from delicate silver thread designs.
The main doors were made of thick wood and bronze, carved with pictures of vines and magical beasts. When they opened, I saw long hallways filled with white stone pillars. The floors were polished so smooth they reflected everything like mirrors.
Even the air felt different here. I could hear soft bells ringing from somewhere, mixed with the sound of fountains, and birds singing in the high corners of the building. It felt like stepping into another world entirely.
A servant led us through many corridors until we reached the royal chambers. King Cedric and Queen Elara were sitting at a large desk, looking at papers. They both looked up when we entered.
The king was a tall man with dark hair that had turned silver at the sides. His eyes were sharp and full of authority. The queen was elegant and graceful, with the kind of presence that made you want to sit up straight and pay attention.
They stood up to greet us. "Welcome," the king said with a warm smile. "I hope your ride here was comfortable. Please, sit down."
We sat in chairs facing the desk. Sammy nudged me hard when he noticed I'd forgotten to bow properly. I quickly did a quick bow, feeling my face turn red.
"Why did you call us here?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
King Cedric looked at his wife for a moment before answering. "We wanted to thank you in person for saving so many lives that night. What you did was very brave. But there's something else we need from you."
He leaned forward. "We need you to tell us everything that happened. Every detail you can remember. Don't leave anything out."
There was a serious tone to his voice that made it clear this was important.
I took a deep breath and started talking. I told them about how Amanda and I noticed nervous guards near the basement during the dance. I described how we saw Koari talking to men in secret. I explained how we followed them down into the basement and found them drawing the summoning circle.
"We tried to stop them," I said, "but they finished the ritual before we could do anything. The demon appeared, and then everything became crazy."
The king and queen listened carefully. When I finished, the king nodded. "Your story matches the reports we received. That is good."
He paused and looked directly at me. "Now I have a question for you. What do you think we should do about this situation? What is the real danger we're facing?"
I hadn't expected such a direct question. I glanced at Talia and Sammy before answering.
"Your Majesty, I think this is just the beginning," I said slowly. "There's something much bigger happening here. Someone is controlling these events for a reason we don't understand yet. And with all respect, I don't think our current defenses are strong enough for what's coming."
The king and queen exchanged a quick look, and I realized they already knew this. They were testing me.
"That is a problem for another time," King Cedric said. Then his expression changed. It became softer, more personal. "But I have another matter I want to discuss. Something more private."
He turned to look directly at Amanda, and I saw her face go white.
"There is someone here in the palace who will not speak to her family," he said slowly. "My daughter. She has been hiding from her mother and father. I would like to see her before you leave. To speak with her."
The room became very quiet.
It took me only a moment to understand what he was saying. Everything suddenly made sense—Amanda's knowledge of the palace, the way she moved so carefully, the grace she had that seemed natural but was also carefully hidden.
"Amanda," I said, feeling shocked, "are you... are you a princess?"
Amanda's face turned bright red. She started shaking a little.
"And do you have an older brother?" Talia added, her voice careful.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Sammy asked, and I could hear the hurt in his voice. "We're your friends. We trusted you."
Amanda stood up quickly, her hands shaking. "It's not that simple! I didn't tell you because I wanted you to be my real friends. I wanted you to like me for who I am, not because I'm a princess. I wanted normal friends. Is that so wrong?"
Queen Elara stood up and walked over to Amanda, putting her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "My dear, we understand. But you are family. You are our daughter. Come—give us a hug that we've been missing."
I watched as Amanda hugged both her parents. Tears ran down her face. It was a real moment, something personal and deep. I looked away, feeling like I was seeing something I shouldn't see.
After a few minutes, King Cedric cleared his throat. "You can eat in the dining hall. We have food prepared for you. Amanda will join you soon."
We left the room quietly and walked through the palace hallways until we reached a big dining room. A long table was filled with different kinds of food. The three of us sat at one end, none of us really hungry. We didn't know what to say to each other.
Amanda came to join us about twenty minutes later. Her eyes were a bit red, but she seemed calm again. As she sat down, I noticed something different about her. She seemed more... royal somehow, even though she was wearing the same clothes.
I decided to break the silence. "So... how should I call you now? Your Highness?"
She gave a small smile. "You call me Amanda. Just Amanda. That hasn't changed. I'm still the same person I was this morning. The only difference is that now you know the truth."
"The truth," Talia said quietly. "And here we've been trying to find traitors and spies in the palace, when we had a princess with us the whole time."
"Which is exactly why I couldn't tell you," Amanda said firmly. "If the people behind this conspiracy knew that a princess was helping to stop them, they would change everything. My value comes from being unknown. I can move through the academy without anyone watching me."
I looked at Amanda then—really looked at her. I understood what she had been doing. She had been helping us while keeping her true identity secret. Not for herself, but for her family and the kingdom.
"Then we keep going as we planned," I said. "As far as everyone else knows, nothing has changed. Amanda is still just a student. But now we know that we can trust her completely—because she's not just our friend, she's the future of the kingdom."
Sammy raised his glass of water like it was wine. "Here's to secrets, surprises, and surprise princesses. May we all survive what comes next."
We laughed, even though everything felt strange and new. We were bound together now in a way that went deeper than just friendship.
As servants cleaned up the tables, Amanda excused herself for a moment. Through the window, I could see her in the garden with her mother. The queen was holding her hand, and they were talking quietly. I could see the love between them, even from far away.
I thought about what it meant to be a princess but pretend to be normal. I thought about the secrets Amanda had been keeping. And I understood that our group of four had just become something much more important.
We weren't just students investigating a problem anymore. We were working to protect the entire kingdom. And Amanda was the heart of it all.
When we got back into the carriage for the ride home, Amanda sat next to me. I reached over and held her hand for just a moment.
"We're with you," I said quietly. "Whatever happens next, we're with you."
She squeezed my hand back. No words were needed. We both knew what was coming.