At last, Tina and Ellie have made it to the Royal Academy! Three months of trials behind them, they walk into the entrance ceremony with their heads held high. But their success marks the end of Allen’s job. Has the time come for the girls to say goodbye to their private tutor? Not if they can help it! Tina hatches a daring plan to keep him on, whether he likes it or not. Meanwhile, Allen’s return to the royal capital means renewing old acquaintances, and he hasn’t known anyone in the city longer than Lydia Leinster, the Lady of the Sword. The fiery noblewoman has a thing or two to say about her partner’s long absence, not to mention her own ideas about his future career.