1 Royal Summons

I was the luckiest man alive. No one could convince me otherwise. After all, I was married to the most beautiful woman in the world… and I was going to be a father.

I watched with a smile as Miki raised her coffee to her lips. The way she held the mug gently between her hands – the way her thick tresses framed the contours of her face. Every time I looked at her, I felt as if I were falling in love all over again.

"Haah… This stuff is so good."

She set her mug down and shook her head at me.

"I still don't get how you can drink your coffee black, Gabe."

I laughed.

"Yeah? And I still don't get how you can drink your coffee the way you do. Coffee with milk and cream, you call it. Ha! More like milk and cream with coffee."

"I–"

Miki pouted. For a moment, it looked like she wanted to protest. After she took a quick glance down at the contents of her cup, however, she conceded defeat.

"For the last time, Gabe. It's just better like this!"

I tilted my head, unconvinced.

"Is that so? You know what… I think I'll finally have a taste."

"Hey!"

Miki swiped at the air in a vain attempt to stop me from snatching her cup. After holding it up triumphantly for a few seconds, I took a quick sip. My mouth was greeted by a tirade of sugar and silky cream, and the dark bitterness I was so fond of was almost nowhere to be found.

I grimaced.

"Oh boy. This is… this is really sweet..."

She gave me a withering look, and I flashed her a grin. I knew full well how cheesy my next words would be.

"...Just like you."

Miki made a gagging motion.

"Ugh, that's–"

She reached out her hands and latched onto the cup.

"Give it back already!"

I chuckled as I let go. She pretended to fume as she retreated back into her seat, but the facade was short-lived. Soon, the two of us were laughing at how dumb we both were. How dumb… and how absolutely perfect for each other.

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

"Ah. Lemme check that real quick."

She nodded, and I brought out my phone. The notification bar indicated that I had a new email. I opened the app and saw that it was...

I furrowed my brow.

"What is it, Gabe?"

"The subject line says 'Royal Summons,' and the sender is… undefined? Looks pretty sketch. I wonder why the spam filter didn't get it…"

Or maybe it wasn't spam? It didn't look like the email had an attachment, and I certainly wouldn't be dumb enough to click on any links. Deciding that it was harmless to simply take a look, I tapped the email to open it.

'You are hereby summoned to the court of King Kyros XIV of Arandella. This summons cannot be refused.'

I raised an eyebrow. Those two lines were it. There wasn't anything else in the email.

"What does it say?"

Shrugging, I locked my phone and slipped it back into my pocket.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. It's probably just a prank of some–"

The ringing of a bell cut into my words. As if a light had suddenly been turned off, the entire world went dark. Everything – even my body – was gone. Everything except my consciousness had been replaced with an empty void, and it felt as if my entire being was collapsing in on itself. Just as I began trying to figure out what had happened, my senses came swirling back.

I opened my eyes.

"Welcome… hero."