With Tina and Ellie safely enrolled in the Royal Academy, Allen's troubles seem to be behind him. But his tutoring duties are far from over, and his return to the royal capital brings him face-to-face with old friends and enemies alike. Allen's former classmate and self-proclaimed mistress Lydia Leinster, esteemed as "the Lady of the Sword," is far from happy that Allen won't be joining her in the prestigious ranks of the court sorcerers; Lydia's younger sister Lynne is upset that he has been tutoring her newfound rival Tina; and their mother, the powerful Duchess Leinster, hopes to recruit him into a mysterious new scheme. Allen's own sister isn't thrilled to find him keeping secrets from her either. Meanwhile, the jealous Prince Gerard is still nursing a grudge, and his factions of conservative nobles are less than pleased that a commoner like Allen is educating members of the kingdom's most prestigious families.