I Became The Extra King With Seven Wives

Meanwhile, back in the Capital of Helios...

Three days had passed since Lumiel departed for his so-called ’honeymoon’ alongside Eleanor and their royal guards. His sudden departure had caused quite an uproar within the castle walls, a very silent, simmering uproar, of course, filled with hushed disagreements.

Even the nobles who supported the new Lumiel found his actions to be reckless. Yet, despite their reservations, they all kept their mouths strictly shut, especially within the dangerous confines of the royal castle.

Though Lumiel was absent, the Queen and especially her daughter, Princess Lenora, were not about to let any insults toward him slide. In Lenora’s case, this loyalty was nothing new; it had been her reality long before Lumiel’s recent transformation. Since childhood, she had dedicated herself to protecting her brother from the curt remarks of the court.

Now, in her brother’s absence, and with her mother entirely occupied with the Kingdom’s broader affairs, Lenora had taken full charge of the castle’s internal management. In this domain, she was assisted by Sigor Reus.

She had to admit, the man was competent. He possessed an uncanny ability to gather court gossip and extract sensitive information with ease. It was actually frightening to witness just how efficient he could be. As expected, she could only praise Eleanor for getting someone like him and bringing him into the castle to serve Lumiel.

"They have grown quite quiet, haven’t they?" Lenora said, sitting comfortably in her plush chair with her legs elegantly crossed. She was currently holding court inside her personal study room.

Standing respectfully before her was Sigor Reus.

"They are simply terrified of His Majesty, Your Highness," Sigor chuckled. "After His Majesty fired the Lord Steward and threw him into the dungeons for his disrespect, everyone has been very careful to hold their tongues."

Starting with Morgana’s duel and Lumiel’s warning after it, what Lumiel did to the Steward was clearly the real warning message to anyone thinking he was just a weak boy.

"I am not surprised by my brother’s swift punishment, but that leaves us with a vacancy. We will need to find a trustworthy new steward," Lenora pondered.

"I may have some excellent candidates in mind, Your Highness," Sigor offered eagerly.

"Oh? You do?" Lenora asked, a deceptive, sweet smile forming on her lips.

"Indeed," Sigor smirked proudly, puffing out his chest slightly. "I have put in a great deal of work and can say for certain who is trustworthy and who is not."

"I see. And I, a Royal Princess, am simply supposed to trust you, Lord Gossiper of Gardenia? I am supposed to blindly follow your counsel and allow you to choose the very Steward who will manage the security and affairs of my castle?" Lenora asked tilting her head.

Sigor’s proud smirk instantly froze. "O—Of course not..." He replied awkwardly, shifting on his feet. It appeared he had gotten a bit too full of himself.

"Make a list of your candidates. I will conduct the investigations and make the final decision myself," Lenora said.

"As you wish, Your Highness," he conceded respectfully. He placed a hand over his heart and offered a deep bow before turning around, ready to take his leave.

"You are reeking of alcohol."

Lenora’s blunt remark from behind made him freeze mid-step.

"I... I only had two small drinks this morning," he mumbled apologetically.

"Two drinks? In the morning?" Lenora raised a perfectly sculpted brow. "You are certainly a wonder of specimen, Sigor."

Sigor’s expression turned sheepish. Letting out a tired sigh, Lenora waved her hand dismissively, silently ordering him to leave.

As the doors opened, Regina was revealed standing dutifully outside in the corridor.

Usually she would keep her previous maids like Anna besides her without care but after Lumiel’s warning to her, how they had to be careful and wary of everything, she chose to follow his example.

Of course the fact that it was Regina whose target of her loyalty was still unknown also played a part but until she found a trustworthy maid, she would keep all of them outside during important meetings like this.

"Your Highness, Lady Queen Cynthia has arrived," Regina said.

"Hm, let her enter," Lenora nodded.

Cynthia glided into the room, and Regina promptly pulled the door shut behind her. Stepping inside, Cynthia raised a playful brow at the Princess.

"Keeping your poor maid waiting outside in the hall? Aren’t you a bit mean, Lenora?" Cynthia teased lightly.

"Well, she is my maid for now. I can do whatever I please with her," Lenora replied with a shrug.

"Lumiel has quite a soft spot for her, does he not?" Cynthia said.

"And so what if he does, Cynthia? My dear brother may possess brilliant, cunning plans, and he might be far too smart to get tricked by women now, but he has also become far too much of a philanderer. It is my strict duty as his sister to make sure these women thoroughly understand their positions," Lenora said with a light scoff.

"What a wonderfully sweet sister you are," Cynthia chuckled, as she took a seat on the couch besides.

"I am," Lenora nodded with a confident smile.

Cynthia paused, her expression shifting into one of hesitation before she finally spoke.

"Then... did Lumiel send any letters regarding how he is doing?" She asked softly.

Lenora let out an exasperated sigh.

"If you were truly that worried, you should have seen him off yourself and personally asked him to send you letters, Cynthia," she replied.

"I... I just..." Cynthia’s face fell, ridden with guilt. "I could not face him after what happened."

"What happened? My brother simply told you to remain silent if you were only going to speak lies. That is all there is to it," Lenora said calmly.

"Y—You know it is not just that," Cynthia replied nervously. "I never wanted to lie to Lumiel, but I ended up showing my true feelings anyway..."

"Showing what, exactly? That you find this sudden marriage to a man you have always considered a brother to be really awkward? Or that you actually love someone else?" Lenora asked, her gaze sharp.

"Y—You think he knows?" Cynthia asked, a sudden wave of panic washing over her.

"Well, it certainly seems like he is suspicious. But I do not believe my brother thinks your relationship with Alan was anything deep or serious," Lenora observed thoughtfully.

She was quite certain Lumiel simply assumed Cynthia’s reaction was purely platonic, the normal, expected apprehension of two people who had been suddenly thrust into an engagement without any prior romantic interactions.

Seeing Cynthia physically sigh in relief, Lenora could not help but sigh as well.

"Listen to me, Cynthia. I believe you should just be honest with my brother. Ever since our father’s death and his subsequent awakening, he has become exceedingly uptight regarding matters of trust. You are clearly one of the very few people he trusts at hundred percent, and you just showed blatant signs of hiding something important from him. Of course he was upset," Lenora explained.

Hearing Lenora’s blunt but accurate assessment of Lumiel’s anger, Cynthia’s shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Just tell him the truth about you and Alan," Lenora urged. "Believe me, if you are simply honest with him, he will take the news much better."

"W—Wouldn’t he be upset?" Cynthia asked, her voice tinged with concern.

"Of course my brother would be upset," Lenora chuckled softly. "He has loved you since you were both children, after all."

"L—Loved me? You mean like family?" Cynthia asked, her eyes widening.

"I do not think so. I know my elder brother perfectly well. True, he only had eyes for Asthenia when he was younger, but that was simply because he took you for granted. He always assumed you would remain by his side forever. He never truly realized how deeply he felt for you until recently, though he tried to hide it. However, after his awakening, and once your engagement became official, I suppose he no longer felt the need to conceal his feelings. He has certainly grown much bolder."

"B—But I..." Cynthia trailed off, lost for words.

She had always considered Lumiel as her family. She had never seen him as anything more than a cute little brother she had to protect.

"As I said, he might be upset by your confession, but he will not hold it against you. He loves you far too much for that. He will likely understand, grant you all the time and space you require, and perhaps become even more considerate toward you. Besides, recently his attention has been entirely on Eleanor. With how you upset him before he left, his romantic feelings toward you might have already vanished, so do not fret over it," Lenora said with a smirk.

"W—What...?" Cynthia blurted out, bewildered.

"What is the matter? Is that not exactly what you wished for?" Lenora asked, raising a brow.

"Y—Yes... but I do not want to lose my bond with Lumiel. He is important to me," Cynthia replied, her tone turning dead serious.

"You won’t lose him," Lenora chuckled, amused by her panic. "But at the very least, he will stop trying to flirt with you the way he currently does with every woman in the castle, sometimes without even realizing it. That is what you truly want, is it not? I know his advances would only make you feel awkward."

"Right..." Cynthia nodded slowly.

Silence filled the room as Cynthia tightly clenched her fists resting on her lap.

"When Lumiel returns to the capital, I will tell him the truth..." She declared, finally making the difficult decision to be completely honest with him.

Regardless of her past feelings, she was now legally his wife. She could not simply continue to burden herself with the weight of such a secret. It was time for her to turn over a new leaf.