I Became The Extra King With Seven Wives

Diana walked alongside Dorothy, their footsteps echoing softly as they made their way toward the dining hall.

They did not seek the grand royal dining hall. That magnificent hall was traditionally reserved for Lumiel to dine alongside the royal family, or closest kin such as Cynthia. Technically, holding the title of Queen granted them every right to take their meals there. Yet, by unspoken agreement, all of the Queens, save for Cynthia avoided the royal hall entirely.

It was an ingrained mark of deference. Custom dictated that one must await a formal invitation from the King or the core royalty to join that high table. Though their titles could have bypassed such formalities, they chose to refrain.

Instead, for the past month, Diana had taken her meals with her sister in an alternate, albeit still splendid, dining hall usually reserved for high-ranking dignitaries. Whether the King was present at court or absent entirely, they were routinely escorted to this secondary hall.

As they strolled the winding corridors toward it, they found Lavenda waiting gracefully in the hallway.

"Finally, sister," Lavenda sighed with a slight smile, though she blinked in surprise upon noticing the figure trailing behind. "Ah, you did not come alone."

"Dorothy was by herself, so I extended an invitation for her to join us," Diana said, offering a smile.

"I see," Lavenda smiled, giving Dorothy an appraising nod. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"It is an honor, Your Highness," Dorothy greeted quickly, her voice tinged with nervous tension.

"There is no need to be so stiff with us. You are a Queen yourself, you know," Lavenda laughed lightly.

"Yes, of course..." Dorothy replied, her smile returning somewhat awkwardly.

"Well, your presence will make the evening far less lonely. Usually, it is just the two of us taking our meal in that vast hall all by ourselves," Lavenda said.

"Um... Do the other Queens not dine there as well?" Dorothy asked, her brow furrowing in puzzlement.

"I suppose they do much the same as you. I have never seen you eat there, so I assume you have been requesting your meals be brought directly to your chambers, correct?" Lavenda asked, tilting her head.

"Um... yes," Dorothy answered, a flush of embarrassment coloring her cheeks. She took no pride in the habit, but her nerves often got the better of her, and the thought of eating entirely alone in such an imposing hall had been too daunting.

"Well, it is likely that Asthenia and Ravenna are also eating in solitude, having their meals delivered just as you do," Lavenda said. "As for Morgana... I do not even know. I doubt she has taken a single meal within the royal castle this past month. Regarding Eleanor, I believe she also requested room service. And Cynthia dines almost exclusively with Princess Lenora. So, at the end of the day, my sister and I always wind up alone in the guest hall." She finished her assessment with a soft, theatrical sigh.

"I see..." Dorothy nodded quietly. It became clear that the relations among the seven Queens were rather distant.

"Mind you, it is not as though we are particularly close to any of the others either," Lavenda added, almost as if reading Dorothy’s thoughts. "As for Asthenia and Ravenna, there is scarcely any need to attempt building a friendship with them, right, sister?"

"You are exaggerating, Lavenda," Diana chastised gently.

"Am I?" Lavenda looked entirely dumbfounded. "Asthenia despises you, and you know it, big sister. Or are you merely pretending to be blind to it?"

Diana chose not to answer, maintaining a dignified silence.

"Morgana is your complete opposite in every way," Lavenda pressed on. "Now, perhaps you might have a chance at befriending Cynthia. In fact, you really should try, sister!" She said, her eyes brightening as if she had just stumbled upon a brilliant political stratagem.

Diana scarcely knew how to respond to such a suggestion. Cynthia was kind and gentle-natured, but she spent the majority of her time in the company of Lenora. And Lenora was Lumiel’s younger sister. Though she rarely displayed it openly, the princess was cast from the exact same mold as the King; she possessed a distaste for being manipulated, or even allowing anyone close enough to attempt it.

The few brief times Diana had spoken with Lenora, the princess had offered only sharp, veiled advice: telling her to be a good Queen and reminding her that she now belonged to the Kingdom of Helios, leaving Gardenia behind.

Yes... Those words had felt far less like polite conversation and much more like a distinct warning. Though maybe it held some sisterly protectiveness, as Lenora smartly believed that Diana could attempt to influence the weak-minded Lumiel of before.

Regardless, because of this, Diana could not help but feel a lingering awkwardness around Cynthia as well. Cynthia was inextricably bound to the core royal family in both blood and loyalty. Diana severely doubted that she, someone currently harboring deep, persistent anxieties about her homeland of Gardenia, would be able to forge a genuine friendship with Cynthia and Lenora without her true motives and fears inevitably leaking out.

After all, both Cynthia and Lenora could be considered Princesses of Helios in both name and loyalty.

"I highly doubt that, Lavy," Diana said, swiftly shutting down her sister’s line of thought.

Directly petitioning King Lumiel for aid in reclaiming their homeland was no longer a viable plan. Lavenda had hoped that using Cynthia as an intermediary might prove fruitful, but Diana had already made her reluctance clear, doubting the wisdom of such an endeavor.

"Well, what of Eleanor, sister?" Lavenda suggested. "She is notably broad-minded, and we did make her acquaintance back in Gardenia."

"Perhaps..." Diana said with a small nod. "But she is His Majesty’s Queen now."

The Queen closest to his heart as of late, she added inwardly.

While Eleanor was indeed open-minded, her rapid, growing closeness to Lumiel gave Diana pause. It was a double-edged sword: Eleanor’s newfound favor made her a daunting figure to approach, yet it also made her the most capable of advocating for their cause to the King.

"Well, does that mean Dorothy is the only one fit to be a proper fellow Queen companion to you, sister?" Lavenda asked with a teasing lilt.

Dorothy’s cheeks flushed crimson at the remark. She would love nothing more than to forge a friendship with Diana, and even the outspoken Lavenda.

"Of course," Diana said, offering Dorothy a reassuring smile.

In truth, Diana wanted to be friends with her as well. The poor girl had lost so much, yet she had miraculously preserved her innate innocence and kindness.

Soon, the trio reached the grand guest hall and took their seats. Because their meal had been requested in advance, a lavish spread was already waiting for them. Though Dorothy was initially gripped by her usual nerves, the concerted efforts of both Diana and Lavenda gradually put her at ease. Before long, she found herself speaking freely, her guarded demeanor melting away to reveal genuine, bright smiles and a truly open heart.

◊◊◊

[Unknown Place in the Capital]

The room was shrouded in heavy darkness, occupied only by a solitary man waiting patiently with his black hood pulled low over his features. It was Roland Kestrel, Chancellor of the Kingdom of Helios by day, but an actual member of the Black Sun organization by night.

After a moment, the door creaked open, admitting a masked figure from the shadows. The mask was pitch-black, adorned with a contrasting emblem of a white-and-black sun.

"Lord Kestrel."

The voice that rang out was muffled and distinctly masculine, clearly altered by some magical or mechanical means.

"Have you located him?" Roland asked.

"We are tracking the King, yes. He is currently at Helianth," the figure replied.

"And do you intend to end him there, or perhaps capture him?" Roland asked, his tone pressing.

"Taking him alive would be the ideal method to draw out his family and his wives later. However, should trouble arise, he will be killed if the situation demands it," the figure replied.

"Why is he still alive and roaming freely, then?" Roland asked, his annoyance flaring. "He is guarded by Arges’s knights. You cannot possibly take him without dispatching a substantial force."

"We are the ones who make that decision, Lord Kestrel," the altered voice snapped, dropping to a sudden, freezing timbre. "Whether the King remains alive or not, the endgame will be dealt with here in the Capital, within the very walls of the castle. I trust you have already set the necessary preparations in motion? The fall of the Capital relies entirely upon securing the Royal Castle first."

"I know," Roland nodded.

He had already set the preparations in motion to seize control of the castle when the time came. However, there was a glaring, unforeseen obstacle: Sienna Rothflame, a dangerously capable woman, had been placed in charge of the castle’s guard.

Even Arges was still wandering around for some reason.

Was that done at Queen Eliana’s request, perhaps? Thankfully he didn’t seem that concerned and he was mostly outside the castle from what he had seen.

Regardless, Sienna’s presence was a complication that Roland had not anticipated, forcing him to be far more subtle with his machinations.

Yet, wasn’t it rather peculiar that Sienna had been summoned at all?

Was it simply because Lumiel had imprisoned the Chief Steward? The very Steward that Roland had installed in the first place. Initially, it had baffled Roland that Lumiel would strike down the very man Roland relied upon to spy on the castle’s inhabitants and its children. But upon learning that the Steward had foolishly bruised Lumiel’s overwhelming ego, Roland somewhat understood Lumiel’ss ruthless retaliation.

The boy’s sudden awakening had proven to be a double-edged sword. Lumiel possessed a massive ego, one that could easily turn against himself, but also against the Black Sun. In this instance, it had certainly burned Roland, costing him his best eyes and ears within the royal stronghold.

Well, no matter. It would be fine.

The grand design was slowly, but surely, taking shape. He would simply need to exercise greater prudence with Sienna prowling the corridors.

"It will be done in time," Roland assured the masked figure.

"Good. Putting aside Lumiel Helios for the moment, the priority is to capture the following alive: the Queen Mother, Princess Lenora, and Lumiel’s Queens currently residing in the capital: Diana Gardenia, Asthenia Solaris, Eleanor Goldwyn, Ravenna Ashcroft, and Cynthia Von Helios. There is also the last Queen, but she is entirely irrelevant," he said, rattling off the high-value targets.

Roland nodded his agreement.

It was quite upsetting that Morgana was no longer present. They had fully intended to use her as a pawn to take down the monster Arges, but they no longer had that luxury.

Still, why in the world had Arges already sent Morgana away from the capital? Was it because she had suffered significant physical and mental trauma at Lumiel’s hands? That was the only logical conclusion Roland could draw, and it was admittedly a solid reason.

"We will rely on you for the next phase," the figure said, turning and vanishing into the darkness, leaving Roland alone in the shadows.

A small smile spread across Roland’s face.

"Soon, the Flame will be ours."