Reaching our room at the end of the hall, Mia carefully unlocked the door and pushed it open for us to inspect.

I entered first, followed closely by Eleanor and Leilah. Oliver and Mia trailed behind us as well, sweeping the modest space just in case some rogue or weirdo had decided to hide inside.

The room was exactly what one would expect from a humble inn in a town like Solmire. The decor was entirely bland, and the faded, chipped paint on the walls and ceiling clearly showed the building’s age. Still, at the very least, it was clean and appeared relatively well-maintained.

The single bed tucked into the corner was perfectly sized for two, though Leilah was also accompanying us.

I cast a brief glance toward the wide sofa situated across the room.

"I hope you will not be too upset if I ask you to sleep on the sofa, Leilah?" I asked.

She immediately shook her head in silent compliance.

I smiled. I was a gentleman, certainly, but I was also the King. Besides, I fully intended to share the bed with Eleanor, though strictly for resting, of course.

"T—Then I will—" Eleanor began, her eyes darting around the small room as she scrambled to find an excuse to sleep anywhere else.

"You will share the bed with me, Eleanor," I said, cutting her off.

I shot her a playful smile as she shifted nervously under my gaze.

"There is no need to be this agitated, Eleanor. We will simply be sharing the bed, there is plenty of space for both of us to sleep comfortably. Or... did you have something else in mind?" I teased.

"I—I most certainly did not, Your Majesty! I was simply worrying about your comfort," she replied hastily, lying through her cute lips purely out of embarrassment.

Just as I had hoped, this journey was revealing entirely new sides of Eleanor, all of them cute, which only made me fall deeper in love with her.

"Well, Oliver, Mia, I am counting on both of you to keep a strict watch over us tonight. We never know what might happen in the dark," I told them.

They both nodded, placing a fist over their hearts in unison.

"You can count on us, Your Majesty," they said before quietly stepping out and closing the door behind them.

"Drat. We seem to have forgotten to bring our cases up," I muttered, realizing our spare clothes and personal effects were still down with the carriages.

"I will retrieve them," Leilah said, standing up immediately from the sofa she had just sat down on.

"It is much appreciated," I nodded.

As she slipped out of the room, I began unbuckling the leather belt that secured Hyperion to my hip. I had wrapped the notoriously flashy scabbard in a plain white cloth to avoid drawing unwanted attention on the road. With any luck, I would not need to use it tonight.

Looking up, I noticed Eleanor staring fixedly at the wrapped blade. I smiled.

"Would you like to take a closer look?" I asked her.

"May I?" She asked hesitantly.

"Of course you can. You are my wife, Eleanor," I chuckled softly.

She approached the sword hesitantly.

"Be careful not to unsheathe the blade," I warned her gently as I held the weapon out horizontally. I knew the sword’s overwhelming power all too well; even before my awakening, merely attempting to wield it years ago had caused me to faint outright.

Hearing my warning, Eleanor’s fingers hesitated for a fraction of a second before she lightly touched the wrapped scabbard.

"It is warm..." She said in surprise.

Holding the flat of the blade securely in my palms, I allowed her to examine it. She nervously extended both hands to take the full weight of the legendary weapon. The moment the weight transferred, I saw an immediate strain cross her delicate features. Before the sword could drag her arms down, I quickly placed my hands securely over hers, supporting the sword.

Now, she was holding the blade in her own hands, anchored by mine.

"It is...heavy, Your Majesty," she breathed, staring down at it in astonishment. "Have you truly been carrying this the entire time?"

"Always. I can bear its weight now that I have awakened. I am the Guardian of the Flame, after all," I said smiling, meeting her gaze.

Eleanor nodded, staring down at the wrapped blade.

"The legendary sword wielded by Queen Apollina..." She muttered, her voice tinged with disbelief but also awe. "The old legends claim that the Sun God Helios himself gifted it to her."

I nodded in agreement.

"Considering how truly extraordinary this blade is, I would not be surprised if the tales were true," I replied.

In the Game of course the Gods didn’t appear and I didn’t know either if they existed but taking the fact that I had literally knew I was inside a Videogame now, it was hard to dismiss it entirely.

If this world was really a game...

I should have asked Apollina about it honestly but I was so taken off guard by her sudden appearance that I didn’t even think about these obvious questions to ask.

Truthfully, I had countless questions for Apollina, I hoped to voice during my second ritual. My curiosity regarding my ancestor, the buried history of Helios, and the truths of this world, well...they were a lot of questions to ask. Now that the crown sat upon my head, that thirst for knowledge had only amplified. It was maybe a desire to truly understand my Kingdom, its rich culture, and the real history that shaped it.

As I smiled down at the legendary steel, I felt Eleanor’s gaze upon me. When I raised my eyes to meet hers, she quickly averted her face, a dusting of pink crossing her cheeks in embarrassment.

Chuckling softly, I gently took Hyperion back from her trembling hands.

"You are a daughter of Helios. It is only natural that you would be captivated by such a relic," I said.

Eleanor nodded, a soft, wistful smile gracing her lips.

"Helios will always be my homeland. My dear mother used to tell me countless stories of its past," she said, her expression softening with fond nostalgia.

"I am glad to hear that my Queen remains so faithful to my Kingdom," I chuckled lightly.

"I am faithful to Helios, just as I am... faithful to Your Majesty," she replied, raising her emerald gaze to meet mine.

My lips parted slightly as I lost myself for a moment in the depths of those green eyes. Slowly, I reached out, gently cupping her warm cheek with my hand.

"My dear Eleanor, I truly wonder what great deeds I must have accomplished in a past life to be rewarded with a wife so wonderfully loyal, intelligent, and beautiful," I said.

Perhaps beating half to death the scumbags who abused their own wives and children in my previous life had earned me some excellent karmic blessings after all.

Eleanor simply smiled, leaning ever so slightly into my touch.

"You are overestimating my worth, Your Majesty," she whispered humbly.

"I do not think so at all," I replied. "Tell me honestly, Eleanor, where do you believe you stand among my other wives overall?"

"That is a dangerous trap of a question, Your Majesty," she answered with a delicate laugh.

It was a dangerous question, indeed.

I chuckled warmly. "No one else will ever hear your answer, and I swear I shall not utter a word of it to anyone. Go ahead. Be perfectly honest with me."

She hesitated, pondering the question before answering carefully.

"I suppose, taking into account the resources and immense wealth my father provides—"

"I am not asking about gold or military resources, Eleanor. I am asking about you, personally. Where do you believe you rank among my seven Queens?" I asked, rephrasing the question.

"T—That is..." She trailed off, visibly unsure of how to answer. She was an inherently kind woman who despised the idea of arbitrarily ranking others, yet I was demanding she do exactly that.

"I believe... currently, Lady Asthenia holds the most importance to Your Majesty," she finally submitted.

It was a subtle answer. By naming Asthenia first, Eleanor was quietly implying that she considered herself second in importance, a self-assessment that was remarkably accurate, yet entirely devoid of arrogance.

She was absolutely right.

Currently as she said, Diana’s precarious status as a runaway princess offered me no practical political use. Morgana was a lost cause, entirely out of the picture right now. As for Ravenna, if she ever chose to serve me faithfully, her standing could drastically change, but for now, she was far too unpredictable. Cynthia was personally comforting to have around, but strategically, her value was limited, even if she shared the royal bloodline. And lastly, there was Dorothy, whose very presence as my wife remained a mystery to Eleanor.

Therefore, Eleanor’s internal ranking was flawless. Placing herself squarely beneath Asthenia was the only logical conclusion, because Asthenia was, quite frankly, extraordinary.

It mattered zero whether Asthenia loved me or not; in terms of capability, political acumen, and intelligence, the Solaris heiress was terrifyingly close to perfection.