I Became The Extra King With Seven Wives-Chapter 36: Angry Morgana

"Lumiel!!"

I turned my gaze toward the really loud, grating voice overflowing with resentment, and saw Morgana exactly as expected.

She was rapidly approaching with furious, stomping strides.

"Morgana, what a displeasure to see you this morning," I said, offering a mocking smile.

"Shut up!"

"Lady Morgana..." Eleanor called out, her tone dropping into a stern warning.

"You shut up as well! I am here to speak directly with him!" She pointed her trembling finger directly at my face, her red eyes blazing with anger.

"And you cannot point at His Majesty like that. He is the King. He is your King. Do I truly need to remind you of that simple fact?" Eleanor replied curtly, standing her ground.

"This pathetic guy, a King?!" Morgana loudly scoffed. "He is already the worst King in the entire history of Helios!"

"Do you hear the treacherous words coming out of your own mouth?" Eleanor stepped forward, her brilliant emerald eyes narrowing dangerously. "You are blatantly speaking to the sovereign King, pointing at him with disrespect. Status or not, you could be executed for such blatant treason."

When Eleanor’s voice dropped into that chillingly cold register that surprised even me, Morgana’s furious expression froze for a brief second. She quickly managed to recover her courage, though her shouting voice noticeably lowered in volume.

"Am I wrong?! He publicly demoted my father! The greatest swordsman in all of Helios—"

"And I also officially called off our engagement," I ruthlessly cut her off, rolling my eyes in exasperation. "For God’s sake, Morgana, I did all of that yesterday, right after you stomped out and dirtied my throne hall with your filthy boots. And you are only just coming to confront me about it today? What exactly have you been doing for an entire day? Mindlessly swinging a wooden sword around your dusty backyard while completely ignoring whatever was happening in the political heart of the Capital? And you truly wish to become a legendary Knight with such a pathetic, ignorant attitude?" I tilted my head slightly, my tone articulated, biting, and highly provocative.

"Shut up! I know exactly what a true Knight is! I have known my entire life, but you have never been fit to be a King! Otherwise, you never would have done something so foolish!" She violently retorted, swinging her arm in frustration.

"I called off our engagement simply because I do not like you, Morgana," I replied coldly.

"I do not care about—"

"You or your abhorrent lack of dressing," I continued over her, my face twisting into visible disgust as I slowly swept my gaze from her messy head down to her muddy boots. "That tangled hair does not even look as though it has been washed for at least a week. You are reeking of stale sweat. You are currently dressed in such a vulgar, filthy tunic that even the lowest commoner would never dare to wear it in the presence of true nobles, yet you are shamelessly wearing it right in front of your King without the slightest hint of embarrassment. And following all of that, you actually dare to speak to me of what it means to be a Knight? You possess nothing becoming of a true Knight. You are merely a foolish little girl playing pretend. Your crude, clipped speech, addressing me in the exact same disrespectful manner you would address a drunken commoner, says more about your true nature than anything else." I finished my tirade with a look of contempt.

When my harsh words finally ended, she fell into a stunned, absolute silence.

Her entire face was burning a brilliant red, a mix of shame, anger, and humiliation.

Even Eleanor shot me a slightly awkward, sideways glance, clearly thinking I had perhaps gone just a bit too far with my verbal evisceration.

"I called off the engagement," I said again, finally recovering my cold smile, "because you are nothing but a mindless brute with bulging muscles stuffed everywhere, including inside that thick, scarlet-red head of yours, Morgana."

After a long, breathless moment, her glare buried directly into my eyes, brimming with hatred. She had never once shown me true hatred before, but she was certainly showing it right now.

"I do not give a single damn about that stupid engagement!"

"You call the engagement formally decided by my late father, stupid?" I asked, dangerously narrowing my golden eyes.

She ground her teeth together audibly.

"I—I did not even want to marry you to begin with!"

"Yet you willingly stood in that grand hall exactly a week ago, looking entirely smug and perfectly dressed," I raised a mocking brow.

"I only did it because the King explicitly asked it of me!"

"You did it solely for your own smug, pathetic vanity, foolishly thinking it would instantly grant you power and untouchable status. You did it to conveniently avoid annoying marriage proposals from lesser houses. My father’s honor and his royal command only came last in your selfish self-centered mind," I retorted.

"Your Majesty..."

I stopped Eleanor from intervening further, simply raising my hand while keeping my hard stare locked entirely on Morgana.

"You are the worst... I never wanted to be married to anyone, least of all a pathetic, weak guy like you! And you cowardly punish me for trying to make you stronger years ago by maliciously attacking my father?!"

"I generously gave your overworked father a much-needed vacation. He should be deeply grateful for the rest," I shrugged dismissively.

"Shut up! You are a despicable liar and a hypocrite!"

"A liar and a hypocrite? Are you certain you even know the true significations of those complex words, Morgana? While my sister and Cynthia were actually busy learning logic and vocabulary, you were busy wasting time mindlessly swinging whatever dirty branch you found on the ground. So, I suppose it is not entirely surprising that you are lacking several vital neurons up here, struggling to connect basic words to their actual meanings," I said, condescendingly tapping my index and middle fingers against my temple.

Her face flushed a furious purple as she stomped toward me with aggressive steps.

I honestly wondered if she was foolish enough to actually try and hit me, or perhaps attempt to slap me right across the face.

But at that exact moment, a swift figure clothed entirely in black seamlessly stepped directly in front of me.

Leilah.

She had remained completely silent until now, merely observing the escalating argument from behind, but she had instantly intervened the second Morgana moved aggressively.

I was surprised.

I don’t think Eleanor asked her to intervene so it might have bene in her own volition.

Morgana clearly was as well. She halted her steps, having no idea who this mysterious, masked figure was.

But then, she loudly snorted in sheer disgust, glaring past the masked woman to look at me.

"Always hiding behind other people. That pathetic trait has not changed at all, has it?"

"Sweet Leilah, thank you for your vigilance," I said with an appreciative smile.

She offered a brief, silent nod and stepped back away, giving us space once more.

I looked back at Morgana and let out a long sigh.

"Morgana, Morgana. The more I am forced to speak with you," I said, completely erasing the mocking smile from my face as my expression turned dead and cold. "The more I feel pity, sorrow, and bitter lament over the tragic death of Arges’s beloved wife. All that sacrifice, merely to give birth to a brainless woman who possesses neither her father’s legendary strength nor her mother’s supposed intelligence. You are nothing but a pretty, hollow face wearing a beggar’s filthy clothes."

Morgana shot forward like a fired arrow, grasping the front of my pristine shirt. Her knuckles turned white as she clenched the fine fabric into tight fists, glaring up at me with something transcending anger.

"Morgana!" Eleanor shouted right after alarmed.

Morgana instantly snapped her hateful, bloodshot gaze toward Eleanor.

"You are just a—"

"No, no," I interrupted, immediately grasping her wrist in my hand and twisting it backward.

"Ugh!" She squeaked, a sharp gasp of pain escaping her lips as her grip instantly broke.

"You will never speak to, or aggressively address, my Queen and Wife," I said in a dangerously calm voice before finally releasing her throbbing wrist. "Least of all while giving her such a displeasing gaze."

Morgana stumbled a step back, instinctively cradling her bruised wrist against her chest as she continued to glare at me with watery eyes.

"You possess no rank or status to speak to her this informally. I stripped your father of his position as Commander of the Royal Guard, and you are no longer recognized as my Queen-Wife. Or did your tiny brain already manage to forget that simple fact, Morgana?" I asked coldly.

Morgana’s bottom lip trembled violently, and I could clearly see hot, angry tears quickly gathering in the corners of her scarlet red eyes.

"G—Give my father back his rightful title! If you are so angry with me, then fight me!" She shouted.

"Fight you?" I repeated, thoughtfully stroking my chin considering the proposal. "That is quite an interesting idea."

"Y—Your Majesty? You cannot be serious," Eleanor gasped, completely speechless.

But I merely smiled.

"Tomorrow when the sun is at its zenith. A simple sword sparring. In the very center of my royal gardens, the exact place we used to frequently spar when we were children," I said. "If you somehow manage to win, I will immediately restore Arges’s commanding title, and I will even formally reinstate you as my Queen-Wife."

She scoffed at me loudly before aggressively turning on her heel and marching away down the corridor.

I calmly watched her retreating back, noting the way she wiped at her eyes as she ran off.

"Your Majesty..." Eleanor called my name again, her voice tinged with concern.

"What is it, Eleanor?" I asked, turning a soft, charming smile back toward her.

"That was..."

"Are you truly feeling pity for Morgana? Have you ever even spoken to her before today?" I asked, raising a curious brow.

"I have, but... speaking of her dead mother in such a manner..." She trailed off, looking deeply uncomfortable with my words.

"She spoke of my late father, and so I spoke of her mother, Eleanor. There is nothing wrong with that fair exchange, except for the glaring fact that she never should have even opened her mouth to speak against me to begin with. Yet, I generously let her go without any physical punishment, and I even offered her a highly favorable arrangement to win back exactly what she lost. Do you not think that is incredibly fair of me?" I asked her.

She looked surprised upon hearing it phrased that way.

"When you put it like that... yes, Your Majesty. But Lady Morgana is your childhood friend, from what I have heard... you have always been very close to her..." She reasoned softly.

"In the distant past, yes, we shared a rather strange relationship. But I am the King now. I simply cannot afford to endlessly hold onto petty, old emotions. Yesterday, I specifically declared that I wanted to wipe the slate entirely clean to all of you. Do you remember that?" I asked her, holding her gaze.

"Yes, of course I remember," she nodded.

"I generously gave her a fair chance to prove herself, and she immediately acted in a displeasing and disrespectful way right in front of me. You were standing right there," I reminded her.

"I was, Your Majesty," she conceded with a nod.

"Did my necessary actions truly seem hateful in your eyes, Eleanor?" I asked, gently reaching out my hand to lightly cup her soft, porcelain cheek.

She shook her head slightly, avoiding my direct stare.

"But you still feel she did not entirely deserve that much harshness?" I prompted gently.

She offered a small, hesitant nod.

I smiled at her honesty.

"My dearest Eleanor," I said, gently brushing my thumb across her delicate cheekbone. "I deeply love you, especially for your loyalty and fairness. But tell me honestly: what exactly do you think Asthenia would have done to Morgana in my stead, if she were currently sitting as the ruling Queen of Helios and such words were directed toward her?"

Eleanor instantly looked away.

I laughed softly before asking again.

"Now tell me, was I truly that harsh?"

"You have been merciful, Your Majesty," she replied quietly.

No matter how brutally harsh my stinging words had been, I had definitely shown royal mercy by letting the girl walk away.

"I deeply apologize for—"

She started immediately, clearly attempting to apologize for her perhaps too-narrow vision of the harsh political reality.

"Do not," I stopped her instantly, gently pressing my index finger against her soft lips to silence her. "I wish for you to always stay exactly as you are. My kindest, most beautifully wise Queen."

She blushed a shade of crimson and gave an obedient nod. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

I finally stepped back, giving her space, and turned my full attention back toward the silent Leilah.

"Well, you have already shown quite a bit of promising loyalty, Leilah. I will officially accept you as my personal bodyguard, and I will not force you to remove your mask. You have my word as your King," I said to her.

She respectfully bowed her head, and even beneath the rigid, expressionless mask, I could distinctly tell she was grateful for the concession.

Eleanor smiled brightly as well, looking thoroughly contented upon hearing my final decision.

Was she not just really cute when she smiled like that?