I Became The Extra King With Seven Wives

Chapter 61: Explaining To Lenora

"Perfect timing. Enter, all three of you," I said, gesturing for them to step fully into the room.

"What? Not that highly suspicious, old man you recruited off the streets," Lenora groaned, immediately crossing her arms.

Sigor froze awkwardly at the threshold, clearly unsure of whether to advance or retreat.

"He is not suspicious, Lenora," I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"Oh, please! He is just a drunk old man! The few times I have actually seen him roaming the halls, he is either actively drinking or completely inebriated! Or somehow both at the exact same time!" She said indignantly.

"Did you hear that, Sigor?" I asked, shooting him a highly amused, mocking smirk.

"I—I deeply apologize, Your Highness..." Sigor stuttered, looking even more painfully awkward as he nervously scratched the back of his hair.

I let out a soft laugh and turned my attention back to Bethia.

"Lady Bethia, I require you to follow Lord Sigor here. He will escort you to a specific home. I apologize in advance, as it is located deep within the slum district. I pray that will not pose too great an inconvenience for you?" I asked.

She merely chuckled, shaking her head. "I have practiced my arts in far worse places than the capital slums, Your Majesty. It shall be no trouble at all."

I nodded approvingly. "Excellent. I want you to examine and treat the woman residing there. I suspect she may be suffering from advanced consumption, though I am not entirely certain. Whatever her affliction, I want her fully healed. How long do you estimate such a restoration might take?"

"If it is indeed advanced consumption, perhaps an entire week of continuous treatment, Your Majesty," Bethia replied thoughtfully, calculating the required Essence.

"So be it. I want you to arrive and treat her strictly by noon, and depart well before the evening falls. Try your best not to draw any unwanted attention to your presence. I can assign a royal guard to escort you, if you wish," I offered. "Naturally, you will be offered quest rooms in my castle in the meantime."

"I would greatly appreciate both, Your Majesty," she nodded.

"When you introduce yourself to her, simply tell her that you were sent by a man who deeply admires her motherly resilience," I said, a faint smile curling my lips.

Bethia looked slightly surprised by the instruction, but she quickly nodded and rose from her chair.

"You have the sealed letter I drafted, do you not, Sigor?" I asked, glancing toward him.

"O—Oh, yes, Your Majesty," he replied, hastily reaching into his inner breast pocket to confirm its presence.

"Ensure you hand it directly to Ada. And remind her explicitly that she is to speak no words of this to her daughter," I ordered. "It must remain a complete surprise."

"I shall see it done," he nodded deeply.

With their instructions clear, both Sigor and Bethia swiftly bowed and exited the chambers.

"Come inside, Alice. Do not just hover in the doorway," I prompted, as the young maid was still standing hesitantly at the entrance.

Once she stepped inside and pulled the doors shut, I turned my full attention back to my sister.

"During my upcoming absence, I want Alice to serve as Mother’s personal maid. Consequently, I am assigning Regina to tend to all of your daily needs, Lenora," I said, dropping the sudden reshuffling of staff upon them.

"W—What?!" Lenora gasped, before her expression twitched. "Wait, back up! You are truly leaving on a romantic honeymoon with Eleanor, Brother?! I honestly thought that was just a vile rumor spreading through the court as a joke!"

"A joke? Why in the world would I joke about such a delightful endeavor? I genuinely wish to go on this romantic excursion with Eleanor and thoroughly consummate our wedding night—"

"Stop! I do not want to hear a single detail regarding that!" Lenora shrieked, immediately clapping both hands over her ears, her face burning afurious crimson.

I laughed softly.

"Regardless of my nocturnal activities, I am obviously not taking Regina with me on this trip. Therefore, I am reassigning her as your personal maid," I explained calmly.

"That is not happening! I prefer Alice’s company a hundred times over Regina’s," she protested, shaking her head stubbornly.

"Regina is every bit as efficient and skilled as Alice. Besides, did you not listen to a single word I just said to the Healer? I need Regina physically occupied and entirely out of her own house for the entire day, every day. That is the only way Bethia can sneak into the slums and heal her dying mother in secrecy," I explained, dropping my teasing tone.

"S—So, all of this elaborate plotting was entirely for the sake of Regina’s mother? Do you truly love that maid so much, Brother?" Lenora asked, utterly shocked by the lengths I was willing to go for a servant.

Standing nearby, I could see Alice’s expression clouding even further.

I sighed deeply.

"Why else do you think I am going to such elaborate lengths? Just send Alice to serve Mother, and keep Regina by your side, Lenora. It is only for a few days."

"And I am telling you, I am keeping Alice," she retorted, crossing her arms.

"You are harboring an entirely unjustified hatred toward Regina. You realize that, do you not?" I pointed out.

"It is not hatred! I am simply not the kind of person to ungratefully cast aside a loyal, faithful aide who offered us comfort during our darkest times," she shot back with a pointed glare.

"So, this is truly about Alice and me once again?" I asked.

"Y—Your Majesty, I didn’t..." Alice panicked, stepping forward with wide, fearful eyes.

"Alice, leave us for a moment," I said, cutting her off.

She flinched at the sharp tone, but offered a hasty nod and hurried out the door.

"Alice! Wait!" Lenora cried out, trying to follow her, but I spoke before she could take another step.

"Sit down, sister."

Lenora whipped around to glare at me. "I do not like how you treat Alice at all! I do not care how much you have changed or how powerful you have become—"

"Sit down, sister. I beg of you," I repeated, lowering my gaze and pinching the bridge of my nose to stave off an impending headache.

Hearing the unfeigned exhaustion in my voice, she reluctantly obeyed, sinking back into her chair.

I raised my gaze, offering her a tired smile. "What is it you truly want, Lenora?"

"I want you to start speaking the truth! I simply cannot believe you would throw Alice away like this—"

"I am not throwing Alice away," I interrupted her.

"Then why?!" She asked, maintaining her glare.

"Because Alice is the woman I trust above all others in this world, with our family," I retorted.

Lenora fell entirely silent at that.

"And I need a person of such loyalty watching over my foolish, careless little sister. I love you far too much to leave your safety in the hands of some random maid called Anna," I added shrugging.

At my words, a deep blush rushed to her cheeks, the anger instantly melting away. "Th—Then why not simply tell her that?" She stuttered.

"Because telling her means involving her. She is devoted; she would inevitably thrust herself right into the line of fire, and I refuse to let her be placed in such danger. Setting that aside, I need Regina by my own side right now," I explained with a dismissive shrug.

"W—What about Regina? So there is an ulterior motive involving her?" Lenora asked, her eyes narrowing in sudden suspicion.

"When I call you foolish, I expect you to play the part," I said with a stern gaze.

"I will not play the fool!" She let out. Suddenly standing up, she marched over to me and pinched both of my cheeks with her fingers. "Because I love my stupid, idiot big brother far too much!"

I smiled, gently catching her wrists. With a smooth tug, I pulled her forward until she was seated comfortably upon my lap, softly patting her head.

"It feels as though an eternity has passed since I last held you like this and pampered you," I said.

"Though your old, flabby stomach might have been considerably more comfortable to sit on than all this new, rigid muscle," she replied.

"I explicitly said my lap, not my stomach," I retorted dryly.

"I know," she giggled, resting her head against my shoulder.

I gently stroked her golden hair for a long moment. "You certainly have grown up."

"You have grown much more than I have, big brother," she whispered.

"Definitely so," I smiled, continuing to softly stroke her hair before my tone grew serious once more. "Alright. Listen to me closely."

"I am listening."

"From this moment onward, Nora, things are going to become dangerous. Not just within the walls of our Kingdom, but across the entire continent, and perhaps the whole world. We must remain united," I warned her.

"Then why are you still hiding things from me?" She asked softly, looking up into my eyes.

"Hiding what?"

"This sudden trip with Eleanor. The rest of the court might be foolish enough to believe it is a romantic getaway, but I certainly will not," she replied astutely.

"Keep those doubts to yourself. Just remain safely within the castle, and be exceedingly careful while I am gone," I instructed firmly.

"Do you truly believe this is the appropriate moment to leave the capital, if you are this worried about our safety?" She asked, her brow furrowing with concern.

"I do. I must retrieve certain crucial items, and the opportunity to do so is right now," I explained. "But I will return in only a couple of days. Until then, I need you to keep a very close eye on Mother, on Cynthia, and upon my other wives, if at all possible."

"You are asking entirely too much of me, Brother," she retorted playfully.

"Simply do what you can. You are a Princess of Helios, are you not?" I countered, offering her a smirk.

"Alright, alright," she conceded, smirking back.

"Good. So, you will immediately reassign Alice to Mother. Do not allow Mother to retain her current handmaids; in truth, I do not trust a single soul serving her right now. And in exchange, you will take Regina as your own," I ordered.

"And you trust my personal safety in the hands of Regina?" She asked, raising a highly skeptical brow.

"Regina’s circumstances are uniquely special. I promise you, she will not lay a finger on you. Why else do you think I am moving so much to get her sick mother healed and back on her feet?" I said.

Lenora twisted around in my lap, shooting me an utterly incredulous look.

"The Awakening has turned my big brother into an evil mastermind!"

"Watch your insolent tongue in the presence of your King," I warned, affectionately pinching her cheek.

"S—Shoo, you do not actually love Regina?" She managed to ask around the pinch.

"I love Regina; that much was not a lie. In fact, I love her even more now, knowing the lengths she is willing to go to in order to protect her mother," I said, smiling.

"Then what is it?" Lenora asked, rubbing her cheek as I let go. "What exactly is wrong with Regina?"

"Nothing is wrong with her. Just make certain you do not let her out of your sight for a single moment," I said, my expression hardening into absolute seriousness.

"I am keeping Alice after all!" She said instantly, thoroughly spooked by my sudden shift in tone.

"That is not happening. It is a royal decree, and you are going to obey me," I said.

"You are the worst King in history! Morgana was entirely right about you!" She groaned.

"Would you like me to beat you to a bloody pulp in the courtyard, exactly as I did to Morgana?" I asked, raising a single brow.

"You would never dare hurt me, big brother," she scoffed, rolling her eyes without an ounce of fear.

"I would not," I sighed.

Lenora glanced up at me, a warm, affectionate smile breaking across her face.

"Alright. I will take Regina as my personal maid during your absence," she finally agreed with a nod.

I smiled, gently patting her golden hair once more.

"Good sister."