I Became The Extra King With Seven Wives

Chapter 70: Thoughtful Lumiel

A couple of hours had passed since we set out on our journey.

No matter how comfortable the benches of the carriage were, the cramped, enclosed space was beginning to take quite a toll on me. It was not physical exhaustion, of course, I was far from being that frail. Rather, it was a creeping mental fatigue born of sheer idleness. There was simply nothing else to do within these wooden walls.

I had my beautiful wife sitting right across from me, but I refrained from making the atmosphere uncomfortable. With Leilah seated so closely beside her, Eleanor would feel awkward if I started flirting with her the way I truly wanted to. Thus, I chose to remain silent. Yet, the main reason behind my quiet demeanor was the storm of restlessness brewing in my head.

I had left the capital and my family in remarkably capable hands. Of that, I was hundred percent certain. Arges was already an unparalleled powerhouse; even if taken completely by surprise, he was an unbreachable wall protecting the royal bloodline. Now that I had explicitly warned him of the imminent danger, his defenses would be more impenetrable than ever before. Moreover, he had already sent Morgana away, meaning there was nothing left holding him back or dividing his focus.

It was a reassuring thought. I could not have felt more secure than with Arges standing guard over my home. And yet, despite that logical certainty, a deep, gnawing unease still lingered in my chest.

I knew exactly what was destined to happen, after all. According to the original timeline, almost everyone I cared for was fated to die. Putting aside the tragic fates of my mother and Lenora, who died months later, my thoughts drifted to Asthenia. If I remembered the Game correctly, she was supposed to die very early on, entirely unable to escape the Black Sun’s clutches immediately following my own scripted death.

Naturally, I found myself deeply worried about her. She was my childhood crush, my first love, and the embodiment of my image of a perfect Queen. She encapsulated everything a Queen should be, making her quite special to me, regardless of how coldly she had treated me in the past for my weaknesses.

In truth, though she had been harsh, she had been entirely justified in feeling disgusted by my former frailty. Besides, she was only a child back then; I could hardly blame her for her disappointment. She might still harbor similar sentiments about me even now, but she would never voice them aloud. That was exactly the kind of person she was. Bound by flawless etiquette, she would never breach the decorum of the court, no matter how frustrated she felt though she did briefly by sitting on that throne belonging to Diana. She could be furious or deeply upset, but she would never resort to the direct, biting insults Morgana favored, simply because I was still the reigning King of her beloved nation.

That devotion was an aspect I truly loved about Asthenia, just as I deeply loved Helios itself. Given how thoroughly my father had ingrained the Pride of the Sun into my very soul, teaching me the sacred responsibilities of the King, the Guardian of the Flame, and the legacy of our ancestors, it was impossible for me not to feel a patriotic devotion to our Kingdom. And Asthenia embodied that same radiant pride perfectly.

Perhaps that shared devotion explained why, ever since my awakening, I felt an even deeper surge of affection toward her.

Regardless of my feelings, the reality remained: Asthenia was among the very first to fall in the original story. I strongly suspected the Black Sun had targeted her to quickly apply unbearable pressure on Duke Solaris. By killing his daughter, they likely hoped to force the Duke into making fatal tactical errors. Or perhaps they had initially used her as a hostage, demanding he surrender the southern territories, and simply executed her when he inevitably refused.

Knowing Duke Solaris, he would have denied their demands, even with his beloved daughter’s life resting on the executioner’s block. And knowing Asthenia, she would not have been the slightest bit upset by his choice. She would have gladly offered up her own life if it meant giving her father the chance to fight back and reclaim Helios.

Yes, they were exactly that kind of people. And their selfless loyalty was precisely why I refused to let either of them die.

Perhaps I was simply worrying for nothing.

It was highly unlikely they would attempt a full-scale assault on the Capital in my absence without first confirming, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I was either dead or captured.

At this very moment, their main focus would be preparing to strike at me directly. If they managed to track our movements, their first assassination attempt would happen right now, during this very journey though it might be difficult.

After all, the exact destination of this trip was a closely guarded secret. Aside from my mother, my sister, and Arges back at the castle, no one else knew where we were heading.

If our enemies attempted to tail us, they would be forced to maintain a significant margin of distance to avoid arousing suspicion on the open road.

Then again, perhaps I was overthinking the situation entirely, and they wouldn’t even risk taking me down in the open wilderness. From their perspective, my sudden, unprotected departure might seem like entirely too much of a golden opportunity. I would expect them to be at least a little wary of walking into a trap. Leaving a powerhouse like Arges behind in the Capital made my exit look almost too good to be true.

I sincerely hoped their paranoia would give them pause, yet simultaneously, I needed to feed their arrogance. I had to give them hope that the situation was exactly as it appeared, that I was simply a foolish, impulsive King doing whatever he pleased. Luring them out here was the only way I could prevent their initial attempt to take over the Capital.

My only source of fear was the shadowy figure who had murdered my father by triggering the Aelios Burn.

Initially, I had assumed the assassin was a direct member of the Black Sun. However, the more I analyzed the situation, the less probable that seemed. Nevertheless, that did not rule out the possibility that he was a an ally of the Black Sun, or someone working closely alongside them.

If that individual appeared before me now, I was as good as dead, wasn’t I?

Yet, in the original Game, Lumiel had been assassinated swiftly, a simple blade in the dark or a quick, lethal spell or poison. He had not fallen victim to the Aelios Burn, a curse that took months to drain its victim’s life. Perhaps that difference in methods was something I could find a sliver of relief in.

I highly doubted that killer would come for me here. He likely assumed the Black Sun would finish me off without requiring his direct intervention, assuming, of course, that his ultimate goal was the complete downfall of Helios. After all, what other motive could he possibly have had for killing my father?

Wrapped in these dark, winding thoughts, I scarcely noticed the passage of time. Roughly half an hour later, the gentle rocking of the carriage finally ceased.

"Your Majesty, I believe this might be an ideal spot to stop for dinner before we resume our travel," Alan called out respectfully from the driver’s bench.

Glancing out the window, I realized the sky had already surrendered to pitch darkness; it was indeed time to eat. Even after we broke our fast, it would still take several more hours to reach our destination.

"Go ahead," I said, giving a nod.

At my command, our two elite bodyguards immediately dismounted their steeds and began thoroughly sweeping the surrounding area to secure a safe perimeter. Meanwhile, Alan busied himself with the preparations for our meal, assisted by another servant who was likely one of Eleanor’s trusted people.

I peered briefly outside into the gloom of the wilderness. The carriages had come to a halt near a crossroads, though Alan had wisely pulled us off the main thoroughfare. We were parked in a small, cleared patch of land just off the road, an area that had clearly served as a makeshift campsite for countless travelers before us.

It was not entirely surprising; such convenient, worn-down clearings could be found dotted along every major trade route in the Kingdom.

Once everything was in place and I began to hear the faint sizzling of the fire, I finally stepped down from the carriage.

Normally, we would have remained inside until the meal was fully prepared. It was dark, and staying within the carriage was the safer option. Still, I had already spent more than enough time confined in that cramped space.

I descended slowly and made my way toward the small camp Alan had prepared just off the road. A large pot was already set above the flames, its contents simmering as he worked with quite ease, adding ingredients one after another with surprising deftness.

So, he could cook as well. It seemed Eleanor’s coachman was more versatile than I had expected.

A short distance behind him, I spotted the two bodyguards Arges had assigned to us. They stood slightly apart from the firelight, speaking to each other in low whispers, their expressions serious and alert even in what should have been a simple halt for supper.

It was about time I learned exactly who Arges had chosen to protect us.

I approached them quietly, my steps muffled against the ground. The man noticed me first. He had dark hair, sharp features, and the sort of posture that immediately showed military discipline. The moment his gaze landed on me, he gave a subtle sign to the woman beside him, and both of them turned around at once.

"Your Majesty," they greeted in unison.

"So, would you care to tell me who you are?" I asked with a faint smile.

The man answered first.

"I am Oliver Lawburn, Your Majesty," he said.

Then the woman spoke. She was very pretty, with the same dark black hair and light brown eyes as Oliver, making the resemblance between them obvious.

"Mia Lawburn, Your Majesty," she said.

"Siblings, then?" I asked.

They both nodded.

I stared them for a brief moment, and then my brow rose slightly.

"Wait. Lawburn... from that Viscount House?" I asked, my thoughts already moving ahead. "Your grandfather... he accompanied my grandparents to Radhamantia, did he not?"

At that, Oliver gave a somber nod confirming also what I was thinking.

"Indeed, Your Majesty."

Yes.

That was exactly what I had thought as expected.

Their grandfather had died alongside my grandparents.