I Became The Extra King With Seven Wives-Chapter 37: Eleanor and Leilah

Eleanor moved gracefully through the sprawling stone corridors of the royal castle, with the silent Leilah dutifully following in tow. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

She had just parted ways with Lumiel after wandering a bit further through the castle grounds, chatting and speaking quite pleasantly together.

Lumiel was headed toward the grand royal dining hall for lunch. He had warmly invited her to join him, but she had politely declined the offer.

She needed to see her father off before he departed the capital, and Lumiel had thoughtfully left Leilah with her so the masked woman could see him off as well.

He was very sharp. The very moment he heard Eleanor say she treated Leilah like the sister she never had, Lumiel had immediately deduced that Leilah must also be quite close to Gabriel, and would therefore wish to bid him farewell.

"I sincerely hope you are not feeling entirely suffocated here, Leilah?" Eleanor asked, offering a wry, knowing smile to her companion.

"No... I have always worn a mask, even around you and your father," she replied, her voice slightly muffled.

"I am not speaking about the mask," Eleanor chuckled softly. "I mean the sheer pressure of the castle and everything that comes with it. You have dealt with plenty of arrogant nobles while traveling with me and Father, but this entire city is overflowing with them, and the worst of them might be gathered inside this very castle."

Leilah gave a small nod.

"Yes. I truly feel that if I am ever discovered here, I will be immediately killed..." She said.

"No," Eleanor stopped abruptly, grasping Leilah’s gloved hand and looking at her with seriousness. "Nothing will happen to you, Leilah. I will always be here for you. I do not usually enjoy boasting of it, but I am an officially recognized Queen here. I will never let anything happen to you, and since you will remain directly by His Majesty’s side, he will protect you as well."

"Would the King not be the very first person to execute me if he ever learned exactly who I am?" Leilah asked, a dark, humorless laugh escaping her hidden lips.

Eleanor’s expression turned deeply complicated for a long moment.

She honestly could not tell for certain.

Perhaps it was entirely insane of her to purposefully place Leilah directly at Lumiel’s side, but Eleanor possessed a sharp talent for reading and understanding people. And from the very first moment she had spoken with the newly awakened Lumiel, she had immediately sensed something unique about him. He could certainly be ruthlessly cold in his decisions, but there was something else buried beneath that arrogance, a genuine spark that gave her profound hope.

And it was specifically that fragile hope that had driven her to place Leilah within Lumiel’s protective shadow as soon as he had requested her some capable and trustworthy hands.

"He would not," she said quietly, holding Leilah’s gaze through the dark slits of the mask. "And if he ever attempts it, I will immediately drop to my knees and plead for your life. But that will only ever happen if you are discovered, so make sure you wear that mask properly," she added, affectionately flicking the edge of the dark material.

Leilah smiled beneath the obscuring mask.

"I only just met him today, but he honestly gives me a rather good sentiment as well," she admitted.

"You will strictly address him as ’Your Majesty’, Leilah. Is that understood?" Eleanor asked, reverting to a tone of seriousness.

Leilah nodded, highly amused by her friend’s sudden sternness.

Then, after a brief, contemplative pause, she asked the question lingering in her mind. "Do you love him, Ellie?"

Eleanor instantly flushed a brilliant pink upon hearing the blunt question.

"Why are you suddenly asking such a thing?" She deflected.

"Because you seem so entirely happy, and remarkably different whenever you are with him, compared to how you act around other noblemen," Leilah replied simply.

When Leilah had first heard from Eleanor that she was going to be married, Eleanor had coolly explained it was a strictly political marriage; it was supposedly no different than a standard, calculated bargain struck between two wealthy merchants, designed solely to provide mutual benefits for each other.

But Eleanor did not act the same way she usually did when dealing with conniving nobles and greedy merchantsnwhich typically involved deploying a perfectly polite, entirely fake smile and maintaining an untouchably regal, graceful demeanor. Her interactions with Lumiel were entirely different.

It was glaringly obvious to Leilah, who had intimately known Eleanor for so long. Eleanor was clearly flustered whenever she was in Lumiel’s presence, and she openly displayed blushing expressions that Leilah had never seen on her face until today.

Obviously, Eleanor was usually very adept at swiftly composing herself, and she truly believed she was managing to handle Lumiel’s flirtatious attempts quite well. But it was exceedingly rare for her to ever let her carefully crafted mask slip in the first place.

"Y—You truly think so?" Eleanor asked, visibly flustered by Leilah’s observation. She had been entirely unaware of how transparent her reactions were, having honestly believed she was maintaining her usual flawless composure in front of the King.

"Not by much, but you definitely act differently around him," Leilah noted with an amused smile.

"Oh..." Eleanor let out a soft, embarrassed breath, hurriedly tucking a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "I simply think His Majesty is a very good and charming man."

"As long as you are genuinely happy, then I am happy," Leilah replied warmly.

Eleanor glanced up, finally recovering her brilliant, poised smile. "You silly girl. Come, let us go say our proper farewells to our father. Though, given the circumstances, he may be back much sooner than expected."

Leilah nodded silently and followed her down the grand steps.

They soon arrived at the bustling courtyard at the front of the castle, where a heavily guarded royal carriage was already waiting.

Gabriel Goldwyn was standing beside it, watching as the coachman efficiently packed his limited belongings into the rear compartment.

Queen Eliana had personally ordered the carriage prepared immediately for him upon learning of his swift departure.

"You are truly leaving already, Father?" Eleanor called out as they approached.

Gabriel turned around, offering his daughter a broad, loving smile.

"Indeed I am, my dear daughter," he chuckled deeply.

He offered a warm, subtle smile to Leilah as well, though he tactfully refrained from drawing too much attention to the masked woman while standing in the open courtyard.

"When do you believe you will return, Father?" Eleanor asked, gently resting her hands before her.

"I must rapidly travel to meet with several prominent merchants and a few highly influential nobles I know. His Majesty is right; we must aggressively combat the looming threat of famine right now, and I shall begin the necessary preparations immediately," he said.

"Yes, I understand. Please, just be careful on the roads, Father. And His Majesty specifically asked me to ensure you were given this before you departed," she said, carefully handing him a heavily sealed parchment.

It prominently bore the heavy, golden royal seal of the King of Helios.

Gabriel carefully broke the wax, opened the letter, and a wide smile spread across his face as his eyes scanned the elegant script.

It essentially granted him absolute, unquestionable authority over trade within Helios’s borders, and contained strict, royal decrees directed at the local lords of the Kingdom. By simply presenting this seal to any noble, they would be legally forced to immediately cooperate with Gabriel’s logistical demands. Furthermore, there was a highly lucrative section specifically written to entice the foreign merchants, unequivocally promising them vast amounts of gold and exclusive, permanent trade privileges within the Kingdom of Helios in exchange for their swift cooperation.

"His Majesty drafted this entirely on his own...?" Gabriel asked, unable to hide his surprise.

It was flawlessly written without a single grammatical mistake. The sweeping directives were penned with such authority and calculated specificity that the document read just as much as a lethal threat to the nobility as it did a generous request to the merchants.

Eleanor nodded gracefully, though she could not help but peek curiously at the royal decree herself.

Gabriel carefully folded the heavy parchment and securely tucked it into the inner pocket of his coat with an impressed chuckle.

"Lumiel. He is certainly not that timid boy anymore. He has truly, wonderfully grown," he praised.

"Yes, he has, Father," Eleanor smiled.

"I originally offered your hand to him so that you might wisely support and counsel him, Eleanor. But from the looks of this, it seems he may not even need your brilliant advice after all," he noted thoughtfully.

When Gabriel had arrived at the capital and heard the shocking rumors regarding Arges being publicly repudiated by Lumiel, he had initially been deeply horrified. But after personally meeting with Lumiel and speaking with him in the privy chamber, he had quickly deduced that the young King had not dismissed the Commander out of mere, petty anger toward Morgana. Lumiel clearly had something in his mind even if Gabriel did not yet know exactly what it was.

Regardless, following their discussion about how to starve off the impending famine, and now witnessing the efficiency of this royal decree, Gabriel was convinced of Lumiel’s capability to rule.

It was, quite frankly terrifying how completely the First Ritual of Awakening had changed the boy. Gabriel had obviously heard the ancient tales of the Flame’s profound effects, but to shape a king this well?

Eleanor, meanwhile, having heard her father’s passing comment that Lumiel might not even need her advice, visibly sulked just the slightest bit, an incredibly rare display of petulance from the usually perfect lady.

Gabriel instantly caught the subtle reaction and burst into warm, booming laughter.

"But of course, no man in his right mind would ever dare reject the brilliant counsel of my beautiful daughter!" He declared, affectionately pulling at her cheek.

"Father, please..."

Gabriel only laughed harder, his eyes crinkling with profound joy.

"I am simply... satisfied," he said, his tone softening. "I can comfortably leave this capital knowing you have a strong, capable King who will protect you, rather than you constantly having to protect him. Both of you," he added quietly, casting a meaningful glance toward Leilah.

He stepped closer to the silent woman and leaned in slightly, pressing a gentle, fatherly kiss directly against the cold material of her masked cheek.

"Be safe," he said to her, before turning and pressing a loving kiss to Eleanor’s forehead. "Protect each other, and diligently protect our new King," he advised as he finally climbed up into the heavy royal carriage. "If what I have witnessed today is truly the beginning of his reign, then Helios may possess a great future after all."

The coachman cracked the reins, the carriage lurched forward, and the massive horses trampled off down the cobblestone path.

Eleanor gracefully waved her hand in a gentle farewell, while Leilah simply stood in silence, watching until the carriage entirely disappeared past the heavy iron gates.