"You have made your points, Asthenia," Lenora said after a long moment of silence.

She couldn’t deny much either.

"And I understand all of them, believe me. To be honest, I agree that you would have made a better Queen in every conceivable domain compared to Diana. But what is done is done," she said, fixing Asthenia with a hard, serious stare. "If you truly love your Kingdom, you will contribute to its protection and growth, even if it is only as my brother’s Second Queen."

Asthenia did not answer, merely holding her gaze, so Lenora continued.

"As you pointed out, Helios is in a vulnerable position right now. We may have a little time, but we must make the most of it. You will be heading to Luminar with my brother soon. I believe that journey will be an important opportunity for your growth, but after that, I fear matters will only grow more complicated. We need every capable person by our side," she said.

"I will take that into consideration when His Majesty states what he expects of me," Asthenia replied.

She had no intention of acting independently, only for Lumiel to use her initiative against her later, to control her and keep her in the palm of his hand, precisely as he was already doing with Eleanor, Diana, and Morgana, and a lot of other people.

She was far too proud to let herself be ensnared by him so easily.

Lenora smiled at the response.

She could see exactly what Asthenia was thinking.

Lumiel’s recent changes made him far too unpredictable for Asthenia to act as freely as she once did. She was simply trying to learn how best to position herself.

"My brother may have changed, but I am certain that the regard he has held for you since childhood has not vanished. That is why I know he will still listen to your counsel," Lenora said softly. "Of course, it would be best if you chose to cooperate with him. You are his wife now, after all."

Asthenia merely stared at Lenora in silence before taking a final sip to finish her tea.

Then, she stood up.

"If that is all, Your Highness," she said with a nod, before turning and walking gracefully from the room.

Lenora watched Asthenia leave before letting out a soft sigh.

She picked up her own teacup and took a slow sip.

She wanted to help her brother’s wives find some harmony with him, particularly the most difficult ones to manage like Asthenia and Ravenna. But today, she felt certain she had made a significant step forward with Asthenia.

She smiled softly to herself.

Asthenia certainly had a problematic personality and worldview. She was proud of her lineage and her standing among the nobility. She took immense pride in being the daughter of a Duke of Helios, and that was precisely why she was so harsh and cold toward anyone or anything that failed to meet her high expectations.

She had behaved that way toward Lumiel since they were children, because she despised how cowardly he had acted despite being the Crown Prince of Helios.

While she was lost in thought, a sudden knock rang out.

She thought Asthenia might have returned, but it was not her.

She gave a nod to Regina, who opened the door to reveal a royal knight.

"Your Highness. Lord Vincent Ashcroft is here," he said.

At the sound of the name, Lenora’s expression twisted slightly.

Ravenna’s older brother, and a detestable man in Lenora’s eyes.

Regardless, she had no choice but to receive him.

She stood up and followed the knight, wondering what on earth he was still doing here.

The Marquis Ashcroft had originally come to the capital to attend Lumiel’s crowning and had already stayed far longer than expected due to Lumiel’s disappearance into the Flame for a full week.

But the Marquis had finally departed to return to his territory, and Vincent was supposed to have followed him.

If she had a choice, she honestly would have refused to see him.

There had once been plenty of discussions and rumors aimed at matching her with Vincent.

In truth, it was not a far-fetched plan; Lenora was fairly certain it might have actually happened if the Marquis had not instead convinced her father to hand Ravenna over to Lumiel.

As a Royal Princess of Helios, Lenora was a highly valuable asset. She would not be handed away so easily in a political marriage unless it brought substantial support to the crown, so all talk of a match with Vincent had completely vanished.

But Vincent was something of a leech. Ever since they were children, he had always treated Lenora as though she were his fiancée, much to her endless annoyance.

At the very least, if he had possessed any redeeming qualities, it might have been somewhat flattering. But he was not a good person.

He was too arrogant and overly proud man.

And his arrogance was nothing like Asthenia’s.

It would be the greatest insult imaginable to compare Vincent to Asthenia.

Vincent acted purely out of a petty, hollow sense of superiority. He used his rank for everything: to intimidate people, to toss threats left and right, and to treat her as little more than an object that rightfully belonged to him.

Yes, she had no interest in him, and she was thankful that the marriage talks had died the moment Ravenna became Lumiel’s Fifth Queen, though she had felt a twinge of pity for her older brother at the time.

Well, back then, she had felt pity. But with the way her brother had awakened recently, Lenora was quite certain Lumiel would be more than capable of handling Ravenna, or at least she hoped so.

"Ah, Lenora, there you are."

Just as the thought crossed her mind, Vincent appeared in the hallway, wearing a wide smile.

Lenora sighed softly, bracing herself for what was to come.

"Lord Ashcroft," she greeted him formally.

"Come now, there is no need for such formalities between us," he said, stepping closer.

"There is every need, and I am a Royal Princess. As such, you will address me with respect. You are the son of a Marquis, I advise you to remain mindful of your standing and your vows to the crown," Lenora replied coldly.

Vincent’s smile twitched at the rebuke. Swallowing back an irritated click of his tongue, he forced a light chuckle.

"My deepest apologies, Your Highness. My delight at seeing your lovely figure again simply overtook me. Now, please, let us speak," he said, offering his hand.

Lenora ignored the gesture entirely, walking past him.

"And what exactly is there for us to discuss, Lord Ashcroft? If I remember correctly, the Marquis has already departed the capital. Ought you not to have left with him?" She asked.

"I could hardly leave without speaking to you properly, Your Highness," Vincent replied, falling quickly into step beside her.

Regina followed from a careful distance behind them.

From a single glance, she could tell Vincent was not a decent man.

He was attempting to be flirtatious, but it felt entirely different, and far less pleasant than Lumiel.

"Speak properly about what matters, I wonder," Lenora said dryly.

"Matters of our engagement, Your Highness. My sister has been betrothed and married to Lumiel—"

Lenora shot him an icy glare before he could even finish the sentence.

"To His Majesty," he corrected himself hastily.

He was far too accustomed to calling Lumiel directly by his name, usually to insult him behind his back.

"But an engagement between the two of us has always been discussed, and I honestly do not believe a better match could be found," he continued, flashing another smile.

"There is no need to bind our houses any further, as it has already been done. Ravenna secured that connection when she wed my brother," she replied simply.

Vincent gritted his teeth slightly.

"Yes, of course. But we all know that marriage will not last long. Ravenna is problematic; she is a monster that needs to be tamed, a task His Majesty is incapable of. I do not need to remind Your Highness that Ravenna killed my—"

"That is enough, Vincent," Lenora cut him off sharply, fixing him with a look of disgust. "Nothing will come of this, no matter how much you continue to dream of an engagement between us." She turned away and increased her pace.

But Vincent reached out and caught her wrist, forcing her to a halt.

Lenora’s gaze turned frostier still.

"You will not find a better man than me, Lenora," he said, his smile replaced by a hard glare.

"Release my hand," she said in a warning tone, "and I will choose to forget this ever happened."

"Happened what?" Vincent pulled her arm roughly. "If not for Ravenna, we would have already been together; you would have been my wife. It is only a matter of time before that monster gets tossed aside by Lumiel just like Morgana, and then you will be engaged to me," he smiled, a dark look in his eyes.

"You are delusional, Vincent, and this is the last time I will warn you. Let go of my arm," she said, her amber-gold eyes turning ice-cold.

But Vincent merely smirked, his grip tightening.

"M—My Lord!"

At that moment, Regina stepped forward and pushed Vincent away from Lenora, gently, but with enough force to make him release his hold.

Vincent stumbled a step back in surprise.

Regina stood between him and a startled Lenora, who had not expected her to actually intervene.

Vincent shot Regina a look of contempt.

She immediately lowered her head.

"I apologize, My Lord. However, the Princess was clearly bothered—" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Slap!

Before Regina could even finish her sentence, Vincent struck her across the face.

Caught completely off guard by the strength behind the blow, Regina was thrown to the floor.

"You dare touch me, you peasant whore?" Vincent spat, glaring down at her.

"Regina!" Lenora cried out in shock, immediately rushing toward her, but her arm was swiftly snatched once more as Vincent yanked her back and pinned her against the wall.

"Stop whining, Lenora, and simply accept it," Vincent ordered, his gaze hardening.

Lenora glared back at him. "You will never walk away from this."

Vincent scoffed, mocking her. "Once I make you mine, there will be no—"

"What exactly do we have here?"

A voice suddenly rang out from the end of the corridor, slicing cleanly through his words.

Dead silence fell over them as they all turned toward the sound.

Standing there was Lumiel.

He wore something that might be called a smile, but his voice was devoid of emotion, and the look in his eyes was truly frightening to behold.