Five days had passed since Lumiel had left the capital.

During that time, not much had happened within the royal castle.

As expected, Queen Mother Eliana had taken care of the kingdom’s affairs with perfect efficiency, so much so that even those who had once doubted her abilities now felt ashamed of having done so.

While it had indeed been King Marconius who handled most matters during his reign, his wife had never simply stood at his side without purpose. She had always supported him, and now the court was beginning to understand just how much she had truly contributed.

After all, Eliana had not become Queen merely because Marconius had loved her, nor because Luminar royal blood flowed through her veins.

Meanwhile, Lenora had devoted herself more to the affairs of the castle itself, shaping it in her own image, or rather, according to her own sense of order and aesthetic.

She knew her elder brother would not mind in the slightest.

So she had taken the initiative to improve the inner grounds of the castle, while also working behind the scenes to make it a place worthy of trust again.

In simple terms, she had begun hunting the rats among the nobility.

Lenora was not particularly concerned with the Black Sun infiltration that Lumiel seemed more focused on.

Well, it wasn’t like she was concerned, but she trusted her brother in it.

Instead, she chose to deal with the pests already beneath their roof, the ones who displayed their displeasure too openly and questioned her brother with poorly concealed contempt.

Of course, nobles were meant to voice doubts. That was part of the purpose of a royal court.

But such doubts should be raised during proper court meetings, and even then, there were limits to how boldly they should be displayed.

Over the past few days, Lenora had already dismissed four court nobles without much ceremony at all.

The move had shocked many.

Lenora had rarely involved herself in court matters before, yet recently she had become unexpectedly active.

Some of the nobles had thought they might finally breathe a little easier with the newly awakened and dangerous Lumiel gone for a few days.

Instead, they had discovered that his younger sister could be just as troublesome in her own way.

She was certainly not as intimidating as Lumiel, nor as ruthless in the way he made decisions.

But Lenora possessed her own kind of strictness.

The girl who had once been known mostly for smiling and bringing lightness into the castle was now being seen in a very different light.

Many of them had perhaps forgotten that she was still a royal princess.

And as such, she had received the finest education the kingdom could offer.

Following her father’s death, Lenora had been clearly heartbroken.

But Lumiel’s awakening, and the way he had stepped forward and taken control so decisively, had changed something.

It had not simply been a matter of him losing weight.

That awakening had also forced both mother and daughter to rise again from their grief and understand that they had to follow Lumiel’s lead if they wished to protect both the kingdom and themselves.

Lenora, especially after the conversation she had with him, now understood even more clearly how seriously Lumiel was taking his role as King.

And as his younger sister, she fully intended to support him and contribute in every way she could as he embraced the mantle of kingship.

For that very reason, she wished to help in the areas where he might not be as naturally inclined to intervene.

Which was why, at that very moment, she sat in one of the castle’s private chambers, facing Asthenia Solaris.

"We have not had much time to speak with one another, Asthenia. How have you been?" Lenora asked with a smile as Regina gently served them tea.

"I have been well, Your Highness. May I ask the reason for my summon?" Asthenia replied, going straight to the matter.

"You are rather cold, Asthenia. I wish you would drop the formalities a little," Lenora said with a sigh. "You are of my age, and you have spent quite a lot of time in the capital as well. Not as much as Morgana, perhaps, but still, you know much about us."

Asthenia looked at Lenora for a brief moment before gracefully taking the teacup into her hand and sipping from it.

Regina, standing beside them, was quite nervous at the sight.

For some reason, she had half expected Asthenia to throw the cup aside or insult her by saying the tea was dreadful or something of the sort, but she did nothing of the kind.

Truthfully, Regina did not know what to think of Asthenia.

Even though Asthenia quite clearly despised her for whatever reason, she was not openly displaying that hatred, nor using her rank to humiliate her, and that despite Lumiel not being present.

It would have been the perfect occasion, indeed, yet Asthenia did nothing.

It was almost as though Regina was not even worth Asthenia’s time.

And yet, at the same time, Regina found Asthenia rather admirable, as expected.

She might be cold, severe, and quick to look down on others, but she had principles, and she stood by them.

"I believe we are all occupied, Lenora," Asthenia replied, dropping the formal tone as Lenora had requested, though her voice carried a note of clear annoyance.

"Are you, Asthenia?" Lenora asked. "You have not been doing much in the castle lately, which is rather strange. You had been quite active ever since you officially moved into the palace a month ago, yet since my brother’s awakening, you have withdrawn quite a bit." She added the last part with a meaningful smile.

Asthenia’s yellow eyes narrowed slightly.

"I am the Second Queen of Helios. I do not believe I need to remind a royal princess that, when a King has several wives, only the Main Queen holds the right to direct and make decisions within the royal palace. For those beneath her in rank to take independent action may be seen as disrespectful and improper," Asthenia replied.

She then set the cup down and looked directly at Lenora.

"If you are displeased that nothing is happening, then perhaps you should place the blame upon the First Queen of Helios," she added, her tone tinged with quiet contempt though her expression remained perfectly composed.

Lenora let out a soft laugh at that.

"It is fair to blame Diana to some extent, but she has lost her family and her kingdom. We cannot expect her to take up the mantle of Queen so quickly," Lenora said.

"We cannot expect that indeed," Asthenia repeated with a quiet smile. "Then perhaps making her the First Queen was a mistake. As of today, Helios no longer has the luxury of time. We have lost Gardenia’s support. Radhamantia attacking us may only be a matter of time. When that moment comes, the Lunarian Empire and Luminar may seize the opportunity as well, merely waiting for a suitable reason to strike. And here we stand, idling and waiting for Her Highness, Princess Diana of the Kingdom of Gardenia, to recover from her grief in silence and at her leisure."

Hearing that, Lenora could hardly offer a rebuttal.

From an objective point of view, it did indeed sound rather absurd that Diana had been chosen as the Main Queen.

"Are you questioning my father’s decision, Asthenia?" Lenora asked. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Asthenia shook her head.

"I would not. His Majesty made that decision believing he still had about a year left to live, and thus enough time to prepare Helios for His Majesty Lumiel to take the throne. Unfortunately, his death came far sooner than expected. In such circumstances, and in his final moments, he could hardly reverse decisions of such importance, especially the hierarchy of the Queens he had personally selected, all the more when the one concerned was a royal princess," she replied.

There was no falsehood in her words.

Asthenia was not blaming the late King for it. She may well have had her reservations regarding his choice, but she did not wish to lay the blame upon him.

"I suppose you have the right to feel upset, Asthenia, since you were raised to become a Queen. But Diana is a royal princess; she has received no less education in matters of rule than you. You are right that time is precious to us now, and not something we can afford to waste, but that is all the more reason why we must remain united," Lenora said.

"It is not a question of education," Asthenia replied, fixing Lenora with a hardened gaze. "That princess holds no love for Helios, nor any attachment to it. The only thing occupying her thoughts now is surely the recovery of her own Kingdom. If a choice were to arise, and she had to choose between Gardenia and Helios, what would she choose?"

Lenora did not answer, but the answer was obvious.

"Such a woman cannot be expected to become Queen of Helios. If not I, then Cynthia or Ravenna would have made a fine Queen as well. But never will a foreign-born woman make a better Queen than one born of Helios," she said coldly.

Lenora stared at Asthenia.

It was rare for Asthenia to show anger so openly, yet quite a bit of it had surfaced now beneath that calm tone.

And Lenora could not even bring herself to dislike it, because within Asthenia’s words she could feel just how deeply Helios lived in her heart.

For Asthenia, this was not some childish dream of becoming Queen.

It was about becoming a worthy Queen of Helios, and making the Kingdom greater and stronger still.

’She really is no different from my dear elder brother, is she?’

Lenora thought wryly.

After all, Lumiel too wished to restore Helios to greatness.

And because of that...

Yes, she could not even deny it.

Those two truly would have made a perfect King and Queen together.