I Became The Extra King With Seven Wives-Chapter 24: The Gardenia Princesses

After Lumiel had left with Eleanor, the gathered nobles immediately fell into a frantic, buzzing bustle.

The main subject of their agitated murmurs was obviously his abrupt decision to strip Arges of his position as Commander of the Royal Guard.

It was a profound shock to everyone present.

It was, without a doubt, the very last thing they had expected Lumiel to do. After all, Arges was widely known as the staunchest and most powerful ally the royal family possessed.

The nobles whispered furiously among themselves, casting subtle, calculating glances toward Arges, who stood silently with a deep, troubled frown creasing his brow.

He was thinking deeply about Lumiel’s sudden decree. Though he had accepted the order with dutiful words, his loyal heart was having an incredibly difficult time coming to terms with it. His reluctance did not stem from petty pride or bruised ego, but rather from the vow he had made to his oldest friend and former sovereign, King Marconius, upon his deathbed: a promise to remain steadfastly by his family’s side and protect them at all costs.

When Arges finally raised his heavy gaze, the surrounding nobles immediately averted their eyes in feigned innocence. Without a word, Arges turned and strode out of the hall.

As if they had merely been waiting for the imposing man to leave, the hushed whispers instantly amplified into a loud, buzzing clamor. They all openly questioned Lumiel’s judgment, yet their tone and choice of words were noticeably more subdued and cautious compared to the blatant disrespect they had shown always shown before. It seemed the newly awakened Lumiel, and the sharp threats he had delivered, had left quite a lasting impression upon them.

Lord Chancellor Roland lingered for a brief moment before offering a curt nod to Mark Lewin.

"I shall return when Queen Eliana arrives," he said, before turning on his heel and departing.

Among the King’s chosen wives, Asthenia had also made a swift exit, her long, aggressive strides making it abundantly clear she was quite infuriated by the day’s events. She was closely followed by Ravenna, who fell into step beside her father, Marquis Elbert Ashcroft.

Finally, only Diana and Dorothy remained.

Dorothy had desperately wished to stay and await the Queen’s arrival, but the overwhelming, echoing noise of the arguing nobles eventually proved too much for her fragile nerves, and she hurried nervously out of the throne room.

Diana, meanwhile, appeared somewhat lost in thought as she stared blankly at the Queen’s empty, gilded throne for a long moment before finally turning to leave.

The eyes of the remaining nobles shamelessly followed her mesmerizing, ethereal figure until she disappeared through the grand double doors.

She walked in total silence, gracefully navigating the stone corridors as she headed back toward her assigned quarters.

Obviously, Diana no longer possessed a true home. With the Kingdom of Gardenia having violently fallen to the recent rebellion, she and her sister were now effectively royal refugees living upon the charity of the Helios castle.

Reaching the heavy doors of her private quarters, she stopped.

The solitary sentry, who had been lazily leaning against the stone wall, hurriedly snapped to attention upon seeing Diana approach. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Y—Your Highness," he stumbled over his words, his cheeks flushing as he was, once again, caught entirely off guard by Diana’s surreal, breathtaking beauty.

Diana offered him a polite, subtle nod before opening the heavy doors. Once inside, she securely closed the door behind her, leaned her back against the solid wood, and let out a long, weary sigh.

She did not truly desire a guard constantly watching over her and her sister, but the reality was that they were literal Princesses on the run who had sought desperate refuge in a foreign land. The usurpers of Gardenia would do absolutely anything to drag them back. King Marconius had refused to take any risks regarding their safety while he lived, and following his tragic passing, his widow, Queen Eliana, had fiercely insisted on maintaining their heavy guard.

It felt a bit overbearing at times, but Diana was accustomed to being heavily guarded even back in her homeland of Gardenia. Perhaps the constant surveillance simply felt stranger here because she was in a foreign kingdom, surrounded by unfamiliar faces.

"Sister?"

At that moment, a delicate face peeked out from the inner chambers.

It was an extraordinarily beautiful young girl whose appearance could rival Diana’s own surreal, enchanting beauty. Her vibrant lilac-purple hair cascaded gracefully down her neck, accented by a single, elegantly braided strand, and her large, expressive eyes were the exact same shade of striking lilac.

But she was younger than Diana by two years.

She was Lavenda Gardenia, the Second Princess of the Kingdom of Gardenia. The very sister who had fled alongside Diana, escaping the flames of Gardenia to seek shelter within the walls of Helios.

Diana immediately smiled at the sight of her younger sister. Without Lavenda’s presence, she doubted she could have kept herself from collapsing and breaking down. Lavenda gave her the will to push forward because Diana had to remain strong for her sake.

"Are you alright, Sister?" Lavenda hurried to her and seized Diana’s hands, her grip tight with worry. "Nothing strange happened... did it?" She asked, voice dropping only slightly.

"I was summoned by the King, Lavenda," Diana explained again, keeping her tone calm.

"That is exactly what I am worried about!" Lavenda retorted a little too loudly, then immediately glanced toward the door behind Diana, as if suddenly remembering there could be ears pressed to the wood. With a sharp tug, she drew her elder sister farther into the room, away from the corridor.

She brought Diana into the inner quarters, pushed her down onto the ornate sofa, and sat beside her, then leaned in, scrutinizing her from head to toe with an anxious attention.

"He did not do anything... weird, did he?" Lavenda asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Lavy." Diana gave her a stern look.

"He did not force himself on you, did he?" Lavenda continued, leaning even closer, as though she could read the truth in Diana’s breath.

"Lavenda!" Diana finally cried out, scandalized.

Lavenda let out a breath, relief flooding her face at Diana’s indignant reaction. Fine. She was fine.

"How can you say such things?" Diana sighed. She looked around instinctively and raised a finger to her lips, urging caution. They were in Helios, within the royal castle itself.

"I mean... is it not obvious?" Lavenda said anyway, lowering her voice but not her audacity. "You became his wife. If I were in his place and anyone in his place, he would have taken you to his bed immediately."

Diana flushed at that and shot her sister a sharp glare. "Enough of this nonsense. Nothing happened. And the King... is not like that."

"Hm." Lavenda breathed thoughtfully, as if weighing it. "Perhaps you are right. He fainted during his coronation from the pressure, that was honestly a little sad. You have more chances of bedding him than him bedding you, actually."

"Must you speak so crudely, Lavenda?" Diana snapped, though there was a tremor of embarrassment beneath her composure. "And you will respect His Majesty. We are sheltered in his kingdom."

"I am worried about you, big sister," Lavenda insisted, tightening her grip around Diana’s hands. Her expression twisted with frustration, and for a moment her voice softened. "It feels like... you sold yourself just to protect me."

"Foolish girl." Diana’s tone gentled. "This union was decided long ago between Father and King Marconius. Even before all of this."

"I doubt it," Lavenda countered at once. "Was it not Asthenia Solaris who was supposed to become Lumiel’s Queen?" She tilted her head. "And Father would never have allowed you to become a second wife. You are the heir to the throne."

It was true. Their father had only two children, both daughters so the crown of Gardenia was meant for Diana. Whoever married her would have become King beside her, ruling together.

Diana’s expression turned faintly awkward. She could still remember the looks, Asthenia’s, and the nobles’ how openly displeased they had been when she was named the ruling Queen.

"It was meant to be Asthenia," Diana admitted quietly. "But things changed."

Lavenda stared at her, then sighed as though conceding a point... only to immediately return to her usual shamelessness.

"I mean, I am not entirely against it," she said, fidgeting with Diana’s fingers. "I am happy for you, Sister. Truly. But I do not understand why King Marconius named you as Queen. So tell me, did you seduce Lumiel with that beauty of yours, and he perhaps begged his father to choose you over Asthenia?" She asked, eyes bright.

"Lavenda, you are speaking out of line," Diana said sternly.

"I mean, nobody can resist you, Sister!" Lavenda insisted, utterly unrepentant. "That new King should be on a hundred clouds that you became his wife! He should be endlessly grateful!"

"My dear little sister..." Diana sighed, affectionately pinching Lavenda’s soft cheek. "Please keep those thoughts entirely to yourself. You must never speak like that to anyone outside these rooms, and certainly never in the presence of His Majesty."

"What is he going to do? Faint again? I am quite sure he would faint a hundred times over if you merely gave him a kiss on the cheek," Lavenda teased, her words slightly muffled as her cheek was still pinched between Diana’s fingers.

Diana sighed once again deeper.

It seemed Lavenda’s enduring image of King Lumiel was still that of a trembling coward. It could not truly be helped; the last time Lavenda had laid eyes on him, he had been exactly that. She had not yet seen the man he had become since he awakened and successfully completed the First Ritual of the Sun.

"Then... do you think he will agree to help us take back Gardenia?" Lavenda asked, her tone turning serious and hopeful.

"I... do not know..." Diana trailed off, her gaze faltering.

Obviously, reclaiming their stolen homeland was what she desired above all else. Now that she held the title of Queen, there would never be a better opportunity to ask for Helios’s military aid. Yet, she was finding it incredibly difficult to even consider broaching the subject with Lumiel, especially now.

Before the Ritual, she had hesitated to ask him to wage a brutal war to recover Gardenia because the poor man had been trembling like a leaf at the mere prospect of simply becoming King. Now, however, her hesitation stemmed from a very different kind of fear. She felt that simply demanding he march his armies to reclaim her kingdom might instantly place her on his blacklist, exactly where the haughty, arrogant Morgana had so spectacularly landed for sure. Diana was far too intelligent to replicate Morgana’s foolish, self-sufficient behavior toward the new King.

After all, he had just publicly stripped Arges of his command and coldly called off his long-standing engagement with Morgana without a second thought. If he decided to do the same to her, Diana would lose every single chance she had of ever getting her kingdom back.

"I am never asking you to use ’yourself’ to convince him, obviously, Sister," Lavenda spoke up quickly, entirely misunderstanding the source of Diana’s deep worry. "But he seems rather gullible. Perhaps you can simply... you know, tease him a bit. I can teach you! You will not even have to let him touch you!"

Diana glared at her utterly shameless younger sister.

"I sincerely doubt simple seduction will work on him," she said dryly.

Diana was not foolish; she was acutely aware that she possessed an extraordinary, almost ethereal beauty. Even Lumiel had momentarily lost his breath when he had looked at her earlier that day. But that had been the extent of it. He had shown no tremor of weakness, no desperate lust; he had remained perfectly, chillingly calm beyond that initial moment of appreciation.

If anything, she had been the one left slightly shaken by his overwhelming, newfound presence.

"You must be joking, Sister. No man in any world could resist you," Lavenda said, incredulous.

She had personally witnessed countless powerful men, even foreign princes traveling vast distances to Gardenia just to behold Diana’s beauty and desperately attempt to negotiate a marriage. She severely doubted Lumiel would prove to be any different.

Diana shook her head slightly.

First and foremost, she felt physically ill at the thought of using her own beauty to manipulate a man; such deceptive tactics simply were not in her nature. And even if she did attempt it, she felt fairly certain it would only backfire spectacularly against someone like Lumiel.

From the confident, almost arrogant way he now behaved, he did give off the faint impression of a seasoned playboy but one who remained in absolute, terrifying control of his every action.

"I will speak to His Majesty," Diana said finally, grasping both of her sister’s hands once more. "When the time is truly right. Until then, you must keep your silly, dangerous thoughts to yourself. Do you understand me, Lavy?" She asked, her voice tinged with deadly seriousness.

Lavenda sighed in defeat, but obediently nodded her head.