I Became The Extra King With Seven Wives

Our rooms at the inn were, exactly as anticipated, quite sprawling and lavishly appointed. I had expected no less given the grand, imposing architecture of the establishment’s exterior. Still, I made a point of never judging a book only by its cover, so discovering the true quality of the accommodations was a rather pleasant surprise.

The suite was expansive yet elegantly simple. A massive, plush bed occupied one side of the room, while the other half served as a small, refined living space complete with a couch and a sturdy oak table.

There did not appear to be a private kitchen, but I noticed the inn offered premium table service. I had spotted several staff members wheeling silver food carts through the corridors upon our arrival, after all. Regardless, there was no need to order anything; we had already eaten a hearty meal just before crossing the gates of Helianth.

My plan was straightforward. We were going to rest for the night, perhaps briefly look around the town the following morning, and then depart immediately for our next destination.

But before any of that could happen, I had a very important task to fulfill. I needed to recover the hidden artifact that had drawn me here in the first place.

That mission, however, would have to wait just a little longer.

I intended to search for it alone. Unfortunately, slipping away was not going to be as simple as walking right out the front door.

I unlatched my door and peeked cautiously into the dimly lit hallway.

"Do you require anything, Your Majesty?" Oliver asked instantly.

He was standing directly across from my door, his arms crossed over his chest in a posture of relaxed vigilance. A short distance away, Mia mirrored his stance, standing guard in front of the room occupied by Eleanor and Leilah.

"Nothing," I replied. "If you need to rest, you may take the night off."

"We do not require rest tonight, Your Majesty. We have taken more than enough already," Oliver chuckled softly, completely unbothered by the late hour.

Well, what else had I expected from the Royal Guard? No matter how young the Lawburn siblings appeared, they were seasoned elites trained to endure far worse conditions than a quiet hallway in a luxury inn.

For a fleeting second, I considered playing the stern card, telling them that a half-asleep guard is a useless guard but I ultimately decided against it. It would only arouse suspicion.

I closed the door silently and crossed the room toward the large bay window.

Pulling aside the silken curtains, I unlatched the glass and peered down into the darkness. I was on the fourth floor, which meant the drop was punishingly high. However, with the physical enhancements of my awakened bloodline, I was confident I could scale down the stone facade and easily avoid any stupid, debilitating injuries.

Honestly, I could have spared myself all of this physical effort and secrecy by simply telling them the truth and bringing them along. Yet, I preferred otherwise. The fewer people who knew about this location, the better.

My ancestors had hidden this place for a very good reason. I did not truly know what else I might uncover down there alongside the artifact, but I knew, at the very least, that the vault was perfectly safe for someone possessing the royal bloodline and even safer for the true Guardian of the Flame. There was simply no need to burden others with such dangerous, ancient knowledge.

Resigned to the wait, I slumped back onto the massive bed.

I waited in silence for a couple of hours, letting the town settle into its deepest slumber, until the sky outside was pitch black. Only then did I rise, throw open the window, and carefully begin my descent down the rugged stone wall.

"Some things never truly change, do they?" I muttered to myself, a half-smirk pulling at the corner of my lips as the cold night air hit my face.

It was a sharp, sudden memory of my past life. Back then, whenever I had been handed the address of some piece of trash who beat their wife or children, I would almost always slip inside their homes by scaling the walls under the cover of darkness. I had become remarkably proficient at it.

I might not be inhabiting that same fragile, mortal body anymore, but this new enhanced physique was superior.

Climbing down was pretty easy.

I descended swiftly, carefully picking my handholds against the stone. Once the remaining distance to the ground was short enough to be entirely harmless for my enhanced physique, I dropped the rest of the way, landing silently in the back alley behind the inn.

"Well, that wasn’t particularly difficult, was it?" I muttered to myself with a satisfied smile.

I turned around, intending to leisurely circle back toward the main entrance and simply walk away into the town. Upon my return later tonight, I would just take the normal path through the front doors. Oliver and Mia might be upset by my unsanctioned exit, but I could simply brush it off by claiming an urgent, personal need.

I stepped out of the shadowy courtyard of the inn. However, the very moment I took a left turn toward the street, I immediately stumbled right into Eleanor, Leilah, and Mia.

What kind of joke was this?

"Y—Your Majesty?" Eleanor gasped, her eyes going wide in disbelief. "What might you be doing out here at this hour?"

"You have stolen my line, Eleanor," I replied, offering her a faint, smile. "What exactly are all three of you young women doing wandering outside in the dead of night? It is rather suspicious, if you ask for my opinion."

"Y—Your Majesty... Leilah was not feeling well," Eleanor quickly stammered out her defense. "So, I accompanied her outside for some fresh air, and Mia kindly escorted us."

"Leilah was not feeling well?" I asked, my gaze slowly shifting to the masked maid.

With that mask entirely obscuring her features, it was completely impossible to tell whether she genuinely felt ill or not.

"I sincerely hope this sickness of hers is not a recurrent issue, Eleanor," I said, my tone dry. "Given that she is supposed to be acting as my bodyguard."

"Of course not, Your Majesty..." Eleanor replied, offering a tight, strained smile.

"Fine," I said dismissively, already moving to walk past them. "Mia, just get them safely back inside."

"Y—Your Majesty—please wait!" Mia called out immediately, stepping forward to block my path.

Eleanor also turned toward me, her confusion rapidly shifting into panic.

"What is it now?" I asked, pausing and turning my head to face them.

"You cannot simply leave alone like this, Your Majesty," Eleanor said, her voice dropping into a serious tone.

"I will be perfectly fine. Do not worry yourself," I brushed her off.

"Your Majesty! Please, I cannot, in good conscience, let you wander the streets alone!" Mia insisted strongly. "Allow me to at least call my brother. He can accompany you."

"I do not have the time for this," I replied, shooting the her a hard, warning look. "Just get the Queen to safety."

"Then we shall accompany you, Your Majesty," Eleanor suddenly said, stepping forward with unexpected resolve.

I glanced at her, surprised.

She hesitated for a brief moment under my stare, then asked quietly, "Your Majesty... may we finally know why we have come here tonight?"

I found myself smiling faintly at her question. She was quick to connect the dots, easily guessing that my secretive midnight excursion had everything to do with the true purpose of our journey to Helianth.

When I remained silent, she spoke up again, her voice softening but refusing to back down. "Your Majesty... you told me that you trusted me. I can understand that not every secret can be shared, and I will always trust your judgment. But please, at least tell me that this is safe. Promise me that you will be safe."

I looked down at her serious expression, briefly pondering my options. The artifact was meant for my bloodline alone, but fighting them on this would only waste precious time and draw unwanted attention in the streets.

And putting that aside...

I looked at Eleanor.

And I let out a sigh.

Since it had already come to this, I might as well adapt.

I looked at Mia. "Go call Oliver. We have somewhere to go."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Mia did not hesitate for a single second. She quickly spun on her heel and rushed back inside the inn at full speed to retrieve her brother.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Eleanor breathed out, a relieved smile breaking across her face.

"Well, what else could I have possibly done, when my clever Queen played the trust card and used my own words against me?" I said with a knowing smirk.

"I—I apologize..." She stuttered, a blush of shame and embarrassment quickly coloring her cheeks.

I merely shrugged it off and glanced over at Leilah, who was still standing quietly in the background.

"So, what exactly was the problem, Leilah? Was the trip inside the carriage slightly too long and suffocating for you?" I asked her, my tone probing.

"Yes. Just a little, Your Majesty," she replied softly, giving a stiff nod of her head.

So, it wasn’t just the carriage ride bothering her after all.

It must have something to do with the fact that she was so prudent around people.

Well one day I was sure I would get to know it.

For now, I had more important issues.

Like getting that legendary necklace from my family.

The Amber Heart.