I Became The Extra King With Seven Wives-Chapter 16: Shocked Alice

Alice woke before the sun, as she always did.

She slipped from her bed, the cold air biting at her skin, and moved through the daily habits of her morning: shower, dry, and dress.

The maid uniform was a second skin by now, starched white apron over black wool, every button fastened with precision. She had been wearing variations of this since she was nine years old, serving a Prince who had now become a King.

Looking back, it was a strange decision to assign a child to attend the Crown Prince. Usually, such a role requested a veteran servant, someone who could manage a royal schedule perfectly. But the Queen had intervened. She knew her son. She knew Lumiel’s discomfort under the scrutiny of adults, crumbling beneath their expectations. He needed a comrade, a friend and not a handler.

So Alice was chosen.

She was technically noble-born, from a minor Viscount house, originally trained to serve Princess Lenora. But plans changed and she found herself standing before a timid, terrified boy instead.

At first, she had been paralyzed by the title.

The Royal Prince.

But it hadn’t taken long to realize that Lumiel wasn’t scary. He wasn’t arrogant nor cruel. He was just... lost.

Kind, yes, but overwhelmed if not drowned by his status and what it required.

For years, she had been his shadow. His maid, yes, but also his friend in the quiet moments when the court wasn’t watching. She took her role seriously even, trying to shore up his confidence with small kindnesses, but it was like trying to build a castle on a swamp.

The nobles were well ruthless. Their loud whispers about his incompetence were a constant background annoying noises, driving Lumiel further into his shell.

But now...

Things had changed.

Standing in the large changing room shared by the senior staff, Alice checked her reflection in the long mirror. She ran her hands over her blonde hair, smoothing strands that were already perfectly in place. Her fingers drifted down, tracing the curve of her jaw, and then, hesitantly, touching her lips.

The memory of yesterday flooded back.

The warmth of Lumiel’s mouth, the shocking kiss...

Her cheeks flared a deep red just remembering it.

Lumiel had always been handsome, buried somewhere beneath the softness and the slouch. But the Awakening had stripped all that away. The fat was gone, replaced by lean muscle and height that forced her to look up. His features were sharper as well. But the biggest change wasn’t physical. It was the way he looked at her. The way he looked at everyone.

"Hey, Alice!"

"Kya! You scared me!" Alice jumped, spinning around with a hand pressed to her chest.

A group of younger maids stood there, grinning wildly.

"I am so jealous! Alice! You get to be so close to His Majesty!" One squealed, clutching her hands together.

"Yeah! Gosh, he is so handsome now!" Another one swooned.

"I barely got a glimpse of him in the hallway, but the King looks wonderful! Like a statue come to life!"

They all blushed in unison and squealed.

Lumiel’s transformation hadn’t gone unnoticed. News traveled faster than light in the servant’s quarters, and every maid who had caught even a fleeting glimpse of the new King had all gone excited.

"You know, I didn’t see you react that way before..." Alice sighed, turning back to check her apron strings, trying to hide her own flustered expression. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"I mean, His Majesty looks completely different!"

That was only half true. His features were the same, just refined. The real difference was the spine. He walked straight now. He looked people in the eye. He radiated a magnetic and attractive confidence never seen ever before on him.

It seemed confidence really was the most important trait in a man. These girls hadn’t looked twice at the Prince when he shuffled through the halls staring at his feet. Now that he walked like a King, they were ready to throw themselves at his boots.

Well, she had to admit, he did look very handsome.

But she was just a maid. A childhood friend, perhaps, but still a servant. The kiss... the kiss was likely just a whim of a newly empowered King. She had to remember her place. The gap between them wasn’t just physical anymore; it was a chasm.

She straightened her apron, steeled her heart, and prepared to face the day.

Walking out, Alice ignored the giddy chatter of the other girls and headed straight toward the royal quarters. Her job was to wake the King, as always.

Yesterday he had asked for solitude, so she had respected his wish, leaving him alone even through the night. But today was different. Today, the Kingdoms, and the council would be waiting.

Traversing the corridors, Alice reached the crated and ornate oak doors of Lumiel’s quarters. She paused, finding it odd. There were no guards stationed outside. Usually, two Royal Guards stood like statues flanking the entrance.

She didn’t let herself overthink it. Perhaps the shift change was late. She opened the door, it was unlocked, as always and stepped inside, closing it softly behind her.

"Your Highn—Your Majesty," she corrected herself quickly.

Right. She was no longer the maid of a Prince. She was the personal attendant to the King. The burden felt heavier, yes, but she was just even more motivated to see it through even if she had put more efforts than she had already in the past years with the old Lumiel. And she would be also even more supportive.

Though he changed, Lumiel might still felt overwhelmed by his new duties so she had to be there to support him.

But as soon as she entered the main living area, she noticed something. The red curtains were already drawn back, letting the morning light flood the room.

He was awake.

She turned her gaze toward the bedroom.

The door stood ajar.

"Your Majesty—"

She cut herself off, freezing in mid-step. A sound drifted from the inner room. A giggle.

Definitely feminine.

There was a pause. Alice’s eyes widened.

She hesitated, her hand tightening on her apron, before she forced herself to walk toward the bedroom.

She peeked inside timidly. The bed was empty, the sheets rumpled.

The sounds were coming from the bathroom adjacent to the suite.

"Y—Your Majesty, it tickles!"

"Surely you have been tickled more just this past night," Lumiel’s voice rang out.

"T—That is... yes..."

Alice continued, making her way to the bathroom doorway. She stopped at the threshold, eyes widening at the scene before her.

Lumiel was sitting on the marble edge of the massive golden bathtub. He was fully dressed in trousers and a loose shirt, sleeves rolled up. But he wasn’t the one in the water.

In the steaming, fragrant bath lay a naked girl.

Alice recognized her instantly.

Regina. One of the new servants appointed just a few months ago.

She was a commoner. That alone made her presence here an anomaly. Usually, palace staff were drawn from the lower nobility, at least Baronial houses. Personal attendants to royalty, like Alice herself, were often from Viscount families. Granted, Alice’s family was destitute compared to true Viscount houses, which was why her parents had allowed her to serve, but the lineage was there. Serving the royal family was a privilege, and a political stepping stone.

Regina had none of that. She was the only commoner among the entire staff. Because of it, she was isolated. The other maids sneered at her, bullied her, froze her out.

But Regina didn’t seem to care.

Alice had to admit, she admired the girl’s character. Regina walked with her head high. And it was obvious why she had been hired despite her lack of standing, she was stunning. Even in a palace full of carefully selected beauties, Regina stood out like a flame in a dark room. That only fueled the jealousy, of course. She was capable, intelligent, and charming.

And it seemed the other maids were right to be jealous. Because Regina had managed to reach the summit they all dreamed of it seems.

Being and serving near the royal family.

Lumiel was smiling down at her, his hand submerged in the water, fingers tracing idle patterns near her arm and shoulder. He wasn’t just touching her; he was playing with her. His smile was charming, devoid of the awkward terror that used to define his interactions with women and Alice had been used to seeing.

He was controlling the conversation perfectly, flirting with confidence.

Alice had never seen him like this. Before, Regina had tried to catch his eye, Alice had seen the lingering looks, the subtle attempts at seduction but the old Lumiel had been too busy staring at his shoes to notice.

It seemed he had finally noticed.

And the result was... this.

Regina was blushing furiously in the bathtub, completely under Lumiel’s spell. She looked like she was melting, unable to even meet his gaze without turning a deeper shade of crimson.

Meanwhile, Lumiel just sat there, relaxed, flicking drops of water onto her shoulder with a playful smirk.

"Do you have a special skincare routine for having such luminous skin?" He asked. "Even noble ladies would be jealous of this texture."

"I—I don’t, Your Majesty," Regina stuttered, looking down at the water. "I just take care of my body as I should, being one of the servants working in the royal palace."

"From now on, you will be working exclusively for me, however," Lumiel said casually, dropping the bombshell.

And it shocked both women into silence.

"Y—Your Majesty?"

Alice’s composure finally gave in.