I Became The Extra King With Seven Wives-Chapter 33: Eleanor’s First Kiss

"You should rest here for a few days, Uncle. My mother would be extremely pleased to see you around. She lacks true friends to speak with nowadays," I said with a warm smile as I walked alongside him, Eleanor, and the others down the grand stone corridor.

Gabriel chuckled heartily. "I shall happily stay for many nights, Your Majesty but I must depart shortly after talking to Lady Queen Eliana. Our kingdom desperately needs our swift action, after all."

"Yes. I suppose I simply feel far more at ease having highly capable, and trustworthy men within my halls, men like you and Arges. My father trusted both of you implicitly, so I suppose I am inadvertently drawn toward both of you when seeking vital counsel and aid," I admitted, a light honest smile touching my lips.

Gabriel smiled warmly in return.

"I will always be here whenever you require my help, Your Majesty. Not simply as a wealthy merchant or as your father-in-law, but as a devoted friend of your late father. I shall forever uphold the promise I made to him to watch over your reign," he said gently. "And besides," he added, casting a fond, proud glance toward Eleanor, "My daughter embodies all that I am, and she will certainly become something far greater in the future. She will be a perfect Queen for Your Majesty."

"I am already well aware of that," I smiled, glancing sideways at Eleanor. "Words simply cannot express how grateful I am that you offered Eleanor’s hand to me, Uncle."

I spoke with sincerity.

She was truly a woman carved of solid gold. Even back then, within the original gamestory, from the very moment she first appeared, she had been nothing but deeply kind and incredibly helpful toward the protagonist. There had obviously been a burning desire for vengeance lingering in her mind regarding her father’s death but she never acted maliciously or forced her own bloody vendettas onto others. Instead, she worked with brilliant cunning, smartly providing vast resources and invaluable advice to those who shared her intentions.

She had easily been one of the most beloved characters in the entire game, despite the fact that she did not actually appear very often, at least in the academy arc.

Eleanor visibly started, glancing up at me in surprise at my earnest words.

It was not the first time I had openly praised her, but perhaps this time she felt the distinct difference in my tone. Whenever i praised her, it had been accompanied by my flirtatious tone but it wasn’t this time. Only sincerity.

To begin with, I had already completely fallen for her the very moment she stood entirely alone within that rat nest of a court, defending my honor and vehemently protecting my family when the other nobles were actively plotting to forcefully marry off Lenora, fully believing I was already dead.

"I... will always strive to remain truly worthy of your trust, Your Majesty," Eleanor replied, managing to recover a fraction of her usual perfect composure.

Gabriel simply smiled fondly as he watched the brief exchange before turning his gaze back to me.

"You have grown quite remarkably. King Marconius would be much proud to see the man you have become today," he said approvingly.

"I sincerely hope he is. My mother and sister, on the other hand, remain entirely convinced that I have gone completely mad," I sighed.

"I did hear the rumors regarding Lord Arges, and the sudden, cancellation of your engagement with little Morgana. That was certainly a very petty display of temper on your part, Your Majesty," Gabriel replied, mimicking my sigh with obvious exaggeration as he flashed me a highly meaningful, knowing smile.

He had easily seen right through my public ruse. I expected nothing less from a man of his brilliance.

"Your Majesty."

Just then, two young maids hurried up the corridor, stopping directly in front of us and bowing their heads deeply.

"Escort Lord Gabriel Goldwyn to the Queen Mother. Ensure you provide Sigor Reus with proper, comfortable guest quarters within the castle, and show Lord Theron Vale the way to our grand library," I issued swiftly orders.

The maids nodded immediately and scrambled to obey.

Gabriel, Sigor, and Theron all offered their final, respectful farewells before following the maids away down the intersecting corridors, leaving me entirely alone with Eleanor and the mysterious masked Leilah.

"Well, Eleanor, you certainly have not wasted any time in bringing your father and these highly capable people to me," I told her, impressed.

It was impressive, considering I had only given her the task yesterday morning.

"My father was already en route to the capital, Your Majesty, and he happened to be accompanied by Lord Theron. As for Lord Sigor, he has been in my employ quite recently. And Leilah... she has always been by my side," she explained, offering a faint, reassuring smile.

"Are they entirely trustworthy?" I asked her, completely unbothered by the fact that the silent Leilah was standing mere paces behind her.

"I cannot entirely vouch for the loyalty of Lord Theron Vale or Lord Sigor Reus, Your Majesty," she answered with honesty. "But Leilah is trustworthy. Unquestionably so. She will remain constantly at your side to ensure your protection."

"She is trustworthy, yet she stubbornly wears a mask?" I asked, raising a skeptical brow.

"Yes... I simply cannot force her to remove the mask. And I sincerely hope that you will not demand it of her either, Your Majesty. If you feel you cannot trust her because of it, then I shall find someone else to serve as your guard," Eleanor explained swiftly.

"Does she truly mean that much to you?" I asked her, my voice turning deadly serious.

Eleanor nodded slightly. "She is like the sister I never had."

"Then I will trust her," I said immediately.

Eleanor blinked several times in surprise.

I stepped closer, closing the distance between us, and gently reached out my hand to lightly trace her cheek.

Eleanor shivered slightly at the sudden contact.

Then, I carefully cupped her chin with my index finger and thumb, gently tilting her face upward to meet my gaze.

"I trust you completely, Eleanor. Therefore, I will willingly extend that trust to her as well," I replied with a soft smile.

"Thank you, Your Majesty..." Eleanor breathed, looking up into my eyes as a deep, rosy flush slowly crept across her elegant cheekbones.

"If she is truly that incredibly important to you, yet you have still chosen to leave her at my side... should I be immensely flattered by the amount of trust you have placed in me? Or, perhaps, do you have some other cunning motive playing in your mind?" My golden eyes narrowed slightly, glinting with playful suspicion.

"Your Majesty, I—"

"Do not say a word," I cut her off before she could utter another syllable, allowing my voice to drop into an intimate whisper.

I gently stroked my thumb across her soft jawline, my gaze locked intensely upon her vivid emerald eyes.

"Have you ever kissed anyone, Eleanor?" I asked her softly.

"N—No, Your Majesty..." She replied, her breath catching slightly as I could physically feel genuine nervousness finally beginning to crack her perfect composure.

I leaned slowly toward her. Eleanor instantly closed her eyes, her delicate hands gripping tightly into the fabric of her golden skirt.

Then, slowly, I pressed my lips against her soft, pink lips.

Eleanor’s long, blonde lashes fluttered wildly for a moment as she experienced the very first kiss of her life.

Her lips were soft, exquisitely delicate, and breathtakingly beautiful.

I wished for nothing more in that suspended moment than to completely devour them.

I could feel her body temperature begin to rise, her porcelain cheeks already flushing a brilliant, vibrant shade of pink as she stood completely frozen in place.

I maintained the gentle pressure for a few more lingering seconds, thoroughly appreciating the sweet taste of her, before finally pulling back just a fraction of an inch.

I held her gaze, noting the way her beautiful emerald-green eyes seemed to softly glow though that was likely just the effect of moisture gathering after experiencing such an intimate, overwhelming act with a man.

"How was it?" I asked, finally letting my hand drop from her chin.

Eleanor immediately started darting her eyes nervously around the corridor, a deeply flustered reaction that was entirely unlike her usual composed self which honestly only made her look even more cute.

"I... that is to say..." She stumbled over her words, stopped entirely, drew a deep, steadying breath, and tried again. "I honestly hardly know what to say, Your Majesty."

"Did you dislike it?" I asked.

"I... did not," she replied softly, and I could clearly see the deep flush on her cheeks burning even brighter.

"Did you like it, then?" I asked, offering a teasing smile as I continued to gently probe her for a direct answer.

"Yes..." She admitted, offering a small, shy nod of her head.

"And I loved it," I said, leaning in to whisper the words directly into her ear.

Eleanor shivered as the warmth of my breath brushed against her sensitive skin.

I chuckled lightly, really satisfied, and completely pulled back to give her space.

"Well, that will certainly not be a first kiss you will ever forget, Eleanor. What do you say?" I asked, my tone light and playful.

"M—Most certainly not," she stuttered slightly, hurriedly tucking a few loose strands of blonde hair behind her ear as she fought desperately to recover her ruined composure.

"Well, Leilah has now officially witnessed your very first kiss. I sincerely hope you do not feel terribly awkward about it, Eleanor," I said casually, glancing over at Leilah, who was still standing mere paces away, completely motionless like a carved stone sentinel.

Given her expressionless mask, it was entirely impossible to tell what she was actually thinking, or what wild thoughts had gone through her head while she watched the entire intimate exchange unfold.

As if suddenly remembering that Leilah was standing right there, Eleanor snapped her head toward the masked woman. Her cheeks flushed an even deeper, more scandalous shade of pink. She parted her lips as if to offer some sort of desperate explanation, but in the end, words entirely failed her, and she remained silent.

"Lumiel!!"

Suddenly, a very loud, shrill voice furiously rang out, echoing down the stone corridor.

"Hm?"

We all turned simultaneously, directing our attention to the far end of the hallway.

Standing there, her hands clenched into tight fists and her expression twisted into a mask of pure anger, was Morgana.