I Became The Extra King With Seven Wives-Chapter 40: Ravenna

The capital city of Helios was vast, sprawling, and wealthy though one might easily question that bold affirmation if they were to wander too far into the grimy, neglected outskirts. Regardless, the vast majority of the capital was prosperous, and the closer one moved toward the exact center, where the towering royal castle stood, the wealthier and more opulent it became.

Most of the individuals living within the coveted inner rings of the capital were either incredibly wealthy commoners who could actually afford such exorbitant prices, or high-ranking court nobility. It was highly likely that in most cases, these elite residents were a combination of both. However, some exceptionally rich, powerful merchants could also easily afford to establish themselves within the heart of the capital.

One of these grand, sprawling estates situated perilously close to the castle was a breathtaking mansion belonging to none other than Marquis Elbert Ashcroft.

Elbert was not strictly a court noble; he officially possessed and ruled over a vast, prosperous territory on the eastern border of the Kingdom. He was technically provincial nobility, yet his elevated status was so important that he could easily acquire such a magnificent mansion in the capital. In fact, it was required for someone of his lofty rank to maintain a residence close to the castle in the event of sudden royal summons or critical political meetings.

Ever since the tragic death of King Marconius, Elbert had been continuously living there for over a month, entirely leaving the tedious daily management of his eastern territory to his capable wife and his eldest son, Vincent.

He obviously could not afford to miss the court, nor could he ignore anything happening inside the royal castle following Marconius’s sudden passing. It was the perfect moment for his quiet propaganda to take root deeper within the royal family and draw his house closer to the throne itself.

Elbert was not personally interested in usurping the throne, but his greatest, burning ambition had always been to see his own blood permanently interwoven with the divine bloodline of Helios Royalty.

Unfortunately, his grand plan which he had truly believed was starting off perfectly had abruptly hit a dead end.

Lumiel, who was widely rumored to have ended his own life within the Sacred Flame, had miraculously returned.

Obviously, Elbert had not been genuinely happy about the news of Lumiel’s supposed death. Far from it. Whether it was Marconius’s passing or Lumiel’s rumored demise, it was deeply tragic to hear, though he had not been entirely surprised by the boy’s failure. Thus, it came as a profound, staggering shock when Lumiel returned to the court completely and utterly transformed.

His ambitious secondary plan to forcefully marry his eldest son, Vincent, to Princess Lenora had also been swiftly and permanently crushed. Thankfully, Lumiel did not seem to actively resent him too much for the bold political maneuver.

Regardless, he now had to entirely rethink his entire strategy. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Lumiel had successfully awakened, and along with that divine power, a sharp, dangerous cunning had clearly sprouted within the young King. From the few brief exchanges they had shared, and the calculating, piercing looks Lumiel had given him, Elbert quickly understood that the boy would not be easily manipulated. However, the young King still seemed to be remarkably hot-tempered and recklessly bold, having publicly stripped Arges of his legendary title as Commander of the Royal Guard, a rash move that came as a shock to everyone.

For Elbert, this was obviously a foolish decision, since Arges was a vital, living symbol of absolute loyalty and military power for all of Helios. But Elbert could not do much to change it either way.

For now, he had no choice but to strictly obey Lumiel’s royal command to return to his territory and heavily reinforce the vulnerable eastern borders.

So, the time had finally come for him to leave the capital.

He was thus ordering his son, Vincent, to immediately travel back with him, intending to send the young man straight back to his mother’s side to assist her in managing their lands.

But Vincent did not appreciate the sudden demand in the slightest.

"What do you mean I have to leave, Father?!" Vincent shouted, with incredulity. He possessed the exact same dark hair and piercing blue eyes as his sister, Ravenna, and currently, those blue eyes were blazing with upset.

"You heard me perfectly well, Vincent. You are leaving the capital with me," Elbert replied sternly.

"What about my arranged marriage with Lenora, then?! You promised me her hand and the eventual path to the throne!" Vincent loudly complained, gesturing wildly.

"I do not think you are quite that ignorant, but King Lumiel has miraculously returned and successfully completed the Ritual. He is now the undisputed King, meaning there is no political need for Princess Lenora to marry and provide a new sovereign," Elbert replied coldly.

"This has to be some kind of sick joke! You called me all the way to the capital just to send me back completely empty-handed, Father?!" he yelled out.

"You will keep your tone respectfully leveled when speaking with me, boy," Elbert warned, scowling deeply at his insolent son.

Vincent ground his teeth together before his expression suddenly shifted, his lips curling into a dark smirk as if he had just found the perfect solution.

"So what if Lumiel actually came back? That sniveling coward will never be able to truly rule an entire kingdom. He will either die quietly assassinated by his enemies, or... someone closer could simply handle it for him," he added.

Slap!

Before the treacherous words could even settle in the air, a vicious, backhanded slap struck his cheek, instantly sending him crashing down onto the hard floor.

Vincent grunted loudly in pain and turned his head in disbelief, staring up at his father as he touched his rapidly reddening cheek.

At the entrance of the grand study room, Ravenna, his younger sister, seemed to have arrived at the perfect timing to witness the violent reprimand, standing completely still in the doorway.

Elbert glared down at Vincent, his chest heaving with contained anger.

"You will never utter such treasonous absurdities ever again, not in my presence, nor in anyone else’s. You will not disgrace the prestigious honor of my House with your treacherous imbecilities and your dangerously stupid ambitions."

"M—My stupid ambitions?! You are the very one who—"

"Shut your mouth, boy," Elbert cut him off. "I will never, under any circumstances, betray my King or the Crown for the sake of mere ambition. Least of all by actively plotting such vile, bloody schemes against my own King," he added with disdain.

Vincent clenched his teeth and abruptly scrambled to his feet.

When he noticed his sister standing silently in the doorway, he immediately shot her a glare. "Get out of my sight, you monster."

Ravenna did not move a single inch as he aggressively shoved past her. But mere steps after he had passed her, he suddenly began choking.

"Guuhhn!" Desperately clutching his throat, he started gasping for air that simply would not come.

He immediately turned his panicked, bulging eyes toward Ravenna, but she did not even bother to turn around and look at him.

Her pale lips merely curved into a tiny, almost imperceptible smirk. Vincent collapsed heavily onto his knees, his hands slamming against the ground as he began uncontrollably spitting out thick saliva, his face turning a deadly shade of purple.

"Ravenna!" Elbert shouted instantly, finally noticing the horrific scene playing out behind him.

And then, as if by dark magic, it instantly stopped. Vincent sucked in a ragged, desperate breath, coughing and heaving on the floor as he glared up at the back of Ravenna’s head.

"Y—You bitch!!"

"Enough, Vincent!" Elbert snapped loudly, silencing him.

Vincent gritted his teeth, scrambled back to his feet, and stormed off down the corridor, his face burning an angry red from a mixture of near-asphyxiation, shame, and blinding anger.

When Vincent was finally completely out of sight, Elbert sighed softly, rubbing his temples, and turned a deeply stern stare upon Ravenna.

"You will not do that against your brother ever again," he said.

"He blatantly called me a monster, so I merely acted exactly as such, Father," Ravenna replied, entirely unrepentant. "Or perhaps not exactly. A true monster would have simply killed him."

"Ravenna." Elbert called her name again, his tone dropping into a hard warning, and Ravenna finally fell silent.

Elbert let out another tired sigh and slowly settled his heavy frame back into his plush leather chair.

"Both of you will undoubtedly be the death of your poor father one day," he muttered quietly into the room.

"Is there a sudden problem, Father?" Ravenna asked, gracefully stepping closer into the study.

"A problem? Not entirely. Only surprise. Regardless, the young King is very much alive, which means you will be remaining here in the capital as his officially recognized wife," he said.

"If that is what you truly wish, Father," Ravenna nodded simply.

"Ravenna."

"Father."

Elbert leveled her with a piercing gaze. "I miraculously managed to convince the previous King to allow you to marry Lumiel, despite the most of the court including the King fully knowing about your... unique condition."

Ravenna remained silent, her blue eyes devoid of any visible emotion.

"Do nothing to spoil this perfect opportunity, and remain entirely calm at all times. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to permanently send you back home," he threatened, his eyes locking onto hers to ensure she was listening carefully to every single syllable. "Directly by your mother’s side."

At his sharp words, Ravenna’s delicately clasped hands instantly tightened, her knuckles turning a stark, pale white as her usually placid gaze visibly hardened into something far more darker.

"You must strictly act like a highly disciplined and exemplary Queen at all times. You are currently residing in the very heart of the capital and living inside the royal castle. Every single, conniving noble in this court will actively look for any possible excuse to blame you for something, desperately trying to drag you down from your lofty seat as the Wife of the King. You must not answer their provocations with base violence. You must answer them with your wits," he advised her.

"I will, Father."

"Do not waste any precious time either. Quickly produce me strong, healthy royal grandchildren. The faster you manage to bear a child, the vastly better the odds are of your child eventually inheriting the throne itself. That is your sacred duty as one of his Queens. Do you understand me, my daughter?" He demanded her.

"I understand, Father," Ravenna nodded.

"I admittedly do not know much regarding the new King’s intimate relationships with the other six wives, but I do know that Lady Eleanor is currently widely whispered to be the closest to him, perhaps even his favorite, right alongside Lady Cynthia, whom he naturally grew up with. However, the boy seems to have become quite the insatiable philanderer ever since he miraculously survived the First Ritual, so you must take full advantage of his newfound appetites," he instructed bluntly, shamelessly ordering his own daughter to actively seduce her King.

"I will, Father," Ravenna offered a faint, chilling smile at his crude words before turning on her heel to leave.

But seeing that terrifyingly unreadable smile only made Elbert more worried about what she might actually do than anything else.