I stared at Sienna Rothfla a fraction longer than necessary. She rested on one knee before , a picture of perfect knightly discipline. One hand remained steadfastly upon her leg, while her head bowed slightly in respect.
Did Sienna ever appear in the original Ga?
I searched my mories, sifting through the hours I had spent looking at a screen in my past life. No, she had not. By the ti the main events of the story unfolded, she had in all likelihood already died along with the rest of the kingdom’s defenders.
It was a dark realization. For long months, the Kingdom of Helios had resisted the unrelenting assault of the Black Sun. This was a staggering feat of endurance, especially considering the enemy had already seized the Capital, desecrated the royal Castle, and claid the sacred Fla.
How, then, had Helios managed to hold out for so long against those bastards?
The answer lay entirely upon the shoulders of two extraordinary n. They were the pillars of the Resistance and the most powerful nobles within our borders: Duke Solaris, Asthenia’s father, and Duke Rothfla, Sienna’s father.
As the only two dukes of the Kingdom, they were true powerhouses. Solaris ruled over the southern territories, his army and fleets protecting the seas below. anwhile, Rothfla stood as a wall of iron and fire, single-handedly defending the entire northern frontier.
Together with Arges, these two were the main reasons the Kingdom had not been entirely swallowed whole. Even after the death of my father, rival kingdoms hesitated to strike. They knew better than to test the remaining strength of the Helios nobility.
Even after the Black Sun finally took the Capital, bringing the rest of the kingdom to its knees had cost them another three or four bloody months. Unfortunately, that bitter tiline of defeat coincided perfectly with the deaths of my mother and Lenora.
Back when I was rely observing a ga, I had not given those background events much thought. They were just stories, distant words on a screen. Yet now, living and breathing as Lumiel, possessing knowledge of the warmth and reality of these people, the truth felt shocking to say the least.
I had to remind myself of how the Black Sun was a terrifyingly dangerous threat, far beyond a simple in-ga antagonist. That was precisely why I was moving forward with such ticulous care, weighing every single decision with the utmost prudence.
There were simply too many vital lives at stake, too many cherished people close to who could be lost in a heartbeat. I did not care how my actions were perceived, even if my own family saw as a fool or a coward. As long as they stayed alive, my reputation ant nothing.
There is an old, cynical saying: fool your friends first, and your enemies will follow much more easily. My current actions were built upon that very principle.
This fabricated honeymoon trip with Eleanor was a pri example. On the surface, it was a romantic getaway, but in truth, I needed the journey to recover two precious artifacts above all else. More importantly, it served as carefully laid bait.
I was playing a dangerous ga by bringing Eleanor along. I loathed the idea of dragging her into my sches, but the ruse had to look entirely genuine to our watchers.
Once I was finished thwarting this impending assassination attempt against , my utmost priority was survival. Everyone had to be alive before I finally departed for Luminar. Anything less would already be a failure on my part.
It felt rather scummy of to ntally rank people’s lives, of course. Yet, practically speaking, soone of Sienna’s caliber was clearly at the top of my golden list of allies who had to be preserved at all costs.
I did not know much about her personal character, save for the rumors of her imnse talent, strength, and loyalty. However, feeling the dense, disciplined aura she carried right now, I could imdiately confirm the first two traits.
There was a special presence about her. Arges clearly had not chosen her as his second-in-command rely because she was Duke Rothfla’s daughter. It was far from political favoritism; she had earned her place.
As I thought about that, I found my lips curling into a faint smile.
Morgana...
If she truly wished to succeed her father and beco the Commander of the Royal Guard, she had quite the opponent ahead of her.
Sienna was the obvious favorite for the position. Indeed, now that I had stripped Arges of his title, she was already being regarded by the whispering court as the acting Commander of the Royal Guard.
Obviously, I had stripped Arges of his status, but those were rely words. I hadn’t made a single official, written decree to cent the demotion. Yet, because everyone in the castle believed the deed was done, it served its purpose perfectly.
Let the courtiers gossip. Let them whisper about how shrewd or dishonorable I was for tricking my own court and playing loosely with my decrees. I truly couldn’t care less about their idle chatter.
"Stand up, Sienna," I finally said, breaking the silence between us.
She rose imdiately.
She was quite tall for a woman. While she stood shorter than my own six feet, her stature was imposing. Then again, a woman like her hardly needed physical height to dominate a room. She already exuded a strong presence, an aura naturally designed to command both deep respect and a small dose of fear. Combine that charisma with her elevated status as Duke Rothfla’s daughter, and it was obvious that no one in this kingdom would ever dare to speak out against her.
"Have we crossed paths in recent years?" I asked, raising a brow.
"I do not believe so, Your Majesty," she replied. "I do, however, recall eting Your Majesty briefly at your twelfth birthday celebration."
My twelfth birthday. That would have been six years ago. I searched my mind, but I couldn’t picture her at all, most likely because back then, the old Lumiel had always kept his gaze fixed nervously upon the floor.
"Well, we will have plenty of ti to get to know one another," I said, my tone casual but probing. "I hope you aren’t harboring any negative sentints regarding your new position, Sienna?"
"Of course not, Your Majesty," she replied, her brow furrowing slightly, perhaps puzzled by the direction of my questioning.
"I abruptly stripped Arges, your direct superior of his rank," I pointed out. "Given that, you must be feeling one of two things. You are either entirely satisfied because his removal leaves your path to becoming Commander completely unobstructed, or you are secretly upset. Like nearly every knight in this Kingdom, you admire him greatly, and you despise what I just did to him."
A mont of silence followed my blunt assessnt. I watched her carefully. I could easily tell she was weighing her options, searching for the exact right words to answer the trap I had laid.
"Lord Arges... explained to what Your Majesty wished for to do," she finally answered. "I will protect the castle with my life."
It was a masterful deflection. She had completely bypassed my actual question, yet her evasion carried a distinct, hidden aning.
By telling his na so respectfully, she was subtly revealing. She believed, just as Arges did, that his demotion was not permanent. She might be suspecting I had a larger plan in mind.
At least, that was the sharp, perceptive gaze she was giving right now. She was understanding and incredibly quick to analyze the board and make decisions. It was a good quality for a royal guard.
Morgana was still miles away from possessing this woman’s level of composure. Though, in fairness, Sienna was older and far more experienced.
I could only hope that the harsh treatnt I was currently putting Morgana through would force her to grow up fast. Otherwise, I would have no choice but to keep pushing her. I had to forge her into the hardened warrior she beca during the Luminar arc of the Ga, the survivor forged only after she had suffered the death of every loved one and friend she had in Helios. I needed her to gain that strength now, without the tragedy.
"We have not interacted much, and I do not truly know you yet," I said, eting her eyes with a serious gaze. "However, Arges trusted you implicitly with the safety of my family and my wives. Because he trusts you, I will trust you, Sienna."
She imdiately brought her armored hand to rest over her heart, her own expression mirroring my seriousness.
"Your Majesty, my life is sworn to the protection of Helios and the royal family," she vowed.
I looked deeply into her eyes, searching for any flicker of deceit, wondering if she was truly sincere in her oath. She possessed a stoic mask that was incredibly difficult to read, giving nothing away. Yet, my instincts told she ant every single word.
"I will rely on you, then," I smiled. "There is no need to stretch this conversation any further. I am certain Arges has already briefed you on everything necessary."
"He has, Your Majesty," she replied with a respectful nod.
Damn. This woman was certainly convincing.
Despite the fact that I was truly facing her for the first ti, ard with very little knowledge of her true character, a strange wave of relief washed over . Knowing that a knight of her caliber was going to stand guard over my family and my wives allowed to finally breathe a little easier.
And anyway, Arges himself would still be here, lurking in the shadows. His hidden presence was the main reason behind my overwhelming sense of relief, the only reason I could even consider leaving them all behind this easily. Still, adding a force like Sienna to the equation only elevated my peace of mind.
"Anyway, what about my two guards, Sienna?" I finally asked, shifting my focus toward the two individuals I had instructed Arges to prepare for .
Sienna gave a curt nod. She turned on her heel, gesturing toward a man and a woman who stood just a few paces behind her. They both looked a bit nervous when I gave them them my piercing gaze.
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