Chapter 31: Gabriel Goldwyn

It was already noon outside.

Gods.

I had genuinely intended to make the most of my time until the damned Academy Arc officially began because, yes, I fully planned on enrolling in that academy.

The Elite Academy was definitely the greatest place in the world to forge vital connections. Unparalleled ones, even, considering countless other royals and high-ranking nobles would be gathered there, eagerly learning everything required to become the perfect world leaders of the future.

Obviously, I was not going to miss out on such an opportunity.

I could hardly take full advantage of my vast, meta-knowledge of the gamestory if I simply sat around rotting in my castle rather than actively participating in the academy’s events.

After all, the Academy Arc was the portion of the game I had spent the most hours grinding through; my entire foresight and understanding of this world was heavily, if not entirely, based upon the events of that specific arc.

But before any of that could happen, I obviously had to deal with my impending assassination and root out the treacherous snakes slithering through my court. I refused to leave my kingdom without first ensuring that not a single treacherous ant remained crawling within the walls of my castle.

Clean house first, then leave. That was the main objective.

Regardless, I was not heading toward the grand throne hall right now.

Since I had officially tasked my mother with handling the court’s mundane affairs in my absence, at least when the matters were not deemed ’critical’ she was undoubtedly dealing with the endlessly bickering nobles in my stead.

Instead, I was making my way toward one of the castle’s privy chambers.

Every true castle possessed such secluded rooms, specifically designed to host highly private audiences between the monarch and the highest-ranking nobles.

One could not be expected to constantly sit upon the towering throne merely to discuss nuanced politics; there were often highly sensitive, strictly confidential pieces of information to be exchanged, and these smaller, secured rooms served that exact purpose flawlessly.

I had not explicitly instructed Eleanor to wait for me in a privy chamber, but she had chosen to do so regardless. As expected, she was incredibly sharp and instinctively understood my unspoken desires.

Once I finally reached the door, my guiding maid bowed deeply and swiftly took her leave, allowing me to proceed alone.

I did not pause to announce myself; I simply turned the handle and pushed the door open.

Stepping inside, I immediately took in the moderately sized room. The four stone walls were relatively bare, sparsely decorated with only a few carved shelves nestled into the corners. Elegant crystal chandeliers rested upon those shelves, bathing the room in warm, even light. In the exact center of the chamber sat two plush sofas and a couple of high-backed chairs, arranged perfectly to facilitate intimate discussions.

My gaze instantly snapped toward one of the sofas. Eleanor sat there, draped in a breathtakingly beautiful, golden-yellow gown that perfectly hugged her curves, not in a shameless manner, but with an air of untouchable grace. Her legs were delicately crossed, and a polite, knowing smile rested upon her lips as she conversed with the slightly rotund, blond-haired man seated directly across from her.

I recognized him immediately.

I had seen him a few times in the past, heavily engaged in deep and friendly conversations with my late father.

It was Gabriel Goldwyn, the wealthiest merchant in the entire Kingdom of Helios, and, more importantly, Eleanor’s father.

Sitting quietly next to him was a frail-looking older man I did not recognize.

There were two others present as well.

One was a silent figure wearing an obscure mask, standing rigidly behind Eleanor like a shadowed sentinel. The other was a rugged man, likely in his late thirties, casually leaning against the far wall and staring off into space, seemingly lost in his own deep thoughts.

Gabriel was the first to turn his gaze upon hearing the door swing open.

Immediately following his lead, everyone else in the room turned their attention toward me.

Gabriel and Eleanor simultaneously stood and placed a hand over their hearts and bowed their heads in deep, respectful greeting.

“Your Majesty.”

However, the rugged man who had been leaning against the far wall and the silent, masked figure both instantly dropped to one knee, bowing low.

The frail old man had been about to follow suit and drop to his knees as well, but I raised my hand to stop him.

“It is fine. There is no need for that,” I said.

He was an old man and judging by his robe, a Scholar with decades of experiences. I didn’t want him to get an heart attack here at worst.

Since we were not in the grand throne room, going down on one’s knees was not strictly required by royal etiquette. Gabriel and Eleanor understood this perfectly; they were nobles, and more importantly, Eleanor was my wife, making Gabriel my father-in-law. Their elevated status naturally afforded them such privileges. The same, however, could not be said for the other three in the room, which fully explained their immediate subjugation.

“Just rise,” I said to the others as I casually approached the center of the room.

I quickly took a seat on the plush sofa right next to Eleanor and offered Gabriel a warm, familiar smile.

“It feels like an eternity, Uncle. Has it been perhaps a year since I last saw you?” I asked.

“Indeed it has,” Gabriel chuckled warmly before his tone turned politely apologetic. “My deepest apologies, Your Majesty. I was regrettably unable to attend your coronation ceremony.”

“There is nothing to apologize for. In fact, I am quite glad you were spared from witnessing my incredibly embarrassing display that day,” I replied, leaning comfortably back against the cushions.

However, from the corner of my eye, I quickly spotted Eleanor beginning to stand. She was likely intending to move and take a seat next to her father out of sheer, formal respect for my presence, but I raised an inquisitive brow.

“Eleanor?”

I called her name just as she fully stood.

“Your Majesty, I merely thought it would be more comfortable for you to converse if we were seated across from one another,” she explained.

She was not exactly wrong about that, far from it. Eleanor was never one to be awkward or unnecessarily shy; she was simply being practical and completely honest.

But…

I reached out my hand toward her.

“I would feel far more comfortable with you remaining right by my side.”

When her emerald eyes caught mine, she hesitated for only a fraction of a second before reaching out and gently placing her delicate hand within my palm.

With a gentle, guiding tug, I led her back down onto the sofa, pulling her to sit much closer to my side than she had been before.

And I did not release my grip, keeping her soft hand gently intertwined with mine.

I watched a delicate flush of pink paint her cheeks, likely in embarrassment over the public display of affection right in front of her father, but she wisely kept silent.

Gabriel watched Eleanor’s flustered reaction for a brief moment before he burst into a hearty, booming laugh.

“Your Majesty… You have certainly changed a great deal! I am quite flabbergasted, and thoroughly impressed,” he said, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

“As you well should be, Uncle. I have failed to meet expectations far too many times in the past, yet you still confidently entrusted your beautiful, kind, and incredibly intelligent daughter to my care. I can only offer you my deepest thanks for such trust,” I said, offering a sincere smile.

“There is no need for thanks, Your Majesty. Your late father was a dear, long-time friend of mine, and he is a very large reason for my current prosperity. I shall forever remain deeply indebted to him and his royal family,” Gabriel replied, returning my smile with a gentle, profound warmth.

“That debt was paid in full the very moment you entrusted me with someone as priceless as Eleanor,” I replied, casting a sidelong glance at Eleanor, who hastily averted her gaze toward the floorboards.

“Y—Your Majesty…” She stammered, the blush on her cheeks deepening into a vivid crimson.

Gabriel seemed even more thoroughly amused by her flustered state.

“I have never once seen my daughter this deeply embarrassed in front of any man! She rarely ever loses her perfect composure!” He laughed.

“Father… please. I will gladly serve as the source of entertainment and laughter for both you and His Majesty once we are completely in private…” She managed to reply, her voice steadying as she swiftly recovered her usual sharp wit.

Can’t wait about this.

But she was entirely right.

We were, after all, surrounded by three complete strangers.

“Well, my dear wife is entirely correct,” I smiled, finally letting the easy banter fade. “Shall we discuss the pressing matters at hand?”

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