Shin awoke to the soft, silvery light of the twin moons filtering through the grand window. Luna was gone, likely attending to her divine duties, leaving the bed feeling vast and cold. He stretched, feeling a profound sense of well-being that had nothing to do with the soft mattress. The raw power from the Rites had settled within him, a quiet, thrumming hum beneath his skin.
He dressed in the simple, elegant clothes that had been laid out for him and wandered out onto the private balcony attached to his chambers. The city of Astera was alive under the moonlight, a tapestry of glowing lights and distant, cheerful sounds. It was beautiful. It was peaceful. For the first time, it felt like his.
A soft, almost inaudible knock sounded from the door of his sitting room.
"Your Majesty?" a small, timid voice called out.
Shin turned from the balcony railing. "Come in."
The door opened a crack, and the head of a young maid with wide, frightened eyes peeked in. It was Mystia. She saw him, and her face immediately flushed a deep red. She scurried in, keeping her eyes fixed on the floor, and curtsied so low he thought she might tip over.
"Mystia," Shin said with a gentle smile. "It's good to see you. You don't have to be so formal around me."
She straightened up, but kept her gaze down. "My King," she said, her voice like a frightened sparrow. "I... I wanted to thank you. For the food. And for... for your kindness."
"It was just breakfast," he said, trying to put her at ease.
"No, it wasn't," she insisted, her voice gaining a sliver of strength. She finally looked up, her eyes shining with sincerity. "No one has ever... I am just a servant. You treated me like a person. You gave me your own food. I... I cannot repay such a thing, but I must try."
She took a deep, shaky breath. "Please, my King. Allow me to become your personal attendant. Let me tend to your chambers, your clothes, your schedule. It is all I know how to do, but I swear I will do it with a devotion that will honor your kindness. Please, let me serve you."
Shin was taken aback. The idea of having a personal maid felt strange and decadent. He was about to politely refuse, but he saw the desperate hope in her eyes. This wasn't just about serving a king; it was about validating an act of compassion that had clearly meant the world to her. To refuse would be to crush that.
He let out a soft sigh and gave her a warm, genuine smile. "Alright, Mystia. Thank you. I'd be honored."
Tears of relief welled in her eyes. "Oh, thank you, my King! You won't regret it! I'll work harder than anyone!"
Just as Mystia was about to launch into a flurry of nervous promises, the door to the sitting room opened again—this time without a knock.
Celia stepped inside first, her small figure rigid and professional as always, glasses perched neatly on her nose and her ever-present clipboard tucked under her arm. Right behind her walked Luna and Solara , looking unusually flustered, a faint smell of herbs and something slightly burnt clinging to her clothes.
"Mystia," Celia said sharply, adjusting her glasses. "Your assigned duties are in the west wing. Why are you occupying His Majesty's time?"
Mystia let out a tiny squeak and immediately bowed again, almost apologetically.
Before Shin could respond, he blinked and looked past Celia, his eyes settling on Luna. "Luna?" he asked, genuine curiosity in his voice. "I was wondering where you went this morning."
Luna froze for half a second—then straightened her posture, lifting her chin with forced confidence. A faint blush crept onto her cheeks.
"I was… training," she said, clearing her throat. "In the kitchens."
Shin raised an eyebrow. "Training?"
"C-cooking," Luna admitted, crossing her arms. "A queen should at least be able to prepare a proper meal for her husband. It's only natural."
There was a brief silence.
Celia sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of her nose. "She nearly set fire to the herb pantry."
"I did not!" Luna snapped back. "It was a controlled flame incident!"
Shin stared at them for a moment—then sighed, rubbing his temples. So much for a calm morning. Between earnest maids, overworked administrators, and a goddess-wife learning how to cook, it seemed peace would remain a distant dream.
"Celia, my love," Luna said, her voice laced with amusement. "Look at how kind and appreciative he is. If you don't do the Rite, you won't even become his concubine."
The word hung in the air like a spark near gunpowder.
Solara's face, which had just returned to its normal color, once again ignited in a furious blush. She stomped her foot, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the quiet room.
"My answer is still NO!!" she shrieked, her voice filled with pure, unadulterated defiance. "I am the Sun! I am not a concubine!"
Shin just sighed, dropping his hand from Luna's hair. So much for a peaceful breakfast. It seemed his reign was going to be one long, chaotic, and very loud negotiation.
After Celia's brisk, clipboard-driven departure, the tension in the castle seemed to ease. Luna, sensing Shin's need for a moment of peace, suggested a walk in the royal gardens. To Shin's surprise, a still-flustered Solara trailed along behind them, keeping a careful distance as if proximity alone might trigger another embarrassing outburst.
The gardens were a marvel of divine creation. They walked along paths of crushed moonstone that glowed with a soft, internal light. Flowers with petals like spun glass chimed softly in the gentle breeze, and a stream of what looked like liquid starlight flowed through a series of crystalline fountains. It was breathtakingly beautiful, a pocket of serenity in a world on the brink.
"So," Shin began, breaking the comfortable silence. "The Sunken Plains. That's where the Void is strongest?"
Solara, who had been kicking at a glowing pebble, looked up, her expression suddenly serious. "The strongest we know of," she corrected, her voice losing its usual fiery edge and gaining a somber tone. "The shadows there... they don't just block my light. They consume it. It's like a hunger. I shine on them, and they just get darker, colder."
Luna placed a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder. "The Void is not merely an absence of light. It is an anti-creation. It seeks to unravel the world I have woven, to return everything to the silent nothingness from which it came."
Shin processed this, his mind falling back into its old, familiar patterns. "Okay. So we need a strategy. But we can't make one without more information. Are there maps? Historical records? Anything about previous times the Void has been this active? We need data."
Luna looked at him, a proud, admiring smile gracing her lips. "See? He thinks like a king already. Not of conquest, but of understanding."
"Maps and records are kept in the Royal Scriptorium," Luna continued. "But it has been sealed for years. The fear outside these walls is mirrored within."
Just as Shin was about to suggest they pay the Scriptorium a visit, a small, eager voice called out from the path behind them.
"Shin!"
They all turned. It was Mystia, carrying a basket of freshly picked, chiming flowers. Her face lit up when she saw him, but the moment she did, two other maids who were with her froze in terror. One of them clapped a hand over Mystia's mouth, her eyes wide with panic.
"Hush! You must not address His Majesty so informally!" the other maid whispered frantically, her face pale. "You must call him 'Your Majesty'!"
Mystia's eyes went wide with horror at her own mistake, and she immediately dropped into a deep, trembling curtsy. "My deepest apologies, Your Majesty! It won't happen again!"
Shin felt a familiar wave of discomfort wash over him. The titles, the bowing, the fear—it was all so suffocating. He walked over to the terrified maids, his expression gentle.
"It's alright," he said, his voice calm and reassuring. "Please, you don't have to do that." He looked specifically at Mystia, offering her a kind smile. "I told you before, just call me Shin. I'm not used to 'Your Majesty.' It makes me feel like I'm someone else."
The maids stared at him, utterly bewildered. This went against every protocol they had ever been taught.
Luna watched the exchange, her heart swelling with a love so profound it almost hurt. He wasn't just playing at being a king; he was redefining what it meant to be one.
Solara, however, just looked completely baffled. "Why would you want to be called so casually? You're the king! You should make them grovel!"
Shin just shook his head, a wry smile on his face. He turned back to Luna, the incident with the maids solidifying his resolve. "Alright. The Scriptorium. Let's go. If it's sealed, we'll unseal it. My first royal decree isn't going to be a law; it's going to be a request for knowledge."