Shin awoke to the familiar, silvery light of the twin moons. For a moment, he just lay there, enjoying the feeling of the soft bed and the quiet hum of the castle. He felt... rested. The divine energy from the Rites had fully integrated, leaving him with a sense of vibrant health he'd never known.
He turned his head and saw Luna sitting on the chaise lounge, watching him. She wasn't reading or tending to any divine task; she was just watching him, a thoughtful, almost melancholic expression on her face.
"Morning," he said, his voice still thick with sleep.
A small smile touched her lips. "Good evening, my husband."
She stood and walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge. She reached out and gently brushed a stray lock of hair from his forehead. "You know," she began, her voice soft, a little hesitant. "You have claimed a warrior and tamed the Sun. You have even given life to a ghost. Your harem grows, and your power with it."
Shin nodded, sensing there was a "but" coming.
"But..." she continued, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "Your own queen, your wife... you have not even touched me."
The raw, unfiltered vulnerability in her voice struck him like a physical blow. He saw it then—the loneliness behind her divine power, the insecurity of a goddess playing a role she had no experience with. He opened his mouth to say something, to reach for her, to do anything.
But the sheer, overwhelming exhaustion of the past two days, the adrenaline crash after his "strategic asset" planning session, finally caught up to him. He tried to fight it, to stay awake for her, but his eyelids felt like they were made of lead. They fluttered and closed, his breathing evened out, and just like that, he was asleep again.
Luna watched him, her hand still hovering over his cheek. A mix of fondness and profound frustration warred within her. She let out a soft, exasperated sigh.
"Stupid Shin..." she whispered, a small, affectionate smile finally gracing her lips.
The next "evening," after a breakfast where Solara once again demanded Shin cook for her, the three of them made their way back to the Scriptorium. Solara, as usual, was complaining.
"I swear, the horizon is getting lazier," she grumbled. "I had to push the sun up a whole three minutes ahead of schedule. Unacceptable."
When they arrived, Elowen was already waiting, a serene and professional figure in the now-welcoming library. She gave a perfect curtsy.
"Your Majesties," she said. "The preliminary portfolio you requested is ready."
She raised a hand, and the air in front of Shin shimmered. A large, glowing rectangle of light appeared, like a magical screen. On it, rows and rows of portraits began to appear, each with glowing text beside it.
Shin leaned forward, his eyes scanning the images. There was a stern-looking woman with intricate tattoos covering her arms. A laughing girl with hair the color of autumn leaves. A solemn, robed figure whose eyes seemed to hold ancient secrets. One by one, their portraits filled the screen, an endless parade of powerful, beautiful women.
"Okay, wow," Shin said, impressed despite himself. "How many are we talking here? A dozen? Twenty?"
Elowen's expression remained perfectly neutral. "The initial parameters you provided—high magical or political influence—yielded a list of one hundred and two individuals. I have since filtered out two who are currently abroad on diplomatic missions."
Shin stared at her. He blinked. He blinked again.
"One hundred?" he asked, his voice a squeak. "You mean... the number one, followed by two zeros? In this kingdom alone?"
"That is the correct numerical value, my King," Elowen confirmed.
Shin felt a wave of vertigo and had to sit down on a nearby reading bench. One hundred. He was going to have to manage a harem of one hundred. He was going to have to... perform the Rite... one hundred times. He was going to die.
Luna, however, was studying the list with a more critical eye. She pointed to a section of the glowing text. "Elowen, highlight the marital status."
As she spoke, a small symbol—a glowing ring or a broken chain—appeared next to each portrait. Shin watched in horror as a significant number of them glowed with the symbol of a solid, unbroken ring.
"Wait a minute," he said, his voice trembling. "Some of those are glowing. What does that mean?"
Luna turned to him, her expression serious. "It means they are married, my love. Bound to another."
Shin's brain short-circuited for the second time in twenty-four hours. He stared at the glowing list, at the faces of the married women, and felt a new, much colder kind of dread settle in his stomach.
"You mean... I'm supposed to... with someone who's already married?" he asked, his modern sensibilities screaming in protest. "That's... that's against the rules! That's... cheating!"
Luna and Elowen exchanged a look.
"In Astera," Luna said gently, "the only rule that matters is the king's. And the Rite is a sacred duty, above all mortal bonds. But yes... it does complicate things."
Shin let out a breath so long it felt like he was deflating. He slumped further on the reading bench, staring at the glowing list of one hundred women. He looked at the married ones, at the single ones, at the powerful ones, and felt the last of the fight drain out of him. This was his life now. Absurd, terrifying, and... apparently, his royal duty.
He looked at Luna, a weary resignation on his face. "Fine," he said, his voice flat. "A hundred. Let's... let's just add it to the project plan."
A slow, proud smile spread across Luna's face. She watched him, her heart swelling. He wasn't just panicking anymore; he was processing. He was accepting the impossible and trying to find a way to manage it. He was becoming a king.
"Now that the strategic planning is underway," she said, her tone shifting from proud to practical, "we have another matter to attend to." She gestured around the vast, dusty library. "This Scriptorium has been dormant for centuries. Even with the Void cleansed, it is in a state of profound disarray."
Elowen nodded, her expression grim. "It is a task of a thousand lifetimes, my Queen. The dust alone has its own history. I alone could not even make a dent in a century."
"Then we shall get you help," Luna declared, her voice ringing with finality. She turned to Shin. "A king must have his resources, and a library must have its keepers."
She raised her hands, and a soft, melodic chime filled the air, different from the sound of Elowen's movements. The air in the center of the room began to shimmer, not like a ghostly form, but like a heat haze on a summer road.
One by one, figures began to materialize out of the shimmering air. They were the castle's maids, all looking bewildered and disoriented. There was Mystia, her eyes wide with awe and a little bit of fear, clutching a feather duster like a weapon. Behind her, older, more seasoned maids appeared, their expressions a mix of confusion and duty.
Shin watched, mesmerized. He was starting to realize that in this world, "sending a memo" and "summoning the staff" were two very different things.
"My ladies," Luna announced, her voice clear and regal. "Your new duty is to assist Elowen, the Keeper of the Scriptorium. You will clean, you will organize, and you will restore this place to its former glory. This is now your highest priority."
The maids, led by a still-stunned Mystia, all curtsied in unison. "Yes, Your Majesty!"
Elowen looked at the small army of helpers, then at Luna and Shin, her silver eyes filled with a gratitude so profound it was almost tangible. For the first time in a millennium, she wouldn't be alone.
Luna lowered her hands, the summoning spell complete. She turned back to Shin, her practical mission accomplished and a playful glint returning to her eyes.
"There," she said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Now that we have staff, we can get to the real work. I believe you have a portfolio to review, my strategic asset manager."
The Scriptorium, a silent tomb for centuries, was about to become the busiest, most organized place in the entire kingdom. And Shin, its reluctant new master, had a hundred very important interviews to prepare for.