After lingering with Eleanor for a while, I was forced to reluctantly part ways. I had warmly offered her to join me for lunch, but she had politely declined in order to see her father off.
Obviously, I let her go without a fuss.
Eleanor had been constantly by Gabriel's side since her birth, meticulously following in his footsteps and observing his dealings with high-ranking nobles and shrewd merchants.
Now that her official engagement to me had been decided, she was politically bound to remain inside the royal castle by my side, just like the rest of my wives, because she was officially recognized as a Queen.
Truthfully, she still could have reasonably chosen to travel with her father if she truly desired, but she chose to stay. Her father had explicitly asked her to remain in the capital to support and politically counsel me, and Eleanor had taken that duty entirely to heart.
She was truly a precious gem.
