At the Morgan mansion, everyone was happily enjoying their meal when a rhythmic knock sounded at the door. Kai promptly got to his feet and went to answer it.
However, the moment he opened the door, Kai froze at the sight of the figure standing outside in silver and white Knight's armor, a miniature golden crown of Britannia resting on her head.
"A... Artoria?"
Kai immediately came back to his senses, cut himself off, straightened up, and gave a solemn bow. Whether intentionally or not, he positioned himself in front of the half open door, blocking the view of the courtyard behind him as his lowered gaze wandered uneasily.
"Ahem, my apologies, Your Majesty. What brings you here?"
The Lion King frowned and paused for a moment. Then her brow relaxed as she spoke after some thought.
"Regarding this morning's proposal to abolish the right of the first night, I have some questions I'd like to discuss with my royal sister. Hmm, yes, that's right..."
Kai stared at the perfectly serious Lion King in a daze, unable to stop himself from thinking.
Why does that sound so familiar?
Then he abruptly came to his senses, the muscles in his face twitching.
Wait, wasn't that my excuse for running off?
Before Kai could react, however, the Lion King had already pushed the door open with one hand and walked straight inside.
Faced with this completely unexpected visitor, everyone gathered around the hot pot froze. An eerie silence descended over the courtyard.
Clatter...
Samael's fork "accidentally" slipped from his hand and landed on the table. Morgan finally recovered, furrowed her brow, and asked coolly,
"Why aren't you at the palace? What are you doing here?"
"There are some matters of state on which I'd like to hear my older sister's opinion."
The Lion King answered much more smoothly this time, though her golden green eyes had already settled on the bubbling pot on the table and the grilled meat on everyone's plates.
Morgan had always felt an intense aversion toward this younger sister who had taken everything from her. If there was no need for them to interact, she would have preferred never to see her again.
Now this woman had unexpectedly come to visit for the first time ever. Unable to determine her true intentions, Morgan instinctively assumed the worst. Her expression darkened as she retorted coldly,
"Can't we discuss it at the palace?"
"It concerns the proposal to abolish the right of the first night. There is too much opposition. Hmm, yes, discussing it privately would be more convenient."
The Lion King answered with a serious expression while desperately thinking, as though some rusted mechanical part inside her had begun creaking into motion.
Seeing Artoria take the matter so seriously, Morgan's expression eased somewhat.
The two sisters gazed at one another from close range. Their faces were almost identical, yet their fates could not have been more different.
After closing the door and quietly slipping back into the courtyard, Kai sensed the strange pressure building between the sisters and felt his nerves tighten, afraid the two might start fighting if either said the wrong thing.
"Ahem, why don't we sit down and talk?"
"Right. Since you're a guest, please take a seat first."
Fortunately, Kai reacted quickly. He exchanged a glance with his equally uncomfortable fellow sufferer beside him, and the two nodded to each other. Wearing stiff smiles, each of them guided one of the sisters to a seat.
Yet after everyone sat down, Morgan remained suspicious and kept silent, waiting to see what the other side would do. The Lion King, who had supposedly come seeking advice, also fell silent once again, like an old computer that had crashed.
Everyone sat with their eyes lowered, motionless as clay statues gathered around the hot pot. Only the bubbling of the bone broth broke the silence.
At last, the gluttonous Baobhan Sith was the first to lose patience. She quietly extended her strainer and caught a mischievously bobbing slice of lamb from the broth, looking like a mouse sneaking off with cheese.
Since nobody was competing with her, the fork in her other hand was soon piled high with a thick stack of lamb slices.
But the instant she began to pull her fork back, everyone's gaze turned toward her.
Baobhan Sith immediately shrank into herself, her face stiffening under the pressure of all those eyes. Pouting, she reluctantly stood up and, with a miserable expression, scraped the lamb slices off her fork one by one and dropped them back into the pot.
Through the swirling steam rising from the boiling broth, Samael noticed the gaze fixed on the food. After a moment of thought, he looked toward the human shaped statue sitting across from him and asked tentatively,
"Why don't you eat with us first?"
"Yes!"
In an instant, the old rusted machine seemed to receive the correct command. The Lion King's eyes moved, and she nodded without hesitation.
So that was it!
Only then did Samael finally understand the real reason for the Lion King's visit. As he gestured for Freya to bring over an extra set of utensils and condiments, he inwardly rubbed his forehead in exasperation.
Soon, the Lion King had been given her utensils and swiftly assumed position, looking ready for battle. Then her solemn gaze turned toward Samael.
"Lord Samael, may I eat now?"
"Ahem, yes. Go ahead, eat."
Samael returned to his senses and nodded repeatedly. Having received her command, the Lion King copied the others. She was clumsy at first, but quickly figured out how to use the unfamiliar utensils.
Before long, the Lion King became increasingly proficient, and the speed at which she seized food grew faster and faster.
Two plates of lamb rolls had barely gone into the pot when Artoria's hands began moving with lightning speed. Faint ripples of surging Ether appeared in the air, while slices of meat piled up on Artoria's plate at a rate visible to the naked eye until it was heaped full.
Everyone had only just raised their chopsticks when they found themselves staring at a pot that had been swept clean, leaving nothing but plain broth. Their right hands froze in midair as they looked at one another.
Seeing that this child king, completely ignorant of worldly matters, seemed determined to eat them out of house and home, Samael shot an annoyed look at the person responsible.
"Kai, we're out of meat. Go to the market and buy another sheep."
Having realized the root of the problem, Kai naturally had no grounds to refuse.
Although he had just been sent on an errand, Kai glanced back as he stood. His gaze quietly settled on the Lion King, who was eating with gusto, and the corner of his mouth unconsciously lifted into a faint smile.
It had been a long, long time since he had felt this way...
Just as he reached the door, however, the goddess beside him set down her bowl and chopsticks, elegantly wiped her mouth, then slowly raised one hand with a solemn expression.
"Two. I want one too."
"..."
Everyone nearly collapsed at her words, caught between laughter and helpless disbelief.
So you thought that one was only for us?
Even so, nobody bothered correcting the Lion King's misunderstanding. After all, while food was useful to them, it was not necessary for survival. They could live by absorbing Ether, though doing so could not provide the pleasant fullness of a meal or the stimulation of taste.
So two sheep were hardly a problem. Given enough time, they could finish both in a single meal.
If they ran out of broth or the sauces prepared in advance, they could simply cook the meat another way. Stir frying, grilling, salt baking, making soup, cooking it with vinegar. There were plenty of options, more than enough to let everyone eat their fill.
After Kai left to fetch more food, Samael miserably swished vegetables through the broth. He broke the silence at the table and casually asked the voracious eater across from him, who seemed to be waiting for another "eating command,"
"Your Majesty, if I may ask, did the palace not prepare a meal for you today?"
The Lion King's hand paused. Her eyes flickered, then she gave a slight nod and answered firmly,
"No!"
...
Meanwhile, inside the palace.
The Invincible Gawain finished his work and returned to the council chamber. When he saw the seat at the Round Table engraved with his name, along with the two mountains of mashed potatoes in front of it that looked large enough to bury him, he froze.
"Why do I have two servings?"
"Oh, the King saw how hard you were working and was worried one serving wouldn't be enough. She said she wasn't hungry, so she gave you hers as well."
Bedivere, who had remained in the hall organizing documents, explained casually.
"But I'm not hungry either."
"The King said you must be hungry..."
All right. I'm hungry.
"Since it is a gift from the King, I naturally must accept it with gratitude. I could hardly refuse..."
Under Bedivere's earnest gaze, Gawain returned to his senses and nodded solemnly.
That was more like it. How could he possibly let the King's generosity go to waste? Bedivere's expression relaxed slightly.
Gawain then took a deep breath, turned toward the two mountains of mashed potatoes before him, and muttered,
"If there are two servings..."
"Actually, there are three..."
Bedivere put down the documents he had finished organizing and corrected him seriously. Then he opened the cupboard beside him, brought out another enormous serving of mashed potatoes, and placed it in front of Gawain.
"I forgot to tell you. Sir Kai is absent today because of an important matter. Before leaving, he left a message saying that he was entrusting his portion to you as well."
"..."
Surrounded by three mountains of mashed potatoes, the Knight of the Sun stared blankly before speaking with obvious difficulty.
"If I don't eat it, couldn't we have the kitchen dispose of it...?"
"I'm afraid not. Sir Kai said every penny of the allocated budget must be spent properly, and Knights must not waste food. So, I'll leave it to you."
Bedivere shook his head slightly. His tone was gentle, but firm.
Without waiting for Gawain to respond, Bedivere gathered up a stack of documents and rose to leave.
"I have other matters to handle. I'll leave these to you."
The door creaked shut.
Gawain was left alone in the vast council chamber, seated before the Round Table and staring blankly at three enormous bowls of mashed potatoes. His brow furrowed as he fell into deep thought.
If I finish all this, I probably won't need to eat again for three or four days, right?
...
At the Witch's House.
After a lavish feast of lamb dishes, hosts and guest alike were thoroughly satisfied. The entire courtyard looked like a hunting ground that had been overrun by lions, with slender white sheep bones scattered everywhere.
Baobhan Sith, Melusin, and Barghest had been assigned to clean the courtyard, while Habetrot helped Freya wash the dishes. Samael and Kai tacitly brought out wine, tea, and refreshments, acting as mediators to keep the atmosphere under control.
Since Artoria had genuinely come to discuss serious business, Morgan saw no reason to hide anything. She simply told the Lion King what she thought and what she had seen and heard.
"So you simply want to abolish the barbaric custom of the right of the first night?"
The Lion King looked thoughtful, though as usual, there was almost no visible change in her expression. The suffering of ordinary people clearly inspired little sympathy or empathy in her.
"Actually, it isn't merely a matter of custom."
Seeing this, Samael spoke up to explain.
"The right of the first night causes several serious problems. For one, men unwilling to let their wives be humiliated may choose to flee, leaving farmland abandoned and causing population loss.
"On the other hand, many people have to spend large sums of money to buy back from their lord a right that should have belonged to them in the first place, all to preserve their wives' chastity. And there is no such thing as a fair price for that redemption. How much the lords squeeze out of ordinary people depends entirely on their mood and intentions.
"This intensifies conflict between the classes. The poor grow poorer while the rich grow richer. The lords fatten themselves while the people are bled dry, and in the end, even the state struggles to collect taxes."
Looking at the issue from the broader perspective finally caused a slight change in the Lion King's expression.
"Ahem, let me add something. Commoners pay their taxes to their local lords. The royal court only has the authority to levy contributions from the lords. It has no right to bypass them and tax the commoners directly."
Kai cleared his throat as he reminded Samael.
Samael paused, realizing there was a gap in what he had taken for common knowledge.
Not every country possessed the same powerful control over the grassroots population as that great Eastern power, where households were registered and a single command from the Emperor could mobilize the population of the entire nation.
In feudal Europe, these so called lords, great and small, possessed extraordinary authority within their own territories. One of those powers was the right to collect taxes independently. By tradition, even the king had no authority to interfere.
Rather than calling them lords, it might be more accurate to call them kings of realms large and small.
No wonder the country was so fragmented, and no wonder the Lion King had shown so little interest in abolishing the right of the first night throughout the entire nation.
Ultimately, the King's authority had not yet extended all the way down to the common people. Excessive interference in the lords' autonomy would instead provoke their dissatisfaction and shake the foundations of the nation.
Even if a lord exploited the people in his territory, even if he bullied men, preyed on women, and committed every imaginable evil, it was enough as long as he continued supplying the royal court with wealth and answered its summons on time.
After all, strictly speaking, what the Holy Lance had bestowed upon Artoria was the rational Divine Spirit responsible for sustaining the nation's existence and preserving the Mystery of this land, not a benevolent king who shared the suffering of the people.
Samael realized that he had viewed some matters far too simply. He shook his head helplessly, knowing that this issue was largely constrained by the era and would be difficult to push forward.
"I support this proposal, actually. We've only just finished a war that nearly wiped out an entire generation of young adults. Not long ago, I returned to my father's territory, and as I passed through the fields, I saw that almost everyone working them was elderly, infirm, a woman, or a child. This so called right of the first night makes it even harder for commoners to marry and have children. If the farming population cannot recover, the nation will have little chance of achieving lasting growth."
Kai raised his tea and took a small sip. As he spoke about what he had seen on the road, his concern was evident.
After giving the matter some thought, Britannia's treasurer proposed a compromise.
"How about this, Your Majesty? I suggest that we begin by abolishing the right of the first night in regions willing to implement the change, such as Cornwall and the Holy City of Camelot. We can observe the results there first, then decide what to do next based on how it goes."
"Very well. Then I will leave its implementation to you."
Artoria considered the proposal for a moment before slowly nodding.
With the Lion King's approval secured, along with Kai's promise to do his utmost to implement the measure, Morgan's expression softened considerably.
Although the outcome was not entirely satisfactory, it was still a substantial breakthrough.
However, before the atmosphere could fully relax, the Lion King glanced toward the fairies running around the courtyard. A trace of cold severity entered her aura as she frowned slightly and warned,
"Royal Sister, you should not become too close to other races..."
"Ahem, ahem! I remember your family has a bottle of excellent wine. Come on, bring it out so we can all share it!"
Kai coughed and sprang to his feet, a huge smile plastered across his face as though a sudden craving for alcohol had possessed him. At the same time, he frantically signaled Samael with his eyes.
The Ancient Serpent immediately understood. He pulled the now grim faced Morgan along with him and headed inside to retrieve the supposedly treasured bottle of wine.
On the way, Samael glanced back at the goddess seated in the pavilion. His eyes flickered as he silently shook his head.
Tsk. It seemed the Lion King had indeed been influenced to some extent by those rumors. There was probably no place reserved for fairies in the ideal nation of the Sacred Round Table realm.
Morgan had clearly reached the same conclusion from those few remarks. Her expression turned icy. Then, as her shifting gaze landed on something inside the house, her eyes abruptly sharpened, as though she had finally made up her mind.
***
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