Early morning in the central kitchen of North Wales Castle.
A massive hearth burned without rest as dozens of royal cooks stood lined up, frozen stiff.
Their gazes were fixed on Kay, who stood with his arms crossed, holding a giant carving knife.
"You! The one who just sliced the potatoes!"
"F-Fourth! Chef!"
Kay pointed at the cutting board and thundered.
"You're not cutting them uniformly! When you're frying, some pieces cook first and turn to mush, while others stay underdone and wreck the texture! The potatoes you sliced aren't fit for the king's table; they belong in the stable with the horses! Slice them all over again from the start!"
"I-I'm sorry!!"
As the cook gloomily picked up the potatoes to slice again, Kay turned his head to the head chef who was trimming meat.
"And you, head chef! Didn't you learn anything from yesterday's ox tongue dish? What's with the aging temperature for the meat? If you throw it on the grill without draining the blood properly, is that grilling or boiling the blood in the meat?! This is why Lancer could barely get through a single bite in the past five years!"
"I-I'll remember, Chef! I'll recalibrate the storage's temperature magic right away!"
Kay stormed through the kitchen as if enraged, issuing voluminous commands.
The cooks, who had been completely won over after tasting the miraculous dishes Kay produced, didn't resent his tirades but instead bowed their heads desperately, taking notes to learn every bit they could.
"Listen up. Cooking isn't just about putting ingredients on the fire. True cooking must fill not only a person's stomach but also their fatigue, endurance, and the hunger of their heart! I won't allow even the slightest compromise in the food my sisters eat. Understood?!"
"Yes, Chef!"
With their resounding response, the kitchen of North Wales, under Kay's command, had entered a brand-new era of culinary revolution. Of course, whether they could actually pull it off remained to be seen.
After finishing breakfast preparations, Kay strolled through the central garden of the castle in light attire.
Among dew-laden rose bushes and a splendid fountain, he saw a woman standing with her dazzling blonde hair streaming—Lancer, dressed in her usual attire rather than rigid armor.
"Brother. I could hear your scolding all the way from the kitchen."
"Ah, was it too loud? Those cooks' fundamentals were such a mess it drove me up the wall. Did you have a good breakfast?"
"Yes. Thanks to the meal you prepared yourself, I feel like I've fully replenished today's Mana. Truly… it's been a long time since I've felt the vigor of the morning."
The two walked side by side, strolling through the garden.
Looking at Lancer, who had completely shed the naivete of five years ago and grown into a brilliantly mature queen, Kay felt both pride and a strange sense of dissonance. Each slight brush of her shoulder as they walked and the heated intensity in her emerald eyes were a far cry from his sister of old.
"Brother. North Wales is quite pleasant to live in. Resources are relatively abundant, and the castle grounds are spacious. How would you feel about… staying here peacefully with me from now on?"
Lancer gently gripped Kay's sleeve and asked in a strangely trembling voice.
"Of course, I'd like nothing more than that, but I haven't been able to find everyone who's scattered yet. I need to check on how Artoria, X, and Gareth are doing. And that bastard Vortigern needs to get crushed someday."
That was Kay's theoretical answer.
But Lancer didn't look disappointed. Instead, she bit her lip softly as she recalled Alter's suggestion from the balcony last night.
'As I thought. In Brother's heart, all of us sisters still only hold the place of equal family. If I want to become Brother's woman… it seems I need more drastic measures.'
At that moment.
"Hmph. Lion King, sticking to brother's side like that first thing in the morning, wagging your tail—such a disgrace for the Queen of North Wales."
Alter stepped out from behind the rose bushes. Thanks to Kay's cooking, her skin glowed with surprising luster and vitality.
"Alter, how's your body feeling?"
"It's completely healed, of course. Thanks to the special energy I received from my brother."
Alter glanced at Lancer and gave a meaning-laden smile. Lancer, who understood the true meaning behind those words, shivered.
Alter approached and boldly linked her arm through Kay's, pressing her small yet soft chest blatantly against his bicep.
"Hey, hey. Cut it out. We're not children—why are you clinging to me like that?"
"I'm making up for five years of missed skinship, so stay put. By the way, brother, today let's go check out the town. Being cooped up inside the castle feels suffocating. Let's head to the market and grab some skewers."
Lancer's gaze flashed coldly at the sight. She didn't back down, firmly linking her arm through Kay's other side and glaring at Alter.
"If you're touring the streets, I will also accompany you. It's only proper that I, the ruler of North Wales, personally escort my brother. I can't entrust him entirely to someone as unruly as you."
Walking through the garden with two beauties brimming with massive Mana hanging from his arms, Kay felt a strange cold sweat trickle down his spine.
This wasn't something to dismiss as mere whining from younger sisters; the sticky, heavy possessiveness he felt from both sides was extraordinary. It was like the territorial tension of predators fighting over a delectable prey.
By afternoon, a full-blown free-for-all erupted on the castle's outdoor terrace.
With the Servants even joining in at tea time, the battle for Kay's attention grew even fiercer.
"Husband~ Ah, here you go! Cookies personally baked by your Tamamo! I've poured in all my love and devotion, and even added a little potion to set the night ablaze, Mikong!"
"No way, why put a love potion in there! I'm not eating something with poison!"
"Master, don't eat treats with beast fur in them — drink this instead. I warmed this black tea just how you like it."
Jeanne Alter grumbled but pushed the teacup toward Kay. Although her tone was brusque, she subtly bumped his shoulder to claim the seat next to him, her ears flushed bright red.
Watching from across the table, Alter clicked her tongue in disgust.
"That vulgar fake bitch dares to steal my face and throw herself at my brother. What an eyesore."
"What's that, you flat runt? You've got no chest, so how would it feel to cling to my arm? A man needs some curves to make linking arms worthwhile!"
Jeanne Alter poked her ample chest in provocation, and Alter's golden eyes slit as she reached for the knife on the table.
"Enough. Must you two fight every time you meet?"
As Kay pounded his head trying to calm them, Medusa, who had been quietly reading behind him, glided over and began to massage his broad shoulders.
"Master. All this noise must be exhausting for you."
Medusa, with a cool yet sensual smile behind her eyepatch, pressed her lips close to Kay's ear and whispered softly.
"Tonight, come to my room. I will perfectly ease the tension in your muscles from today's commotion and the fatigue you've accumulated over these past few days."
At Medusa's low-key yet daring invitation, Tamamo, Jeanne Alter, Lancer, and Alter all turned their eyes on her, as if ready to strike.
"How dare you cut in?! Master's night belongs to me, his lawful wife!"
"Hey! You're planning to sap all of Master's energy under the guise of supplying Mana?!"
"…Servants these days really have no boundaries."
It was a boisterous, chaotic, and far-from-peaceful, ice-thin tea time.
Kay sighed and took a sip of tea. He was confident in feeding his sisters, but managing the emotions of so many women was a hundred times more exhausting and difficult than facing a horde of fiends in a demon realm.
And finally, deep into the night.
All the lights in the castle went out, and a weary Kay lay down in his lavish bedchamber, sinking into a deep sleep.
He had spent the entire day mediating the power struggles among his sisters and Servants, and his energy was completely drained.
Creak~
At that moment, the sturdy oak door to his bedchamber silently opened.
The soft moonlight from the corridor filtered into the room, and two women entered with their backs to the light.
Jeanne Alter and Medusa.
"…Huh? You… why are you two in my room at midnight?"
"Why, Master? Didn't I promise to relieve your fatigue during the day?"
Medusa, with her cool yet sticky smile, slowly traced her fingers across Kay's chest.
"That's right. You were annoyed earlier by that flat runt and that beast bitch, weren't you? We've come to quietly comfort you, so just stay still."
Jeanne Alter, still grumbling, climbed onto the bed with unexpectedly smooth and provocative movements, perching near Kay's thigh.
"No, wait. This is North Wales Castle. If my sisters find out, it'll be chaos."
Kay tried to step back in panic, but Medusa glided behind him and breathed hot air into his nape, while Jeanne Alter pressed her face close as her hand rested on his chest.
The two acted so boldly and seductively that it was unrecognizable from their usual personas.
In that moment, a faint dissonance brushed past Kay's sleep-addled sense of smell.
'…This is strange.'
It wasn't Jeanne Alter's dry ash scent or Medusa's cold serpentine aroma.
Filling the room was a scent he had long been accustomed to… intensely familiar yet intoxicatingly alluring: someone's rich body scent.
'This can only be my sisters…'
But before Kay's reason could analyze the source of that scent:
"Master… you won't have time for other thoughts."
A woman's voice silenced Kay by pressing his lips with her gentle yet insistent kiss.
Under Tamamo's perfect illusions, Alter and Lancer had swapped skins with Jeanne Alter and Medusa, launching a deadly pincer attack meant to fully capture their dense-headed brother.