In the end, Artorius finally got his fill.
As for how...
After Ector had laid Artorius's hidden intentions bare for Guinevere to see, the Princess had asserted her royal authority. Ignoring Artorius's protests, she had marched back into the kitchen to resume cooking for him.
According to her, she had the help of magecraft. Dishes that normally required hours of preparation were ready in a mere ten minutes. With the castle maids acting as her assistants, the food came out at an incredible pace. She spent over an hour at the stove, only leaving the kitchen once Artorius and Artoria were physically incapable of eating another bite.
"Brother, the Princess is such a good woman! Why don't you just marry her?"
"Are you full now?"
"Yes!"
"Then scramble. Go take a bath and go to sleep!"
"Brother, you're so mean!"
Watching Artoria's pouting, aggrieved figure retreat, Artorius sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Whose house is this, anyway?"
Though he didn't want to admit it, he wasn't entirely surprised by his sister's "betrayal." After all, if he didn't already know the history—if he didn't know about Guinevere's reputation for being "fickle," if he didn't know that King Arthur was the one meant to pull the sword, and that she belonged to King Arthur... if he didn't know all that...
In short, if he weren't burdened by that knowledge and his own lingering attachments, he probably would have succumbed just as Artoria had.
"But I do know everything, don't I?"
Dinner concluded.
Artorius originally intended to find Bedivere for a stroll to help digestion—a little chat to deepen their bond. However, after searching for a while, a maid informed him that Kay had dragged Bedivere off for a bath. Left with no other choice, he decided to wander around on his own.
After a while, feeling his food had settled, Artorius headed toward the bathing area.
Actually, Artorius felt quite fortunate that he had been reincarnated in this specific era.
The Church was currently on the rise and possessed significant power, but the remnants of the Pantheon still existed, and the prestige of the Roman Empire had not yet faded. The Church was still primarily a tool used by the new Roman nobility to wrestle power from the old pagan aristocrats; they didn't yet dare to be too overbearing.
Had he been born a few hundred years later during the height of the Middle Ages, it would have been a disaster. In that era, it was common for nobles to go a month without bathing; washing too frequently could even get one branded as a heretic.
Presently, however, the British nobility—having been ruled by the Roman Empire for centuries—was deeply influenced by Roman culture, which included a robust bathing tradition.
Any town of significant size featured public baths built by the Romans.
His foster father, Ector, being somewhat conservative and valuing privacy, had built a public bath near the training grounds for his men, but within the family castle, he had installed several private baths side-by-side.
These baths were separated by stone walls into individual rooms, all connected to a central boiler room in the rear. Hot water was piped in through faucets, providing a steady stream of warmth.
"I wanted to bathe with Sister Vee, too..."
Standing before his own bathroom, Artorius watched the steam billowing from the door of the room to his left. He felt like he could almost hear the laughter and splashing of his adoptive sister and Bedivere inside. He let out an envious sigh.
"Oh, my dear Bedivere..."
He had promised his foster father he wouldn't marry Bedivere until after the selection of the King.
But Guinevere's offensive at the dinner table had been too fierce.
Artorius had just about decided to throw his foster father's words to the wind. He had planned to invite Bedivere out, and under the gentle night breeze and the "beautiful moon," he would confess his feelings. He might have even managed to pull her into a bath with him and finally end his career as a virgin.
That would have put an end to Guinevere's hopes once and for all. But who could have predicted...
"That damn 'Ultra Beast,' masquerading as my sister."
Not only had Kay failed to back him up at dinner, but now she had abducted Bedivere, robbing him of his chance to advance their relationship.
"Young Master, you cannot go in. The Princess is currently bathing in your room."
Just as Artorius was about to enter his bathroom, a maid hurried over to stop him.
"Huh?"
"Because the Princess has an obsession with cleanliness, she specifically requested to use your bathroom."
"What?"
Artorius was utterly bewildered. What kind of logic dictated that a "cleanliness obsession" meant using someone else's bathroom?
"The eldest young lady said this was the Princess's request. I don't understand it either, I'm just following orders."
"Fine. Which one am I using then?"
"Please follow me."
The maid led Artorius to the bathroom at the very end of the hall.
The setup was simple. Upon entering, there was a changing area about ten square meters in size.
"Young Master."
Two of his personal maids, who had been waiting there, immediately stepped forward to undress him. Their eyes lingered for a moment on his well-defined pectorals and abdominals before they looked up at him expectantly.
"Would you like us to assist you with your bath?"
"No need."
Looking at the two maids—who, while not as striking as Bedivere or Kay, were still quite beautiful twin sisters—Artorius felt a flicker of temptation, but he ultimately declined.
He didn't have much faith in his own willpower.
He could endure the hunger if he hadn't "tasted meat" yet, but if he actually crossed that line, and these personal maids continued to tempt him with new tricks every day, Artorius really didn't know if he could stay disciplined.
Besides, he was planning to confess to Bedivere soon and wanted to leave a good impression.
Moreover, the Selection Ceremony was approaching, and King Arthur was about to appear. This was the critical period of his struggle. Whether he could spend the rest of his life in leisurely comfort depended on these next few years.
As for the pleasures of the flesh... it wouldn't be too late to indulge once he had his own fiefdom.
"There's no rush for that. In the future, even if you don't want to, I'll have you serve me."
Seeing the disappointed looks on the two maids' faces, Artorius smiled and pinched their cheeks. He briefly considered giving them a playful pat on the backside but feared he wouldn't be able to stop himself if he did. He refrained and walked straight into the bathroom.
The room was about twenty square meters.
Built against the inner wall was a tub made of smooth, polished stone. It was large enough to comfortably accommodate four or five people. The ledge surrounding the tub was also wide enough for someone to lay on easily. On the innermost wall, a faucet poured a steady stream of steaming water into the tub, keeping the temperature constant.
Artorius stepped into the tub and sat down.
"Now this is the life!"
The water was exactly the temperature he liked. The warm current enveloped his body like countless soft hands massaging him. Simultaneously, the fatigue accumulated over the past two days washed over him. Artorius let out a long sigh, leaned against the edge of the tub, and closed his eyes.
Just as Artorius drifted off into a deep sleep...
Like a flicker on a television screen, the scenery in the bathroom blurred for a fraction of a second. Then, a figure abruptly appeared in the room, and a faint scent of flowers began to permeate the air.
A short while earlier.
After dinner had concluded, Kay had found Guinevere.
"Princess, would you like to bathe together in a bit?"
Though she didn't like this manipulative "Green Tea" girl...
After watching her at dinner, Kay felt that the Princess was essentially already her sister-in-law. For her brother's sake, she figured she ought to maintain a decent relationship with her.
"Bedivere and Lia will be there, too."
The black-haired girl hadn't expected Guinevere to refuse, but after the invitation was issued, she saw a look of hesitation cross the Princess's face.
"My apologies. I have a bit of a cleanliness obsession; I don't like bathing with others."
"I see. In that case, I'll have the servants prepare a private bathroom and clean it thoroughly for you?"
"Could I borrow Artorius's bathroom?" Guinevere paused, then added, "If that isn't possible, then never mind. My maids brought a traveling tub; please just tell them where the boiler room is, and they will prepare it for me."
"That's no big deal. I'll have the servants clean my brother's—"
"My own maids can handle the cleaning."
Kay had agreed without a second thought.
She led Guinevere's personal maids to the bathing area, pointed out Artorius's room, and gave instructions to the maid in charge before heading to her own bathroom.
Bedivere and Artoria were already soaking inside.
"Where is the Princess?"
"She said she's a bit of a neat freak and wanted to bathe alone. She even asked for 'Torius's room."
Kay glanced at Artoria, who was lying foolishly in the water rubbing her full belly, and explained the situation to Bedivere as she climbed in.
"A cleanliness obsession?"
"It seems genuine. Her expression didn't look faked, and I tested her a bit. She turned down the other guest rooms and mentioned she brought her own tub. Even when I offered to have our servants clean it, she insisted on her own maids."
"I also heard she brought her own bedding. Her maids have already replaced everything in the guest room I gave her."
Kay sighed, her expression complicated.
No matter how clever or cautious a person was, it was difficult to be that meticulous about every minor detail of daily life. Therefore, unless Guinevere's acting was so flawless that even Kay couldn't see through it—an unlikely possibility—it meant that it was all true.
Guinevere really was obsessed with cleanliness.
And it wasn't just a mild quirk; it was severe. Otherwise, she wouldn't travel with her own bathtub and bedding.
Furthermore, looking back, although Guinevere appeared very approachable, she maintained a certain distance from everyone except her personal maids.
In the hallways, when she encountered others—especially men or women of average appearance—she would keep a smile on her face but visibly widen the gap between them, sometimes even showing a very subtle hint of disgust.
Initially, Kay had assumed the Princess was just arrogant under her friendly exterior—a woman who looked down on commoners.
But now it seemed that while some of it was indeed royal pride from being pampered by her father, a large part was likely due to her severe fastidiousness.
But if that were the case, it only proved that the Princess truly, truly liked her brother. Why else would someone so obsessed with cleanliness lose that obsession just because of another person?
This realization made Kay dislike her much less.
Even if she was a manipulative minx, at least her love was real. It wasn't just some scheme because she knew her brother was the King of Destiny and decided to pursue him for power.
Regardless, even if Guinevere was only approaching him because she knew the truth, Kay would still help her be with him. But if she actually loved him, that was even better.
It eased the bitterness and reluctance in Kay's own heart.
Losing to a woman who loved the person she loved just as deeply was far better than losing to a woman who didn't love him at all and only wanted to be Queen.
Lost in her own thoughts, Kay failed to notice her best friend beside her. Upon hearing Kay's analysis, Bedivere had suddenly fallen silent, her head bowed with a look of utter heartbreak.
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