"Liss! Liss! Artorius! Ugh, seriously! You bratty brother, wake up already!"
Piercing sunlight stabbed at his eyelids.
Artorius felt the world spinning. His eyelids fluttered as he forced a slit open, only to see a black-haired girl standing by his bed, shaking him relentlessly.
"Sister?"
"Finally awake!"
Kay let go of his shoulders and stood with her hands on her hips, her face a mixture of irritation and helplessness.
"It's not that I'm trying to keep you from sleeping, but the Princess specifically woke up early to make breakfast for you. Besides, we have to escort her to the Royal City right after we eat. You really can't sleep anymore!"
"Breakfast made by the Princess?"
Artorius's expression was slightly dazed. Memories of the bathroom the previous night flooded his mind like a surreal hallucination.
"Yeah. So hurry up and wash. I'll wait for you at the door."
Kay glanced back at his personal maids—who were already waiting with basins, towels, toothbrushes, and a fresh set of clothes—and turned to walk out of the room.
About five minutes later.
Under the attentive care of his maids, Artorius finished a quick wash and dressed himself. When he stepped out of the bedroom, his sister was still waiting by the door.
"Let's go, Sis."
Kay looked him up and down. Seeing her brother looking as presentable and dashing as ever, she reached out to straighten a collar that wasn't even wrinkled. Satisfied, she nodded and led the way toward the dining hall.
"Why are you so exhausted today? I could barely wake you up. Your maids didn't dare disturb you because you haven't 'eaten' them yet, so they had to call me. I had to shake you for ages. You look like you haven't slept in two weeks."
"I spent half the night thinking about the Selection Ceremony. I didn't fall asleep until dawn."
Everything except the last sentence was a lie.
After leaving Guinevere's bathroom the previous night, Artorius had returned to his own tub for another soak. However, the more he soaked, the more agitated he became, eventually giving up and retreating to his room to try and sleep.
"The Selection Ceremony? Why? Thinking about pulling the sword?"
"Don't joke. It's just that the Princess is acting so strangely. I was thinking about how to avoid being cut down by the new King."
"Oh."
Kay gave a vague response and fell silent. Artorius kept his head down, appearing either half-asleep or lost in thought. Neither of them spoke a word on the way to the dining hall.
The morning passed safely.
Guinevere said nothing of the previous night's events. In fact, compared to her blatant displays of affection the day before, she was much more reserved today and didn't pester Artorius too much.
After breakfast, Artorius went back for a more thorough wash. Assisted by his personal maids, he changed into more formal attire, donned light armor, and strapped his sword to his waist.
By the time he was ready to head out, the groom had already brought the horses to the staging area. The Princess's carriage and her escort party were almost fully prepared.
Kay and Artoria were coming along this time.
"Once we reach the Royal City, we'll be free to do as we please, right?"
As they set off, the group's attitude was fairly relaxed.
Artorius rode abreast with Kay and Artoria. Bedivere was further back, busy managing her own subordinates.
"I told Lia I'd take her to a restaurant once we hit the capital. Sis, do you want to join us?"
While Ector and Lucan were both powerful lords, one had kept a low profile during King Uther's reign, while the other focused on internal administration. They weren't the most famous or battle-hardened nobles under Uther's banner. Within Camelot, there were still several dukes and earls with larger territories, more knights, and greater influence.
As a noble Princess, Guinevere's safety on the road was the responsibility of the lords whose lands she passed through, but once she reached the capital, that duty naturally shifted to the top-tier nobility.
"A restaurant?"
"Yeah, the one run by that mage."
Mages were a very strange breed.
Despite all studying magecraft, their personalities were wild and varied, and their goals were worlds apart. Unlike the typical witches, some mages were incredibly arrogant, while others were surprisingly friendly.
For instance, the mage who ran the restaurant in Camelot was rumored to have "magic that makes food delicious." While the flavors likely couldn't compete with Guinevere's cooking, it was still a rare delicacy in this era.
Because of this, Artorius visited that establishment every time he went to the capital. If Artoria didn't come along, he would always pack some food for her to take home.
"Well, you probably won't be going."
"Huh?"
"Because of your heroic performance in taking down that demon boar, Sir Bart reached an agreement with Father last night. You are now officially responsible for the Princess's safety while she is in the Royal City."
Kay wore a mischievous, slightly wicked grin.
"...?"
Artorius turned his head silently to look at Artoria. She was staring wide-eyed, appearing lost in thought—or perhaps even a little happy.
"Aren't you sad?"
"Why would I be sad?"
"Because I can't take you to the restaurant now."
"It doesn't matter."
Artorius's eyes widened in disbelief. He steered his horse closer and reached out to feel his sister's forehead, then felt his own.
"No fever... Speak! Who are you? Why are you masquerading as my sister?!"
"Brother, what are you talking about?"
"Impossible! My sister is such a glutton; there's no way she'd be this calm after being told she can't go to a restaurant!"
"Oh, that."
Artoria realized what he meant and smiled. "But this way, we can keep eating the food the Princess makes, right? Her cooking is way better than any restaurant's."
Artorius went silent for a moment, then beckoned her over.
"Lia, come here."
"Eh? What for, Brother?"
"Bring your head closer. I want to tell you a secret."
Curious, Artoria steered her horse closer and leaned in. Then she saw her "dear" brother raise his hand. Before she could react, a sharp rap on the head—a "noogie"—landed squarely on her brow.
"Ow! Brother, why did you hit me again?! That hurts!"
"Forget it. And don't even dream about eating the Princess's food from now on. She's a princess, not your personal chef. Be grateful you got two meals out of her."
"But isn't she my sister-in—"
Before the word "law" could leave her mouth, Artorius gave her another rap on the head.
"She isn't now, and she won't be in the future. Give it up! You have no chance!"
Hearing this, Artoria ignored the pain. Her face collapsed into an expression of heartbreak and grievance. "Ah, why?! Brother, why can't you just marry—"
Thud!
Artorius landed a third hit in the exact same spot. Artoria let out a pained wail.
"Brother, I hate you!!! I hate you the most!"
The Princess's escort departed in the early morning.
Because they had to match the speed of the carriage, the pace was slow. It wasn't until the sun began to dip toward the west that they reached the outskirts of the Royal City.
Artorius had already moved to the front of the line with his sisters to join Bedivere. They chatted as they made their way forward.
"There are so many people," Artorius remarked, looking at the crowds.
On both sides of the road, adventurers and wandering knights were being cleared out of the way by their squires.
"They're all here for the Princess."
"She is known as 'Britain's Greatest Beauty,' after all," Kay added with a roll of her eyes, still seemingly annoyed from the morning. "I heard many people traveled thousands of miles just to catch a glimpse of Guinevere."
She cast a sideways glance at Artorius. "Who else but you would be so uninterested in such a beautiful Princess?"
"My apologies. My taste is clearly flawed," Artorius said, raising both hands in mock surrender.
"Now, Kay, stop picking on little 'Torius. Everyone has their own preferences. Just because the Princess is beautiful doesn't mean everyone has to fall in love with her."
"See? Sister Vee is the best!"
Kay shot a look at the smiling Bedivere. "Is it just me, or have you been unusually happy since breakfast?"
"Eh? Really?"
"Really," Kay sneered. "Last night you were distracted and moody. The same for most of the day. And then—"
"I probably just wasn't feeling well. Look, we're almost there."
Bedivere's face flushed slightly, and she stumbled over her words.
Artorius glanced at Bedivere, then at his smirking adoptive sister.
Strange. Aren't they best friends?
But he didn't have time to dwell on it. Camelot's Royal City had appeared before them. Below the towering walls, rows of knights stood waiting, their armor gleaming under a forest of fluttering banners.
At the very front, a knight held a high-reaching pole. The red banner snapped in the wind, emblazoned with the image of a roaring lion.
The Helmut Family.
Their head, Duke Lambert Helmut, had followed the Pendragon family through countless campaigns since the time of King Uther's father. He had witnessed Uther's rise and earned immense glory on the battlefield, rising from an ordinary knight to a Duke. He was a living legend of Britain.
Naturally, his family had been the ones originally tasked with the Princess's security within the Royal City.
Artorius turned to the black-haired girl beside him. "Sis, didn't you say the arrangements were all settled with them?"
Kay's brow furrowed slightly, then smoothed out into a cold smile. "I suppose some idiots are still clinging to their dreams of 'pulling the sword to become King and marrying the Princess.'"
Artorius immediately looked at Artoria.
"She's talking about you."
Artoria: "?"
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