Chapter 47: Volume 1: Chapter 048 – "Don’t You Feel a Bit Warm Now?"
A week had passed since the "Duty Office Explosion Incident," and the hole in the castle's outer wall had finally been repaired.
Though the Knights of the Round Table were still puzzled and curious about what had happened that day, none of them dared to ask. After all, they'd seen Artoria dragging a bruised and swollen Merlin by the collar and tossing him out of the castle like a sack of trash.
Naturally, this incident quickly became an unsolved mystery among the knights.
The night was enchanting, with the moon shining brightly.
Inside the duty office, Artoria was still diligently working through her stack of paperwork.
The frequency of Saxon raids had been increasing lately, and at this rate, it wouldn't be long before she had to personally take the field again.
"...As expected, this won't do," she muttered, a troubled look crossing her delicate features as she read the report on grain yields.
But just then, a knock on the door interrupted her train of thought.
"Come in. You are...?"
Seeing that the one who entered was just a regular maid, Artoria looked slightly confused. But her gaze quickly fell on the plate of meat dishes the maid was carrying.
Even so, she understood the dignity required of a king. Artoria composed herself, putting on a neutral expression, and looked at the maid questioningly.
"This was prepared under Sir Kay's orders," the maid said, bowing. "He asked the kitchen to make it and had me deliver it to you, King Arthur. He also asked me to pass along a message…"
The maid hesitated, clearly unsure if someone of her station should be saying such words to the King.
"It's alright. Speak freely," Artoria encouraged.
"Sir Kay said, 'Even if the harvest's been bad lately, you're not going to starve. Stop forcing yourself to endure so much.' P-Please forgive my rudeness, Your Majesty."
The maid bowed deeply, raising the plate in both hands.
"Heh... That man still has such a sharp tongue," Artoria muttered with a helpless smile, her voice softening.
"I understand. Just leave the food here. Also, please thank Sir Kay on my behalf."
"At once."
Without lingering a moment longer, the maid set the plate down on the desk and promptly exited the room — making Artoria chuckle wryly to herself.
It was as if she were some kind of terrifying beast.
But she could understand the maid's nervousness. She had occasionally overheard the soldiers' comments about her as well:
"The King is so perfect... it's almost as if she isn't human."
This perception, however, was the result of her own choices. Artoria didn't complain.
She glanced at the plate of food, then forced herself to look away, deciding to finish her paperwork first.
But whether it was the contrast of the meat dish in this somber space or her unusually sensitive nose, she could not ignore the mouthwatering aroma filling the room.
Before long, her pen came to a stop. Her eyes drifted toward the food again.
Ahem... It really is hard to concentrate on an empty stomach. And if I leave it out too long, it'll go cold...
Not to mention, this was prepared out of Kay's concern... I shouldn't let it go to waste.
As if explaining to an invisible audience, Artoria looked around, cleared her throat modestly, and brought the plate closer, a small satisfied smile forming on her face.
Naturally, the dish was devoured in mere seconds — she polished it off in less than a minute.
"Alright! Time to get back to—...work…"
Suddenly, a wave of irresistible drowsiness washed over her. Her eyelids drooped, and before she could react, her body slumped forward onto the desk, completely unconscious.
At that moment, the door, which had been closed, creaked open slightly.
From the gap, a maid peered in and gazed at the slumbering blonde girl — then silently curled her lips into a smile.
"You said the King asked me to come to the duty office?"
In her room, Rin aozaki — who had just been about to get some rest — looked puzzled as she heard the voice of an unfamiliar maid at her door.
"Yes. King Arthur instructed me to inform you. She also said that you may go in directly when you arrive."
"...I see. Thank you."
Though confused, Rin didn't hesitate for long. If her foster sister was calling for her at this hour, something urgent must've come up.
She grabbed Durandal and followed her memory to the duty office.
Even though the maid had said she could enter directly, Rin still knocked lightly on the door and called out:
"My King, it's me."
But oddly, there was no response.
Is she too focused on her work?
Rin considered the possibility and gently pushed the door open, stepping inside.
What struck him first was a strange, lingering fragrance in the room. The only breathing he could hear seemed to belong to a single person — likely his sister.
"...Sister?"
He called out instinctively, but there was still no reply. A sense of unease began to creep into him.
Before he could approach her, a creaking sound echoed behind him — someone else had entered the room.
"Who's there?!"
Rin instinctively drew his sword and spun around.
But behind him, the "maid" who entered calmly raised her pale hand and gently blew a breath from her crimson lips.
A pink cloud of powder rose from her palm and was sent floating directly toward Rin's face.
Choking slightly on the scent, Rin paused for a moment — and in that instant, the "maid" locked the door behind her and snapped her fingers.
Suddenly, countless magical circles lit up around the room, sealing the entire space — no one could enter or leave.
"Hehehe... Bet you didn't expect me to be back, did you, my naughty little brother?"
"That voice... Lady Morgan?!"
Rin blinked in surprise, lowering his sword slightly in shock.
"That's right. It's me. But you should be calling me Big Sister Morgan, don't you think?"
The "maid" shimmered and transformed into a mature woman with striking curves and a sultry, cold beauty.
This time, Morgan wore no veil. Her alluring face was lit up by a look of excitement and anticipation as she silently gazed at the boy.
"...So that maid from earlier was also you? What did you do to my sister, Morgan?"
Rin frowned. Even if she was his foster sister's older sibling, if she'd harmed Artoria, he clearly wasn't about to let it slide.
"So impatient. I'm jealous of how much you care for her..."
Morgan clicked her tongue and glanced at Artoria, who was still sound asleep at her desk.
"She's just asleep. Amazing that a single plate of food was enough to take her down. Makes you wonder how someone like that even ended up ruling Britain."
Hearing this, Rin finally relaxed a little, though he remained wary.
"So... what are you trying to do this time, Lady Morgan?"
"I told you, it's Big Sister Morgan! You're such a disobedient little brother!"
She pouted but soon let out a soft laugh, placing her hands behind her back and circling around him slowly.
"What I wanted to do... is already done. Now, it's not just my matter — it's something that concerns the two of us... no, perhaps the three of us."
"What?"
Rin blinked in confusion, not understanding her cryptic words.
"Simply put..."
Morgan stepped closer, leaned down until her ample chest nearly brushed against him, and whispered in his ear — her sweet breath tinged with heat:
"Don't you feel... a little warm right now?"
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