Chapter 43: North Wales -8-

Early morning in the central kitchen of North Wales Castle.

A massive hearth burned without rest, while dozens of royal cooks stood lined up, frozen stiff with tension.

Their gazes were fixed on Kay, who stood with his arms crossed, gripping a giant carving knife.

"You! The one who just sliced the potatoes!"

"Y-Yes! Chef!"

Kay pointed at the cutting board and thundered.

"The thickness isn't uniform! At this rate, some pieces will overcook and turn to mush while others stay raw—the texture will be a disaster! These potatoes aren't fit for the king's table; they're trash that should be thrown to the horses in the stables! Slice them all over again from the start!"

"I-I'm sorry!!"

As the cook, face twisted in despair, picked up the potatoes once more, Kay turned his attention to the head chef who was trimming meat.

"And you, head chef! Did you learn nothing from yesterday's ox tongue dish? What is this aging temperature? If you throw meat on the grill without draining the blood properly, is that grilling or just boiling blood?! This is why Lancer has barely been able to eat a thing for the last five years!"

"I-I will keep that in mind! I'll recalibrate the storage's temperature magic immediately!"

Kay stormed through the kitchen like a whirlwind, his voice booming with every command.

The cooks, who had been completely won over after tasting the miraculous dishes Kay produced, didn't feel resentful toward his tirades. Instead, they bowed their heads desperately, scribbling notes to learn every scrap of knowledge he offered.

"Listen up. Cooking isn't simply about searing ingredients over a fire. True cooking must satisfy the eater's fatigue, their stamina, and even the hunger of their heart! I will not tolerate a single compromise in the food my sisters eat. Is that clear?!"

"Yes, Chef!"

With a resounding roar of agreement, the kitchen of North Wales entered a brand-new era of culinary revolution under Kay's command.

Of course, whether they were actually capable of achieving it was another matter entirely.

After finishing the meal preparations, Kay strolled through the castle's central garden in light attire.

Between the dew-kissed rose bushes and the ornate fountain, he spotted a woman with dazzling blonde hair fluttering in the breeze. It was Lancer, dressed in her usual clothes rather than her rigid armor.

"Brother. I could hear your shouting all the way from the kitchen."

Lancer greeted him with a gentle, polite tone.

"Ah, was I too loud? The cooks' fundamentals are such a mess it was driving me crazy. Did you eat a good breakfast?"

"Yes. Thanks to the meal you prepared personally, I feel as though today's mana has been completely replenished. Truly... it has been a long time since I've felt such morning vigor."

The two walked naturally side by side, strolling through the garden.

Looking at Lancer, who had completely shed the childishness of five years ago and grown into a brilliantly mature queen, Kay felt a sense of pride, yet a strange dissonance.

The slight brush of her shoulder against his as they walked, and the heat in her emerald eyes as she looked up at him, felt fundamentally different from the sister he once knew.

"Brother. North Wales is a wonderful place to live. The resources are relatively abundant, and the castle is spacious. How would you feel about... staying here with me, peacefully, from now on?"

Lancer gently gripped Kay's sleeve, her voice trembling slightly as she asked.

"Of course, I'd like that too, but we still haven't found everyone. I need to check on Artoria, X, and Gareth. And I've still got to crush that bastard Vortigern eventually."

It was a principled, straightforward answer.

But rather than being disappointed, Lancer bit her lip softly, recalling the suggestion Alter had made on the balcony last night.

As I thought. In Brother's heart, we sisters are still just equal family members. If I want to become his woman... it seems drastic measures are indeed necessary.

Just then.

"Hmph. Lion King, sticking to Brother's side and wagging your tail first thing in the morning... the dignity of the Queen of North Wales is in shambles."

Alter stepped out from behind the rose bushes. Perhaps due to Kay's meals, her skin glowed with an incredible luster and vitality.

"Alter, how are you feeling?"

"Completely recovered, obviously. Thanks to the abundance of Brother's special energy."

Alter cast a sidelong glance at Lancer with a meaningful smile. Lancer, understanding the true implication of those words, stiffened.

Alter approached naturally and boldly, locking her arm firmly with Kay's. Her small but soft chest pressed blatantly against his arm.

"Hey, hey. This is suffocating. You're not a child, why are you clinging to me?"

"I refuse. I'm making up for five years of missed skinship, so stay still. Anyway, Brother, let's go explore the town today. I'm feeling cooped up in the castle. Let's go to the market and eat some skewers."

Lancer's eyes flashed coldly. Refusing to be outdone, she firmly linked her arm with Kay's other side and glared at Alter.

"If we are visiting the town, I shall accompany you. As the ruler of North Wales, it is only proper that I personally escort my brother. I cannot leave him entirely in the hands of someone as unruly as you."

Walking through the garden with two beauties brimming with immense magical power clinging to his arms, Kay felt a strange cold sweat trickle down his spine.

It was too heavy to be dismissed as mere sisterly whining; the sticky, oppressive possessiveness emanating from both sides was alarming. It felt like two predators engaged in a psychological war over a delicious piece of prey.

By afternoon, a full-blown battlefield erupted on the castle's outdoor terrace.

As the Servants joined the tea time, the struggle for Kay's attention grew even more fierce.

"Husband~ Say ah! These are cookies personally baked by your Tamamo! I've put in all my love and devotion, and I've even added a little aphrodisiac to set the night ablaze, mikon!"

Tamamo clung to him as if she were about to climb onto his lap, her fox ears twitching as she offered the cookies.

"Wait, why is there a love potion in here?! I'm not eating something poisoned!"

"Master, don't eat things with beast fur in them. Drink this instead. I've warmed this black tea exactly to your taste."

Jeanne d'Arc Alter grumbled as she pushed a teacup toward him. Her words were blunt, but her ears were bright red as she subtly bumped her shoulder against his to claim the spot beside him.

Watching from across the table, Alter clicked her tongue in disgust.

"That vulgar fake dares to steal my face and throw herself at my brother. Truly a sight to behold."

"What was that, you flat little brat? You don't even have a chest, so does it even feel like anything when you cling to his arm? You need this kind of curve to make linking arms worthwhile for a man!"

As Jeanne d'Arc Alter provocatively tapped her ample chest, Alter's golden eyes slit vertically, and she reached for a knife on the table.

"Stop it. Are you two really going to fight every single time you meet?"

While Kay suffered a headache trying to mediate, Medusa, who had been quietly reading a book behind him, glided forward and began to massage his broad shoulders.

"Master. It must be truly exhausting dealing with so many noisy people."

Medusa wore a cool, seductive smile behind her blindfold. She pressed her lips close to Kay's ear and whispered softly.

"Please come to my room tonight. I will perfectly soothe the muscles tightened by today's commotion... and the fatigue you've accumulated over the past few days."

At Medusa's dense and daring invitation, the gazes of Tamamo, Jeanne d'Arc Alter, Lancer, and Alter all pierced her simultaneously.

"How dare you cut in line! Husband's nights belong to me, his devoted wife!"

"Hey! Are you planning to drain every last drop of Master's energy under the excuse of mana supply?!"

"...For Servants, you all certainly cross the line."

It was a boisterous, chaotic tea time—a fragile peace akin to walking on thin ice.

Kay sighed and gulped down his tea. He was confident in his ability to feed his sisters, but coordinating the emotions of these women was a hundred times more exhausting than fighting a horde of monsters in a demonic realm.

And finally, deep into the night.

All the lights in the castle were extinguished, and an exhausted Kay lay in his lavish bedchamber, sinking into a deep sleep.

His energy had been completely depleted from spending the entire day mediating the power struggles between his sisters and the Servants.

Creak—

Then, the sturdy oak door of the bedchamber opened silently.

The faint moonlight from the corridor seeped into the room, and two women stepped inside, silhouetted against the light.

Jeanne d'Arc Alter and Medusa.

"...Hmm? You... why are you two in my room in the middle of the night...?"

"Why indeed, Master? I clearly promised to relieve your fatigue today."

Medusa, with a cool and lingering smile, gently stroked Kay's chest.

"That's right. You were annoyed by that flat brat and that beast woman during the day, weren't you? We've come to comfort you quietly, so just stay still."

Jeanne d'Arc Alter grumbled, but unlike her usual self, she climbed onto the bed with an infinitely soft and provocative grace, perching herself near Kay's thigh.

"No, wait. This is North Wales Castle. If my sisters find out, there'll be hell to pay."

Kay tried to recoil in panic, but Medusa moved behind him, breathing hot air against the nape of his neck, while Jeanne d'Arc Alter pressed her face close, her hand resting on his chest.

Their behavior was so bold and seductive that it was unrecognizable from their usual personalities.

In that moment, a tiny flicker of dissonance brushed against Kay's sleep-addled sense of smell.

...That's strange.

It wasn't Jeanne d'Arc Alter's characteristic scent of dry ash, nor was it Medusa's cool, serpentine aroma.

Filling the room was a scent he had known for a very long time... a scent that was terribly familiar yet dizzyingly alluring: the rich scent of someone's skin.

This smells just like my sisters...

But before Kay's reason could clearly analyze the identity of the fragrance.

"Master... you won't have time for other thoughts."

A woman's voice, mimicking Medusa's, spoke as she softly but forcefully silenced Kay's lips with a kiss.

The two dragons who had grown up eating Kay's food in the forest long ago.

Using Tamamo's perfect illusions to wear the skins of Jeanne d'Arc Alter and Medusa, Alter and Lancer had launched a lethal pincer attack to perfectly capture their dense brother.

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