So, who in their right mind discusses official business in a bedchamber?
When Artoria spoke, though the two guards maintained respectful expressions on their faces, the slight twitching at the corners of their mouths betrayed the storm of emotions raging inside them.
Equally shocked was Mordred, who had been standing nearby. In her original plan, even if she were to be placed under house arrest in the palace, she should still have had the chance to get close to Arvin.
But now…
She did see him, but why did it feel like the King was being a bit… 'territorial,' as if she had no intention of letting anyone near Arvin?
Watching Arvin's retreating figure, she opened her mouth slightly, however, even though she wanted to say something, the words stuck in her throat and were ultimately swallowed back down.
After all, no matter how rebellious she usually was, Mordred was still acutely aware of her current situation…so, she knew that even if she called out to the King now, it probably wouldn't change anything and might make her situation worse.
She'd have to find another way…
With a dejected sigh, Mordred followed the two guards out of the bedchamber.
Nearly ten minutes later, as they passed through a garden, a figure suddenly flashed past Mordred's eyes.
It was the assistant who had just been cleaning up the 'battlefield' for Artoria.
Instinctively, she looked up and said, "Ariel…?""
If she remembered correctly, this woman was the King's assistant… Why was she still here?
"Lady Mordred, it's been a while."
Ariel's gaze lingered briefly on the golden-haired girl with a single ponytail before she quickly smiled and greeted her.
Mordred looked at the latter for a moment, then asked bluntly, "Did you come out with the King too?"
Ariel neither confirmed nor denied it, simply nodding with a smile. "I'm here to report today's work to the King."
After tidying up the aftermath earlier, she had returned to the palace alone.
Now, having organized the day's documents, she was about to deliver them to the King.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now," Ariel added, though a faint trace of amusement flickered in her eyes.
As expected of the King… Just one trip outside the palace, and she had captured one of Lady Morgan's most important fighters.
The Rebellious Knight Mordred—though still young, her combat prowess was on par with most of the Knights of the Round Table.
Given a little more time to grow, she would undoubtedly become a formidable enemy.
Catching her this time… was undoubtedly a boon for the royal palace.
Looking into Ariel's eyes, Mordred quickly understood what Ariel was thinking, and a mocking arc appeared at the corners of her mouth.
"Heh, then go ahead and report your work… if the King is in the mood to listen right now."
Hearing her words, Ariel was taken aback for a moment, then quickly shook her head and said softly, "You underestimate the King too much, Lady Mordred."
In this world, aside from Guinevere, she was probably the person who understood Artoria best.
When it came to work… even in the dead of night, the King would rise to handle it.
Thankfully, she was a Red Dragon.
If this were any other nation's leader, working such grueling hours day and night would have long since killed them.
Bidding farewell to Mordred, Ariel strode gracefully into the bedchamber.
The corridor was eerily quiet, with only the sound of her own footsteps echoing around her.
"What's going on with the guards today…? Why is there not a single soul in sight?"
Ariel couldn't help but frown slightly.
As the King's assistant, the King's safety was naturally part of her responsibilities.
But in the short time she had been out of the palace, the guards in the bedchamber had somehow forgotten to rotate shifts?
The thought made her somewhat displeased.
She walked deeper down the corridor and soon reached the top floor of the bedchamber.
At the end of the hallway, she saw a tightly shut door.
And standing quietly in front of it was a young man, as if waiting for something.
Ariel blinked in surprise, a trace of confusion flashing in her eyes.
This boy looks a unfamiliar… he didn't seem to be from the palace.
And… why is he here?
As if sensing her gaze, Arvin turned his head and casually raised a hand in greeting.
"Here to report to her?"
Ariel responded with a polite smile. "How did you know?"
"Carrying such a large stack of documents, you can only be her assistant," Arvin said, pointing at the files in her hands.
Truth be told, Artoria hadn't originally had an assistant. It was only after Arvin mentioned that if there was someone to share the responsibility of sorting out government affairs, the efficiency would be greatly improved.
And the first person to serve as Artoria's assistant… had been Arvin himself.
Which was precisely why, in the original story's CGs, there were so many… special scenarios.
After all, when there was work to be done, the assistant handled it. And when there wasn't… well, the assistant could still be put to good use.
"You seem a little unfamiliar… are you a guest from outside the palace?" Ariel maintained her smile, though inwardly, she was on guard.
With not a single guard in sight today, there was no telling whether this person had been summoned by the King or had snuck in himself… though the latter seemed unlikely.
After all, if he were an intruder, the other party probably wouldn't be standing so brazenly outside the King's private chambers.
It wasn't as if he were trying to imitate a certain triple-speed Assassin who specialized in open combat.
And really, this boy looked to be only fifteen or sixteen, hardly the type to be associated with Assassins.
Arvin thought for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "You could say I'm a guest from outside the palace… She asked me to wait here for a bit."
You could say…?
A flicker of suspicion crossed Ariel's eyes before she quickly pieced things together and murmured, "Are you the transmigrator from the Clock Tower?"
She knew the King had left the palace today to meet a transmigrator.
Since Artoria had departed through the back gate, Ariel hadn't seen Arvin or Mordred earlier.
But even so, given everything that had happened today, it wasn't hard to guess.
Still… with so many transmigrator appearing in the Camelot Empire lately, why had this boy in particular been granted an audience?
Ariel quickly pushed the thought aside, offering Arvin another courteous nod before stepping up to the door and raising her hand to knock.
Splash…
However, at this moment, the sound of running water came from inside the room.
Ariel's movement of raising her hand suddenly stopped. There was confusion in her eyes at first, and then the expression on her face gradually became interesting.
…The King is bathing?!
But why would she have a young man waiting outside while she bathed?
And more importantly—why would she need to take a bath at all just to receive a foreign visitor?!
Just as Ariel's head was buzzing and his thoughts were in a mess, the sound of flowing water slowly stopped.
Faintly, the soft patter of bare feet against wooden flooring could be heard, light, unhurried, like snow melting onto timber.
"Ariel? You've arrived at the perfect time. There's something I need you to handle."
Before Ariel could sort through her tangled thoughts, a voice laced with languid allure drifted from inside the room.
"Both of you, come in."
.
.
.