...

...

Arturia knew that the following day was going to be a long one. She had to explain to her family – at least to her conscious family – who Gilgamesh was and why he was important, especially since sooner or later he was going to come with her to visit them.

She firmly pushed that specific line of thought out of her mind.

Her sister was safe and that was all that mattered. The rest of the worries and predicaments she had created with a certain businessman… well, she would deal with them, in due time. She was going to face every single fact, one after the other, starting with the most important one.

Gilgamesh, the famous CEO of Uruk Enterprises, was an arrogant and proud person, and soon, she was going to be his wife.

Before she could begin to doubt herself once more, her voice of reason intervened. Gilgamesh was a person who did not make promises often but, when he did, she was aware of the fact that he kept them; and while he wasn't that pleasant of a person, he did seem to have some strange form of honour that he held himself to.

Enkidu, whom she knew a little better than her fiancée, was a very friendly person and was also Gilgamesh's best friend. Arturia was quite certain of the fact that Gilgamesh had neither paid nor blackmailed him to be that, therefore it had to mean that, as impossible as it seemed, the man she was going to marry had to have some redeeming qualities.

Or maybe she was just trying to reassure herself because she had no choice but to get married to him…

There was no definite way to know for sure; all she knew was that she was going to have to see before she believed and convinced herself of the fact that she hadn't made a grave mistake in tying herself to him.

There was no doubt that she was freaking out now. She could feel the anxiety creeping up in her chest, but she knew perfectly well that she would have to deal with the consequences of the choice she had made.

And she would. As she had already decided, one step at a time.

*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*

Waking up Shirou and telling him with a smile – a real one – that his mother was going to be better soon was the easy part. There were many, many, many other things she still had to tell him, and that was the hard part.

As soon as the boy had calmed down from the happy morning news and got dressed, Arturia decided to begin to address the several things she had to. She would have preferred to take a stroll in the park to talk with her nephew, but she had to remember that Gilgamesh was going to announce their engagement on that very day, and he had warned her not to go outdoors. She doubted it was a truly necessary precaution, but they had agreed on it, and she intended to honour their agreement.

The first thing to do was give the boy her new phone number. Arturia gave him a piece of paper where it was written on to use as bookmark for the books he read – the avid reader he was, much like herself – but she also made him learn it by heart. She gave the number to the hospital staff too; even though she would never have admitted it to Gilgamesh, she was reluctantly glad about having a new phone, because her old one had been just about to break, given its poor quality.

After making sure that her new number was given to all the people who needed to know it, Arturia decided to play a little with Shirou before telling him of her engagement. He had been three days in a hospital, knowing that his mother was ill and with only the nurses around to keep him company; he deserved a little relaxation.

There were always some children's games in the recreational area of the hospital, and she brought a few in the room where Iri was, to play a puzzle memory game with her nephew.

They were both quite engrossed in the small game, at least until Shirou leaned forward to take a card from her hand and inadvertently brushed against her knuckles.

The knuckles of her left hand.

Arturia steeled herself internally as they boy's eyes looked at her ring and then at her with some confusion.

"Auntie Ria? Why do you have a ring?"

She never wore jewels, generally; of course he was going to notice the fancy article on her finger. With a small, unnoticeable sigh, she put down the cards of the game and looked him in the eye.

"Shirou… this is not a normal ring. It's an engagement ring." Her green eyes did not flicker. "I'm getting married soon."

Shirou was silent. He brought his gaze to the ring again, still without saying a word, and stared at it for several seconds.

As his eyes finally rose to meet hers – in the most complete stillness of the room – Arturia was however dismayed to find them full of distress and tears he was barely fighting back.

Her nephew was brave though. He held back – she didn't even know what he was holding back – and he merely murmured, "…married?"

His tone was strangely undefinable. It was as if he hoped that what he had heard wasn't true.

With some wariness, Arturia confirmed, "Yes."

He stood up abruptly.

"I need to go to the bathroom."

She narrowed her eyes. What was going on with him? Gently but very firmly, she stopped him by taking his arm.

"Shirou, please tell me what's wrong."

He had never refused her requests, and did not struggle to get free from her hold, but he did not meet her eyes.

"Auntie Ria– you–…" He took a shaky breath. "You are leaving, aren't you?"

It was barely above a whisper, but for Arturia, it was even too loud.

"What? No, I'm most certainly not," she immediately replied. Finally understanding his reaction, she continued softly, "Shirou, I'm not leaving at all. I am only getting married… which simply means," she added, realizing it herself for the first time, "that you will get an uncle."

It felt wrong to say such words. She was getting married as fulfilment of a financial agreement; her husband would never be a true uncle to the little boy. But, even if he was intelligent and observant, Shirou was still young, and Arturia was not going to go into the details of the complicated arrangement. It was much better – not to mention, safer – to simply tell him that Gilgamesh would become his new uncle, something that was actually the truth when seen in a legal light.

Shirou gave her a somewhat searching look, sharper than his age suggested.

He trusted his aunt, but he could not stop himself from asking, "You're really not leaving?"

She nodded firmly. She would not tell him the whole truth, but she would make things clear.

"I'm really not. It's true that, once mommy is well enough to leave the hospital, I won't live with you two anymore, but you are and will remain the most important people in my life. Even though my official house will be a different one, it doesn't mean that I won't spend a lot of time with you. So no, I'm not leaving."

The little boy relaxed and gave a bright smile.

"Thank you, Auntie Ria!" Eyes full of curiosity, he went on, "So, you will be… a bride?"

Arturia could not suppress her small smile at witnessing his excitement, even though internally she didn't feel like smiling at all. She did not intend to insist on the subject.

"In a few months, yes, I will be." She leaned forward and, with the gesture that had become a habit for them, kissed his forehead lightly before giving him another small smile. "In any case, it's not time to worry about that. Let's go back to the game; we still have to determine who will win this round."

However, Shirou looked a little apologetic.

"Sorry, Auntie Ria, but, um, I truly need to go to the bathroom."

*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*

After finishing the memory game and going to the hospital playroom to look for different entertainments, Arturia allowed Shirou to remain there playing with other kids while she went to speak with the doctors, since the head medic had told her that a part of the medicines for her sister was going to arrive on that day.

She also needed to retrieve Iri and Shirou's documents to begin to fill in the paperwork for the long procedure of moving abroad. It was early, that was true, but it was never too early to plan ahead.

She had just arrived at the reception desk, intending to inquire after what she needed, but she had not expected the scene she found. The three nurses there were quite interested in following the news that were flashing across the television screen in the entrance hall. And, exactly as Arturia was passing by, there was the 'celebrity section' being broadcasted.

That was just great.

It was too late to leave the room without getting attention on herself, and what the broadcaster was saying held her attention more than she was willing to admit. They were proclaiming that the richest and most successful businessman in the world, Gilgamesh Uruk, had just shocked everyone by announcing his engagement on that very day.

Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.

The best thing to do was get the folder with her sister's files and then go back to her room immediately; maybe it would be wise pick up Shirou and take him back to his mother's room, too.

Resolutely, she reached the front desk and cleared her throat, making the three nurses snap their heads away from the television to look at her and give her more than just their initial, distracted attention.

"I need patient Irisviel von Einzbern's documentation, please."

Since she was a frequent presence there at the hospital, the nurses knew her, and they took out the required papers without difficulties and presented them to her. Arturia extended her hand to take them.

"Here you go, Ms. Pendrag–"

Exactly in that moment, the broadcaster boomed in the background, "–and his fiancée is one Arturia Pendragon, who wasn't present at the announcement and whose identity is therefore still a mystery for everyone–"

Three pairs of eyes darted towards her, and the nurse who was closest to her stifled an exclamation as her gaze fell on the sophisticated ring on Arturia's finger.

The blonde woman cursed inwardly. She had taken the documents with her left hand. How could she have been so careless?

Well, the damage had been done, and it wasn't like she could keep her engagement a secret forever.

Therefore, she forced herself to produce a normal expression and gave a nod to the three wide-eyed women.

"Thank you very much."

She turned around and walked out of there, feeling the stares follow her and burn into her back, but she did not allow them to bother her.

She knew that she was going to marry Gilgamesh, after all. She knew that she was going to receive a lot of unwanted attention. She knew that people were going to stare, talk and whisper behind her back.

She knew all that, as she had agreed to it for her sister's sake.

And she didn't regret it.

*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*

A couple of hours later, Arturia found herself dealing with Shirou's second milk tooth falling.

She wasn't completely sure how she felt about it; on one hand, she was disconcerted since her nephew was still very young; on the other, she was saddened that Iri – Shirou's mother – was not there to be part of those small, perhaps meaningless, but still important steps forward in his life.

However, Arturia could not deny that the episode actually made her glad in more than one way, because it gave her a sense of normalcy in the midst of all the chaotic events that were going to happen in regards to her engagement.

As she was then doing some mathematics with Shirou – asking him to make complicated sums and subtractions mentally – her new phone alerted her that she had just received a message. She checked it discreetly.

Announcement made. Press's reaction, as expected, relatively explosive. Tomorrow you will be picked up from the hospital for our daily meeting.

It was from Gilgamesh's personal number, and Arturia raised an eyebrow. While she appreciated the lack of unnecessary phrasing, it was quite the telegraphic message. And what did it mean, she was going to be 'picked up' from the hospital? Was he sending a car to pick her up or something?

She forced herself to keep her cool. Gilgamesh was an impossibly conceited man; while she disliked the way he had written that message, it was completely useless to start an argument with him through phone texts. It was better to confront him in person the following day.

Therefore, she typed a short 'Fine', before putting the phone aside and giving her full attention to Shirou once again.

She knew that things were going to change very soon; she might as well enjoy her normal and unburdened time with her nephew for as long as she could.

*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*

The rest of the day was spent peacefully with the little boy, and Arturia was happy to hear from the doctors that her sister's treatment had started.

But that relative calmness was disrupted each time she was stared at by doctors and nurses alike, both that evening and the following day. The head medic was a sensible woman and her behaviour towards her did not seem to change at all, but everyone else… she could feel the difference, and she did not like it.

She would never have admitted it, but she actually looked forward to meeting Gilgamesh, because it meant that she could leave the place. The problem was, he hadn't specified the time, and it could therefore be at any moment of the day.

In the late morning, sooner than she had expected, one of the entrance nurses came to Iri's room and quietly motioned for her to come closer.

"Ms. Pendragon, there is a man at the entrance… um… he wishes to speak with you."

Arturia stared at her, her question clear in her eyes, and the nurse squirmed uncomfortably. "I believe… he says he is your fiancée."

Well, Arturia decided, at least the nurse was pretending she had not seen the announcement on TV. It was quite strange for Gilgamesh to have come in person though.

She gave a short nod, and indicated her nephew.

"Please look after Shirou while I am not here."

She then leaned down to the boy's level. "I have to go for a few hours, Shirou. I'm not sure if I will be back today. Make sure to behave and listen to what the nurses say – and feel free to go to the recreational room after lunch."

Shirou looked a bit puzzled, but he knew that his aunt usually had valid reasons for the things she did; therefore, he merely nodded. The blonde woman smiled at him and kissed his forehead. She felt guilty about having to leave her young nephew alone merely to meet with her fiancée, but she had made a pact with Gilgamesh, and she would continue to respect it.

With her bag in hand, she made her way to the entrance, where she immediately saw a presence that seemed to have been causing quite a bit of commotion among the hospital staff. Arturia had to hold herself back from rolling her eyes.

It was completely true that her future husband had a very imposing persona and – since he seemed to be quite furious – in that moment even more than usual, but that did not justify the absolutely childish behaviour from the people there.

Gilgamesh was standing next to the reception desk, glaring at any person in sight, clearly hating being there and for who knew what other reasons. The moment his eyes landed on her, however, he seemed to strangely calm down and his handsome features distended into a more composed expression.

He took a step towards her.

"Arturia."

It was just one word, but the staff gasped at the two of them as they got near each other. Arturia found it completely unreasonable.

It was… it was… as if they were watching some drama show and were holding their breath to discover what was going to happen next.

Quite displeased by her own thoughts but aware that that was exactly what she had agreed to become – a wife for display – she managed to give him some form of a smile.

"Gilgamesh. Shall we go, then?"

As if he had expected it, although Arturia doubted anyone else noticed that, he took her hand – the personnel ahhhh-ed – and, when they reached the doors, which he opened for her, he slipped his arm around her waist – while the staff ehhhh-ed in the background.

In that moment, the blonde woman was concentrating all her efforts in not losing her patience because of the people inside the hospital – and it was probably for the best, considering the crowd of photographers and journalists that was expecting them outside.

Completely disoriented, she was actually grateful for the fact that he did not let go of her waist and firmly guided her to the nearby limousine that was waiting for them.

Arturia only barely registered the fact that it had dark windows and therefore no one would be able to see inside it, before finding herself seated, the door closing behind her and her fiancée's arm still firmly around her.

"You can let go of my waist now, Gilgamesh."

It was probably the most out of place thing she could say, considering that he had just guided her through a horde of reporters and gotten her safely in the car. She realized it was actually a little unkind of her.

To her surprise, he seemed to read her mind.

"While you could be a little nicer, I will consider this slip of tongue a result of coming in contact with the full force of the press for the first time."

In spite of his words, he did indeed release her and slid a little further away from her in the spacious cabin.

Arturia did not concentrate on admiring the luxurious car, but rather on the direction the driver was taking; not to mention the fact that she was still trying to get out of the mental daze she had found herself in ever since the flashes of the photographers had blinded her.

She blinked, touching her forehead lightly, and then closed her eyes, determined to clear her head. She had a future husband and a life to deal with; there was no time to let herself be thrown into confusion by the media. That kind of crowd was probably going to become a constant in her life from this point forward; it was therefore no use losing her concentration over it.

She looked up at Gilgamesh, finding that he was staring at her, looking a little annoyed at having been kept waiting while she organized her thoughts. Her eyes briefly darted from him to the driver's seat, which was separated from them by what appeared to be a long, black cloth.

Correctly guessing her question, he answered, "The driver can't hear anything from this part of the car, but even if he could, he is a member of my personal staff – he has been chosen because of his dependability."

She raised an eyebrow, bringing her eyes back on him.

"That doesn't mean that he wouldn't find our conversations strange, if he could hear us."

For some reason, Gilgamesh looked particularly irritated on this day; it was very likely that he would take anything offensively, and his reply was cold.

"Then no conversation at all would probably be for the best."

She nodded curtly. It was indeed for the best if they both kept quiet. After all, the only thing they would talk about was the contract, and all those conversations were capable of inducing a headache, to say the least.

Yes. Silence was much better than constantly clashing in verbal spars with her future husband.

*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*

To be fair, Gilgamesh had, for once, not meant to be so curt. He had simply been beyond irritated because of the press's idiocy.

Those ridiculous mongrels had kept him occupied for far too long. He had not been able to get rid of them easily, because he had had to make sure they got the facts straight and did not invent too many colourful details to make the story more appealing to people. He had received emails and phone calls late into the night, making his annoyance reach astronomical levels.

At the same time, he had had work. The news had spread fast, and the popularity of Uruk Enterprises' already famous name had gone up quickly. That meant of course that both he and Enkidu had been very busy the whole night and early morning, with new business meetings and appointments to schedule.

He had been quite unceremoniously rude towards his fiancée, at least after they had gotten safely into the car, and he actually surprised himself by noticing it. Nevertheless, even after taking note of it, he decided that silence between them was indeed for the best.

Blissful silence, after all those hours spent in dealing with lowly beings.

Arturia was not breaking their shared silence. It was as if she needed that time of peace and quiet too. But it wasn't only that: she seemed to have noticed his desire for quiet as well.

Hmm. Quite strange.

However, for once, the fact that she seemed to have been able to read his mood was not unwelcome.

*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*

Without exchanging another word, they arrived at Gilgamesh's house – if one could call that mansion a simple house – the limousine dropped them off by the underground entrance, and the driver opened the door. Very tersely, Gilgamesh indicated for her to precede him, and she exited the car.

Behind her, the blond man dismissed the chauffeur and then put his arm stiffly around her waist, guiding her to the entrance of the house.

More and more puzzled by his uncharacteristic behaviour, Arturia found herself in a large and elegant living room, where the two central sofas caught her eye. He gestured for her to sit down on one of them and made to leave.

However, she was getting a little annoyed; he had always been arrogant, but he was currently being more than just unpleasant. She didn't think he had the right to do that, unless she had accidentally done something extremely wrong in dealing with the media.

"Gilgamesh, would you please explain what put you in such a dreadful mood? If it was something I did with the press, inform me of it, so that I can make sure it doesn't happen again."

He stared at her, doing his best to hide his surprise. It wasn't particularly strange that she had noticed his mood now – not that he had done anything to conceal it – but it was startling that she thought that she was at fault for it.

He suppressed a sigh. Of course she would blame herself, the abnegating woman that she was. Briefly – very briefly, he firmly reminded himself – he felt a stab of guilt for having been rude enough to make her think that.

Taking her aback, he went to a table on the far side of the room and grabbed a wine bottle and two glasses from the vast selection of clean ones present, before inviting her to sit down once again.

Just as Arturia sat down, he began to pour them both a glass of a strange bottle of his red wine. She accepted it politely, even though she wasn't going to drink at such an early time of the day.

After sipping on his glass, he appeared slightly calmer. He seemed reluctant to utter his following words.

"A prolonged exposure to the stupidity and greediness of the press both yesterday and today can be… taxing."

He took another sip. "The announcement of the engagement has also brought some predicted positive results in the business field. The extent of the impact was somewhat superior to the expectations – which is only proof of how advantageous this contract is already becoming."

She kept her expression composed.

"I understand. Then, why did we come to your house today?"

He looked at the red liquid swirling in his glass.

"To keep up appearances as we agreed. You have this whole room at your disposal for a few hours – I will be in the conference room, to manage work from here, because the office has become… a little disorderly. It's not possible to work when the fatuity of the whole city is suddenly concentrated and spiked in the same place, and in the form of irritating people asking irrelevant questions."

The blonde woman stared at him, but her stare suddenly turned into a glare.

"Please wait a minute. You want me to stay here – and do nothing, for a few hours?"

Gilgamesh's eyes left the wine glass to lock with hers.

"As I said, you have this room at your disposal and are free to do what you–"

She did not want to make interrupting him a habit, but in this occasion, she had to. What he was saying was absolutely ridiculous.

"I don't believe we understand each other, Gilgamesh. To make the press think that we spend time together, your idea would be to have me over at your house. Which would be fine, if you had bothered to inform me of it – because then, I would have brought something with me. I will remind you that, while you have work that you can manage from home, I have a lot of studying to do in order to graduate."

She suppressed a sigh as her glare lessened a little. "I know that the press followed the limousine, but if I leave on foot and then take the subway, I think it should be fine for me to go back to my apartment. All my studying material is there."

He did not look away from her for several seconds, until he sighed, seemingly annoyed.

"You can't take public transportation alone for a while – the media have taken pictures of you, but rushed ones and, as I said, they are greedy, they will try to take more in any possible and underhand way." He sighed again when he saw that she was about to talk. "Today you saw the limousine, but I don't usually go around with it. I have cars of my own to drive, so to avoid the needless media attention. Since you seem so adamant about going to your apartment, you leave me no choice but to take you there myself."

Arturia blinked. What had he just said?

He was going to drive her to her apartment? Where did this sudden kindness come from?

And wait… had he said driving?

Her eyes darted to the wine glass he had just put on the small table.

"Even if your offer is unexpectedly generous, you have just drunk some wine and therefore…"

He actually rolled his eyes.

"There was no alcohol in that wine, Arturia. It's a special variety produced by Uruk Enterprises. Did you really think I would be driving with any kind of substance in my blood?"

He seemed more amused than haughtily offended, and he made her follow him to the underground parking lot once again. Aside from the limo, there were three other cars as well, ones he considered 'more anonymous'. But, while they were less flashy, Arturia could clearly see that they were all excellent models, thanks to the knowledge that Iri's interest in them had given her.

The car ride was mostly silent. Arturia had expected him to need to ask for directions but, to her surprise, he knew where to go. She questioned him about it.

"Your address was on your application file," he replied simply as he avoided the main roads to reach her apartment. As soon as he turned off the engine after the remarkably short ride, Arturia was ready to simply leave him there while she took her things.

But she had to keep in mind that not only had he made the effort of driving her to her place, he was also the man she was supposedly engaged to, and they did not know whether or not reporters were stalking them.

"Would you like to come inside as well?" she asked with a sigh, trying her best to be polite.

He flashed her a smirk.

"It's not like I will wait here for you, Arturia. I'm not your chauffeur."

Of course. Whenever she attempted to see the occasional kindness in his behaviour and ignore his arrogance, he immediately made sure she remembered it.

Not gracing him with an answer, she exited the car and waited for him to follow her inside the small apartment.

Briefly telling him to make himself comfortable – even though she had an inkling that the ordinariness of the house would not be to his liking – the blonde woman went to her little bedroom to take her books. When she was there she had to stop though, and she looked around the place, pondering.

Her sister was in a coma and, according to the doctors, even with the cure starting immediately, it was unlikely for her to wake up before several weeks passed. Little Shirou had already refused to leave his mother, and in less than three months, both she and her family were going to move to Japan. There was no actual need to keep the apartment; in fact, it was a burden and a useless expense.

She needed to pack everything and move out, and it was best if she did it as soon as possible. With a sigh, she decided that before starting to pack, she had to at least do some studying… and talk with Gilgamesh as well.

Finding him in the living room, where he had lain down on the couch – he seemed to have some odd fetish with those recliners – she informed him of what she needed to do about the apartment and explained that she would start packing as soon as possible.

To her surprise – again – he sighed in annoyance and then told her that, once her and her sister's things were put into boxes, they could be brought from the apartment to his house. She was a little taken aback by such an unexpected offer, but she readily accepted.

Looking at the clock, he then briefly told her that he had work to do and she had to study, plus she had to begin packing.

"Tomorrow the servants will come to take everything. I suppose you will then want to go to the hospital but, since you can't wander around alone, I will come as well, this time with the limousine. Make sure to be ready by noon."

He did not give her the time to reply; maybe it was for the best, since it would have probably been an incoherent mix of thanking him, yelling at him for his arrogance, and taking her leave from him.

This man was a serious case of assorted contradictions, which prompted equally as contradicting responses from her too.

After he left, Arturia spent the rest of the day mainly putting together all her family's possessions to be ready to leave the place for good. Since she had never lived in a single place for long, she did not have any particular attachment to this specific apartment either, something for which she was beginning to feel grateful.

She did not manage to get much studying done and while that upset her to an extent, she knew that she would able to concentrate better once she was at campus.

The following morning, Arturia went through some lessons that she knew she would need to complete her thesis. Happy with her work, she felt inclined to be less confrontational with Gilgamesh when the limo appeared at twelve o'clock sharp. As the servants took care of all her things, she stepped into the luxurious car after thanking them warmly. She did not notice how they all gaped at her for her words.

Gilgamesh greeted her with a nod and warned her to prepare herself for the press that was probably going to be around the hospital, and briefly gave a disapproving look to her simple attire. She ignored the look – she always dressed in a simple manner and that was not about to change any time soon – and returned his nod to acknowledge his words.

There was indeed a large group of reporters waiting for the limo next to the hospital's entrance, and Arturia could not help feeling worried. What if one of those news-seeking people followed them inside the building or tried to take pictures from the windows or any other crazy thing to get a scoop?

Right when it was time to step out and she was preparing herself to unflinchingly face the incessant flashes, she felt an arm go around her waist and pull her close to a body – a male body – and she felt Gilgamesh's mouth whispering in her ear.

"Keep next to me as we go through that obtuse mass of people – it's inevitably time for closer body contact."

She could not have given him a reply even if she had wanted to, because the next instant they were in the middle of the crowd. Noisy flashes went off one after the other – the driver and another member of the staff struggled a little to open them a small passage – Gilgamesh kept her close and she unconsciously leaned into him because he was the only way she knew to get through it – the hospital doors finally appeared before them, and then everything was over.

As soon as the doors closed behind them, Arturia let out a breath of relief. Gone were the noise and the incredible amount of people, those who only looked forward to getting a good article out of their lives.

Looking around, she was glad to find out that the hall was quiet and empty except for two of the three reception nurses. It wasn't really a good thing that they were both gaping at them, their mouths hanging open in shock, but, the blonde woman decided, it was much better than any other scenario she could have previously feared having to face.

Therefore, with all the calmness she was able to muster, she carefully linked her arm with Gilgamesh's and indicated the direction they had to take.

"This way."

He did not seem to have any reactions to her gesture, at least outwardly, and simply followed her lead, maintaining the contact between them. She could not say she was comfortable about the closeness, but she had to remember that she had agreed to it in the contract and they were still in a semi-public place, even though it was not nearly as 'dangerous' as it had been outside.

It was then, in the relative safety of the building and as they went through corridor after corridor, away from prying stares, that she realized that, outside, he had not kept her particularly close merely for appearance's sake, but to actually shield her with his body.

She snorted mentally. That was hardly possible. She was simply being delusional and foolish because that large mass of people had made her uncomfortable. She shouldn't start to needlessly read into things.

As they reached her sister's room, they saw the head doctor coming out of it. Her black braid swayed behind her as she greeted them politely but quickly, explaining that she had an emergency to take care of in another department of the hospital; on the other hand, she informed them that Iri's conditions were already showing slight signs of improvement. Arturia gave her a relieved, small smile before turning towards the door, next to which Gilgamesh was standing.

After confirming with a glance that it was indeed her sister's, he opened it – and something crashed into his legs as he did so.

He looked down, mildly annoyed, as large golden eyes looked back at him in bewilderment and confusion.

"Who is this brat?"

Arturia gave him one of her best glares.

"This," and her tone was deadly, "is my nephew, Shirou." For good measure, she added, "And soon he will be your nephew as well."

Then she turned towards the boy, who was eyeing the man in front of him warily, because he had suddenly been invested by his haughty aura that was quickly spreading around the room in waves.

"Shirou." She gave him a small smile and a brief caress on the head. "This is Gilgamesh Uruk. He is… he will be your uncle."

Shirou inclined his head in excitement and, remembering his manners at Arturia's gentle nudge, stared into Gilgamesh's crimson eyes with welcoming respect.

"Nice to meet you, Future Uncle Gilgamesh! I am Shirou Emiya." His golden eyes were full of curious questions. "Are you and Auntie Ria going to marry? Is that why you will be my uncle?"

Arturia was about to reply, but the blond man anticipated her.

"Yes, it is."

She stared at him, a little taken aback. He had always given her the impression of a person who held a deep dislike for children, his initial words directed at Shirou somewhat confirming it. And yet…

The little boy smiled, with a partially toothless smile.

"So, after you get married, you will truly become Uncle Gilgamesh?"

Once again, the head of Uruk Enterprises was the one who answered. Only with a curt nod, but it was a reply nonetheless. Shirou looked between Arturia and Gilgamesh, before turning to his aunt, eyes full of interest.

"Auntie Ria, what is a 'brat'?"

Arturia's eyes widened a bit. What a wonderful situation she had been put in. She sighed.

"A brat, Shirou, is a child who behaves in a spoiled, ill-mannered and extremely unruly way. I'm sure that Gilgamesh used that term erroneously, because you were impolite in running into him like that. Isn't that right, dear?"

She smiled, a saccharine-sweet, extremely strained smile, looking pointedly at her fiancée, but Shirou spoke before he could reply, trotting towards Gilgamesh and extending his hand to him.

"I am sorry, Future Uncle Gilgamesh. I thought it was Auntie Ria coming in." He remained there, his hand extended expectantly, and Gilgamesh stared back blankly.

Surely the boy did not expect him to shake his hand to 'make peace' of sorts, did he?

Sensing that, Arturia took a step forward to prevent Shirou from being disappointed – but to her great surprise, Gilgamesh was faster than her. Instead of taking the boy's hand, however, he patted his head lightly.

"You know how to apologize – that is a good quality. Don't forget it as you grow up."

Arturia openly gaped at him while little Shirou, his hand going back to his side, assumed a serious expression and nodded solemnly.

Before Arturia's mind could conjure a plausible explanation, Gilgamesh looked at her.

"He speaks Japanese."

She returned his look with a startled one of her own.

"Of course he does. My sister, my nephew and I are bilingual – same as you."

She didn't have the time to take in his reaction because Shirou was tugging at her sleeve.

"Auntie Ria, are you angry with me?"

A little surprised, she knelt down to his level, motioning for him to come to her, as he did without hesitation.

"Certainly not. Why would you think that?"

Shirou's reply was candid.

"You only talk difficult when you are serious or angry…"

Gritting her teeth, she muttered, "I was not angry… not at you, at least."

And she shot a glare in her future husband's direction, even though it was only half-hearted. He had, after all, been strangely kind to her nephew; or at least, as kind as it was possible for someone like him to be.

Completely oblivious to this, Shirou gave her a wide grin.

"Auntie Ria, did you see? Another tooth fell off! I'm sure mommy will be happy about it!"

As she examined the boy's mouth and exchanged another few words with him, Gilgamesh observed her keenly.

He was very good at hiding it, but he was astounded at seeing the way Arturia's usually rigid expression softened. He had thought that her features, while handsome, looked somewhat stern most of the time, but her face was anything but when she smiled at her nephew Shirou, or even whenever she talked about or simply mentioned her family.

Her whole demeanour changed; not in an overly visible manner, but her face, her eyes, the way she moved… everything in her became more open, gentler, happier, kinder – in short, the change in her was absolutely beautiful.

She obviously cared about the young boy and about her sister – yes, about her family, as she so often stressed – and her behaviour showed that. It was not something he had thought about before, but he had to admit that, in all the time he had known her, he had never seen her smile at him or anyone else the same way.

As if such an observation mattered. It wasn't anything he should consider important.

He had many things to do; he could not waste any more time at the hospital watching her talk with her nephew.

Therefore, he cleared his throat impatiently.

"Arturia."

She looked up at him, and any trace of her previously soft expression was completely gone from her face.

He dismissed that new observation and informed her, his meaning implicit, "I have to go back to the office."

Arturia understood immediately: she had to accompany him to the entrance. She turned to her nephew again.

"I will be right back, Shirou."

He looked between her and Gilgamesh, and understanding seemed to dawn on him.

"Oh, you have to say goodbye to Uncle Gilgamesh alone!" His innocent eyes landed on his future uncle. "Will you come visit tomorrow too? I can show you my fallen milk teeth!"

Arturia held back a smirk at Gilgamesh's look, since it seemed as if he was ambivalent about what expression to show, although he was obviously leaning towards a scowl.

She gave Shirou her usual kiss on the forehead.

"I'm afraid Uncle Gilgamesh is not interested in milk teeth. Maybe showing him your maths homework would be better, Shirou."

And with a brief smile, she swiftly pulled the blond man out of the room.

Down by the entrance, she gave him a level-headed look, noticing how his eyes swept her up and down.

"Don't even think about kissing," she said, wondering if she would catch him off guard with that comment.

He merely lifted an eyebrow and gave her a teasing glance.

"You can't avoid it forever, Arturia, but very well – you will avoid it today."

And with a wide smirk at her renewed glare, he left the hospital.

...

...