A/N: Thank you to HiddenCamellia for listening to my ideas for this chapter ;) and thank you so much to Jolanikati for the beta work!

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Completely confused, she could only stare at him mutely.

Before she could find her voice again to ask her question, he went on, "If I leave your choice of wardrobe to you, we will never reach any kind of agreement. Therefore, here is my condition: during the engagement period – and at least once after the marriage – you are going to come with me to buy an entirely new selection of clothes for yourself. That being said, this will also include your wedding gown."

Her eyes narrowed at him, even though she was still very much confused.

"But why should you accompany me, Gilgamesh? Do you despise my choice of clothes so much? Is it so unsuitable for your wife to dress more or less modestly?"

She probably enjoyed taunting him, but she would not enjoy it for long, because if there was anything he had recently shown he was good at, it was forcing her to face truths she did not want to acknowledge.

His reply was therefore blunt.

"That is not actually the case, Arturia. But it is unsuitable for my wife to not allow herself to spend even a small amount of money on a new wardrobe – which is exactly what you would do." His tone turned to something very close to teasing. "And since money will no longer be an issue, you will be provided with clothing appropriate for the role you are going to fulfil."

She glared at him for several seconds, until her shoulders slumped slightly and she huffed indignantly.

"Anything else?" Before he could speak, she thought about something. "Regarding the living arrangements…"

He seemed to read her mind.

"Speaking of that, as I mentioned, you should be aware of the fact that I have servants in the house."

She nodded curtly. Among many other things, she was going to have to get used to a very high-class style of living, and that would mean the loss of quite a few things from her former life. Perhaps she had not realized how heavy that loss was though, and she only became aware of it with his following words.

"Which means, as I expect you are aware, that you and I are going to share a bedroom and a bathroom."

She stiffened. She had very obviously not thought things through completely, if what he had just said was the truth.

"…what? No. That will not happen."

Gilgamesh sighed. She should have realized this sooner.

"I can only concede separate beds", he said, displeased. "I have good reasons, Arturia. As I just told you, I have servants in the house. Do you really believe they would not notice us sleeping in different rooms? The beds can be separated if you really insist upon it; but the same room is unavoidable."

He smirked at her – wasn't he doing that an awful lot on this day? "This will also make the other part of the arrangement easier."

Arturia wasn't feeling inclined to humour him.

"I said no in regard to consummation, Gilgamesh."

He raised an eyebrow, amused.

"Why did you immediately assume I was talking about sex, Arturia? What if I was speaking about the wardrobe issue?"

She was unable to push down an unwanted blush as it appeared on her cheeks. This man certainly enjoyed making fun of her – even though, on this subject, she was at fault for jumping to conclusions too quickly.

Either way, the conclusion remained the same: she was going to have to share a room with him.

She truly couldn't say that she was thrilled by the 'great' news. Could things actually get any better?

Even if she did not want to linger too much on that topic, she had to make the most of it.

"Since we will live in the same place, I have a condition to add as well. My family will have unrestricted access to the house and, as long as the media are not involved in it, I will have the right to invite whomever I want. And in my free time away from the public eye, don't ask me to be anywhere near you."

He only barely managed not to roll his eyes at that kind of demand, and went on to the following subject.

"The house doesn't have a fixed phone line, since it's bound to be more troublesome than useful; however, I have this other request – you will always have a mobile phone with you, so that we will be able to communicate more easily."

She agreed to that without difficulty.

"I do not possess a very modern phone right now but–"

He smoothly interjected, "The next time we meet to discuss things in more detail, I will bring you an adequate phone – the one you have now is not fitting."

Arturia was about to protest, but he wouldn't let her.

"I already have several phones of my own, and it's important that you have a good one as well. You know perfectly that I have the means of finding the best one for you quickly." He added, "And you wouldn't be able to afford it."

She would have glared at him, if his tone – for once – hadn't been completely devoid of any mockery or condescension. She had no choice but to let it slide and, looking for something to do, she took a sip of her coffee.

As he watched her do that, he noticed that the café menu was still in the middle of the table. Everything on it was in very elegant handwriting, and it was in English–

Ah. There was another matter to discuss, and he wondered why he hadn't thought about it before. It was probably the most important one, all considered.

He took a sip from his own coffee.

"There is a specific reason why I said in those rare interviews that I need a wife who is fluent in Japanese. In a few months, I will be moving to Japan."

Arturia raised both eyebrows at that and her eyes widened in alarm. But… moving to Japan…

Once she became his wife, wasn't she going to have to go with him…? But–…

He interrupted her thoughts. "Before reaching the wrong conclusions, wait for me to finish. While Uruk Enterprises has countless offices around the world, there are two main venues: one is in this city, and the other is in Tokyo. That one, since it still isn't at its full potential, needs my direct supervision. I estimate that two years should be sufficient to accomplish that."

He looked pointedly at her. "You will therefore be moving to Japan with me – and your family will come as well."

Arturia immediately relaxed. If her family was coming too, then it was fine. Besides, she was looking forward to going back to Japan. Who knew, she might even be able to get in contact with her cousin again.

She did not notice how a brief expression of happiness crossed her features, but Gilgamesh did, and he couldn't help being somewhat captivated. She had not shown such an expression often, and on this day, not at all.

He studied her intently before saying, "You seem happy at this perspective."

It wasn't truly phrased as a question, but it was obvious that he was asking one.

She would not lie, and she actually managed to produce half a smile – and it wasn't even a fake one.

"I'm actually looking forward to going back to Japan."

He was somewhat confused by the statement and felt strangely compelled to enquire more.

"You lived there before?"

She nodded.

"Even though I'm not originally from there, it's where my sister and I grew up. We only moved to America four years ago, because–"

She interrupted herself abruptly, and hesitated. But she seemed to collect herself quickly, and forced herself to stretch her lips into a small smile again. This second smile, however, was decidedly fake.

Something about the look in her eyes convinced him to leave the matter be – not that he was actually curious about knowing more – and he merely stared at her as she spoke again, going back to the main subject.

"We have now addressed almost everything that is expected from me in this contract. I would like to know more specifics about the monetary arrangement. Especially regarding when I will be able to have the money."

He looked at her thoughtfully.

"That might depend on the wedding date. It would make little sense for us to get married before your graduation. Therefore, we will get married immediately after it."

She was silent for a second, and her eyes narrowed a little.

"But you will provide money for my sister before the actual wedding, am I correct?"

She was graduating in a little more than couple of months, but Iri needed treatment immediately. She could not afford to wait that long.

Gilgamesh gave her a brief nod.

"A deal is a deal, Arturia. I said I would give you the money to save your sister – you said you would marry me. I know I keep my end of the bargain, and I believe you to be an honourable person."

That startled her, yet confused her at the same time. Wasn't he supposed to be a clever businessman? He wouldn't just trust her word, would he?

Once again, he seemed to read her mind – or maybe, her expression was simply too easy to read.

"That doesn't mean that we won't both sign the first draft of the contract before you get anything from me." Seeing the alarm appear in her expression, he suppressed a chuckle. "And that will happen either today or within the next few days at most."

Arturia sighed in relief. If she could save Iri, then all that incredible amount of unpleasant things would be worth it.

She had to be completely certain though.

"The money you give me – it will be available immediately, I hope? It will not have need of several weeks of transfer or anything of the kind, right?"

He was a little taken aback.

"It certainly won't. Even though I may take my time in discussing a contract, I am swift in its execution. You should know that, seeing as you work at my company."

He eyed her keenly, taking in every centimetre of her tired face. "Why are you so adamant about anything concerning the money? I understand that your sister is ill, but you seem… particularly insisting on this matter."

For the first time during their whole exchange, she looked away. She didn't really want to tell Gilgamesh; but since she had agreed to marry him, she might as well come completely clean about her sister's situation.

She took a deep breath.

"My sister… she is in a coma right now."

He looked as if he had understood.

"Car accident?"

She shook her head slightly.

"No."

Strangely, he did not break the silence that followed. Arturia collected her thoughts, and steeled herself. She was not going to let her emotions show as she explained, her green eyes remaining firmly on the coffee cup in front of her.

"My sister's husband died around two months ago, leaving her with their young son. She has always been of a sickly constitution, and this personal loss has affected her greatly. I discovered yesterday that she is now not only very ill… she is pregnant as well."

She had no idea of the expression that was on Gilgamesh's face, and she did not intend to look up to find out. She knew she could not insist too much on the subject, or she would break down. Why had she told him so much in the first place? Why was she even continuing to tell him more?

"Her little boy… it's not right for him to lose his mother and his unborn sibling. Not if I can do anything about it."

She straightened and finally looked at Gilgamesh, finding his expression to be unreadable.

"I have another request about the money."

He raised an eyebrow, but did not interrupt her.

"I would like for you to establish both a trust fund and a savings account with a certain amount of money for Shirou Emiya – my sister's son. And… if everything goes well… to please establish another one once my sister's second child is born."

Gilgamesh appeared interested in the meaning of her words.

"You don't trust me to respect our agreement, and therefore intend to plan ahead?"

She looked at him and shook her head slightly, her expression determined.

"This is not a matter of trust – this is a matter regarding those children's future." Her eyes were narrowed. "I don't know how – and if – our arrangement will work out, Gilgamesh. Nothing is guaranteed in this world, so I would like to ensure a possibility for Shirou and the unborn baby to have a reasonably normal life once they grow up."

He evaluated her once again, his crimson eyes boring into her green ones, and then nodded briefly.

"Very well. I assume you would like that to be part of the earlier draft of the contract?"

She gave a nod, and he inclined his head in acceptance.

"Then you will have the funds ready within next week."

Before she could do anything more than take a breath in relief, he started talking again.

"Regarding these expenses, you should be aware of the fact that I will give you any amount of money you request and even more, and right in the moment in which you need it, but I do demand to know where exactly it ends up. You will have to give me the details of everything you intend to buy or pay for."

She shrugged, with a minimal movement.

"I do not mind this at all, Gilgamesh – it is your money, after all. However… this sounds very… controlling of you."

He held her gaze impassively.

"As I said, you will have unlimited access to the money, and use it for anything you want. But I need to know where it goes after I give it to you – because if I don't control what happens to it, the press will, and any kind of embezzlement or fraud could take place without me being aware of it. I will not allow that to happen."

Arturia blinked. Was he… actually showing concern about that? Ah, she should not be surprised about it. If there was anything Gilgamesh Uruk was truly attached to and genuinely fond of, it was his work and everything related to it, and that meant that the money he made was part of that, too.

Not that she minded in the least; if she was going to marry this arrogant man, she was better off if his interest lay elsewhere.

She took another sip of her coffee, noticing that she had almost finished it but was not experiencing its effects at all. With a sigh, she put the empty cup back on the table and indicated to a passing waiter to bring her another one.

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They remained in the café for hours. After her black coffee, Arturia took another, ordered a light lunch and then four cups of different types of tea, while he had three boiling cups of coffee, something small to eat and – to her slight surprise – a glass of wine.

At a certain point, she took out a pen, since she always had one with her, and he grudgingly provided her with a large notepad on which she began to write down things as they decided them.

It was going to be a true, real contract.

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In a move uncharacteristic for her, she put her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her palms, completely oblivious to the amount of time that had passed. She was still in that position when her umpteenth cup arrived and, still staring at Gilgamesh, she took a sip immediately. She knew she was dehydrated after the previous sleepless night at the hospital.

Pensive and lost in her thoughts, she spoke slowly.

"In the end… we both get bad things and good things out of this. We have to put up with each other, but you get the wife you need for show and I get the money."

She tilted her head slightly. Perhaps the coffee was finally becoming of some use, because she could see things a little more clearly. "Although it's true that I will have to endure those public moments, you will have to do the exact same thing as well. We are both going to be at the mercy of the cameras – the type of shared experience that is one of a kind, I must say."

Even though he kept his expression neutral, Gilgamesh felt some bewilderment at her words and stared at her with curiosity.

He didn't truly know the woman he was going to marry… did he? He had never seen this slightly more relaxed side of her.

She seemed to get a hold of herself the moment he had that thought. Inwardly cursing her sleep deprivation that was completely at fault for that slip, she schooled her expression back into her usual, neutral one. She was speaking with the man she was going to get married to, the stranger she was going to share a bedroom with–

Oh. About that…

"It's inevitable that we sleep in the same bedroom, and I recognise that it can't be helped. However, you will respect my privacy… as I will respect yours, Gilgamesh." To make sure her point came across, she emphasized, "That means, for example, that you will not go through my things, as I will not go through yours."

He looked both bored and amused at that, and his reply proved it.

"Well, I will buy most of your things, so I don't really see a problem–"

She interrupted him brusquely.

"No!"

He could not help finding her vehemence to be intriguing.

"Privacy is important, Gilgamesh. Even if you don't seem to understand it, have at least the decency to respect it!"

He lifted an eyebrow. So much intensity for such a minor and inconsequential thing? If that was all…

"While it's quite insulting how you seem convinced that I possess no honour, rest assured that your 'side of the room' will remain entirely yours."

His tone was quite sarcastic, and she replied to it only with a glare. Staring at him, she noticed that he actually looked different in the light. She frowned and looked around – how long had they been there? How late was it already?

He took notice of that, too, and stood up, putting on his coat. She stood as well, taking up the notepad and handing to Gilgamesh one copy of what she had written, because she had had the foresight to write down everything twice.

He, however, refused to take his copy unless both of them signed those first drafts of the contract. Nevertheless, when she took up the pen to do that, Arturia hesitated.

Even after hours of discussing many matters quite in detail, she didn't feel safe. She knew there were certainly things – many things – that they had forgotten to address. But she couldn't think about them at the moment; she was tired, couldn't concentrate enough and they simply weren't coming to mind.

And she suddenly found the simplest of solutions to that problem.

"Gilgamesh… I want to add a clause to the contract. Not only for this draft, but permanently."

He stared at her – well, continued to stare at her, since he hadn't looked away from her the entire time.

"We will write in it that, provided we both agree willingly, in the future, we will have the possibility to make modifications, revisions and additions to the contract. That is because it's impossible for us to have thought of everything… and we should therefore have the right to change things in the future."

Gilgamesh continued to stare at her, his look penetrating, not saying a word for quite some time. Arturia decided, for once, to let the silence stretch and convince herself that it wasn't an uncomfortable one at the same time.

Eventually, he nodded briefly.

"Very well. As long as we both wish for it, it will be possible to legally make changes to the contract."

Even though she made sure it was not too apparent, Arturia felt herself relaxing. At least she wouldn't trap herself completely…

…and then, as her pen moved swiftly on the paper, she tensed again. She would need him to agree to every change she wanted to make–

Feeling a migraine coming up, she fought the impulse to reach up and rub her temples.

First things first. She would figure it all out, one step at a time.

He suddenly smirked, and she stiffened once again, having just finished to add that last point before signing the draft.

"For my part, I'm quite confident that the change will be about the sexual arrangement."

His smirk only widened at her obvious, irritated discomfort, which made it impossible for her to reply right away.

"Oh yes, it will be about the sexual arrangements…" she spat after a few seconds. "And it will be to issue a restraining order for those delusional thoughts of yours."

She did not bother to observe his reaction and handed him the pen, so that he could sign as well. As soon as both copies were signed, he gave her the pen back and then disdainfully motioned for one of the waiters to come over with the bill.

Arturia reached for her bag, but she did not have the time to do anything before Gilgamesh paid for both their expenses. She raised an eyebrow. She usually paid for her own part the extremely rare times she went out, and she opened her mouth to protest.

But the look he gave her did not allow her to speak, and he dismissed her curtly.

"Don't try to pull the pride stunt now, Arturia. After the monetary arrangement we just made, you can hardly argue over such a small sum."

Swallowing her words and her anger, she was forced to let him do as he pleased. He was a very conceited person in looking down on her in such a way, but she could not deny the truth of what he had said, as much as she hated to admit it.

But his smirk, in place again, told her that he knew… he knew, and he was smug about it.

What a jerk.

The next instant, however, she had to blink as he casually put a piece of paper in her hand. It was a cheque. She had never seen such a large number written on a cheque though.

"Consider it some kind of deposit if you wish," came his voice as he walked past her to go towards the exit. "Make sure not to lose it though."

She blinked again and quickly recollected herself, putting it inside her bag a little bewildered, before narrowing her eyes. It was easy for him to hand out money like that; he was rich after all.

At the door, he stopped to hold it open for her, and she did her best not to show any reaction at all. It wasn't that difficult, since she wasn't entirely sure about what she was feeling towards his uncharacteristic gentlemanly gesture. Was she irritated? Exasperated? Flattered? Ah, who knew. She was too tired to analyze it properly, and if she had to be honest, it didn't really matter.

Right outside, she turned to face him again, and he gave her another of his annoying smirks. He never seemed to run out of them.

"I will see you tomorrow, Arturia."

She stared at him in slight confusion. The following day? Did he mean…?

Sudden realization dawned on her. Did he mean at work?

Her eyes searched his, and she spoke what was on her mind.

"I assumed… after what happened yesterday… that you had fired me. And if you didn't, I think that… with this marriage contract…"

He tilted his head to the side, a somewhat cold expression settling on his features, and then he narrowed his blood red eyes slightly.

"I don't intend to get rid of capable and reliable employees, Arturia. We will have to work out a schedule for your part-time to become more regular, and after moving to Japan there will have to be other variations. But that will all be done in due time." Another flicker of a smirk. "After work tomorrow, we will continue discussing the contract. We are supposed to be already engaged now, so remember to look the part."

Arturia was too spent to argue anymore, but she did not like the way he decided for the both of them. Even though his praise – which told her that he was satisfied with her work – had taken her aback, she could not overlook it: he had not asked her, he had informed her of what he had already decided. On his own.

She made a mental note about it: once she was a little more in her wits, she would make sure he understood it. She would not allow the man to continue with his commanding ways, especially since she was going to marry him.

Therefore, she only gave a short nod. His smirk appeared once again, and he came closer to her, an arrogantly pleased expression on his face.

"In the end…" one of his hands reached out, lightly grasping a strand of her hair and playing with it absent-mindedly, "…you will marry me after all."

His expression was smug, and in that moment, Arturia felt fury invading every fibre of her being, pushing away any other thought.

Abruptly, she grabbed his tie and, taking him by complete surprise, pulled him down to her eye level.

"Trust my every word, Gilgamesh: if I wasn't in this life or death situation, I would never come close to you. No sane human being would ever agree to marry you."

His eyes narrowed, but he did not try to break free from her forceful grip and actually seemed mildly entertained.

"Should I then consider myself lucky or unlucky since, according to what you just said, I am apparently marrying someone insane?"

She was at the end of her patience, having spent the whole day discussing things with him, and the knowledge that she would have to – that she had chosen to – marry this man was sinking in at last.

Therefore, she finally allowed all her frustration and rage to take over, and directed at him the most deadly glare she was capable of producing.

"Never forget… you are for me what I am for you, Gilgamesh Uruk: a means to an end… nothing more, nothing less."

She released him, taking a step back. "I will see you tomorrow at work."

She turned around and strode away without looking back.

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As she walked down the stairs to the subway – it was the fastest way to reach the hospital – Arturia's mind felt actually difficult to sort out.

She was relieved, no question about that. Her sister would soon be out of danger.

Gilgamesh had already given her some money, and it would help her once she spoke with the head medic of the hospital about Iri. It was good that he had given her the cheque.

He had not been that arrogant, after all. Maybe, there was hope for a peaceful cohabit–

Who was she trying to fool. She was talking about Gilgamesh Uruk.

Her fate with him had been sealed the moment they had agreed to make a contract. She was doomed.

Heart heavy, she stepped on the train that had finally arrived, ready to go back to her family. It was already quite late, and she was going to have extra lessons the following morning at campus before work, but she had spent the whole day outside talking with Gilgamesh… at the very least, she had to see little Shirou before it was time for him to go to bed.

Looking at her bag, Arturia took a deep breath.

She had money in her hand, on the same day she had set out to find some. She had made it.

It did not matter that she had basically sold her freedom for it.

It really did not matter. At all.

This was fine.

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