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The month passed much faster than Arturia expected and, in that period of time, she was surprised to find just how little of her life actually changed.
She was still able to go class, write her thesis, return to work, and spend time with her nephew and still comatose sister, whose treatment was proceeding well.
The only problem was the reporters' presence. They tended to follow her around everywhere outside, yelling questions at her – sometimes outrageously rude ones – that she made a point of ignoring.
At work, Enkidu showed up a few times, friendly as always. She was well aware of the fact that the engagement had increased Uruk Enterprises' prestige and as a result, Enkidu was extremely busy since he had been left in charge of everything while Gilgamesh managed the offices abroad, so she tried not to hold him up for too long and kept the conversations on superficial levels.
However, one day she did inquire on whether or not Gilgamesh had told him to monitor her actions and keep her under scrutiny during his absence.
Enkidu denied that, instead simply saying, "All he did was ask me to make sure you weren't oppressed by the media."
She was completely skeptical.
"Asked, didn't he?"
He gave her a grin.
"Well, he did make it sound more like a request instead of an order – ~probably a one in a million occurrence, I agree!"
As the weeks went by, she looked on with dread at what expected her. Even if it was part of the agreement and she had to respect it, it didn't mean that she couldn't feel exasperated with it at the same time.
She was also somewhat surprised at finding that she couldn't think of her fiancée without recalling the moment in which she had seen him last, which happened to be the occasion in which they had kissed. She could feel her expression contorting in annoyance every time her mind was juvenile enough to go there, and she resolutely forced herself to be more mature about the entire ordeal.
From what she had surmised during her conversations with Enkidu, she knew that Gilgamesh was insanely busy and was going to come back to America for merely one day, which he would end up spending with her on that shopping spree.
She really wasn't looking forward to it, and his text two days before the settled date did not make things any easier.
Make sure to remember this: anything that is suitable among the possible selection, you will buy. No excuses. The shopping will not be considered complete until you have a whole new wardrobe.
She was beginning to wonder if he obtained his arrogance via daily pills. Only that would explain his endless renewal of it in nearly every interaction she had with him – and now through technological devices too!
He could not be bothered to ever make an effort, could he?
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The day came – a day Arturia detested with every fiber of her being.
The day in which she had to go shopping with Gilgamesh.
As a matter of fact, she hated going shopping for clothes, since she considered it a complete waste of time, time she could use for much more productive things. What was the point of spending hours upon hours in malls to try on pieces of clothing that were usually very expensive, not in the right size and often not to her liking in cuts or colours?
When she really needed clothes, she would usually visit street markets or second-hand shops. She knew her taste was not particularly sophisticated, but it made her always appear adequately serious, and the materials she chose were comfortable. She did not really care about the fact that they weren't designer clothes; besides, she wouldn't have been able to afford them even if she had actually wanted them.
Gilgamesh had quieted her protests and her slightly childlike complaints the moment he had seen her, telling her that she didn't have the excuse of not having the money anymore and, aside from being part of the contract agreements, he intended to come with her to make sure her wardrobe was going to be the most fitting one. And she, well, she had had no choice but to comply.
She had to remind herself, more than once, that she had willingly agreed to all of this.
However, that did not mean that their meeting again after a month of absence was without friction. Since it was at the hospital, his greeting consisted of pulling her to him with an arm straight around the waist as he leaned in, towards her cheek, at the same time.
In a low voice, he murmured in her ear, the smirk clear in his voice, "Did you miss me, Arturia?"
She was already in a very irritable mood, so she couldn't control the dryness in her tone – nor did she attempt to – and her reply was flat.
"I missed you as much as I miss the headache that talking with you always produces, Gilgamesh."
He leaned back and raised an eyebrow at her, but even if she chose to pay no outward attention to it, his amusement at her words was not lost on her.
Making sure to have the limousine go in the opposite direction before taking off with his own car, Gilgamesh went with her to a very classy place; of course, she mentally reflected, everything had to be classy when Gilgamesh was involved. It was, however, quite a humble place to do the shopping, if she considered that her fiancée was a person of enormous wealth.
Taking her aback, he began to simply go through the aisles with her, looking at the various clothes in boredom, but picking up some items at intervals.
She did not really care to observe his behaviour, instead finding herself uncomfortable in the normal – but still very refined-looking – place.
She was not used to going around so casually; if she went somewhere, she had a purpose for it, and if she decided to buy clothes, she went, chose, paid and was done with it. Since she was going around with Gilgamesh, however, she knew that things were going to be different. And since she was already resigned to the fact that she would most likely waste the entire day with this nonsense – though in the late afternoon she would go visit Shirou and Iri, whether he 'approved' or not – she might as well let him do whatever he pleased.
Suddenly he turned around with several items in hand. She was still surprised by the fact that someone with a holier-than-thou attitude like him had not wanted any servants to accompany them – he was actually holding the clothes himself – but he had been adamant about being alone with her.
"Try these on," he half-asked, half-commanded.
She eyed both him and the clothes suspiciously, as something did not add up there.
"How do you know they are my size?"
He smirked, his eyes sweeping her body up and down briefly.
"I made a guess – and I believe it to be an accurate one. Now go change."
She glared at him, despising his authoritative tone, and took the clothes from his hands to go to the dressing rooms.
To her astonishment, not only did most of the clothes fit, all the items were also in comfortable materials. How had he known that she favoured such things?
In addition, the colours and cuts were perfectly suitable for her tastes. She liked many of the things she tried, even though some – very few, to be fair – were a little too tight and others too large.
When she came out after rapidly trying on everything, he looked a little disappointed.
"You're not going to let me see you in the new clothes?"
She narrowed her eyes at him.
"If you're expecting praise because you guessed right, you won't get it."
He chuckled, seeming truly entertained.
"No, I simply want to make sure the clothes fit."
She ignored him, irritated, and looked for a shop assistant. A few shirts were too tight around the chest area, a few others were too large, but she was not going be able to find the right sizes in that labyrinth of a place that she did not know, and there was no way she would ask Gilgamesh for it because he would most certainly tease her, if not worse.
Finally spotting a shop assistant who could help her, she politely asked for the right sizes and then was about to turn around to go find Gilgamesh again, only to see him right behind her, with an amused smirk on his lips.
To her chagrin, she felt her cheeks burn slightly. This man – her future husband – who enjoyed teasing her, had of course heard everything.
She muttered curtly, "Shut up."
His smirk only widened.
"I didn't say anything."
With much difficulty, she suppressed a scowl.
"You were about to."
He only shrugged, grin still in place.
"True."
But, even if he behaved in his usual arrogant way, he was strangely merciful enough to drop the matter as they resumed their stroll through the aisles, and after a while he handed her another small pile of clothes. They were no longer just casual clothes: in there were some more elaborate outfits and dresses as well.
Arturia was perplexed, since she did not usually wear dresses; she much preferred suits – he had actually selected a few for her – or just simple shirts and trousers.
He seemed, very annoyingly so with its increasing frequency, to read her mind.
"You are getting married to me," he told her – as if she needed a reminder, she thought in impatience – "and therefore you will need to have clothes suitable for you, and for all occasions. I won't allow you to look anything less than perfect."
She had no choice but to swallow her protests and she left to try on the new clothes. Again, she was surprised at his ability to have chosen so well. She actually liked the dresses, and she saw that several articles were in blue, a favourite colour of hers and one she knew was quite becoming on her. There were a few black, white, and red items, some specific silvery and golden ones, but after the blue, the most selected colour was green.
She did not really understand his choice of colours, at least not until she tried on a lovely low-cut emerald dress and, looking at herself in the mirror, saw how much that brought out her eyes, because it was the exact same shade.
She could not help feeling somewhat confused. It was really, really odd on Gilgamesh's part. He had been very precise in the choice of her wardrobe, and almost everything was to her taste as well. He had not had much time to choose either, and that made things even stranger.
When trying on the newest clothes he had chosen, she also noted that all items were now the right size around her chest, and she inwardly rolled her eyes. Of course he had taken notice of that detail earlier. Few things escaped his notice, it seemed.
When she emerged from the changing room, she found a series of accessories, jewellery, and bags awaiting her selection, and then shoes, for which he had again guessed the right size.
That was how, in a surprisingly brief amount of time, Arturia got herself an entire new wardrobe.
Her eyes travelling over the vast amount of items that she was going to purchase, she could not stop herself from truthfully admitting her thoughts to him.
"You seem to have indeed a fine taste in clothes."
His face betrayed little, but she could see that he was a little surprised not by the comment itself, but by the fact that it was coming from her.
Perhaps… he also seemed… pleased.
No, that was very unlikely. Anything that she thought she had seen on his face was hidden quickly, and instead he assumed a smug expression, with a smirk on his lips.
"Did you expect otherwise, dear wife-to-be?"
She would not lie; no matter how infuriating he was, in openly using that term especially, she would not lower herself to lie.
"Yes, actually," she admitted.
He only seemed more amused by her honesty, chuckling, "Surprising you is always a pleasure for me."
She barely refrained from rolling her eyes. He really grated on her nerves.
His gaze then left her to sweep over everything they had already bought, which the shop assistants were dutifully beginning to fold for them.
A new, slow grin stretched his lips, and his eyes gleamed on her.
"The only things left to buy are now nightwear… and underwear."
She knew he had said that in a certain tone just to enjoy seeing her unable to suppress a blush at his comment, and she immediately replied, "You are not having a part in that."
His grin still in place, he only lifted an eyebrow.
"And why not?"
But she would not play his game, not this time – on this, she absolutely wouldn't compromise. She gave him a flat, unwavering stare, and he sighed in a barely noticeable manner.
"Very well. I will endeavour to wait outside then. But make sure to choose all the items you need, without holding back because of the price – or because of your ideas of appropriateness."
She felt the urge to roll her eyes again, did not hold it back this time and then went to the underwear section, briefly making sure that he was not following her and could not see what she was choosing. She quickly went through the various articles, critically selecting modest pieces and then nightclothes, keeping in mind that she was going to have to sleep in the same room as that dubious man.
She also found decent home clothes that, together with the clothes she already possessed, would complete her wardrobe to wear in and outside the house. She added them all to the pile, making sure he did not see them. She also did her best to avoid automatically checking the prices.
He had not waited idly while she chose the clothes, talking on the phone with someone she guessed was his driver, because she could see the limousine outside waiting for them.
Gilgamesh gave a cold glance to the shop assistants, very obviously reminding them of their job of folding all the clothes and sending them to his address, since he had already paid for everything, and they all immediately nodded zealously.
He then looked at Arturia.
"The car is waiting."
She frowned. They weren't very far from the hospital, and besides, they had come with his car – so why the limousine?
Understanding her unspoken question, he merely smirked.
"We're going to the wedding shop now."
She was not very reassured by the fact, so he explained, with a little annoyance in his tone, "To select your wedding gown, Arturia."
She mentally cursed, while managing to keep her expression neutral. She had forgotten that little detail: the whole point of the day out was to choose her wedding clothes, for the ceremony and then the reception afterwards.
It was going to be a very grand event; as far as she knew, a large ensemble of people was going to attend, among which there were also the business associates and all the rich people who counted in society.
She inwardly slapped herself for her memory failing her. She knew she would have to wear elegant, white, sophisticated and terribly uncomfortable clothes.
With a sigh, Arturia preceded Gilgamesh to the car.
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In Gilgamesh's opinion, she was incredibly entertaining. Especially on this day.
He had had to be abroad for an entire month to personally make sure that Uruk Enterprises prospered around the world; he had also been busy dealing with everything that was needed for him to move to Japan with his future bride, and it was slowly becoming worth it.
Arturia was exceptionally amusing. He noticed it especially after this long period away from her. Of course, he was going to enjoy more time with her once they actually got married, but he could not find anything to complain about the current bonus before that moment.
Observing her at the shopping mall earlier had only made him more certain about the fact that she was going to be a perfect wife and was never going to be boring.
He could not find anything to complain about this extra time at all.
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"No."
Surprisingly, it was not Arturia who had said that, but Gilgamesh. She, to her relief, yet also slight annoyance, had very little to do, even though the wedding gown was going to be for herself.
Gilgamesh had made the people from the bridal shop show him various clothes, and he was unflinchingly dismissing each and every one of them, utterly unimpressed.
It would have been mildly entertaining, seeing a famous billionaire businessman going through wedding clothes, but the fact that he was choosing her wedding gown was more than enough to make all the hilarity disappear.
Arturia actually found herself quite bored, since all she saw were clothes that were being refused, without her input ever being requested nor needed – not that she intended to offer it – and therefore she began her stroll through the shop, looking at the various wedding items around there, mainly seeing a lot of satin everywhere. She briefly wondered how much it would cost to buy just a simple bracelet in such an exclusive place.
She was brought out of her musings when she heard Gilgamesh call her name. He indicated a dress hidden by a tulle coverage.
"Try that one," he said, seeming extraordinarily satisfied with himself.
She raised an eyebrow at his expression, but complied, for once without a word, deciding to save her remarks for another time.
She didn't even bother asking him if the dress had the veil or not; they had argued about it earlier during the car ride, as it was the only thing on which she had put her foot down. She disapproved of such an article, because it would only hinder her sight and just be plainly useless in nature. Gilgamesh had actually seemed to listen and had ultimately relented.
Only when stepping out of the vehicle did it occur to her, how petty that whole exchange had been: of all things she and Gilgamesh could have been discussing, it had to be the wedding veil.
But, after all, anything that she and this man ended up talking about was uncommon.
In an enormous dressing room with mirrors on three different walls, she carefully tried it on and, after some trouble with the zippers, she was truly taken aback by the dress he had chosen.
It was a simple piece with clean lines, and it was unusual, considering what Gilgamesh's tastes were usually like. It was constructed with a soft, comfortable white fabric, which hugged her body like a second skin all the way down to her feet. It wasn't ostentatious by any means; there was nothing more than small, subtle decorations in navy silk, minuscule pearls and lace all over it.
It enhanced her slender figure, making her look feminine and very elegant, but at the same time, it did not show too much skin and was therefore modest enough to suit her tastes.
She had to admit that she actually liked it.
"He was right. You look bewitching in that, miss," came a steady voice from behind her.
Arturia whirled around abruptly, remembering only a second after doing it that she was wearing an elaborate dress – but to her surprise, it followed her movements without ripping nor creasing. She was wearing a truly well-made piece of clothing.
A tanned man with white hair and a stern countenance had appeared behind her.
She had never seen him before, and she therefore asked him warily, "Excuse me, you are…?"
He gave her a gracious bow.
"I'm Archer, owner of the shop. Your fiancée has asked me – well, more like ordered me – to make sure you like the dress."
His gaze swept her form up and down, observing her critically and without a hint of anything else than professionalism.
"At least, I hope he is your fiancée," he added, noticing the tight look that appeared on Arturia's face when he used that specific word.
She berated herself internally while plastering a composed expression on her face.
"He is," she conceded reluctantly. "I apologize for my reaction. It still feels strange to hear the use of that term."
He gave her another polite nod, before handing her a small box.
"In any case, your… future husband wants me to give you these, miss. They are the jewels you will be wearing, and you should make sure they match the dress."
Arturia's eyebrows shot high. That was extremely rude of Gilgamesh.
"I am sorry he disturbed you. He could have brought me these himself."
This time there was a shadow of a smile in the shop owner's stern expression.
"The groom should not see the bride in the wedding dress before the wedding day, miss," he reminded her politely, and while her expression didn't change, Arturia mentally slapped herself. Hard.
Where was her head? She was not being as focused as she should.
The man continued, "He is also going through our selection of reception dresses at this time. He has not found what he is looking for, at least not yet."
His eyes landed on her and, noticing her slight agitation at the thought, observed her form keenly.
"I wouldn't be worried if I were you, miss. Your fiancée has very good taste… both in dresses and in women."
Arturia's expression grew cold, but she noticed, with pleased surprise, that he had not said that with a vulgar tone, nor was he looking at her in any offensive or suggestive way.
It was more… as if he was stating a fact.
She frowned inwardly, mildly confused, even though her expression did not betray it. What a strange man. She then tilted her head slightly.
"Thank you, Mr. Archer. If you don't mind, I would like to change after trying on the jewels, so if you could give me some privacy…"
He nodded, bowing again briefly.
"Certainly. I will bring you the reception dress as soon as your fiancée selects it."
Alone again – the shop owner seemed to move with almost unnatural quietness – she opened the box, and she gasped sharply.
The jewels, in silver and gold, were absolutely breathtaking. There were two thin bracelets, a few beautifully elaborated ornaments that were obviously meant for her hair and an incredibly elegant golden necklace, which had small dark sapphires and even smaller rubies nestled through it.
Very carefully, since she knew those were very expensive jewels and she could not refuse to wear them – curse the contract – she slowly tried them on.
It was no surprise when she looked at herself in the mirror in seeing that everything was perfectly matched together. Even though she would never admit it to him, she actually liked her overall appearance. She looked the bride part perfectly.
There was a soft knock before Archer entered the room again. She realized he had knocked earlier as well, but she had not heard him, too lost in her thoughts as she had been.
He was holding another white dress and a pair of shoes, and handed them to her wordlessly, leaving her again to let her change. She kept on the jewels, and slipped on the reception dress.
It was the same creamy white of the wedding gown, but the small decorations were cerulean instead of navy. The skirt was a bit wider – while still remaining rather skin-tight, it allowed her more freedom in her movements – but it was a much shorter dress, stopping above her knees in elegant lacy waves.
The shoes were white high-heels, and she almost groaned out loud. Who could even walk on those deathly traps that people insisted upon calling shoes? But she did not have much of a choice, therefore she might as well try them on.
Once again, she found herself taken aback, because they were not only comfortable, but also very graceful and still allowed her to walk in them quite easily as if she was wearing flats.
The ensemble with the dress and the jewels looked… enchanting.
Arturia had to acknowledge that Gilgamesh truly had good taste. She wondered how he had learned so much about female clothes in the first place.
She had just put the jewels back in the box when there was another knock. Archer respectfully complimented her overall appearance, and she thanked him for his gallantry, before asking him to please inform her fiancée that both dresses were perfectly fine and that they were going to buy them. He simply nodded and left her alone to change once again.
Back into her normal clothes, she went out holding both the box with the jewels in it and the reception dress, where she found Gilgamesh impatiently waiting for her.
As she took a look around, noticing Archer who was putting the wedding dress in an elaborate box so that it wouldn't get creased, she could not help asking, "What about your wedding clothes?"
The blond man waved her words off.
"Already taken care of."
She lifted an eyebrow but did not probe further. Archer gave them both a polite bow as they exited the shop.
Finally. They were done for the day and she still could not believe at how fast things had gone, and without her having to do much aside from making sure the clothes fit.
As the limousine was nearing the hospital – his driver had brought his car back to the mansion already – where they would each go on their respective, separate ways, she felt compelled to ask him, "Gilgamesh, how come you have such good taste in clothes?"
He seemed mildly amused.
"So you believe I have good taste only when it comes to clothes?"
She rubbed her temples briefly. He was impossible.
"Never mind. Please forget I asked."
It was not as if she needed the answer, after all; there was no point in getting herself a migraine just to find out.
He chuckled lightly, before suddenly turning uncharacteristically serious.
"Clothes and fashion are part of my business field. Knowing how to handle them is a requirement." Voice lowering slightly, he added, not meeting her eyes, "And my mother was a very capable fashion expert."
Arturia was a little surprised. While she had made it very clear that her family was all that mattered to her, he had never brought up his own. The way he had mentioned his mother made her actually feel an unexpected, small stab of guilt; she hoped she had not raised a painful subject, but she couldn't determine anything by staring at him, because his face was unreadable, and he obviously did not wish to continue on the topic.
She had to remember that she knew very little, if anything at all, about her future husband's personal life, and she had no right to probe into it.
Suddenly, she was struck with a thought that pushed his past out of her mind.
"Gilgamesh, a question about the wedding reception. There are going to be your business partners, both allies and competitors, correct?"
He nodded, even though he seemed sardonic at the use of the word 'competitors'.
All of a sudden, she seemed to appear somewhat insecure. "And I suppose they are going to address us both?"
He started to see what was worrying her.
"The fact that you are not perfectly knowledgeable about my company doesn't matter, Arturia."
"It does," she defiantly shot back. "It would reflect very poorly on you, if your wife turns out to be a fish out of water in the midst of all those people."
He seemed actually intrigued by her words, and on this occasion, she managed to guess his thoughts.
"I made a contract with you, Gilgamesh," she reminded him – and herself – for the umpteenth time. "Whether I like it or not, I made a commitment and I will stay true to my word. You demanded to have a wife who would not disgrace your public image in exchange for all the money you are providing for my sister. If I don't know more about your business deals, or at least enough to hold a reasonable conversation with people deeply immersed in them, then I can't be fulfilling my end of the bargain, now can I?"
And she looked at him challengingly. He could not hide his brief expression of amazement, before smirking and then chuckling, with a hint of warmth.
"You do have a point, dear wife-to-be," he said, a teasing note present but not as prominent as she would have expected. "Very well. I will see to it that you spend time with Enkidu to become informed about my company during the following weeks."
Almost smiling, she nodded. She was going to make sure she respected the terms of the agreement; she had promised to be Gilgamesh's wife for display, and she was going to do it to the best of her abilities, because it was thanks to the agreement that her sister was receiving treatment in the first place. Therefore, she wasn't going to do anything halfway.
Who would have guessed that this was actually the first time they agreed with one another easily, and by almost smiling at each other.
Almost.
She could try to keep things as friendly as possible with the man she was going to marry, couldn't she?
After all, the day's shopping excursion had required very little effort on her part: she had had very low expectations and had certainly been less focused and much less cooperative than she would have usually been.
To be perfectly frank, she had been rather cranky, irritable and quite rude up until this moment, even if she had gotten better as the trip went on. He, instead, had been fully in control of everything that was happening, at all times; he was also the one who was going to have to leave with another flight a mere six hours later, to come back only in a fortnight.
She had truly been uncivil on this day, and what was worse, she had behaved in such a way towards him undeservedly.
She could do very little to make it up to him, but at the very least, she could be civil now. As soon as they reached the hospital, she therefore commanded herself to give him a polite nod, noticing that it actually didn't cost her too much of an effort to do.
"Have a safe trip, Gilgamesh. See you in two weeks."
She walked out of the car and disappeared inside the hospital, not noticing the surprise that appeared on his face in reaction to her words.
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A/N: about the dresses… Arturia's wedding dress is very similar to the one Teresa Lisbon wears in the TV series The Mentalist, just a little more elaborate. The reception dress is instead based on the dark blue one Kate Middleton was wearing when her engagement to Prince William was announced (in white, of course).
Thank you so much for reading! :D
