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There were stares and there were whispers, but as a whole, Arturia thought that the first day of work in Japan went surprisingly well.

That did not mean that it wasn't tiring. Monday was the only day of the week in which she decided to have both morning and afternoon, and between the two, she had had a very silent lunch with Gilgamesh. While he had been staring at her and she had done the same, they were both too lost in thought to actually make the effort of starting a conversation. It had therefore not been an uncomfortable silence, since they were concentrated on their respective considerations.

The evening was another matter though, because it seemed like he simply would not shut up.

Miss Tohsaka was required to cook dinner and then she could leave, therefore they were alone, and Gilgamesh was being beyond irritating. It was very likely that he was trying to force a reaction out of her since she was too tired to remark on his comments, but he was making her have a headache.

She was tired after work and having gone to briefly see Shirou; therefore, couldn't he just be quiet for a bit?

After that long day, meeting unknown people at work and spending time at the hospital with her nephew, she did not have the patience for him too. Exasperated by his continuous repeating of how important it was to be the absolute best and always be at the top, she finally snapped.

"If it's so important for you, Gilgamesh," she told him, almost taunting him, "I wonder why you didn't do politics instead of business. In such a way, you could have had an ever better use of the 'charisma' you talk so proudly of."

If she had hoped to shut him up or at least make him falter, she had failed. He smirked widely at her.

"Unfortunately, politics have the huge disadvantage of being limited to one country only. But, I intend my influence to be on top everywhere, not just in one nation."

Plainer than this it could not be: she was married to the most narcissistic and self-centred person she had ever had the misfortune of meeting in her entire life.

This certainly wasn't a very pleasant thought to have right before going to sleep in the room she now shared with that same person.

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

The large mirror in their room was a remarkable article. It was in a good position and was angled so that the light was perfect for whomever wanted to stand in front of it.

As Gilgamesh was giving instructions to the housekeepers for the following day – a Sunday – Arturia looked at her reflection with a critic eye. She had found a new blue dress waiting for her on her bed, and had complied with the unspoken request of wearing it, but she was rather skeptical.

She was going to take a flight to Kyoto with her husband in a short while, to attend their first social event as a married couple – and that agreed with the contract, of course – but that was not what was preoccupying her.

In her opinion, what she was wearing was not quite adequate for the visiting of a museum. It was a beautiful gown, that was doubtless, and she was very fond of both the colour and the cut. However, since she had to act the part of the wife of one of the wealthiest men in the world, she had to admit – even with her limited knowledge about fashion – that it wasn't precisely adequate because it was far too simple and demure.

She did not turn towards Gilgamesh as he entered the room a few minutes later, instead meeting his gaze through the mirror.

"Is this dress… suitable… for the kind of event we are attending?" she said, emphasis on her every word. They did not have much time left before they were supposed to leave.

His eyes swept her form up and down, and then he went to open the safe between their closets. Taking out a very elaborate set of silver jewellery, he indicated for her to wear them.

"With these, it will be."

He was quite pleased with his wife. She had noticed how the dress – while quite lovely, as he had chosen it himself – was not elaborate enough for a social evening. However, those silver jewels were among the most precious and refined ornaments his mother had given him, and he knew they were going to stand out especially by contrasting with the simpler yet still elegant cut of the dress.

As he was putting on his tie – she had mildly surprised him by suggesting a midnight blue one to match her dress – he met her eyes again through the mirror. Since it was a very large one, she was able to fasten her necklace in front of it, while he wore his tie on the other side of the room and still managed to see himself in it.

"Arturia. You are aware of the fact that you need to be very careful this evening."

Her gaze flickered briefly in mild curiosity, since it was not like him to give her a warning of that kind. She picked up her purse and her topcoat as he took his own, and turned off the lights as they walked out of the room.

While the limousine drove them to the airport, he resumed where he had left off.

"We got married less than two weeks ago, and we are now officially appearing in public for the first time after that event. The reporters are desperate for a scoop – of any kind, regardless of its truth. However," he moved his hand slightly, seeing how she was about to speak, "they are not the real problem – the people attending the event are the ones who might be. They are from high-class society, and their objective is to intimidate you."

"Because I am not from the same circle and of course they will consider me a social climber," Arturia easily deduced, nodding in understanding.

His tone became sharper. "Don't underestimate this, Arturia. They will not come at you with veiled threats or slight jabs. They will be whirlwinds of venom, because they think you inexperienced and an easy victim, ready to be destroyed and ruthlessly torn apart. They can't wait for this moment."

He made himself more comfortable on the limousine's pillows. "As long as you keep being yourself though, I know that you'll never let them have the upper hand."

She frowned. The man in front of her was being extremely confusing. Just a few days before, he had told her that he did not consider her grown up enough for his world; yet right now, he was saying that he thought her capable of holding her own in that same world.

Stepping out of the car to go towards the private jet, she brushed the thought aside. As long as the evening passed quickly and without major problems, she could make an effort to overlook Gilgamesh's illogical lapses in coherence.

To her surprise, things went smoother than she had expected. The two of them never left each other's side and in such a fashion met a massive amount of people. All she had to do was nod, bow slightly and smile, and use the most protocolled of sentences when it was expected of her to give replies.

She noticed that people were often taken aback by the fact that she spoke Japanese fluently, but she maintained her politeness even when their comments became borderline rude. Also mindful of the best way of interacting with them, she never went on to first name basis, not even when they were bold enough to explicitly ask her to.

She was aware of the fact that all her actions were under scrutiny; for example, she felt how many eyes followed her when she thanked one of the waiters, for offering her and her husband drinks for the night. But she had listened to Enkidu's (or rather, Gilgamesh's) advice and she intended to follow it: to be herself, even while remaining more detached than usual.

While being a non-stop talker had never been her forte and therefore there was no danger of her embarrassing herself in such a manner, keeping too quiet was not considered acceptable either. And since it would not have been becoming to be friendly with any of the guests in particular and her husband was not a very appealing conversation partner when in public, she opted for something different.

They were in a museum, and the curators and even the superintendent were present; therefore, Arturia kindly enquired about the upcoming expositions of the summer season. She knew she had made a good choice when Gilgamesh's grip on her arm did not change at every polite question she asked them. It was easier than she thought, because Japanese art genuinely attracted her, and that meant that she did not need to fake her interest.

Gilgamesh was both amused and satisfied by the evening. His wife had been perfect in her role, she had truly owned it; and he knew that every single pair of eyes that had been on her during the evening had not been able to find a hair out of place. Not just in her appearance – after all, it was hardly possible for that not to be perfect after he had personally chosen her wardrobe – but in behaviour, too.

Without concentrating the attention on herself, she had made sure that neither of them went unnoticed. It had been a more than adequate start of social life for all the future events to come.

They took the flight to go back to Tokyo and arrived at their house late into the night, or rather, very early in the Sunday morning. Arturia did not say a word to him as she went to take a shower – since it was summer, taking frequent showers was hardly a choice – in the bathroom downstairs, implicitly leaving the use of the bathroom in the bedroom to his discretion.

Their personal bathroom was perhaps more luxurious, but that exact fact made it slightly less appealing to Arturia. She had been used to small living quarters her entire life, and going from that to a mansion with a spacious master bedroom and a large bathroom that had both a shower and tub still took some time adjusting to.

When he finished his own shower, she was already in bed, obviously tired and ready to fall asleep. She had already given up on her decision to always turn her head away from him to sleep, as it was more troublesome than useful, especially when she was feeling too tired to care. She mumbled something that nebulously sounded like 'good night' and soon afterwards her breathing evened.

Gilgamesh almost shook his head, more amused than he had been during the whole week. If those deplorable evenings ended in such a way, he could not say he disliked them that much anymore.

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The one true change that the following week brought was Enkidu's arrival, since he had moved from the US to Japan as well. It was welcome news for Arturia – for Gilgamesh it was always good news, since he was his best friend – because, even though he was mischievous, he was an unaffectedly nice person. Not only was he the one who gave her the instructions on how to fend at high-class events, also being in his company was pleasant, and he always asked how her sister and her nephew were faring.

She hated to admit it, but she knew there had to be reasons for which a man like Gilgamesh valued Enkidu as his friend, and those reasons were ones she actually fully supported and agreed with.

He wasn't the only person to come to work in Japan though – Iskandar was too.

Arturia was not exactly happy about meeting him at her workplace, even though Gilgamesh impatiently assured her that she was not going to see him often anyway, seeing as he worked in another part of the building.

After that quick exchange about the red-bearded man, a tense pause followed.

"You don't seem fond of Iskandar," he then remarked.

Understatement of the century, she thought, but she merely gave a noncommittal shrug.

"Are you fond of him, Gilgamesh?"

He repressed a smirk at her impudence.

"I wouldn't say that. He is irritating, that is for sure, but at least he is less boring than a great deal of other people working in the field of business."

She was silent, and Gilgamesh did not probe further. He knew that whatever it was about Iskandar that she could not accept, she was not going to tell him. Therefore, her following brief words were a bit of a surprise.

"I suppose that at least is true… he's certainly never boring."

Neither added anything to the conversation, and they left it at that. But, at the very least, it didn't end in the usual irritation for either of them.

For the rest, the week was quite normal, things slowly beginning to fall into place. Arturia spent her time between work, her nephew, her unconscious sister and her little free time at home, usually reading something from the insanely large library she had discovered on the ground floor. Gilgamesh had not been lying when he had said that he owned a copious amount of literary works.

She made sure to see the staff regularly and tried to talk more with the cook, Miss Tohsaka, even though her shyness was making things difficult in that sense. The blonde woman did not want to be invasive, she simply wanted the young girl to feel welcome in her household; but she couldn't do that if the girl herself didn't intend to take the first step in opening up. There had to be something weighing on her; she was very kind but reserved and timid at the same time. Arturia just hoped it was something she would eventually be able to help her with.

On Wednesday, Gilgamesh informed her that there was going to be the official museum's summer inauguration in Kyoto that Friday night, and the enthusiastic curators had invited them, for it appeared that they had become quite smitten with her during the past weekend. They were going to dedicate the evening to how Hokusai's art had influenced modern day's mass culture.

On Thursday, however, Gilgamesh rectified that he had a very important meeting the following day, which was going to last late into the night in his office in Tokyo, and therefore would not have the time to fly to Kyoto. Arturia thought, with some slight disappointment, that it meant that the entire trip was cancelled; but he took her aback.

"Only because I am unable to attend, it doesn't mean that you are free from the engagement. All the finest members of society have been invited, it would hardly be appropriate for us both to miss it."

Seeing her conflicted emotions, he added, "Enkidu is going to join you later in the evening."

It was true that, in the contract, they had agreed on the fact that she had to attend social events with or without her husband, unless there were serious complications with her health or her family's. Since Shirou was very much healthy, Iri's conditions were stable and she herself was perfectly fine, she had no excuse to avoid the flight to Kyoto.

It was Gilgamesh who reminded her of all that, a triumphant light in his eyes as he did so.

He did tend to relish his power over people, Arturia considered, and it was then that she realized it. That was why he delighted in it so much: it was like a game for him.

She had never intended to refuse to go to Kyoto, even if she was going to be on her own. She did not need him to mock her by stressing the fact that she had to respect the contract. But he was apparently enjoying himself too much to remember that she had honour and would never go against what she had agreed to do – and that was without bearing in mind the contract itself, of course.

He obviously considered her an object to play with.

She stared straight into his eyes. For some reason, he felt compelled to stare back without saying a word, his mind invaded by strange, foreign thoughts.

He had never truly noticed how magnetically green her eyes were, and how serious a look her normally serious face could have.

"You like playing people like games, Gilgamesh, do you not? Well, I hope you enjoy it for as long as it lasts. For you can continue playing the game only until your luck runs out."

Her husband, without her knowing it, was unable to find an adequate reply, no matter how firmly he told himself to stop feeling like a mindless child. He could not explain even to himself why he felt that every dealing with his wife was not unlike walking on a layer of thin ice, forcing him to always hold his breath in preparation to face the raging abyss hidden underneath.

But as Arturia didn't know this, she didn't add anything else before turning around and leaving, because there was no need to say another word. He had already gotten on her nerves, and she wanted to go to Kyoto in a relatively peaceful state of mind, since she was going to have to face the press and the elite society all on her own.

It was therefore a bit of a surprise when in the early Friday afternoon, right after lunch, Gilgamesh passed by their room as she was deciding on her evening attire, and offered her two short sentences.

"Wear the golden dress. It's very becoming on you."

Without another word, he was gone, his meeting awaiting him.

Arturia wondered, even if just briefly, what had actually been the point of that short exchange. Was it perhaps his way of making an effort to not be too arrogant towards her?

No, it could not be; that was as likely as the evening passing by quietly and without any kind of problem.

Perhaps that was the reason why he had made a non-arrogant comment though; she was going to be alone until Enkidu showed up, in the midst of a group of people she didn't know and who could not wait for her to make a faux pas and embarrass herself.

She sat a little straighter as she took her seat in the private flight directed to Kyoto. The exhibition was going to be about Hokusai and, even if she had not said so in front of Gilgamesh, Arturia was a secret admirer of his prints and was very knowledgeable about his artistic style.

She was received with the expected politeness and dose of fake smiles that seemed to be mandatory in those circles, and was then escorted to the refreshment table by the curators. She expressed her regret over her husband's absence, knowing that he had already sent them a notice to tell them that he would not be able to attend.

As she was taking a tour to admire the exposed art, she surprised her various interlocutors with the composed but genuine enthusiasm with which she spoke, unknowingly giving away an air of serene confidence and well-informed passion, something that made her company very pleasing. She wasn't completely aware of her own prowess, but she did feel that she was doing quite fine.

However, as she was engrossed in listening to a commentary over Hokusai's use of lines in a specific print, she was suddenly pushed back quite roughly as a woman passed near her.

She managed to keep her balance and her eyes found the person who had been so keen on trying to make her stumble – in the most literal possible way.

"Well, well. If this isn't the lovely new child who has slept her way into this world. Arturia Pendragon."

A tall, stunningly beautiful woman with long lilac hair and wearing both a sumptuous dark grey dress and a sneer on her face was standing near her. She was giving her an incredibly arrogant and haughty look; she had been the one to push her, and if her pose was of any indication, she was likely to be very happy if Arturia happened to make a bad impression.

The blonde woman stared at her firmly, her green eyes weighing her carefully. She was easily the most beautiful person she had ever seen, but the most malicious one too, which made Arturia recognize her.

Back when she had memorized the guest list for the wedding, together with the photos and personal information of all the people who had been invited, she had seen this woman as well.

Her name was Medea Kuzuki, and she was less than one year older than her husband Gilgamesh. She was one of the people on the list of 'aspiring business partners who are never to be considered', and Enkidu had added, in a rare display of anger, "She wants a partnership of a different kind, that gold-digger." She had also avoided showing up at the wedding; while she certainly wasn't a true danger to her, Arturia knew that she wasn't harmless either, therefore she had to be careful.

Medea Kuzuki's personal information was still clear in her mind. She was part of the powerful Caster family, and her mother was the former fashion icon Lady Ishtar; she didn't know why, but Enkidu had recommended not to ever mention that name in front of Gilgamesh. When she had been very young, Medea had married the rich businessman Jason Fleece, probably in a marriage arranged by her family. After his premature death, she had gotten married again, to the austere Souichirou Kuzuki, who was several years older than her.

While she had seemed quite unconcerned about the death of her first husband – "That witch probably aided him in his passing," Enkidu had darkly commented – she had not taken well the death of her second husband, as she had allegedly come to care for him, although it had yet again been an arranged union.

From then on, Medea had set her eyes on the most eligible bachelors and, as Enkidu had told her, Gilgamesh had been her primary target for a long while. She had tried hard to flirt and even throw herself at him on multiple occasions, but he had never been remotely interested in wasting even a second of his time on her and, the extremely rare times he had been forced to address her, he had dismissed her as coldly as he could. That was likely the reason for which she had not attended the wedding.

When Arturia had asked the green-haired man why he had never been on her radar, he had smirked in victory.

"Thankfully, I allowed some gossip to circulate, and Medea's happily convinced that I'm gay. You can bet that I won't be correcting her assumptions any time soon."

Even while Arturia had shaken her head with a barely suppressed smile at his antics, Enkidu had however warned her about the woman, explaining that she was persistent and very much incensed over the news of Gilgamesh's marriage.

And there she was: rich, influential, arrogant, haughty, easily the most gorgeous woman to have ever walked on the planet. Everything that Arturia was not.

All the same, she would not let herself be intimidated by her. If Gilgamesh Uruk, the wealthiest, truly most influential and conceited person in the world, had not managed to intimidate her, Medea Caster-Kuzuki wouldn't stand a chance.

Arturia tilted her head to the side in greeting, maintaining eye contact, her tone calm, pleasant and polite.

"Good evening, Mrs. Kuzuki. We haven't been introduced yet, but it's a pleasure. Please do allow me to correct you. My name is no longer Arturia Pendragon; it's Arturia Uruk."

The woman sneered disdainfully, her eyes flashing in fury.

"Oh, so you are getting bold now. Well then, child, let me tell you a few things." She stood taller, catching the attention of several people in the room. "You have entered this sphere through a marriage… or rather, a bed… that you did not deserve. And everyone knows the truth… you, little girl, you, who have managed to sink your claws into Gilgamesh Uruk and made him marry you, are nothing but a slut. And trust me – everyone knows and looks down on you for this."

The person to whom the assault was directed lifted an eyebrow. Quite an impressive string of insults, coming from a woman who considered herself superior to everyone else. There was actually a humorous side to her not-so-subtly calling Arturia a social climber when, according to her history, Medea herself was one.

"It's very nice of you to enlighten me, then. But, begging your pardon, I don't see why you took the trouble of informing me of it."

The tall woman sneered again, if possible with even more contempt, as a quickly increasing number of people was now staring at them.

"I see that your understanding is even lower than your modest looks. Then I will be clearer: you are not welcome in this world."

Arturia's countenance did not change, nor did her tone lose any of its firmness – or politeness.

"Your opinion is noted, but I'm afraid that what you just said oversteps the… sphere of your influence, Mrs. Kuzuki."

She looked the woman directly in the eye, her gaze calm and even. "If you have concerns of this kind, I am surprised that you address me on them, and especially during an evening in which my husband is not present. If your intention is to let Gilgamesh know how wrong he was in his marriage decision, I would suggest speaking to him directly – assuming he has any interest in listening to an acquaintance who is attempting to intrude in and meddle with our personal life."

She inclined her head slightly, her firm dismissal clear, and concluded, "If you'll excuse me now – you interrupted Mr. Nakagawa's very interesting explanation. I believe you actually owe him an apology."

Medea sent her a furious look that patently wished her a very painful death, before storming off.

Diplomatically, Arturia invited the curator to continue with his work, and he readily complied with her request.

The blonde woman did not know that Enkidu had arrived at the inauguration just a few minutes before Medea had launched an assault on her, and she had not seen him listen to every word, grinning from ear to ear.

She only noticed his presence when he approached her with two glasses of wine, gentlemanly handing her one after Mr. Nakagawa had completed his presentation of the artworks.

"Evening, Ria~," he said, attempting an innocent expression.

She raised an eyebrow, not fooled for even a second.

"Enkidu? Is something the matter?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "Did you just arrive… or have you already been here for a while?"

He grinned broadly, putting his own glass of wine at serious risk with the wide gesture he made with his arm.

"You were amazingly perfect, Ria! I wish Gil had been present to witness that~… You have no idea how much he dislikes Medea!"

Her raised eyebrow slowly went back in place, and her frown distended.

"And you don't?"

He waved a hand dismissively.

"You know me too well. But this was her attempt at getting between you and Gil~… and she failed miserably!" He winked at her. "Enjoy the remainder of the evening – our flight departs in less than an hour!"

And, as slick as the wind, he was gone again.

Well then.

She had about half an hour to still talk with other guests and admire Hokusai's work; she was going to avoid the former, and take full advantage of the latter.

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A/N: thank you to HiddenCamellia for patiently listening and offering advice on the dialogues in this chapter, and for allowing me to mention her original character Nakagawa ;)