"Once again I'd like to thank HelloFresh for sponsoring this video! Click the link in the description and use the code LittleLion14 to get twenty-one free meals and free shipping! I'd also like to thank my patrons whose names are scrolling down the screen right now, as well as give special thanks to thelittlelurker, WaifuWhy, Angry Mango, No_Life_God, and Lincolnisplayinggames37. Finally, I'd like to thank all of you watching at home, it means the world to me. I'll see you all next meal, and don't forget to exercise!" Artoria pressed the button to end her recording before she sat back and rubbed her belly. She had just eaten three HelloFresh meals as part of her sponsorship and they were pretty good, especially the vegetarian chili.
"I love listening to my LittleLion do ad reads." Irisviel spoke from the doorway of Artoria's recording studio. The Youtuber jumped in her chair and stood up.
"Iri, don't listen to me record! It's embarrassing!"
"But you're so cute and peppy when you're doing one of your videos." Irisviel put her hands together and skipped over to Artoria. The homunculus Artoria adored hadn't changed much in the last two decades besides that she had a bob cut now and was no longer being plagued by the Grails' malice. She had the same unyielding elation with life that she had back before she was touched by the mud of the Grail. Seeing her wife constantly radiant made Artoria feel a warmth throughout her entire body. Irisviel suffered for so long, so she earned the happiness she now had.
"I'm not 'peppy.' I'm merely showing my enthusiasm for food." Artoria fiddled with the bottom of her hoodie.
"Whatever you say." Irisviel kissed Artoria's cheek. "You should probably get changed, Illya and Miyu are going to be here soon."
"Right." Since Illya and Miyu were flying in from Japan for a family get together, it only felt appropriate to wear something more than mere casual clothes. Irisviel was wearing a frilly white dress for the occasion.
Artoria jogged out of the studio and into her and Irisviel's bedroom, undressing before putting on the outfit she had laid out in advance. Going with a more feminine option than she normally would, Artoria put on a simple black dress.
Leaving the bedroom, Artoria entered the lounge. Pictures lined the blue walls and sat on small tables. They were mostly snapshots of moments that were precious to Artoria and her family. Many included pictures of Gray, who had become so lively as she aged. It was unfortunate she wasn't here, but she was doing what she loved and that was what mattered most. She had come into her own after years of being imprisoned in Artoria's shadow. The former king couldn't be more proud of Gray. She also missed Add, despite how much of an annoyance he could be. He was just like Kay, so Artoria thought of Add like her brother. Despite Kay's vexatious barbs, he was a good sibling, and so was Add.
The lounge had two couches on opposite sides of a short table, multiple cushioned chairs also adorning the room. Bow windows showed off the verdant yard of the Pendragon household. Decorative vases and various knick-knacks like an old toy train and an octangular music box decorated the space courtesy of Irisviel and her habit of impulse buying. The floor was black and white checker pattern tiling that was currently spotless thanks to Sella having given it a good scrubbing.
Speaking of Sella, she was putting plates of food onto the table, mainly little things for everyone to nosh on as they chat like pretzel sticks, mixed nuts, and freshly baked cookies.
"I don't know what we'd do without you, Sella." Artoria always tried to show Sella her appreciation given she had become the backbone that kept the house in tip top shape and made sure everyone was fed.
"I'm not sure how you got by before I joined the family." Sella straightened out a decorative blanket that was draped on the back of one of the couches.
"It helped that we had a smaller home and both Illya and Gray developed good homemaking skills."
"So you basically let your children take care of the house for you."
"When you say it like that you make it sound like Irisivel and I weren't good parents."
"I'm not saying that, it's just that you perhaps should have noticed something was off when you found your children doing the majority of housework when you and Irisviel are the adults."
"That's a good point. Let's just say we were giving our children chores to help them learn to be responsible."
Sella just sighed in response to that. She was wearing a sweater and a long skirt, which wasn't much different from what she usually wore, but she was always a bit more formal than even Artoria herself. To be fair, Artoria had slowly become a bit less decorous as time had gone on and she became more separated from her life as a monarch. She was no longer King Arthur, just Artoria Pendragon.
Leysritt, who was slumped on one of the couches, arched her body forward and grabbed a handful of cookies before sitting back again. Crumbs got onto her purple blouse as she started eating the sweets.
"You're getting your blouse dirty!" Sella ran over to her fellow homunculus and tried to pry the cookies from her hand, but Leysritt's hand was like adamant. No food that had fallen into Leysritt's grasp could be liberated unless it was heading for her mouth. "Let go!"
In defiance, Leysritt shoved all the cookies she was holding into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out and she struggled to chew them.
"Leysritt!" Sella took two napkins and cleaned off Leysritt's chest. "No more eating until Illya and Miyu get here! Also, sit up straight and use a plate or a napkin!"
'Mmm." Was the response Leysritt gave. She was a freeloader and a glutton, but she could be helpful sometimes and she always managed to make Chloe and Mordred smile when they were down, so Artoria was glad she was around.
"Do you need any help with anything?" Artoria asked Sella.
"No, everything's ready." Sella smiled. "I just need to finish cooking which I can handle myself. Thank you though. I'll be in the kitchen."
Sella left the room and Artoria sat down in a chair just as Mordred and Chloe entered. Mordred was wearing a black three piece suit while Chloe was in a pink dress with beads and feathers all over it and she had a fur boa hanging in her arms.
"You both decided to dress flashy today." Artoria felt underdressed now.
"I just wanted to break in this new suit I got." Mordred posed with one of his hands in his pocket and the other pinching his chin. It was like he was expecting someone to take his picture.
"You look like a butler." Chloe covered her mouth with her hand.
"And you look like a prostitute." Mordred bit back.
"What's wrong with prostitutes?" Chloe put a hand on her chest as if she were actually offended. "Do you look down on sex workers? They're just doing what they have to in order to get by."
"What's wrong with butlers? Do you look down on 'the help?'"
"I never said there was anything wrong with butlers, I just noted that you look like one."
'Well I never said prostitutes were bad either, just that you look like one."
"Your banter's a lot more passive aggressive than usual today." Artoria said. Mordred and Chloe were usually more direct and proud when they argued.
"We're trying something different. Fighting the same way all the time gets boring. Gotta spice it up." Chloe waved her hand through the air, showing off her manicure.
"I see. Just don't go through another phase where you actually physically fight each other." The last time they did they ended up ruining the backyard.
"We won't. It's no fun fighting when you know you're gonna win." Mordred smiled with his teeth bared.
"You're just lucky you've got Magic Resistance." Chloe turned her head away from the smug knight.
Chloe hadn't changed much over the years other than gradually becoming a calmer person. She didn't need to work given the riches of the Eiznbern the Pendragon family had, so she decided to get into fashion design and just focus on her passion for clothing. She hadn't been very successful, but she didn't appear to care. Chloe just wanted an outlet to express herself.
Mordred had become a fine man. He decided to get a job at an orphanage which initially seemed like an odd choice and poor fit, but it turned out that Mordred was surprisingly good with kids when he wanted to be. He wished to take care of children without proper parents and potentially find homes for them so they didn't have to suffer as he had. Artoria couldn't be more proud of him if she tried.
A knock came from the front door.
"I'll get it!" Iri ran down the hall and opened the door.
"Hi."
"Hello."
"Illya, Miyu, it's so good to see you! Come in, come in!"
Artoria stood up just as Iri led both Illya and Miyu into the living room.
Illya was wearing jeans and a white top while Miyu was in a blue and black dress. Illya had met Miyu in Fuyuki shortly after the Fifth Holy Grail War ended and apparently they immediately became close. They kept in contact after Illya left and over time they fell in love and got married, Illya taking Miyu's last name of Sakatsuki and moving to Fuyuki. Miyu worked as a programmer while Illya was the homemaker.
"How have you both been?" Artoria hugged both Illya and Miyu.
"We've been great. Miyu just got a promotion."
"That's good to hear." Greetings and embraces continued to be exchanged before everyone sat down and Sella returned to the kitchen. The Pendragons began inquiring into what Illya and Miyu had been doing lately and the couple inquired back. Recent events, trite annoyances, and little pleasures were shared as the family reminisced. The whole time, Miyu sat right next to Illya with her arms wrapped around her wife. She was very touchy-feely with Illya and Illya alone; she was averse to physical contact with everyone else. Miyu also didn't talk much. She was a passive person at heart.
"The New Years Festival in Fuyuki was amazing this year." Illya said. "The food vendors really gave it their A game. The fried squid threw me for a loop. It was so good."
"I'd love to visit Fuyuki the next time they have a festival like that. It sounds so fun." Iri swooned.
"It's great, there's games, food, dancing. Me and Miyu danced our hearts out."
"I didn't know Miyu liked dancing." Artoria never figured Miyu for the type to enjoy it.
"I don't. It's too abstract of an activity for me." Miyu's voice was flat, but then it gained a little life. "Illya likes it, so I dance with her whenever she wants to."
"Daaaawww." Chloe put her hands on her cheeks. Miyu blushed and looked downward.
"Are you a good dancer?" Mordred leaned his head on his arm.
"No." Miyu whispered.
"She's not the best at coordinating her body when she isn't following a strict routine. I like dancing that's more freeform so, y'know, there are trips and tumbles when we go out dancing, but who cares?" Illya wrapped her arm around her wife. "It's about having fun, not being perfect, though Miyu's pretty perfect anyway."
Miyu leaned her head into Illya who kissed the top of it. Illya and Miyu were perfect for each other. Illya was a lively person, but she could also be brash, so a cool head like Miyu's kept her in check. Meanwhile, Illya helped drag Miyu out of her shell. Artoria was initially suspicious of Miyu, as the former knight would be of any that would attempt to court her daughter, but time revealed the purity and strength of Miyu's character. Artoria was won over, and now Miyu was yet another child to Artoria in many ways. Illya was in good hands.
This Pendragon family was full of wonderful people that Artoria constantly questioned if she deserved to be surrounded by. They were smart, strong, and kind. It was thanks to them that the day to day life Artoria lived was so magnificent. Every time Mordred and Chloe would boast about themselves and everyone would roll their eyes, every time Sella took care of everyone and someone made a joke about Leysritt not doing anything, every time Miyu would say something complicated related to math or science and Illya would pretend to understand, every time Irisviel would smile and laugh, Artoria knew she had been given the greatest blessing that anyone had ever known.
Artoria had endeavored to be the greatest possible king for her countrymen, and she wasn't happy. She had quested for the Holy Grail to undo the tragedy that had befallen her kingdom, and she wasn't happy.
Here and now, where she was amongst people who loved her and whom she loved, she was finally happy. After so many years, Artoria had finally attained what she always needed.
"Lunch is ready!" Sella called from the dining room.
"Thank God, I'm starved." Mordred jumped out of his seat, everyone else following suit.
Artoria stood at the back, her fingers interlocked with Iri's.
"I love you, Iri." Artoria just felt like saying it.
"I love you too, Artoria." Iri squeezed Artoria's hand tight.
Moments like these were all Artoria needed.