To say I'm surprised is an understatement.
To think that this timeline was neither the Fate/Stay Night nor the Prototype one, huh... I did consider the possibility of being in a completely different timeline but I was only joking at the time, so it's quite a surprise to me.
In any case, it looks like I will have Artoria as my little sister from now on.
But if I had to say something, it's that I wasn't the most surprised by the news.
"What is the meaning of this, Father?! Why are you giving them Artoria to adopt?!"
"I already told you, it's for this country's sake. And don't call her Artoria, from now on, her name will be Artorius."
Looking at the Pendragons arguing at each other, I couldn't help but to be astonished by the sight of Morgan screaming at her father.
Where did that shy princess go? All I can see right now is a mother fighting for her child. That's a bit surprising... Hm?
Feeling a pair of eyes on me, I glanced in its direction to see Artoria, who was hiding behind Merlin, staring at me.
Hmm… I can feel her eyes boring into me. I can understand that she's curious about me since I was told to become her big brother, but she doesn't have to look at me that intensely. It makes me feel like I'm some kind of exotic animal.
Letting out a small sigh, I then looked at Artoria before showing her a smile and I was hit with a sense of déjà vu when I saw her hide her face behind Merlin's thighs.
Just as shy as her sister, huh. Well, I wouldn't be surprised if, just like Morgan, she could become as... passionate as she is right now.
"Morgan, you should know already that the days before Vortigern and the Saxon Brothers, Colgrin and Baldulf, come to our doors and destroy Londinium are near. This is why I decided to have Ector take Artoria with him so she would escape from this town and live in a relatively safe place from war, but also why I decided to have you marry Lot, whom I decided will be my regent after my death."
"Again something you did without consulting me… And why can't she come with me to Orkney then?"
"Have you forgotten that Orkney is no safe haven with the Picts and the Gaels around, and I'm sure it ain't long before the Saxons join the party as well. This is no place for Artoria to grow. In any case, I won't go back on my decision. If you have something to say, it would be your last goodbye with Artorius, that's all."
Saying that, Uther left the room we were in, leaving a fuming Morgan behind, gritting her teeth.
"What's his problem?!"
Seeing her like that, I started to wonder if it was her Morgan le Fay persona who was in control of the body, given how different she was from her shy self a few minutes ago in the courtyard. But as I was worryingly looking at her, I felt someone nudge me from my right, making me glance to the side to see Ector who looked down on me with a frown.
"I'll go talk to King Uther. I'll leave it to you to do something to calm Lady Morgan down." He whispered to me but before he could leave, I grabbed the old man's arm stopping him from going after Uther.
"Why me? Why don't you do it or ask Merlin instead?"
"I don't feel like she'll listen to an old man like me in her current state."
Because you really think she'll listen to someone younger than her? Are you going senile or something?
"And as for Merlin, do you really think that she'll help?"
Absolutely not. There's no way that she'll resolve a situation like this one.
I glanced at the succubus who was looking at Morgan trying to hold back a laugh, given how her body was trembling.
Yeah, she's hopeless.
"Anyway, I'll leave it to you." Ector said as he quickly shrugged my hand off his arm before he quickly headed to the door.
"Hey, wait... Damn, he ran away."
Letting out a sigh, I looked at Morgan who seemed to be having a hysterical fit, stomping many times on the floor while cursing Uther.
Dang it, it's getting more and more troublesome...
"So, what are you going to do?" I heard Merlin speak as I saw her approach me from the corner of my eyes while I shrugged my shoulders.
"Hell if I know. What do you want me to do? Speak to her? I'm more skilled at pissing people off than calming them down, and I don't want to take any chances."
I guess I'll just let her vent her frustration and calm herself down on her own. This is the best option I can think of…
"Merlin." Hearing a soft voice coming from below, I looked down to see Artoria looking at Merlin with a worried expression on her face.
"Is there something wrong, Artoria?"
"Why is big sister Morgan angry?"
"It's because she's upset at the old meanie who left the room earlier."
"I don't like seeing big sister being angry. Can you help her?"
"I'm sorry, I can't." She said as she shook her head at Artoria who started to have tears in her eyes. But then, I unconsciously took a step back when Merlin slowly turned to me with a wide grin that gave me goosebumps.
"Big brother Kay right here will try something to calm your big sis, so don't worry."
"He will?" Artoria said as she turned to me and I recoiled at the sight of her teary eyes, before I sent a glare at Merlin.
"I'll pound you for this." I whispered, low enough so that Artoria wouldn't hear my words, while the succubus only gave me a smug smile, tapping her cheek lightly with her index finger.
"I dare you to try."
As I frowned at her challenge, I blinked when I felt the hem of my shirt being tugged on, prompting me to look down only to see Artoria looking at me with a worried expression on her face.
"Big brother, will you really help big sister?"
"Guh...!" It...It's not fair to ask me this with that expression...
After scratching my head, I crouched down so I could face her at eye level before I gave her a small smile.
"I...I'll try something, so please, don't look so worried. I'm sure that if your sister were to see your face right now, she'd be unhappy, so smile, okay?"
When I saw her slowly nod at my words, I patted her head before I stood up and looked at Morgan who seemed to have calmed down a bit, seeing that she stopped rampaging around, but the curses leaving her mouth didn't stop at all.
Alright, it's do or die...
"Lady Morgan, all you alright?" I asked Morgan who suddenly faced me with a glare so intense that I barely managed to stop myself from flinching, as she looked like a banshee, and I could tell that Artoria got scared when I heard her yelp in fright... which is a good thing.
"Can't you see I'm everything but alright?!"
Yes, I'm seeing it clearly.
"I ask you to please calm down, my lady, for you are scaring Lady Artoria right now." I said as I gestured to Artoria who was hiding behind my back, shivering out of fear.
While I felt bad to use the little girl like this, I felt that playing on Morgan's feelings towards her sister would be the safest bet to make her calm down. And seeing the shocked look on her face before she looked away from us, I felt I made the right choice.
"Ah… I'm sorry… Please, forgive me for showing you all this... unsightly behavior." She softly said as she hugged her body, as if she was uncomfortable with our gaze upon her, which made me let out a sigh of relief.
It looks like she'll be willing to listen to us. Now all I have to do is ease her gently, to comfort her a bit...
"You don't have to apologize, Lady Morgan." I started to say, getting her attention as she looked at me in confusion.
"There is nothing to be ashamed of your behavior. In fact, I believe that your reaction isn't strange at all. You've just heard something absurd from your father that you and your sister would be separated, with her being left in the hands of complete strangers. I would like to think that anybody would get as angry as you were right now."
"...Really? Do you really think so?"
"Of course. If anything, it warms my heart to see how much you care about your sister. You are a kind person, Lady Morgan, so please do not be ashamed of yourself for getting angry on Artoria's behalf. But, if I had something to say, please do not rampage like that in front of her. You would only make her worry like now." I said as I gestured at Artoria who looked discreetly at Morgan from behind me, her body not shivering anymore.
"Artoria..." Morgan muttered before she slowly approached us and crouched down. "I'm sorry for scaring you. Wo... would you please forgive your big sister?"
Without saying anything, Artoria let go of me as she ran to Morgan then hugged her, her arms wrapped around her neck, which made the princess tear up a bit before she hugged her sister back.
Looking at them, I felt myself relieved before I sent a glare at Merlin who was standing by my side.
"Did you really have to push everything onto me?"
"Well, Ector did leave everything in your hands and I wanted to see how you would get out of this situation. I did expect you to get slapped once or twice so I'm a bit disappointed. But still, most people would scold her for acting like that despite being a princess, you know."
"I could care less of what others think, Merlin. I have my own values and my own way of doing things." I said before I slapped Merlin's ass hard enough for putting me through this mess.
"Did you have to slap me that hard?"
"You wanted to get kicked instead?"
"No, your hand works perfectly, thank you."
"That's what I thought... Oh?" I was surprised when I noticed Artoria running at me from the corner of my eyes and hugging me tightly.
"What is it, Artoria?"
"I wanted to tell you this." She started to say as she looked up at me with a bright smile on her face.
"Thank you very much, big brother Kay."
... It's not good. Just seeing that smile makes me feel like I could get diabetes.
"Don't worry about it. It's a brother's duty to make its little sister smile." I said as I patted Artoria's head which made her smile widely.
Is this paradise? No, Avalon?
"Kay, I don't know if you listened to Uther but you'll have to treat Artoria like she's a boy. And be sure to call her Artorius from now on."
"Don't be a spoilsport now, Merlin, that's not like you. If you don't trust me to keep my mouth shut, then we'll just have to make another geas between us." I told Merlin who just shrugged her shoulders before she started pinching my ass, nearly making me yelp. And as I sent her a glare, she let out her tongue while grinning.
"Your name is Kay, right?"
Hearing my name being suddenly called out by Morgan, I turned to her to see her look down, her hands shivering.
"You are correct, Lady Morgan. What can I do for you?"
"I…" She started to say before stopping, as if she struggled to make the words come out of her mouth. And as I worriedly looked at her, she took a deep breath before she stared straight in my eyes and grabbed onto one of my hands with her own hands which were shaking.
"As much as I don't want this... there is a point to my father's words, I don't believe that Artoria would be able to live in peace if she were to come with me to Orkney... to my future husband's castle... so I can only ask you... please, take care of my sister for me. I implore you."
She really cares about Artoria. Maybe it's only le Fay who harbors animosity towards her... or perhaps, it's just something that will happen in the future, I don't really know. But despite that, I'm happy to see that side of her.
After making Artoria softly let go of me, I then knelt before Morgan and cupped her hands with my own.
"On my honor as a knight, I shall promise you that I'll defend her with my very own life, no matter what."
"Thank you..."
As I saw Morgan starting to tear up, I couldn't help but felt a bit guilty. If it was possible, I would have liked to take her with us, but I don't think Uther would take it kindly. And I don't think I'll be able to destroy a kingdom on my own.
Well, for now, I'll just focus on protecting Artoria. After all, she's a part of my mission, one I need to fulfill in order to leave this world.
And I don't really feel like it, to abandon a child like her to her fate...
This is a huge problem, I know it, but it's one I'm willing to put up with.