On a certain peaceful day, a young girl could be seen running down the hallway of the Grancypher leading to the airship's chambers, heading towards a certain room, a horrified look on her face.

And once she got to her destination, she shouted as soon as she opened the door.

"Brother, I need your help!"

Said brother was lying on his bed, cladded in nothing but shorts, reading a book on alchemy.

"Artoria, you should knock before you open someone's bedroom door." Anyway, sit down and… wipe that nosebleed first." Kay said as he stood up from his bed, giving the girl some tissues from the night table.

"Did you percute something while you were running?" He asked as he took some light clothes from the closet which he put on, his back turned to Artoria who plugged her nostrils with the tissues, all while blushing at the scene happening before her eyes.

"Ah, no. I didn't..." She muttered, not letting her eyes stray away from what the sight displayed in front of her, before she remembered her objective.

"Oh yes, brother, hear me out! It seems like Merlin messed up with my body!"

Then, Artoria saw Kay stop moving for a moment before he sat on his bed, wearing a frown on his face.

"...How about you start explaining to me since the very beginning?" He asked Artoria who quickly nodded before she hastened to retell her brother the discussion she had with the witch.

"Hi, Artoria. Can I take a few minutes of your time? There is something I want to ask you."

Artoria, who was practicing her swordsmanship alone in the deck, blinked when she saw Magisa approach her, a curious expression on her face.

"Yes, what is it?"

"You see, I was a bit interested in the magic spell that was casted on your body. It doesn't resemble any kind of magic I've seen until now. What does it do?"

To say Artoria was surprised by Magisa's words was an understatement as she didn't feel anything out of the ordinary with her body, so she just frowned at the witch.

"A magic spell? What do you mean by that?"

"You're not aware? That's weird, I was certain you would know about it since the spell on your body felt a bit similar to the ones your friend, Merlin, uses."

"Merlin?"

As she uttered her mentor's name, Artoria felt a shiver go down her spine. If there was something she had learned from the years living with her, it's that nothing good happens when this person gets involved. And so, she did the first thing that crossed her mind.

"Merlin!!!"

"So you went after her for an explanation?"

"Yes, but..."

"Sorry, but I'm busy cooking up my next prank! Go ask your brother!"

"That's what she said before she ran away. I meant to track her down, ut she turned out to be stealthier than I thought." Artoria said as she saw Kay let out a groan, placing his hand over his eyes.

"That woman... One day, I will..."

"So, Brother. Do you know anything about what Merlin did to me?"

"...Yes, I do. I think it was a few days before we came here, I did saw her cast a spell on your body. Ah, don't worry, it's nothing as bad as you think. I believe it was something that stops your growth."

Artoria widened her eyes in shock when she heard the words leaving Kay's mouth, leaving her agape.

'Stop my growth? So, I won't grow anymore? But why would she do that?'

As countless questions began to surface in her mind, she felt her forehead being poked on, snapping her out of her thoughts as she looked at her brother who looked at her with a small smile, his fingers being a few centimeters away from her eyes.

"Your thoughts are written all over your face, you know? Well, I won't say I understand how you feel right now or tell you what Merlin was thinking when she did this, but I think I know why she did this." Kay said as he softly rubbed her head, carefully trying to not mess with her hair.

"Really?"

"Yeah, well, I suppose it's also a good time for me to tell you some... secrets we've been keeping from you. I believe you're old enough now to know about them." Kay said as he scratched his head, seemingly resigned, before he looked straight at Artoria who gave him all of her attention, not saying anything.

"For starters, you know how you were raised as a boy, right? Well, I think you already have an inkling why since you had to study the affairs of state under Ector, but the reason is that the old man and Merlin want to make you the future king of Britain, the one who will succeed Uther Pendragon and rule over the country."

Hearing his words, Artoria gave out a little nod, a little surprised about them. Although she knew there must have been some reason why her upbringing was different from that of other children her age, she never thought it would be because her father and mentor had planned to make her a king.

"But I don't understand, why stop my growth? "

"The thing is... we feared that if we let you mature more than you already have, it would be impossible to hide your true gender. It doesn't help that I've seen what your future appearance would be like, so I know it would be nearly impossible."

Artoria was surprised to hear that from her brother, but she knew Kay had learned Astromancy from Merlin alongside her, although she quickly abandoned since Magecrafts was too difficult for her to learn, allowing him to read the future by watching the stars. However, she never thought that it would allow him to see into the future, having visions of it.

"You've seen it? What would I look like in the future?" She couldn't help asking her brother curiously, wishing to know her future appearance.

"Simply said, you would have grown up to be a gorgeous woman, one beautiful enough to make heads turn to you in an instant. If you want a visualization... you would be as tall as Magisa and perhaps as voluptuous as her, but unlike her, your body would also be pretty fit, which is a given given our training schedule."

"Like Magisa..."

Muttering the witch's name, Artoria tried to imagine her future looks, while wearing a coy but satisfied smile on her face. In her mind, she often thought of the witch to be an attractive and elegant woman, so knowing that she would end up growing up to become as beautiful as her, it made her happy. But what made her feel the most joy, much to her own ignorance, was Kay describing her future appearance as gorgeous.

"I see... But I always wanted to ask, was it really necessary to hide my gender? If Ector and Merlin wanted to make me Britain's ruler, wouldn't it be more natural to raise me to become a queen regnant like Boudica was centuries ago?"

"I see that you learned your history, that's good, but it seems you forgot that Boudica's revolt against the Roman Empire failed and since then many people stopped having faith in women as rulers. Well, I may say many but I don't really know how many of them actually think that way. However, it doesn't change the fact that women's place in our society isn't seen favorably, that's for sure. That's why it was decided that it was better that you would be raised as a man and later, become a king and not a queen regnant."

"Is that so…"

Artoria was a little dismayed by Kay's words as she hoped to be able to live freely as herself, just as she currently does on the Grancypher where she didn't have to mind over her gender or check on her behavior.

Although she understood what Kay told her about women being looked down on, it didn't change the fact that she was saddened. But it wasn't the only thing that lingered in her mind, worrying her.

"But now that Merlin's spell has been cast on my body, does that mean I'll always look like this? Forever?"

"Yes, but not forever." Kay said, his last sentence making Artoria let out a sigh of relief before she quickly gave him her full attention once again.

"I have... devised a spell that would undo Merlin's and let you grow naturally as if nothing happened. Also, if you decide to let Merlin's spell affect your body for several years, it's not a problem because my spell would allow your body to instantly mature and grow to the state you would have looked, if it weren't for your stunted growth."

"That's great! So, I won't have to worry about Merlin's stupid spell."

"Yeah, but before I teach you how to use that spell, I want to warn you first. If you decide to undo Merlin's Magecraft, just know that my spell will also accelerate your growth to some extent, meaning that you probably won't be able to hide your gender by the time we go back to Tintagel and will have to live as a woman once we're back home. Honestly, I'm not sure what the old man and Merlin would think about this, given they raised you with the mindset of making you Britain's future king..." Kay said, muttering the last part, which made Artoria think about his words.

If she had the liberty to choose, she would have opted to learn her brother's spell and use it immediately, allowing her to grow normally. But she wondered if it was really right of her to be selfish, disregarding her father's hope in her and the future that was planned for her, and the thought alone was enough for Artoria to feel bad.

"I..." She started to say before she felt Kay's hand land on her head once again, making her blink in surprise before she looked up and saw her brother giving her a reassuring smile.

"It's fine, you don't have to think that hard about it. Like I told you before, my spell would work any time so you can take your time with this case. Anyway, the choice is all yours and no matter what you do, I'll respect your decision. If needed, I'll talk to the old man about this and if he isn't happy, then too bad for him because I'll make him respect your free will one way or another."

"If possible, I'd rather you settle this peacefully…" Artoria muttered when she saw Kay's smirk, one that looked like Merlin's usual smile when she would plan her next prank.

"Don't worry, I don't plan to hurt him... Anyway, Artoria, I'll just tell you this... It's okay for you to be selfish sometimes, so don't think of sacrificing your happiness for other people's happiness. Also, I have to apologize for hiding all of this from you until now, Artoria. I'm truly sorry." Kay suddenly said as he bowed his head at Artoria who quickly shook her head, flustered by his sudden action.

"No, you don't have to apologize for anything, brother. Even though you didn't need to, you still told me about those secrets I believe neither Ector or Merlin would have done, so I believe you've done nothing wrong. So please raise your head."

"You're too kind..." Kay said as he did what she asked, raising his head to look at his foster sister, before he blinked when she took his hand and brought him to his bed, making him sit on it. Then, he was a bit surprised when she suddenly sat on his laps and hugged him tightly, her head pressing against his nape.

.

"Artoria?"

"You said it was fine for me to be a little selfish... so can we stay like this for a while?" Kay heard Artoria say, unable to see her expression on her face, but he agreed to her request and hugged her back.

"To be honest, brother, I don't know what I should do. You told me that it's okay for me to be selfish, but as much as I want to take off Merlin's spell, I'm not sure if doing so is really the right choice. What would you do if you were in my place?"

"Me? I..." Kay muttered before he went silent, slowly pondering about his answer for a moment. "If I were in your shoes, I would choose the option I'd regret the least."

"Which is?"

"I would use the spell right away."

"Why?"

"Because I won't be strong enough to protect those who are dear to me with a prepubescent body, a mature body is better to do so."

"Even if it means betraying Ector and Merlin's hope?"

"Even so."

"Even if you are met with scorn or looked down by others?"

"Sorry, but I never cared about the opinion of others."

"Even if it isn't be the right thing to do?"

"The right thing, huh... Deciding what is right and wrong is not easy, in fact, the notion of right and wrong is different for each person. One would see something as right while another would see something as wrong. It is purely subjective, so instead of referring to someone's judgment, I'd rather go with my own notion and live by my own rules than somebody else's. I won't tell you to imitate me, I'm a bad example to follow."

And then, a silence perpetuated in the room as Artoria said nothing, but only tightened her hug as she was lost in her thoughts, having registered Kay's words in her mind. It lasted for several minutes until she broke it, seemingly having made her decision.

"Brother, I think I'll wait for now. I still don't know what's the right choice to make, but I believe with some time, I will be able to choose one I won't regret."

"I see... Then take your time, this isn't a decision you should make with haste." Kay said as he patted Artoria's back who nodded before he blinked when he heard a knock on his door.

"Kay, are you here?"

"Lyria? What is it?"

"We wanted to let you know that we will soon be arriving on an island. Do you want to accompany us to the market to replenish our food stock?"

"Sure, wait for me at the deck. I'm not presentable right now."

"Okay, we'll be waiting for you!"

And when he heard footsteps moving away, he turned to Artoria and tapped on her back.

"Hey, how about we go to town together? I'm sure a little trip would be great for you right now?" He asked, getting a simple hum from Artoria in response.

Followed Kay in the local market, she couldn't help herself but to sulk as several crew members came with them, interrupting their little private walk.

"Big brother Kay, can we buy some milk?"

"Sure, we were nearly out of stock anyway."

As she looked at Yaia, Artoria glanced at her own chest in displeasure.

'Perhaps bigger is better?'

"Hey, Kay! Can you buy some mikan oranges for me?"

"I don't mind, I still owe you both the book you lent me and for persuading Casgliostro to teach me alchemy."

As she looked at Clarisse, despite being around the same height as she currently was, Artoria felt a bit envious at her enthusiast.

'I wonder if I could be as feminine as her.'

"Oh my, Kay. Are you perhaps taking a stroll too?"

"Europa... and Lady Gabriel, what a coincidence to meet you two here."

"It must be fate that brought us together. How about we join you all?"

And as she looked at the two Primal Beasts, both being beautiful and mature women capable of turning men's gaze their ways, approaching her brother with smiles on their faces, Artoria did the first thing that crossed her mind.

"Brother, please teach me the spell right now."

"Eh?"