Like that, Rem and I made our way through the elongated hallways of the Roswaal Mansion, with the blue-haired maid immediately turning to me, "Sir Arthur, please allow me to apologize on behalf of my sister. Though Ram has a bit of a prickly personality, I promise she's a great person once you get to know her."
"Don't worry, Miss Rem, I quite like that prickly personality of hers, it's honestly quite charming." I scratched my cheek sheepishly as I spoke, wondering if my words sounded silly.
"Really?" Rem blinked in confusion, "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you think so, I was just worried she might have offended you with her words."
"Her unique way of 'complimenting' people is a breath of fresh air compared to the constant flattery that I'm used to, and that I myself am guilty of. And besides, compared to my own sister, Ram is like an angel."
"You have a sister, Sir Arthur?" Rem was visibly surprised. Perhaps to her, it was interesting that we had something in common to bond over.
"I have two," I nodded my head in response, "Morgan is the one I'm referring to, whilst the other is Vivian."
"If you don't mind me asking, what are your sisters like?" Rem asked, the curiosity apparent on her face.
"They're complete opposites of one another." I let out a heavy sigh, "Vivian is a very kind-hearted and helpful individual, whilst Morgan… well, I won't go into too much detail, but let's just say her personality leaves a lot to be desired." I was definitely understating just how awful Morgan was, but to be honest, without being rude to Rem, I didn't want to air out our Pendragon family's dirty laundry to someone who I had only just met.
"Two sisters, one great, the other not so great… I also know a pair of sisters just like yours." Rem's words oozed with self-deprecation, but before I could comment, she shook her head and looked towards me, "Though, I must say, that honestly surprises me, Sir Arthur. Considering Morgan is your sister, I imagined a blonde-haired, emerald-eyed knight, noble and chivalrous like yourself." Rem placed her finger to her lips as she let her imagination run wild.
"There is someone like that, but it most definitely isn't Morgan." I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as I imagined Morgan cosplaying as Artoria before deciding to change the subject, "By the way, Miss Rem, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"I would be happy to help, Sir Arthur." She responded back enthusiastically, her diamond blue eyes shining brightly, "What would you like to know?"
"Do you know who designed the interior of this mansion?" I asked her as I appraised the interior décor. Considering the personality of Roswaal, the Mansion's interior was surprisingly warm, the floors fitted with vibrant red, gold and green carpets, the ambient cream walls lined with opulent decorations that, despite being incredibly luxurious, were equally tasteful. With such decorations, it was easy for the interior to seem tacky or gaudy, but that wasn't the case here.
Naturally, I had seen the mansion many times whilst watching the anime, but the atmosphere here when using all five senses was completely different, and considering the mansion belonged to Roswaal of all people, it was very homely.
"That would be myself, Sir Arthur." She responded back worriedly, "After arriving at the mansion, I found that the interior décor was somewhat cold and outdated, so I took it upon myself to redesign the place. Is there an issue with it?"
"Quite the opposite. You managed to make such a cold and spacious mansion feel quite warm and lovely. Compared to the stone castles I'm used to; this mansion is very welcoming."
Rem's face lit up as she heard my compliments, "Thank you for your kind words, Sir Arthur. To be honest, I'm surprised someone like yourself is interested in things like interior design. I thought knights were all about swords and fighting." She giggled.
"Despite being a knight, I don't enjoy fighting, especially destructive battles that ruin the natural landscape, though unfortunately, I'm quite talented at that kind of battle." I let out a self-deprecating sigh as I recalled my Mana Burst that illuminated the entire Royal Capital.
"I think that's a wonderful thing, Sir Arthur. You remind me of the late Lady Theresia spoken about in the ballads."
"If I could one day become a knight like Lady Theresia, then I could rest happily at the end of my journey." I spoke genuinely. I really liked Theresia. It just sucked that I arrived so late that I couldn't really do anything about her unfortunate and premature passing.
"I think you have a habit of underestimating yourself, Sir Arthur. From where I'm standing, you already seem a splendid knight." Rem complimented, and judging by her clear eyes, she was being completely sincere.
"That must just be the charisma doing the heavy lifting." I muttered in response, causing her to reach out her hand and flick my sleeve.
"That's exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about, Sir Arthur, you're the knight of Lady Emilia, puff out your chest and be proud!" Rem pumped her fist out encouragingly, and I found myself unconsciously straightening my back.
"You're too kind, Miss Rem." My lips curled up on their own as I thanked her sincerely.
"You're most welcome, Sir Arthur." She giggled into her hand, concluding that trail of conversation before changing the subject, "Speaking of which, is your family home a castle then?"
"Not my family home." I shook my head, "My family were simple folk who lived in a small stone cottage atop a cliffside. It was only after becoming a knight that I started to spend most my time amidst cold stone castles. Despite their luxury, compared to the warmth of home, those castles were frigid and lonely." Brief, vague images flashed through my mind of a warm and homely stone cottage contrasting with a cold and desolate round table. I knew these images didn't belong to me, yet they felt like mine all the same.
"It seems we really do share a lot in common, Sir Arthur." Rem brushed her bangs with her fair hand, "I used to live in a warm little family home, but now I reside here. Though you say this mansion is warm, Sir Arthur, it can be very cold at times, especially when sister isn't here." Rem's voice was filled with loneliness, making my heart pang with sympathy.
"It must've been tough for you when Miss Ram was in the capital, huh? When selecting attendants with Lady Emilia and Lord Roswaal in the future, I'll try my best to make sure you and Ram stick together." I gave my best reassuring smile.
"You're quite kind and considerate, do you know that, Sir Arthur? Even if you do not appreciate your own qualities as a knight, you should at least learn to appreciate your own kind heart." Rem looked up at me with watery eyes, and to be honest, she was completely right. It wasn't just the external threats I had to worry about like the Witch Cult, I also had to sort out these internal issues that existed between myself and the king. After all, this world was especially unforgiving, and it didn't allow for weakness.
"I'll give it my best in the future, so I'll be counting on your support and encouragement, Miss Rem."
"Please, just call me Rem." Her smile blossomed beautifully, and I started to appreciate why Subaru was so charmed with Rem. She was very pretty when she smiled like this.
Nonetheless, matters like that were irrelevant to me, I was more curious about how things worked around here, "Miss Rem- no, Rem, if you don't mind me asking, how do you and Miss Ram even take care of this entire place? No matter how I look at it, it doesn't seem possible for two people alone to take care of a mansion this huge."
"You'd be surprised how much work we can get done in a day, Sir Arthur. We always start with what sticks out the most and just work from there, and somehow or rather, we manage to keep this place in good shape." She carefully explained, "We did have a third maid who worked alongside us, though unfortunately, she's currently on personal leave."
"Is she alright?" I asked curiously, and Rem's lips curled up as she responded,
"She's fine, thank you, Sir Arthur. We might see her again in the near future if we're lucky."
"I sure do hope so. In a mansion this big, the more the merrier."
"Either way, Sir Arthur, we've reached the fourth floor, this is where Lady Emilia resides." Rem gestured to the spacious floor, and I couldn't help but briefly recall Subaru's desperate dash through the looming interior of the mansion as he was brutally murdered by the blue-haired maid at my side. No matter how much he cried for help, no one came to his rescue, and that was particularly saddening.
"Is something the matter, Sir Arthur?" Rem tilted her head at me, looking rather adorable. It was hard to believe that this cute maid who offered such great support and encouragement was capable of such brutal murder towards the innocent, but at the same time, it was hard to believe that I could brutally maim Elsa either. People can go to extreme lengths to protect what they love, and it was just a shame that Subaru got caught up in such a tragic misunderstanding.
"No, I was just lost in thought for a moment." I shook my head as I stepped onto the floor, "Which room is Lady Emilia's?"
"Lady Emilia resides right here, Sir Arthur." Rem pushed open a pair of grand double doors, and I followed her inside.
Stepping into Lady Emilia's bedroom, I let out a small hum of amazement. Though I had already seen it in the anime, I was still impressed by the luxury of the place. It was absolutely beautiful, with large windows that allowed for maximum natural lighting, smooth marble flooring, exquisite wooden furniture, and an incredibly large, silky bed.
Not wishing to waste any more time, I walked over towards the bed and placed Lady Emilia down carefully, gently tucking her beneath her blankets, a warm smile appearing on my face as I did so.
Seeing that she was sleeping soundly, I quietly made my way back out towards the corridor, and once Rem had left as well, I shut the doors behind us.
"Now then, Sir Arthur." Miss Rem turned to me, "I think it's about time we discuss where you'll be sleeping. Usually, very important guests reside in the east wing, but I assume you'll want to be nearby to Lady Emilia?"
"You assume correctly." I nodded my head, "Though it might be improper, if there's an attack on the mansion, I want to be able to reach her in the quickest time possible." I couldn't even imagine having to bulldoze through ceilings and walls if an assassin attacked the mansion in the night, not only would I be severely impeded, but the mansion would take serious damage. In short, I had to be nearby. Nothing was more important to me than the safety of my liege.
"You don't need to explain yourself, Sir Arthur. Considering the attack that took place during your time at the Capital, I cannot blame you for thinking that way. With that being said, if such an attack does occur, I hope you'll rely on me in the future." Ram showed off her biceps, "Though I may not look it, I'm actually quite the warrior myself."
Her words were very light-hearted, but as I looked at her, all I could see was her mangled body being hoisted in the air by Betelgeuse, and I just about managed to force a smile onto my face, "Let's hope it never comes to that, okay?"
"I sure do hope so, Sir Arthur." Rem smiled softly as she pushed open the door to the neighboring room, "This will be your home from now on, Sir Arthur, what do you think, is it to your liking?"
"My home, huh…" I muttered as I stepped into the neighboring room, almost identical to the one Lady Emilia resided in, "It feels a little improper to be enjoying the same luxuries as my liege…"
"Then, would you like me to arrange another room?" Rem tilted her head, and I just laughed lightly.
"Of course not, it's an honor for me to stay in a beautiful room like this. I can already imagine it'll be perfect for lying in bed and reading books."
"Sir Arthur enjoys books? I imagine you'll get on quite well with Lady Beatrice, the resident librarian."
"I hope so. Do you think you could introduce me to her tomorrow during our tour?"
"I would be delighted to, Sir Arthur, though that's only if she wants to meet you." Rem shook her head, completely helpless towards the whims of the owner of the forbidden library.
"Hopefully she will. Since this mansion will be my home for the immediate future, I'd ideally like to meet all the residents."
"Even if Lady Beatrice doesn't greet you during our tour, she'll most definitely be down for breakfast, so I wouldn't worry too much, Sir Arthur." Rem reassured me with her gentle smile before continuing, "Either way, now that you're all settled, I guess I'll take my leave, though honestly, I'm a little regretful. When I first saw you, I expected you to be solemn and silent, but it was really a lot of fun talking with you."
"I also enjoyed our conversations a lot, and don't worry, we both work here, so there'll be plenty of time for us to talk more in the future. Not to mention you still owe me a guided tour tomorrow morning."
"You're right about that." she covered her smile with her hand, "Oh, and in regards to your dinner, do you have any special requests?"
"Are you sure you're okay with making dinner for me?" I asked in response, "Though I look like this, I'm actually quite the chef, and I would be more than happy to make my own food."
"Sir Arthur, please don't joke around. I'm a maid, and this is my duty. If people found out that in Lord Roswaal's mansion, the maid makes the distinguished guest cook the dinner, Lord Roswaal would be the laughingstock of high society." Rem shook her head apologetically.
"I suppose you do have a point there." I scratched my cheek sheepishly at her words, "Though, cooking is a genuine hobby of mine, so I hope you won't outright ban me from the kitchen in the future."
"I'll have to speak about it with Lord Roswaal, but in the meantime, your order for tonight?"
"I'm really not picky, Rem, I'll just take whatever you enjoy cooking the most."
"Steamed potatoes it is then. I'll serve them with a vegetable soup and bread, and it should be perfect for warming you up on a cold night." she nodded to herself, turning around as she walked towards the door, "Your dinner will be with you in around an hour, so please do your best to stay out of trouble until then, Sir Arthur." She winked at me jokingly and took her exit.
Her words caused me to let out a genuine laugh. Get into trouble? What trouble could I possibly get into?
Shaking my head, I laid down on my new silky bed and stared up at the ceiling. It was the first moment of peace and quiet I have had since arriving here. There was nothing major to worry about right now, no assassination attempts, no attacks on the mansion, I could just relax alone with my own thoughts.
And the silence was deafening. The moment I laid there, my mind was bombarded by my own agonizing thoughts. Yeah, when you had as many issues as I did right now, laying in silence wasn't a good idea.
I needed to keep my mind busy, and since Rem wouldn't let me use the kitchen right now, and she certainly wouldn't let me do the washing up, there was only one way to keep myself busy.
Humming aloud, I gathered some pen and paper and started to jot down everything I knew about this world and future events. Naturally, I would destroy it once I was finished, but for now, I just wanted to hash everything out from the beginning of Arc 1 to the beginning of Arc 9.
As for the events in the web novel that took place after I arrived in this world? Well, there was nothing I could do about those.
I always thought those famous steamed potatoes looked plain and boring, but fair enough, they were genuinely delicious, and I felt incredibly warm inside after eating them, especially when paired with the delicious soup. Rem was really no ordinary chef; she made the food in the capital taste bland in comparison.
Either way, after thanking her dearly and allowing her to take my dirty dishes, I started to ponder deeply on my bed. Right now, there was one huge issue that stuck at the forefront of my mind, like a splinter stuck in my thumb, causing it to swell.
That was Lord Roswaal.
Tomorrow, at breakfast, I would be meeting the man officially for the first time, and quite frankly, that was incredibly nerve-wracking.
I had no idea how Roswaal was going to be like around me, as I said, this guy was incredibly, incredibly unpredictable. I didn't know whether he was going to be happy, angry, or depressed. To be honest, it was highly probable that the man might just fight it out with me on the spot. To explain why would be somewhat embarrassing, but I had nothing to lose at this point.
Though this might sound strange to you, Lord Roswaal and I actually had a lot in common.
It wasn't that I liked to dress up as a clown in my free time, but we actually had the same taste in women.
You may remember earlier I stated that I had no allegiance towards the Emilia or Rem camps back when I was a humble viewer back on earth, and that was because my loyalties laid in the Echidna camp. Perhaps it was the tea, perhaps it was the biscuits, but I was a pretty big fan of Echidna, even having some Echidna apparel at home.
Echidna was a very, very bad witch, but I had a notoriously bad taste in women, and in this world, she was my favorite 'character'.
That was a big, big issue.
Of course, anyone who arrived in any fictional world would be happy to get the chance to interact with their favorite character, but that was not the issue. There was nothing inherently wrong with liking and interacting with your favorite character, I would even consider that as normal.
The issue arose when your favorite character was Echidna in particular.
Echidna was bad. She was really, really bad. I didn't know what kind of hijinks she got up to four hundred years ago, but what I did know about was what she got up to in the present.
Lord Roswaal, the overarching antagonist of the first four arcs, the dark hand behind the curtain? Echidna was behind him.
The individual that was revealed at the end of Arc 7, and was the main antagonist of Arc 8? Echidna was also indirectly behind that individual.
Then there was the main antagonist of Arc 9 who was on a kill quest to replace Subaru's existence, and Echidna was definitely behind that individual.
It seemed that Echidna was orchestrating every single event of every single arc, and all of Subaru's suffering could be indirectly linked to Echidna.
At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Echidna was the final boss. No matter how you sliced it, she was an all-round troublemaker.
Upon arriving in this world, I was hoping that King Arthur's infallible knightliness and chivalry would parry aside my bias towards her, or the reality of me existing in the world would change the feelings I held towards the formerly two-dimensional character, but looking in my own heart, it was obvious that I held an illogical bias towards the greedy witch.
In regards to my relationship with Roswaal, the issue was not that I was bias towards Echidna, the issue was that the bias had no real hold on me.
Quite frankly, compared to my Master-Servant bond with Lady Emilia, those feelings towards Echidna were like a fleeting winters dream, as fragile as snow, I could melt them with a single touch.
That was to say that if Echidna even thought about putting Lady Emilia's life in danger, I would have no qualms about drawing the sacred brand from it's sheathe, unleashing my Noble Phantasm, and vanquishing her alongside those youthful feelings.
Considering how much she enjoyed plotting and scheming, there was a very, very high chance she would one day die by my sword, and considering that Lord Roswaal's whole goal and reason for living these past four hundred years was to allow her to incarnate in the mortal world again and achieve immortality, I would say we were at odds with one another. You might even call us archenemies. It was highly likely he was plotting to kill me as we speak.
In such a precarious situation, the best option for me would be to simply slay Lord Roswaal and call it a day.
Lord Roswaal is powerful – incredibly powerful, but I don't think I'd lose. Not for a moment.
Considering my incredible magic resistance, I was the worst possible match-up for him, and if you add in a release of the Noble Phantasm, he'd be toast.
There were five issues with that, however.
Firstly, I would ruin the trust between Lady Emilia and I, because Lady Emilia simply wouldn't be able to understand my motives in randomly murdering her sponsor in cold blood, and our master-servant relationship would be utterly destroyed.
Secondly, Lady Emilia would lose her backing in the Royal Selection and thus, without him, her political campaign would come to an end, destroying her dreams of saving her people.
Thirdly, Lady Emilia would be resented by the General Public, her Knight having slain their trusted, kind Lord, and her chances of obtaining the throne would be even more ruined.
Fourthly, I would make an enemy of the Kingdom of Lugunica and would most likely be hunted down by my best friend, Reinhard.
Fifthly, he could see the future, so I didn't know what kind of counter measures he would have in store for me. By extent, Echidna could see the future even better, so I might get bombarded from all angles without even realizing what was going on.
Thus, although I really wanted to kill the man and erase any threats before they could possibly occur, I really couldn't make a move on him either. I simply had to wait and observe his actions. The only good thing was that since I didn't have Return by Death, I doubted Roswaal would be so wanton in his casual abandonment of timelines, though admittedly, I didn't dare to say I could predict his actions and thoughts.
Thus, this bizarre situation had arose where unbeknownst to everyone else, the two benefactors of Lady Emilia were planning to kill one another.
In short, it was another normal night in the Happy Roswaal Mansion.
Before long, dawn broke, and the radiant sunshine started to pour through my large bedroom windows, marking the start of a new day.
I had spent the entire night scribbling furiously whilst scanning the situation in the mansion to watch for intruders. Though it was a little exhausting, I was happy with the progress that I had made with my own plans for the future. I had established a new goal of visiting Kararagi between Arc 4 and Arc 5 to hopefully gather some more allies to rely on, but that was a topic for breakfast.
I grabbed the pieces of paper I had been writing on all night and unleashed a wave of Magical Energy, destroying them entirely. Though they were written in English, I couldn't be sure someone didn't have some kind of blessing of translation or something.
Once I made sure they were completely destroyed, I prepared myself to go and find Rem, knowing that we still had a tour of the mansion before breakfast. I was hoping she might even let me cook with her. I needed some serious stress relief, and to me, cooking was like therapy.
Thankfully, it didn't take me long to find Rem, as the moment I opened the door, I saw the maid reaching out for the door handle, a surprised look on her face as she took a step back, "G-Good morning, Sir Arthur. I didn't realize you were already awake; I was just on my way to come and wake you up."
"I was so excited about our tour that I woke up early." I smiled back at her, and she lightly tapped my arm with her fist,
"There's no need to tease me, Sir Arthur, flattery won't get you anywhere." She giggled, "How was your sleep? Is your room to your liking?"
"Very much so, thank you for asking." I responded back lightly, "Though it would be nice to stand here and chat, how about we walk and talk? I'm excited to see more of the mansion."
"Patience is a virtue, Sir Arthur, though, with that being said, I don't see why not. Follow me, I'll give you the full tour." She gestured for me to follow, and I beamed back at her,
"Thank you in advance!"
And like that, Rem led me through the mansion, giving me a rundown of the place, "You're currently located on the fourth floor of the central wing, whilst Lord Roswaal resides on the sixth floor. The western wing is inhabited by servants, so that's where Ram and I reside, whilst the eastern wing, as I said yesterday, is for very important guests, like yourself." She explained as she reached out her hand, "This here is the bathroom, I suppose you can use this one if you can't reach your ensuite in time- eh?" The blue-haired maid blinked in surprise as she opened the door, revealing the spiraling, sprawling library, towering bookcases spreading as far as the eye could see, laden with fragrant, ancient books.
Looking at the Forbidden Library that had been accidentally discovered during Rem's guided tour, my eyes immediately lit up. The inner web novel reader in me felt the strong desire to sit down here, spending days or even weeks on end absorbing all the information the library contained. Unfortunately, I wasn't sure whether the resident librarian here would allow for my presence.
And speaking of which, "How annoying, I suppose." A youthful voice aged with wisdom echoed through the library, sounding rather annoyed.
The voice belonged to a young girl, appearing between the ages of eleven and twelve. She was considerably, and understandably short in comparison to Rem and I, with a head of blonde hair styled with rather flamboyant vertical drills, clad in an ornate pink dress. I think her most notable feature would have to be her pink, butterfly-like irises that adorned her blue eyes, or perhaps the small crown that rested atop her head. She was seated on a small chair atop the checkered floor, clasping a book in her hands, looking directly at me with a piercing gaze.
Rem was naturally quite flustered by the whole situation, clearly having not expected to accidentally barge into the forbidden library like this. Startled, she bowed her head in apology, "Please forgive the intrusion, Lady Beatrice, I didn't mean it." Rem looked up towards the Artificial Spirit guiltily, "We'll leave at once."
"You may stay briefly, I suppose." Beatrice responded back as she closed her book, looking up at me with an odd look, "I'm rather curious as to who, or what that silly girl brought back with her, I wonder? How strange, you're clearly a spirit, but you're also a living, breathing, bleeding, human. In my long lifetime, I've never quite seen a peculiar lifeform like you, I suppose." Beatrice ruminated aloud, showing genuine curiosity towards my existence.
It was understandable. After living for some four hundred years, she assumed she had seen everything this world had to offer, and most likely, she had in fact seen everything this world had to offer. But I was not of this world, so I imagine my presence was somewhat of a novelty for her.
"Lady Beatrice, please allow me to introduce you. This is Sir Arthur Pendragon, a knight now in Lady Emilia's service. Whilst in the capital, Lady Emilia was targeted by a group of assassins, and if it wasn't for Sir Arthur, she might not have made it back alive, Sir Puck included." She introduced kindly, leaving me feeling rather flattered. In terms of introductions, she was much better than her sister.
"I see, then it seems I owe you my thanks, I suppose." Beatrice hummed as she turned to me, "You – boy. In return for saving the girl, I'll offer you one favor, but only one, so choose it wisely, I suppose."
Is this where I ask for infinite favors?
Jokes aside, a favor from an Artificial Spirit that had lived for some 400 years, possessing a nigh-infinite amount of knowledge and a mastery over Space-Time Magic, was incredibly valuable, and there was so much I could possibly ask for, but I had already made my decision without even needing to think.
"Then, Lady Beatrice, I already know what I would like to ask." I responded back to her, trying desperately to stop myself from smiling from the happiness I felt, "If possible, in the future, could I borrow a few of your books to read in my spare time?"
"As long as you return them, I don't care either way, I suppose." Beatrice responded calmly, "It would be good to study you more closely, I suppose."
"That sounds a little scary, Lady Beatrice." I laughed warily.
Beatrice just rolled her eyes, seemingly growing tired of our conversation as she spoke, "Now, if you don't mind, I was in the middle of reading, I suppose." She politely gestured for us to leave. Considering it was Lady Beatrice; I was surprised she didn't literally throw us out. Was this a respect between spirits?
I turned my gaze to the book in her hand, the pages completely empty, but I didn't comment. I had a lot I wanted to say to this Artificial Spirit, but considering we had only just met, that seemed inappropriate. There would be lots of time for us to talk over tea in the future as fellow spirits. Next time I had the kitchen to myself, I should prepare an elegant high tea with cakes, sandwiches and biscuits.
"Then, we'll leave you in peace, Lady Beatrice. Sorry to disturb your reading." Rem made a polite bow, and I followed,
"Thank you for your time, Lady Beatrice." And like that, we exited, allowing Beatrice to return to her lonely reading of blank pages.
Rem and I stood in silence for roughly thirty seconds before the blue-haired maid turned to me, "I feel I must apologize on behalf of Lady Beatrice, Sir Arthur. Although she can be prickly at times, once you get to know her, she's a nice person."
"I seem to be having Déjà vu. Lord Roswaal, Miss Ram, Lady Beatrice, there's a lot of prickly characters in this mansion. Are you the only normal person here?"
"I assure you I'm far from normal, Sir Arthur." Rem giggled lightly into her hand, "And besides, if I'm the only normal one, what would that make yourself and Lady Emilia?"
"Well, I suppose you've got me there." I scratched the back of my head, "Either way, I wasn't offended by Lady Beatrice in the slightest. When it comes to dealing with ancient immortals, I'm very experienced, and compared to that Merlin, Lady Beatrice is a very easy person to get along with."
"Merlin is also a family member of yours, Sir Arthur?" Rem asked curiously.
"That's right." I nodded my head, "My adoptive mother." Despite the fact I had never even met Merlin, I just let this body do what it liked at this point. Trying to fight against my own instinctive reactions was too exhausting.
"Morgan, Merlin, you've got a very interesting family tree, Sir Arthur."
"Believe me, Rem, you don't know the half of it." I let out a heavy sigh.
"But I would like to know more, hopefully you can tell me more about your family in the future, Sir Arthur." She brushed her bangs over her ear gently before looking up at me, "But in the meantime, let's continue our tour. The next stop is the kitchen. After thinking it over, I decided to let you join in with the cooking this morning." She spoke kindly, and my eyes immediately lit up.
"Really? Thank you, Rem!"
"Sir Arthur, you're the knight of Lady Emilia, it shouldn't be this easy to make you happy." Rem let out a sigh of her own.
"Cooking is my secret technique to win stubborn people over, so I'm glad to gain access to the kitchen."
"I guess I'll have to be mindful in the future then, Sir Arthur." The two of us laughed together, and on that happy note, we headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the residents of the Happy Roswaal Mansion.
Authors Notes:
Well, that has been chapter 12! We're now over 50k words and approaching 400 followers which is crazy to me! I really hope you're all still enjoying the story =]
This chapter took way way longer than I had expected to edit due to being stuck in rewrite hell. I must've written this chapter at least five times before finally settling on this final version.
This chapter is mainly to introduce Rem and Beatrice, with Rem being the main focus. Hopefully the pace isn't too slow, but considering Rem's importance in the story going forward, I wanted to firmly establish their relationship and interactions before the short time skip that will be coming up soon.
Either way, I really hope you enjoyed the chapter! Sorry for the delay, and as always, thank you so much to everyone who has viewed, followed, favorited or reviewed my story, it really means so much to me! :D
Have a great day everyone, take care!