12 Troublesome Retainers (1)
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After finishing his morning routine, Hadrian dressed himself in one of his usual attires.
He is wearing a simple and modern black leather jacket with a gray thin hoodie beneath, and a white long-sleeve shirt for his upper body. Below, he is wearing a black low-fitting jeans, and black and white sneakers. He also wore several accessories, such as four rings, an earring pierced on his left ear, and the special glasses that a certain female Magus gave him.
Even though it was still early, Hadrian often liked to be ready since he has intention of going outside and walk around the city later on.
When he exited the bathroom/dressing room, Hadrian saw that Arturia was waking up.
The blonde haired girl slowly sat up from the bed, still managing to look quite beautiful and elegant as she so.
Fortunately for him, the sheets covered her upper body from his view, which made him sigh in relief inside. Her shoulders are still bared and clear to see, but at least the sheets covered her front from the neck up.
"Hadrian?" Arturia asked, voice slightly rasped from sleep.
"Yes, it's me." Hadrian said gently, slowly approaching the bed before he stopped at the foot.
"Good morning."
"Good morning to you as well." Arturia smiled at him.
In turn, the sight made the ends of his lips curved into a small smile.
"Would you like to join me downstairs? I'm about to call the others, so that we can all have breakfast made by the hotel."
At the mention of food, Hadrian saw the drowsiness in her emerald eyes fade away within an instant.
"Ah, then I shall prepare myself now!" She said, green eyes bright with newfound energy.
Hadrian smiled, small dimples showing.
"Su¬—"
He didn't even get to finish his words as Arturia quickly rose from the bed and dashed inside the bathroom, not forgetting to close the door behind her.
Then, he heard the sound of water running a few moments later. All of these scenes had occurred in a matter of seconds, which would not be possible if Arturia was a normal human.
Hadrian chuckled, scratching his cheek with his right index finger.
"Well, that's a servant for you." The cyan eyed Master commented.
Fou, who was sitting by the foot of the bed and watched the female Servant dashed into the bathroom, can only nod her head in agreement.
"Kyufou."
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—X—X—X—
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Thirty minutes later, Arturia was dressed and ready for the day.
She is wearing a white blouse with long-sleeves and a pointed collar. Around her neck was a thin blue ribbon, and around her waist was a dark blue corset. She has a pair of white fitting pants with a brown belt, and ankle-length black boots with low heels. She also tied her hair in a low ponytail.
Hanging off her right arm was a dark navy coat of modern design.
Usually, Arturia would not be the type to wear some stylish apparels. She was the kind of person to wear simple clothing instead of modern trends.
But, after she came home with Hadrian and lived with his family for almost a year, his mother had taken her, and later his other female retainers, out on many shopping trips.
According to his mother, Lucia had taught them about modern fashion and, as she puts it, "how girls should take better care of themselves in this day and age".
Hadrian does not have the slightest clue what that meant, considering Arturia and the other girls are more than capable of handling themselves in a fight. However, he has a feeling of what she meant that day was about something else instead of what came to his mind at first.
Nevertheless, Hadrian was happy to know that the girls always enjoyed themselves on their 'girls' only trips'.
Hadrian smiled at her when she entered the dining room and joined him at the head table.
Fou was near to his plate, eating her own portion of bacon, scrambled eggs and pancakes that he cut into small pieces and served for her.
During the time Arturia was changing, Hadrian had taken the liberty to order a large feast of breakfast for the group before they arrived, making sure that there was enough for everybody to eat.
Since he didn't know what everyone likes, Hadrian simply ordered the entire menu and had them all delivered promptly to the penthouse.
Hadrian closed his eyes and sighed, smiling wryly at the thought of spending quite a significant amount of money just for the group's breakfast.
'Now who's being wasteful?' His mind admonished.
'Ah no, it's for a good cause. These guys got big stomachs. Can't let them go hungry, after all…'
This was the line of thought that he tried to convince himself with, of which made his practical side only scoff but relent in the end.
While they are still Heroic Spirits, his retainers were given human bodies to fit in the world more and to better hide their true nature from certain people. It was at his grandfather's insistence that they had to take such precautions, considering as there had been many gazes that were watching the family's movements, especially Hadrian's after he won the war.
The servants can still use their powers and are still in contract with him via the Moon Cell, but no magi can tell that they are Heroic Spirits by sight and magical sense alone anymore.
If anything, they would feel no different than a Magus with first class magic circuits.
It helped that his retainers had taken his grandfather's advice in maintaining the illusion that they are humans by acting as humans do in public and in private, such as sleeping, eating food, and etc.
Arturia, for one, had no objections with the suggestions, especially when it comes to food.
Hadrian had a feeling it was an experience that she must have been deprived off in the past.
He was broken out of his musings when he felt someone nearby, causing him to open his eyes and look to the entrance.
As he expected, three people entered the room and Hadrian smiled at them in greeting.
The first to enter was a young woman with long purple hair that went pass her waist.
She was tall, standing at the height of 5'7, and was absolutely stunning in every sense of the word. She has beautiful lavender eyes with peculiar pale irises that were in the shape of rectangles, which was behind a pair of round spectacles.
She has a pale skin tone and a figure that was perfectly proportioned, one that men would quickly appreciate and many women would be envious of.
She has long toned legs, curvaceous hips and a large bust that can render a man speechless in awe.
Her very appearance was almost a man's ideal. Her long, long lavender hair flowed down and around her in a perfectly straight river that would reached down her ankles, if not for the purple ribbon that kept it in place.
She was wearing a black polo neck top with long sleeves, blue jeans and black casual shoes. Like Arturia, she has a black coat draped on her arm, in the case that she wants to go outside in the city.
This was Rider, one of his servants/retainers. She was also one of the people that he gets along with rather well, due to their mutual love for reading.
Even though Hadrian was already aware of her true identity, she prefers to be called by her Servant class instead of her real name, despite showing gratitude for his understanding of her situation.
The next person that came after her was another young woman.
Like the first, the second woman was extremely beautiful, and also has a perfect figure that men would find nearly ideal. Although, she was a bit smaller in height as she stands only at 5'5.
She has a long purple hair that was a shade darker and shorter in length than Rider's, reaching passed her waist. She has crimson eyes, red like blood, and a snow white skin tone that was a tad lighter in comparison to Rider's and Arturia's, but smooth and unmarred all the same.
She was wearing a dark gray dress that reached her thighs in mid-length underneath a charcoal modern coat with black glossy buttons. She also wore black leggings, and high-heel leather boots that reached her knees.
The entire outfit made her stand out more in terms of modern fashion trends.
(Regardless, all of the three young women are beautiful in their own right in Hadrian's quiet opinion.)
The second young woman's name was Scáthach.
Unlike Arturia and the others in his group, she is not a Heroic Spirit, but she did willingly entered into a contract with him that was similar to one.
A month after the war ended, Hadrian went on a short journey to test the limits of the Moon Cell after it had fused itself with his soul, accompanying him during that time was (of course) Arturia and some of his other retainers.
Eventually, Hadrian had crossed paths with Scáthach.
He helped her dealt with a problem, and she offered her services to him in return as repayment. It was an equal exchange between the two of them.
Although, Hadrian didn't really accepted her offer at first, seeing as Scáthach was not exactly the type to follow orders due to her pride and noble disposition.
In his observation, Scáthach was too carefree and proud.
She was a free-spirit and an independent woman, and does not seem to be the type to serve people.
Based on what he knew about her, it would probably be the other way around in her point of view, which is why Hadrian was confused as for what reason she seems content in following him around, no matter wherever he goes.
Hadrian had a feeling that Scáthach would even follow him in the depths of Hell if he has something to do there.
'I just don't get her…' He mused. 'Well, it's not like I'm complaining. Never really know when I would need her help in the future…'
Therefore, Hadrian had settled with leaving her to make her own decisions, including in letting her to accompany him wherever he goes. She seemed to respect him more because of that, but he gets the slightest feeling that she was frustrated with him for some reason.
They still get along whenever they speak to one another, like good friends who respect each other's privacy, but the feeling was there.
Sometimes, whenever she thought that he was not looking or was distracted, Hadrian would see a strange look on her face that he can't quite understand where it had come from.
For example, she would be smiling pleasantly on the outside, but the subtle hint of frustration was definitely present.
It was only through 'Empathy' that Hadrian caught the emotion subtly emanating from Scáthach recently whenever they talked, which made him confused and unsure in how to act around her, especially when there is only the two of them in the room.
In the end, he figured that it was something to leave alone for now.
'It's not the right time yet…' Hadrian sighed in his mind.
Knowing her personality, it would be in his best interest to let her raise the issue instead of him.
The third to enter the room was a man, who appeared to be in his early twenties.
He was a remarkably handsome man with quirky long hair that was combed backward in a rough fashion with a strand hanging down his face, and a pair of bright amber colored eyes that look droopy and a small beauty mark that can be spotted near the low corner of his right eye.
He has a pale skin that was a bit tanned, and stands at the height of 6 feet. He has features that are capable of sweeping a woman's heart at a single glance, especially with his high bridge nose, valiant eyebrows, his hard cut mouth that marks him with a stoic air, and his set of droopy eyes that made his gaze seem more brilliant.
Said man was dressed in an all-black suit that is similar in design as Charles', but he was wearing a dark teal-colored tie and around his right wrist was a silver bracelet of elegant style.
However, if one were to observe closer and ignore his appearance, the elegant air of his beauty is somewhat unnatural. While his features can be considered handsome, little did others know was that much of it comes from his spiritual power of charming women, due to the curse of his beauty spot.
The man who entered last is one of his male Servants/retainers, and his name is Dia, also known as Diarmuid Ua Duibhne.
However, after having been summoned by Hadrian, the man simply referred to himself as 'Dia'.
At first, Hadrian thought that the dark haired knight would too proud and stubborn to be a proper retainer for him. But, after spending some time around the man, Hadrian found him accommodating and quite noble who only wishes to serve him as a knight to the best of his abilities.
One after another, Hadrian watched them enter the room with a smile.
The statuesque woman with long, lavender hair smiled at him beatifically once she saw him.
"Good morning, Master." Rider greeted, choosing the chair to his left, which was the direct opposite of Arturia's.
Hadrian smiled, small dimples showing.
"Good morning, Rider."
The beatific smile dropped as soon as she turned to Arturia, who was patiently waiting for the rest to come and join them in their fast.
"Good morning, Saber." Rider greeted her in a cold and prim tone, her voice nearly hissing and quiet.
If not for Hadrian's sensitive hearing and his seating position, he would have trouble hearing her properly.
In turn, Arturia returned the frosty greeting in kind.
"Good morning, Rider." Arturia respond in a cold and prim tone, her façade stoic.
Hadrian watched the two exchange their frosty greetings and sigh quietly to himself.
While their relationship was alright and stable enough for the two of them to work together without his supervision, the two would sometimes… clash for a reason that he was unaware of.
Hadrian had no idea when it had started, but if he were to guess, it would probably after a month when Hadrian came to know Rider's true identity and accepted her regardless of her past.
From their first meeting, Rider had been quite distant and almost robotic in her actions, but she was quite loyal and would never hesitate to shield him from harm.
In fact, she would even stand between him and the enemy in one smooth motion before giving the offender a fearsome glare that can make a grown man whimper in fear.
After his reassurance of her secret, Rider became more open and talkative around him from then on.
It made Hadrian feel glad to see her being more open and sociable around him, but sometimes, she would differently around others, especially around Arturia.
'Like in this situation, for one…' He thought as he saw the two stare each other down.
Obviously, the two seemed to be having a silent conservation with their eyes, and Hadrian was not invited nor privy to their 'talk'.
Therefore, he ignored the two women and turned his attention to the other remaining people in the room.
"Good morning, you two." Hadrian greeted them.
Dia, as per his custom, straighten his posture and bowed to him at the waist with one hand over his heart.
"A good morrow to you, my liege." The dark haired retainer smiled.
Then, he took a seat next Rider, while Scáthach turned to him with a small smile and a nod before she sat next to Arturia.
"Ah, good morning to you too, Master."
As they have all been around Hadrian for a while now, the four retainers did not touch any of the food and merely waited patiently for the others to arrive.
Although, while Hadrian was not aware of this fact, the retainers felt it would disrespectful to their liege if they were to start eating without him doing it first.
Some of them suspected that it might have something to do with Hadrian's powerful charisma and presence that made them feel that way, but they were not sure.
Most of them simply followed their Master's actions and had adopted to the routine ever since, even without him telling them anything of the sort.
As they waited for the others to arrive, Hadrian broke the silence once more as he asked them all with one question.
"So…" Hadrian began with a smile, looking at the four retainers with an expectant eye. "I take it that you all had fun last night?"
At his question, the reactions from the four varied from each person.
One laughed nervously with a sheepish expression, one looked away (like a small child) with a (cute) embarrassed expression on her face, and two were blushing but maintained their silence.
Dia, who laughed nervously, was the one to speak first.
"Eh… so we did."
"Oh, I bet you guys did." Hadrian affirmed with a nod, smiling relentlessly as he continued. "I had to clean up the mess that some of you had left on the floor, after all."
The topic of their conversation was about the party that his retainers have had last night.
Hadrian didn't know what happened nor did he know who actually started it, but one of his retainers brought up the word 'party' and most of them jumped on the chance to celebrate their arrival in Canada. To 'have fun and relax', as they said.
For his part, Hadrian was not against it, seeing as they would be quite busy in the next day and he understood their desire to have a break.
But, he did not expected was for chaos to happen in the party.
Most of them had been playing console games at the beginning and they had ordered plenty of food to make the party a bit more festive, then one of them suggested a penalty for whenever someone lose in the game.
But, one blur after another, it had quickly became a drinking contest after that.
What was more surprising to Hadrian is that two of his usually prim and proper servants, such as Arturia and Dia, got drunk and involved in the mess at the end.
Hadrian had expected for Charles, Astolfo and the others to fall into the chaos, but not those two.
Imagine his surprise when he came down the stairs and saw the chaos of a party that they were having last night after he had finished speaking to his grandfather about their current situation and hearing well-wishes from his friends.
Before he left them to their own devices, Hadrian had seen them merely having fun and eating the food that he ordered from the hotel's restaurant.
When he returned after an hour, Hadrian was shocked to find the room was in a messy state.
It was as if someone had a party and a food fight at the same time.
Some of the glass windows were broken, and had smeared food and wine. The floor has small puddles of water, soda and wine staining them.
Some of the walls were broken, and even the chandelier hanging in the center of the room was not safe as it was barely holding on for its dear life.
As for his servants…
Hadrian sighed, recalling how the retainers looked last night.
Charles, Astolfo and the others were already flushed, obviously drunk and gibbering nonsense as they went wild around the room.
Arturia and Dia were lying on separate couches, also looking flushed and passed out drunk.
Rider was asleep near the couch where Arturia was resting on.
Unlike the two, she only looked a bit flush and seemed to be resting contently as she unconsciously hugged the bottle of sake into her well-endowed bosom like a precious babe.
Hadrian remembered that the bottle was the same one he bought for her last month, and it was not a cheap sake either.
Next to Rider was Scáthach, who looked quite content and relaxed than all of them combine.
She too had a bottle of alcohol hugged into her equally well-endowed breasts, but the bottle was more of an intricate design and contains the divine wine that he also gave to her after he found it in the hero-king's treasury a few months ago.
Needless to say, being the responsible one in the group, Hadrian had spent a fair amount of time in cleaning up their mess.
He had to use one of his spells to repair the damages that they had done in the lounge. He cleaned up their mess in an hour, and spent another half in taking each of them in their respective rooms to sleep properly.
After that, he spent thirty minutes in double-checking if there were any damages or smeared food that he had missed.
Fortunately, there was no more, and Hadrian had spent the remaining evening in continuing his research with Fou as his company before cleaning himself and going to sleep.
Hadrian sighed again, well aware of the four retainers' eyes set on him before he opened his eyes to look at them.
"Really, I expected this thing to happen with Charles and the others, but even you four?" Hadrian said in a weary tone, watching the four appear sheepish at his words.
"Apologies, my lord." Dia began, looking down at his plate since he couldn't look at his liege in the eye. "I had been swept by the festivities with the others."
"I as well." Arturia agreed quietly, a blush on her typically pale cheeks.
Rider remained silent, but she too agreed with the two knights' words as she nodded.
"In fairness, Charles and the others were the ones that started it." Scáthach muttered weakly, not being convincing as she looked away to stare out the window with a light blush on her cheeks.
"And to be fair, I expected either one of you four to stop them. So, why didn't any of you do it?" Hadrian smiled, then it dropped as a flat expression took over.
"Oh wait, you're all passed out. Did it not occur to any of you that you might not be able to handle too much alcohol you are used to than before? Mind you, the bodies you are inhabiting are closer to a human's, which will make you more likely to get drunk easily."
Seeing Dia, Arturia and Rider looking properly chastised, Hadrian then turned Scáthach, who was about to speak up but was surprised to find him look at her.
"Now, I understand these three, but you passed out as well, Scáthach, despite having a real body. I take it that the divine wine is too much for your tolerance to endure."
For her part, Scáthach turned to stare out the window (again) as if there was something interesting there, but the blush on her cheeks brightened.
"Apologies, Master…" The three muttered in unison, all gazes down at their respective plates.
After staring at them for a minute, which seemed to be enough to punish them, Hadrian relented and leaned back into his chair with a huff.
"Well, next time, try to tone down the enthusiasm. It's fine to celebrate every once in a while, but not often in times such as this." He advised them as he looked down on his empty plate. "Like I have said before to Charles, we are not here for fun."
Seeing them respond with either a nod or with words of "yes" and "okay", Hadrian turned his attention elsewhere as he noticed the small figure on Rider's left shoulder.
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