C435

In this scene, Artoria approached him right after he'd driven Morgan away. She held out a bowl of fish soup and gently set it down in front of him. Her words came soft, "Your Majesty, this is... my attempt at fish soup... I thought maybe you could give it a taste..."

Trusting her completely, he took a sip of the fish soup without hesitation.

He remembered, indeed, there was such a scene.

And then there was that night, the one he spent correcting...

Wait a minute!

"This..." His brow furrowed uncontrollably.

In that scene, he went ahead and downed the fish soup, finished up the paperwork, and as a wave of drowsiness washed over him, she helped him back to his bedroom.

But the next scene became truly frightening!

She helped him onto the bed, covered him with a blanket, and just as she was about to head out, he suddenly sat up, caught her wrist, and pinned her down onto the bed.

"Your Majesty...?"

She was beneath him, wrist pinned against the bed. Not a hint of resistance from her side, and her lashes fluttering as she looked at him, a mix of apprehension and uncertainty in her eyes.

And he was having a grand time, running his fingers through her hair, messing it up with a satisfied grin.

——You're seriously the king of pervert, no doubt about it. Quite the unique kink you got there, King of Men.

Shirou: "…"

On this matter, he couldn't really argue.

He was just preparing to give Crimson Moon a piece of his mind, when the next scene managed to catch him off guard.

In this scene, despite the discomfort on Artoria's face, he went on to ruffle her hair in an aggressive manner. Then, with a heightened sense of urgency, his hand didn't stop at her hair; it glided down to caress her cheek before leaning in for a kiss.

Intense...

The following scenes were rather hard to watch.

"I love you, my king... Please, let go of restraint, let desire take over... I've loved you for so long... Since our days at the estate, you were the only one who saw me as a woman. Thank you for taking me on adventures, for showing me the fireflies under the night skies... Thanks to the twists of fate, you ended up by my side, becoming my king... I love you, Guinevere."

The corners of his eye twitched.

——How does it feel, King of Men?

Shirou let out a disdainful smirk, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You're really just projecting my past impure thoughts, aren't you? But it's pointless, Crimson Moon. I'll own up to it – I did have impure thoughts about Scathach and Artoria before. But ever since I took on the mantle of king, those thoughts are long gone. I'd never even think about crossing that line, especially not with Artoria!"

——And why's that?

"Are you seriously not getting this? One of them is practically an old lady, and the other is like a sister to me. We share a bond that's beyond any of that nonsense. Doing something like that would be unthinkable! And besides, Artoria herself would never entertain such an idea. The holes in your story are just too obvious!"

——Well, isn't this surprising? I never thought that you would be this kind of man. But, whether you believe it or not, this event did happen. So, you may want to keep your eyes on the screen.

"There's no way in hell I need to watch this."

While most of his attention remained locked onto the Tower of Light, a small part of his mind couldn't help but observe the unfolding scene.

He wanted to expose whatever tricks Crimson Moon was trying to pull.

However, perhaps without even fully realizing it, a flicker of unease had taken root deep in his heart.

Looking at that scene, he felt a sense of déjà vu.

In the inner projection of his mind, he pushed Artie to the limits. They had spent two days and nights in each other's arms until she sank into the bed, utterly spent.

She had a pale face but managed to slip into her clothes and tidy up the messy room. Then, with a tenderness that surprised him, she arranged him on the bed, pulled a blanket over him, and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. Her soft voice lingered, "I love you, Guinevere."

"Who...?"

Her actions might have been too bold in that scene. He, who had been on the verge of unconsciousness, now struggled to open his eyes in a blurry daze. His sudden movement startled her so much that she instinctively pushed him back down.

He stumbled, swaying a couple of times before finally collapsing onto the pillow, succumbing to unconsciousness.

"Forgive me, my king..." Artoria's voice carried a heavy apology as she hastily made her escape from the scene.

Shirou's lips curled into a sneer, "This is ridiculous! she would never hit me!"

Crimson Moon didn't respond.

And the scene continued to play out.

Artoria hurriedly departed from the palace, engaging in a brief exchange of words with Guinevere before enduring a barrage of harsh remarks from Morgan, who spat, "The throne will never be yours." Following that tense interaction, she quickly left Camelot behind, taking up her role in Ector's estate.

As time went on, seasons shifted, and her belly gradually began to show signs of pregnancy.

Later, after the inspection team consisting of Agravain, Gawain, and Kay finished their inspection in Cornwall, they visited her town and discovered the truth.

Kay nearly went mad.

"Why on earth are you doing this, sis?" He questioned loudly.

She found herself at a loss for words, her gaze dropping to the ground, a heavy cloud of shame hanging over her features.

Observing this exchange, Kay and Gawain exchanged glances, both clearly eager to report to the king. However, Agravain stopped them.

"What are you planning, Agravain?" Gawain asked with a frown.

"The king's heart is not with the kingdom anymore, he wants to leave. Are we to shackle the king to the kingdom forever?"

Kay's furrowed his brows, "And what's your point?"

Agravain leaned in, his gaze intense. "A realm can't go without a ruler, and a king can't be without an heir. The king wanted to leave, and we, as his loyal knights, can't stand in his way. But think about it, once he's gone, who's going to lead Camelot? Morgan? She has the qualities of a lord, but she's no ruler. If she takes the throne, mark my words, the kingdom will crumble within a decade. So we have to secure a royal heir for the sake of the realm."

He managed to sway Kay and Gawain to his viewpoint.

"Why're you doing this for me, Sir Agravain?" Artoria asked.

"I'm not doing this for you. I'm considering what's best for the kingdom. Despite the king giving you a chance, he's already determined to crown Morgan as the Queen. No matter how impressive your feats might be, they'll go unrecognized. And mark my words, this decision will be remembered as the king's gravest mistake. If anyone's capable of bringing the kingdom down, it's Morgan."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Why are you speaking about sis in such a way? She's your mother, isn't she?"

His voice turned solemn, "It's precisely because she's my mother that I can say these things. Her decisions are often driven by emotion rather than reason. While being a lord might not be a problem, being a Queen would spell disaster for the realm! She's an unpredictable factor. Just wait and watch – if she claims the throne, it won't be long, perhaps a decade, before she abandons it!"

"You're talking like this about sis..."

Agravain's tone remained resolute. "The king's mind is set. And for the sake of the kingdom's stability, a royal heir is a must. If Morgan finds her footing, then naturally, we'll rally behind her as our queen. However, if she abandons the kingdom as I anticipated, then it falls on us to support the next in line for the throne. No one would contest the legitimacy of the royal heir. Lady Artoria, your role is to nurture the heir, imparting all the wisdom of the king you've documented."

With those words, Agravain took his leave, accompanied by Gawain and Kay.

In the midst of the frosty snowscape, Artoria settled beside the crackling fireplace, engrossed in reading the stories of grand adventures. Her hand caressed her belly with a tender touch, her expression radiating kindness and warmth.

Seeing this, Shirou's eye twitched.