UWTD 373: Hero? Marriage?

Zelretch took the three-kilogram jar with a heavy heart, even though being read like this grated on his nerves; he also found it amusing in a way. Plus, he got a good tea out of it. A total win in his books.

“Well, see you around, young lady.” With a final wave, Zelretch left as abruptly as his arrival.

With the usual silence settling onto the mansion, Sakura came out of the library and met Grayfia in the kitchen. The silver-haired maid wore a crimson apron while preparing salmon slices for dinner. Sakura joined in and prepped the boiling pot of water with a spice bag and skilfully stabbed the lobsters in the heads and placed them in the water, covering the pot.

If time after school was usually training with Grayfia, in the evening, she had mandatory cooking practice with her overly strict teacher. It wasn’t that the perfectionist maid wasn’t strict in other classes, but the level of cooking classes had far surpassed the human standard.

A professional chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant once ate Sakura’s cooking at a school event and cried because of how tasty it was. Yet Grayfia said it was only entry-level. It truly made Sakura wonder who her Teacher and Master were.

“If you have questions, you should ask them. I’ve taught you that way, haven’t I?” Grayfia said, plating the freshly cut fish.

A bit startled, Sakura tried to avoid any direct eye contact because the mood seemed to have tensed up; her teacher had an uncanny ability to read people’s emotions and their minds. However, the questions had been piling up in her head for years, especially after today’s guest.

Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, coming from a magi family, Sakura knew of the man. Especially since he had connections with her family.

The same family that gave her away to the Matous, where she had to go through pain and suffering all alone. Even though Zelretch had little direct connection with her father, his presence dug up parts of herself that she had tried hard to bury.

“Who is Master?” Her voice trembled, wondering what she would do if the person she was to serve had connections with her father, the source of all her trauma.

“Hmm… if I have to say it in simpler words, he is like a hero,” Grayfia said, her answer beyond her pupil’s worries.

Sakura turned to her, eyes full of questions.

“A hero?” She wondered if there were any heroes in this world.

“Yes, an awkward hero. If you ask him, he will never admit it.” Grayfia met her eyes with a rare smile. “But, when you feel that there is no hope, he will arrive and do his best to help you.”

Adam appeared like that to Grayfia. Even if he made it seem like he only did it for the contract, she could see the kindness he had deep inside. Especially after she signed a contract with him, Grayfia understood that he seldom showed his real side to anyone.

Although no one would consider Adam’s actions heroic, with the contract involved, it didn’t matter to Grayfia’s rose-tinted glasses.

“You will see how good Master is upon his return; all of your worries and pain will go away when you are with him.”

Now, Grayfia had put those rose-tinted glasses on Sakura. Who now waits for Adam’s return with even more anticipation.

‘This darkness in my heart… I wonder if he could save me from it?’ The young girl with a troubled past truly wished for a hero all her life.

***

While his maid and the new maid in training had dinner, Adam was in Artoria’s bedroom because of a sudden summoning.

The reason for the visit was a topic that had taken the court by storm. The first time Adam heard of it from Artoria, he doubted his ears.

“They are asking about your marriage?” Adam blinked.

“Yeah, it was barely brought up after my return. But now they are talking about it at every meeting.” Artoria had set up a temporary centre in her father’s castle, while Camelot was being built.

She gathered all of the best knights and officials she knew of to help run the lands. However, far from thinking about how to help the citizens, for the past three months, all the court worried about was her marriage.

“It was the same when I was the king, but since I haven’t hidden that I am a woman, their advances are too strong.” Artoria had heard the names of all the young children of the lords and officials; she could even recite them backwards. “They say an heir will bring stability… all I see is them trying to marry into the ruling family.”

“Want me to look into it?” Adam thought that was the purpose of this summons. As he had taken more of a quieter role since the end of their unification battles, Artoria had decided that she would only call him when necessary.

“Oh no, their worry is natural.” Artoria shook her head, digging into the rice cracker jar with a smile. “The citizens and even the court must be feeling uneasy with a young girl at the helm. In such situations, a marriage and an heir will indeed put me in a stable position and give longevity to my rule.”

“But I do not think that I can fulfill that obligation.” She had to go through a marriage of her own during her reign as King Arthur. A marriage in which not only was she not happy, but she had also made others miserable.

“You can just ignore their suggestions and move forward,” Adam said, understanding her predicament.

“That would only create more unrest, so I have come up with a different plan.” Artoria smiled, eyes locked with him. “What do you think of becoming my husband, Adam?”

“What?” Adam tilted his head, confused out of his mind.

“I mean, it won’t be a real marriage. It’s just to shut up the court and give my subjects a piece of mind; no one would object given your contributions. And…. we have to do ‘that’ later anyway.” Artoria had it all figured out, even though she blushed at the end.

“…Won’t they press you for heirs even more if you give in like this?” Adam asked, trying to make her see the wrongs in her plan.

“I’ll just say that I can’t bear any children and then look for a successor.” But Artoria’s logic was without holes, like she had been thinking it over for a while.

Adam looked at her carefree smile and sighed. Even though she tried to hide it, he could see the eye bags and the lack of rest in her body. Artoria had been running from one place to another since taking up the throne; she had barely rested a day and went sleepless for countless nights to bring her dream true. If she had to worry about a husband on top of all this, the toll would only increase.

“So?” Artoria rushed him for an answer, feeling nervous herself.

...

See you all tomorrow with a new chapter ^w^