-"Gentlemen, don't feel discouraged. Even I was unable to emerge victorious against some of Eno's Knights."
-"We indeed underestimated them."-Lancelot nodded and looked at my Knight.-"I apologise for my behaviour."
-"Please raise your head. We understand your preconceptions, and while those were wrong, we won't be offended by some misunderstandings."-Margaret responded to him.-"Let's put this behind us and strive to further our skills."
-"Of course."-He bowed once again, feeling more ashamed.-"Thank you."
-"I saw your skills, and I'm not disappointed. I'd like to spar with you personally, to witness them directly, but I hope you'll enter my service."
-"It's our honor."-Percival instantly knelt before her.
Tristan and Lancelot followed suit.
After that, Artoria did indeed spar with them, defeating them one by one, earning even more respect from them and the spectators. After that, we decided that it was enough for a day, so we planned to return to the castle. But as we were about to do so, we were stopped by someone we couldn't just ignore.
-"Your Majesty, Sir Enoch."
-"Sir Leodegrance."-Artoria greeted him.-"What brings you here?"
-"I have a matter I wanted to discuss with Your Majesty privately."
-"Then let us return to the castle to talk."-Artoria nodded and started walking.
Only then were we able to return, but not to rest, but to sit in a small room face to face with King Leodegrance. There was only Artoria, Leodegrance, and me present in the room; no other guards or knights were present.
-"What can I do for you?"-Artoria asked again.
Leodegrance looked at me by her side, but didn't ask me to leave.
-"I'd like to discuss a matter of great importance to the kingdom with Your Majesty."
-"I'm listening."
-"Your Majesty is about to depart for a campaign, while I believe in Your Majesty's strength, the danger is still undeniable. I hope Your Majesty can think of ensuring the continuation of the royal bloodline."
His words made Artoria stiffen. I could feel the shyness that erupted from her; if not for the helmet, I believe I would see her face red and ears smoking. Knowing that she needed a moment to collect herself, I spoke up instead. At the same time, I also contacted Morgan in my Azure Dream.
-"Sir Leodegrance, are you bringing this matter because you are worried about something, or are you trying to promote someone to His Majesty?"
-"This... Ehem."-My words made him cough slightly.-"Both. I'm worried that our enemies will do something desperate, but I also hoped that my daughter would be a perfect match for His Majesty."
-"With all due respect, wasting time on romance in curent state is not advisable."
-"Romance? There is no..."
-"Is Sir suggesting that the marriage of your daughter shouldn't at least include some feeling and be purely transactional, or are you implying that His Majesty would do something so disgraceful like marrying from fear or for profit?"
-"I would never!"-He interrupted me before I could continue pinning intentions to his words.-"I just hoped that this matter could be properly considered."
-"Leodegrance, let's not kid ourselves here."-Morgan appeared at this moment.-"You want to secure benefits. You are old, and your only child is a daughter; you don't want your house in the hands of some noble, or for it to be divided after your passing."
-"Princess Morgan, I hope you can watch your words."-He looked angry.
-"Stop with this play. Call your girl here and let's talk properly."
Leodegrance seemed to want to say something more, but decided against it. He left quickly, returning with his daughter shortly after.
-"I should have expected that."-I sighed after seeing her.
-"You should."-The girl who talked with me during the jousting tournament nodded.
-"Your Majesty, can we now address..."
-"Wait a moment, Sir Leodegrance."-Artoria raised her hand.-"Eno, can you write that contract you spoke of before?"
-"You mean Geas? Sure, but why?"
-"Truth in exchange for silence."
I was surprised by this, but nodded and turned to Leodegrance and his daughter.
-"Have you studied some magical arts?"
-"I have some basic awareness."-Leodegrance nodded.
-"Then have you heard of Geas?"
-"Please explain it."
-"Sure."-I nodded and gave the rundown of Geas' purposes and workings, while writing runes in the air.-"This contract binds two sides; one side will answer truthfully, while the other will not disclose matters discussed in this room. Is this agreeable?"
Both of them nodded and signed the NDA. After that, Mrogan and Artoria signed as the other party. Under Leodegrance insistance I also had to sign it, but after that, we finally moved to the matter at hand.
-"I apologise, Sir Leodegrance, but I'm unable to accept your matchmaking. As for reason."-Artoria took off her helmet, revealing her clearly feminine face to both of them.-"As you can see, I'm a woman myself. While I need to act as a man to stabilise the current state of the kingdom, I wouldn't want to burden your daughter with the consequences of my lies."
Leodegrance stared at her in disbelief, but collected himself after a moment.
-"Your Mahesty, but now... How can Britain..."
-"Sir Leodegrance, you wouldn't be thinking that woman can't lead a nation?"-I asked him.
-"You... Don't tell me..."-He turned to me, eyeing the darkness under my hood.
-"No, I'm a man through and through."-I took off my hood, revealing my face.
I could hear a sigh of relief from Leodegrance, as well as the intense gaze of his daughter.
-"Now, Sir Leodegrance, let's discuss everything properly."-Morgan smiled a smile promising trouble.
-"Sigh."-Leodegrance sat down, rubbing his forehead.-"Then I'll be direct. I hoped that Your Majesty could marry my daughter to solidify our alliance and Your Majesty's position. But now..."
-"Now, now, it's not like it couldn't happen, just not now or directly."
-"What is Princess Morgan talking about?"
-"Hmm... Let's say there is a person who marries Artoria in the future, if said person had previously married your daughter, her status would be secured, even as a second wife."
-"But polygamy..."-He looked troubled.
-"Polygamy is not illegal. While the church is trying to implement monogamy, we are already at precipise of a schism, so don't worry about them. Eno, how is it on your side?"
-"Why are you asking?"-I asked, acting innocently.
-"Will you let Artoria marry someone random?"
That shut me up. After a short silence, I sighed and answered her previous question.
-"There is no law against it, but it's something non-existent in Laterano. Globally, on Terra, it's a privilege of the strong; most emperors and kings possess sizable harems, and even nobles often have multiple lovers. Laterano doesn't have nobles, so it never had much polygamy."
-"But with your standing, it shouldn't be something you need to worry about?"
-"For Sankta I'm the Law, their god, you think they will stop me?"-I gave her a side eye.
-"Sir Leodegrance heard him."
Leodegrance watched me for a solid minute before speaking again.
-"I'd like to hear more about that whole Laterano."
Hearing this, I could only sigh. Standing up, I looked at him and spoke slowly so that he heard every word.
-"I will never agree to any marriage agreement created for profit or convenience. I can agree to protect your daughter in another capacity."
-"It's not enough. I need a guarantee."
As we were staring each other down, a soft voice interrupted us.
-"If I may?"
-"Guinevere?"-Leodegrance turned to his daughter.
She looked at me, her eyes didn't show any emotions, just calm calculations of someone who knew how the world of men saw her, a lone woman, heir to the household of a King.
-"Sir Eno, what other capacity would you protect me?"
I looked at her before speaking.
-"Extend your hand."
She did that.
Placed her hand on my left palm, causing her to shudder slightly due to the cold and hard crystal it was. I closed my eyes, focusing on analyzing her aura and magic power. A moment later, I opened my eyes, looking at her with amazement.
-"You possess a rare talent. I can take you as my disciple and help you develop it. While you might not reach the level of Artoria or Morgan, beating a knight like Lancelot with some preparations wouldn't be impossible."
-"Oh? What talent is it?"
-"Affinity to nature. A rare talent for humans. Becoming a Druid wouldn't be hard for you."
-"Druid? like those Norse?"
-"No. While they possess some druidic practices, I'm talking about a different kind of profession. Druids are guardians of nature who preserve balance and life. They harness the power of the wilds to act."
-"Are you a Druid?"
-"Not exactly. While I possess an affinity with nature, it's not innate like yours. Due to my other characteristics, I'm strongly drawn to death rather than life, so I can't walk the path of a Druid. But I learned techniques of one, branching into the balance of life and death, a path of rebirth."
She nodded, collected her words, and spoke her mind directly.
-"I'd like that, but I also understand my father's worry, so I'd like to suggest a compromise. An engagement. We will set up engagement between us, but witch excuse of war going on, we'll push back any marriage talks. With official engagement, you'll be bound to our side, ensuring that the household is protected, while we can take it slowly and decide whether to proceed with it later."
-"May I know why you agree with such a plan? I don't feel that you have any emotions for me, so why jump into such a relationship?"
-"Because I'm still only a weak woman. I'd rather be a vase by your side than be a prize to be claimed after my father is gone."
-"I understand. I will agree to the engagement under three conditions. First, marriage will only proceed after you have gained enough strength to stand on your own, as only then will you be able to decide about your future without regrets. Second, due to my standing, you'll never be the main wife. I'll grant you respect and title, but Laterano won't stand behind you. Lastly, your kingdom will assist in establisching Lateran Church in Britain."
-"You truly are a gentle person."-Guinevere smiled for the first time, her eyes showing gratitude.
She knew that my first demand existed solely for her; it wasn't a deadline or requirement, it was protection. As someone who spent her sixteen years of life in a society where only strength could give women any rights, this protection was far more than she ever expected.
-"I can agree to the first two demands, but what about the third?"-Leodegrance asked, his expression much more gentle now.
I looked at Morgan, who was enjoying this situation. She stepped forward and explained our plan to counter the Holy Church. Leodegrance understood neccesity of such a plan, so he agreed, but hoped to first see the power of Laterano. I just invited them to Azure Dream; they were already our closest allies, so I didn't mind showing them some of my power.
There, seeing the pure white fortress and Sankta working in the corridors, especially the Apostolic Knights, Leodegrance changed his attitude, now treating me as a king equal to him, not just some talented youngster. After a short visit, I gave him a folder of documents containing some basic information about Laterano and Terra, with just enough data to show Laterano strenght and position without showing too much about technology.
After getting that information, he quickly left with Guinevere, promising to finish preparations for the engagement quickly. When they were gone, my eyes instantly locked on Morgan, anger clearly visible between my brows.
-"Wait!"-She quickly backed away.-"It wasn't me. I hadn't had the chance to arrange anything. It's all Leodegrance's fault."
-"Let's assume I believe you, but you're still the direct cause of this engagement."
-"Like I said before, would you let Artoria pretend to marry that girl? Both of us know you'd object to it, just because that would harm them both in the long run. And Arotria marrying someone else..."
-"Stop it."-I said, already covering my face with my hands.-"I know this was the best approach, but it doesn't stop me from being annoyed."
Morgan looked at me, wanting to say something else, but stopped herself. She herself was annoyed by such an arrangement, but couldn't say it out loud. The silence stretched until Artoria stood from her seat and approached me. She stood before me, her hand cupping my face as she made me look up at her, then she leaned in.
A few seconds later, she stepped back, her hand already touching her lips. She then smiled sweetly, her eyes full of tenderness.
-"Eno, thank you for always standing up for me."
She knew that everything happening now was a consequence of her hiding her gender; if I hadn't agreed to Morgan's plan, we would be in a precarious position, as King Leodegrance wouldn't ally with us. She knew that I was against such arrangements, but I agreed to it against my conscience to protect both her and Guinevere.
-"Please take care of me in the years to come."-She smiled the brightest smile I have ever seen.
I nodded absentmindedly, my mind still working on what was going on. By accepting this engagement, I accepted Morgan's plan, a plan which required I marry her, meaning... I looked at the still smiling Artoria, my Empathy almost overloaded by the feelings emanating from her. But the dice were cast, and it's not like I would reject her.
Morgan watched our interaction, but she couldn't feel happy for her sister. If not for Artoria being a supernova of happiness, I would be able to feel the envy Morgan was feeling, but this was something she planned, so she won't be carried by her emotions.
Some time later, I returned to Azure Dream, where my Knights were already waiting for my explanations. And after I walked them through all that happened, they weren't sure if they should be angry or just numb. Since coming to this world, they seemed to encounter many women who had close relations with me, but they were expecting that from how many women I was close with on Terra.
As they were still deep in thought, Cellinia stood up and walked to my side. She grabbed my arm and teleported us both away. The girls remaining in the room looked at each other and smiled a smile full of schadenfreude. Mostima, who was on the side, was especially happy to see this situation as she was waiting for this to happen for some time already.
But Cellinia aside, she now needed to deal with two newcomers jumping the line. Artoria was one thing; a woman like her was hard to dislike, but some girl out of nowhere trying to climb up using their Holy Son was unacceptable. She quickly contacted Lemuen, needing her assistance to put someone in their place. While she wouldn't make things too difficult for that girl, as it would cause trouble for me, a lesson was necessary.