(Disclaimer: All characters depicted in this work are fictional and over the age of consent, regardless of their physical appearance. The story involves elements of reincarnation and supernatural aging, and should be interpreted through that lens.
No minors are involved in any sexual or romantic content. This work is intended for mature audiences only.)
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Tonight…
As in, this very night.
Stay…
As in, stay.
It was a simple sentence structure. Ariel wasn't a mentally retarded person, so the moment, Artoria spoke these words, she understood them immediately.
But…
Why was he staying tonight?!
Just the fact that king was saying that this boy would stay alone with her tonight would have been shocking enough, but the King had bathed before summoning this boy!
You know, judging by his appearance, he didn't look very old.
Sure, he was fair-skinned and handsome, but…
'I have never noticed that King has this kind of fetish before?!'
Ariel's heart pounded in her chest as she whispered, "Your Majesty…?"
Artoria tilted her head slightly, asking in confusion. "Is there something else?"
Gulp.
The assistant swallowed hard, forcing down the words of caution she had been about to utter.
Throughout history, there had been tales of rulers with… questionable preferences. Even priests and nuns in churches weren't exempt from such scandals.
But Ariel had never imagined…
That even this King would be interested in such things.
"If there's nothing else, you may leave."
When that calm, melodious voice spoke again, Ariel finally snapped back to reality.
She bowed her head again and saluted respectfully.
Then, before turning away, cast one last, extremely peculiar glance at the boy.
Her eyes were filled with disbelief.
Arvin noticed the assistant's strange look, though he didn't pick up on the extensive internal monologue behind it.
Of course, he wasn't in the mood for such drama.
While his age might seem like it, in fact, he was more than twice this age.
After all, he was a person who had already transmigrated before, so, Artoria was just right type for him.
Not to mention, Artoria, who had spent years with him, for her, he was older than her.
You know, she had known him for years, before she became king and he was still a mature person, who looked like he had known the depths of the world.
Well...Alvin didn't know what was going through in the secretary's mind.
Right now, his mind was already busy planning his "accommodation arrangements" for the royal chambers.
"What are you thinking about?"
At this moment, Artoria's cool, clear voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Nothing… I was just wondering, would ordering Ariel to suppress today's news about your outing come off as a bit… too obvious?"
When Artoria left the palace earlier, she hadn't bothered hiding her movements at all.
Though the streets had been cleared in advance, plenty of people inside the palace must have seen her departure.
Trying to cover it up now would only make things seem more suspicious.
Artoria didn't answer his question, she just looked at him silently.
"Unless… you want people to suspect something?" Arvin quickly followed up.
But what is the reason for doing this?
Just as Alvin was thinking secretly, Altria had already walked to the white tea table by the windowsill.
Outside, a vibrant garden sprawled beneath the sunlight, dust motes floating lazily in the air, a picture of tranquil serenity.
The noble and elegant golden-haired woman picked up a delicate teapot, pouring hot water with practiced grace before steeping the tea leaves.
She didn't speak, no..it was as if she had not heard his words at all.
She just focused on the task at hand.
Her movements were flawless, a far cry from the clumsy girl who once struggled with even the simplest tasks.
Now, whether it was the timing of the pour or the temperature of the water, she had mastered it all.
Bathed in the warm sunlight, Artoria looked almost ethereal, so breathtaking that Arvin found himself
momentarily lost in thought.
For a fleeting second, it felt as though he had truly lived through those years in Camelot.
Suddenly too many memories surged through his mind, memories of her disguising herself as a man, revealing herself as Artoria to the world and then, learning to enjoy life's pleasures with him…
Thanks to Arvin's "heroine training program," Artoria's personality wasn't as rigid as it had once been.
At least at this moment, she shed some of her regal majesty, gaining instead a touch of feminine liveliness.
Artoria sat on the plush sofa nearby, holding a cup of black tea in her hand, before she took a small sip, moistening her lips slightly.
She then looked up at the boy, her eyes carrying a softness and asked: "May I have your hand?"
Alvin hesitated briefly but eventually stepped forward and took one of Artoria's hands.
Before he could steady himself, he felt her grip tighten, causing him to lose his balance.
The next moment, the slightly stiff boy found himself embraced by the woman.
Artoria's graceful and alluring figure pressed perfectly against Alvin's, and he could faintly catch a sweet, intoxicating fragrance.
However, with his face buried in her soft bosom, he felt a slight lack of oxygen.
"I remember I didn't used to like black tea very much,"
While he was getting lost in her softness, Artoria's voice suddenly reached his ears, snapping him back to reality as he replied softly, "Mmm."
Then he added, "Back then, it wasn't so much that you disliked black tea as it was that you had no interest in anything in this world... because all your attention was focused on this kingdom."
Even as he spoke, his gaze couldn't help but linger on the flawless body in his arms.
It had to be said, she was an extraordinarily beautiful woman.
Her dress did nothing to conceal her proud, plump breasts, and droplets from her recent bath still glistened on her snow-white skin.
Her rosy lips were slightly pursed, and the opening and closing seem to reveal an indescribable temptation.
Bottomless... truly bottomless...Alvin thought to himself.
Noticing the boy's gaze, Artoria lowered her eyelids and spoke softly,
"Brewing tea is a science. The force with which you pour hot water and the length of time you brew the tea will ultimately affect its taste. That's why the tea I brewed myself was always very bitter at the beginning. It was you who taught me how to make tea with an excellent taste."
"I remember at the very beginning, my elder sister even mocked me for it... She said the tea I brewed was always terrible."
"But in fact, she was no better than me—every cup she made was just as awful."
Hearing this, Alvin couldn't help but fall into a brief reverie.
He remembered how, at the very beginning, Artoria had no idea how to enjoy the present.
After the sixteen-year-old girl pulled the sword from the stone, the weight of the entire empire seemed to press down on her shoulders, leaving her breathless.
And because her younger sister had become King Arthur, Morgan le Fay's heart was filled with jealousy and hatred, causing her to fall into darkness almost immediately.
It wasn't long after that when Alvin first encountered the corrupted Morgan le Fay, or rather, it was because the woman knew of his relationship with Artoria that she approached him on her own initiative.
At the beginning, Morgan le Fay simply wanted to take Alvin away from her sister and make her live in despair.
But unexpectedly, over time, she found herself gradually... healed.
In the end, the vengeful enchantress who had sought to bring ruin upon the entire Camelot Empire was willing to take the initiative to push Alvin onto the throne instead.
"But I remember that from a certain day onward, my elder sister's tea-making skills improved dramatically."
At this moment, Artoria's voice pulled Alvin back from his distant memories.
He instinctively looked up at her, only to find her smiling back at him. "Later, my elder sister told me that someone had taught her, hand in hand... just like how you once taught me."
Alvin: "..."
"My elder sister said that it was also on a sofa in the bedchamber that time. And after he finished teaching her, she pinned him down on the sofa... They even secretly kissed."
Watching Alvin's expression gradually stiffen, Artoria leaned in closer to his ear and whispered, "What did my elder sister's lips taste like, Alvin?"
-.
.
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