Night had fallen, and the pool water had long since cooled, now faintly chilly.
Shichen carried the sleeping Irisviel back to their room.
Her skin was still burning hot, a faint blush lingering on her cheeks.
"Daddy, where did you and Mommy go?" Illya and Sakura were already awake.
"I was taking a bath with Iri."
"…Really?"
The two had just gone outside looking for them, found nothing, and heard no water running in the bath. They thought the two had snuck off to play without them.
"Would Daddy lie to you? Look—Iri isn't even wearing clothes, and her hair and skin are still wet."
"Well… true. But why didn't you invite us?"
"You two were sleeping, so I didn't wake you."
"Hmph! Why didn't you wake us up? Taking a bath with Daddy is way more important than sleeping!" Illya puffed her cheeks.
"Heh…"
Shichen laid Irisviel on the bed, tucked her in, and ruffled Illya's hair. "You take a bath every day—missing one won't kill you."
"I don't care! Daddy's bathing with us tonight!"
"What's the point of so many baths?"
"Don't you want to spend time with us, Daddy?" Illya looked up with pleading eyes.
Shichen sighed—he could never resist her. "Alright, alright. We'll do another bath."
"Yay!"
"Honestly, you're not that little anymore. Why do you still want to bathe with Daddy? Sakura could manage fine on her own if you didn't drag her along."
"I don't care! I'll bathe with Daddy no matter how old I am! And you don't understand Sakura—she really wants to bathe with you."
"Oh yeah?" Shichen turned to the silent Sakura.
"Mm."
She nodded firmly. "I want to bathe with Onii-chan."
"…You're just picking up bad habits from Illya."
"No! Bathing with Onii-chan makes me happy."
"…Fine, fine. I give up on you two."
"Hehe~ That's what you get for bathing with Mommy behind our backs. Oh, but why's Mommy's face so red?"
"Uh… probably from soaking too long," Shichen said casually.
"She's been in there for hours!"
"Ahem."
Illya didn't think much of it, but Sakura kept looking at Irisviel's flushed face—especially the delicate, almost alluring look in her features—deep in thought. She wasn't as clueless as Illya.
After hanging around for a while, it was time for the hotel's dinner service. Shichen decided to take the girls down to eat. They were hungry, and he'd burned through quite a bit of energy himself.
He told them to get dressed while he went to call Saber and Frieren. Irisviel, of course, would be staying behind.
At Saber's door, he knocked. "Saber, you up?"
"Shichen… what is it?"
"It's dinner time."
"I… I'm not really hungry…" Her voice was hesitant.
Without another word, Shichen pushed the door open. Saber was kneeling on the bed, sitting in still meditation. She was clearly still hung up on killing Lancelot.
"Shichen, why did you come in?"
"Am I not allowed?" He stepped toward her.
"That's not it… but you should at least ask first."
"You're my Servant—why would I need permission?"
Standing by the bed, he looked down at her. "Still thinking about Lancelot?"
"I…" Saber lowered her gaze, unable to answer.
"Why even care? That man seduced your queen, killed your knights, and destroyed your kingdom—and you still feel bad for him?"
"If you'd just wished to kill him earlier, maybe your kingdom would still exist."
"Shichen, that's—don't say that."
"Why not? Am I wrong?" His tone was flat.
She had no response.
"You know there's a word for people like you these days?"
"…What word?"
"Saint."
Saber blinked. In her mind, "saint" was a compliment—but she doubted he meant it as one.
"Yeah, I'm not praising you. Nowadays, 'saint' means someone who cares so much about others they sacrifice themselves."
She pressed her lips together, silent.
"Ever think about how the others feel when you obsess over a man like that?"
"…Isn't that a little much?" she frowned.
"What? Still defending him? Calling him that is an insult to actual wolves and dogs."
"Shichen!"
"What? You gonna fight me over him?" His eyes sharpened.
"No… I just don't want you to talk about him like that… Lancelot was a loyal knight—"
"Are you sure?" He suddenly gripped her chin, voice cold.
Saber froze.
"That 'loyal knight' murdered your own men. Did you ever think about how Agravain felt?"
"…!" Saber was stunned.
"You defend him, but he killed your other knights. Does that make him good?"
"Stop… just stop."
She tried to look away, but his hand kept her chin up.
"Look at me."
Her eyes were full of sadness.
"You've got this bleeding-heart savior complex—ignoring those who deserve your care, clinging to those who don't. No wonder your kingdom fell. Still thinking about forgiving him? Have you even considered the feelings of your other knights?"
"Shichen… how can you—"
"I'm making you face reality. Lancelot's dead—deal with it. He's not your knight anymore—he's Berserker, your enemy."
"I…"
"With that mindset, how dare you wish to save your kingdom? Can you even face the other Knights of the Round? You care for the one who destroyed it all but ignore those who were loyal. That's not fit for a king. A king should at least understand reward and punishment."
"Stop…" She shook her head again and again, tears already sliding down her cheeks.
His words hit dead center, shattering her pride and conviction. Harsh as they were, she knew they were true.
"What now? Playing the victim?" His voice was still ice-cold.
He did pity her—but now wasn't the time to soften. She needed a hard wake-up call.
"Why are you saying this to me?" she sobbed.
"Because I don't want you dwelling on Lancelot anymore."
He leaned in, their faces almost touching. "Right now, you're my Servant. You belong to me. You're not allowed to think about anyone else."
"What are you—mmph!"
Before she could finish, his mouth was on hers.
It was something she'd never experienced—so unexpected she froze, eyes wide, staring into his deep black irises, which seemed to glimmer like stars… and in them, unmistakable possessiveness.
He pulled back just as quickly, releasing her chin and standing.
"Clear your head. Think about that instead."
She sat frozen, watching his back as he left.
"You've got two and a half minutes to get downstairs for dinner, or I'll use a Command Seal to make you."
Clang.
The door shut. Saber stared at it, dazed, then slowly touched her lips, lost in thought.
Shichen stepped into the hall, exhaling with a small smile. That fleeting softness had lifted his mood.
With a lighter step, he headed for Frieren's door and pushed it open without knocking.
She was lying on her bed, reading manga in the dim light.
"…Seriously?" She gave him a flat look.
"What's with that face?" He walked over, annoyed.
"What are you doing here?"
"Calling you for dinner."
A sharp smack rang out.
Frieren clutched her butt, staring at him in disbelief. "I was already getting up! Why'd you hit me?"
"Because I felt like it."
"…?"
~~~
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