Aoi Tohsaka felt she must be going mad.
Right now, she sat stiffly on the sofa, looking at the woman in front of her who was drinking wine that should have belonged to her husband. She didn't know this person, but she understood that she was likely the Servant her husband had summoned for this war.
"What is your name?"
"Aoi... Aoi Tohsaka." Aoi didn't know why she answered, just as she didn't know why she had accepted the invitation to come into this room.
"You know the boy named Lin Jiuan?"
"He is my child!" At the mention of his name, a glimmer of light returned to Aoi's dull, unfocused eyes. Her tone became urgent, almost interrogative. "Do you know where he is? Tell me!"
Seeing Aoi's state, the smile on Gilgamesh's lips widened. Her blood-red eyes seemed to have found an amusing new toy. In the past, if anyone had dared to speak to her with such a tone, Gilgamesh would have made them feel the king's wrath. But now, she didn't feel much anger. Because the person before her was interesting. And for beings that could bring her amusement, Gilgamesh didn't mind granting some preferential treatment.
"Of course, this king knows where he is. And I can help you get him back."
"But you... what are you willing to pay?"
"I... I..." Aoi briefly calmed down. As the mistress of the Tohsaka family, she was not an ignorant fool. Nothing comes for free; no one would help her for no reason. Besides, the woman before her was clearly her husband's Servant. Why would she go behind his back and defy his will to help her?
"Why?" Aoi looked at Gilgamesh seriously. "Are you going to betray Tokiomi?"
"Betrayal?" Gilgamesh scoffed, a disdainful smile on her lips as she drained her wine glass. "Betrayal is a word used by a superior to a subordinate. And your husband is this king's subject."
Aoi didn't want to correct her on semantics. She repeated, "Why?"
"Why?" Gilgamesh's smiling, blood-red eyes seemed to reflect the scene from last night. "The one who summoned this king was Tokiomi. This body is sustained in this world because of his mana supply. More importantly, he pays me the respect of a subject. It would not be impossible for this king to return his reverence." After this uncharacteristically formal speech, Gilgamesh's expression gradually quieted, turning melancholic. "But to be honest, I never expected him to be such a boring person. Not a shred of amusement."
Using the power of the Grail to reach the 'Root'? Before yesterday, Gilgamesh had never imagined such a dull wish could exist in the world.
"Boring?" Aoi murmured, her eyes gradually becoming vacant. Yes, it was very boring. Her life, before meeting Lin Jiuan, was incredibly boring. The same routine of being a wife and mother at home, rarely even leaving the house. Waking up to make breakfast, cleaning the house, preparing everything her husband and children needed, then grocery shopping, waiting for their return, preparing dinner, and by the time everything was tidied up, it was time for bed. Her husband barely spoke to her, and when he did, it was almost always in a commanding tone. They had no marital life to speak of. Her life was a monochrome, repetitive gray.
Aoi had thought she could endure this grayness, until she met Lin Jiuan. Forget all that? Continue to be a wife and mother, like a puppet, a tool for Tokiomi? Let him send her younger daughter to the Matous? Could she do it? A splash of color had entered her gray world. Someone accustomed to gray had seen vibrant color. Like someone used to black-and-white television suddenly seeing color TV. If she had never experienced it, it would have been fine. But having seen it, having felt it, how could she go back to that monotonous gray world?
"What do I have to pay?" Aoi looked up at Gilgamesh. At this moment, her eyes were exceptionally calm, devoid of fear or panic, only determination.
"Simple." Gilgamesh's lips curled into a grin. She raised her right hand, turning the back of it towards Aoi. "Make what is Tokiomi's... yours. Then, this king will help you get your child back."
The silver sports car screeched to a halt on the edge of the mountain road. Through the window, one could see the beautiful scenery of Fuyuki City under the setting sun.
"Jiuan, Saber, driving is so much fun!" Irisviel said, a smile of unfulfilled excitement on her face.
"Indeed. It's just a bit slow. I remember this car's top speed is 260 kilometers per hour, right?"
"This is my first time driving on the road, Jiuan. Your standards are too high."
Listening to the conversation in the front seat, Artoria's stiff expression was about to crack. Slow? The entire trip was over 100 km/h. I don't think Irisviel's foot left the gas pedal until we stopped. And Iri, didn't you say you've driven before? How is it now your first time? So you've never actually been on the road? No wonder you took the wrong turn earlier!
Even if they crashed at 100 km/h, as a Servant, she wouldn't be seriously hurt. But even so, such speeds were hard for her to adapt to. Yet these two 'ordinary people', who would surely die in an accident, seemed completely unworried and were even enjoying themselves. Who is the Servant here, me or you?
"So beautiful," Irisviel sighed, her gaze on Fuyuki City below, the afterglow of the sunset draping a thin veil over the bustling city.
Lin Jiuan looked at Irisviel's flawless profile against the sunset and deeply agreed. "Indeed, very beautiful."
"Right? Right!" Irisviel turned her head excitedly, only to find Lin Jiuan looking at her. Her fair face, for reasons she didn't know, suddenly turned red. She forgot whatever she was about to say. Looking back at Lin Jiuan, her mind went blank. The distance between them inexplicably shortened.
"Ahem." Just as they were about to kiss, Artoria quickly cleared her throat, breaking the spell.
Irisviel snapped back to her senses, pulling back abruptly. Even her small earlobes were bright red. She turned her head away, not daring to look at Lin Jiuan, her pupils trembling with shame. What was I just doing? I'm not a pervert like Mrs. Tohsaka!
"Iri, the sun is about to set," Artoria reminded her. She was afraid that if she didn't intervene, her Master would be completely captured by this boy of unknown origin.
"Oh, right." As if granted amnesty, Irisviel shifted the topic to Lin Jiuan, putting on a serious expression. "Jiuan, you promised this morning. Now that the sun is setting, you have to tell Saber and me your identity."
"Alright." Under the watchful eyes of Artoria and Irisviel, Lin Jiuan nodded.
"Actually, I am a 'Beast'."
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