"Mother, where is Father?"
"Mordred, your father has very important matters to attend to, so he won't be back for a while."
"Mother, is my father... the King?"
"Yes, your father is the Sun-Crowned King."
"Court Mage Merlin, what kind of person... is the King?"
Listening to those around her recount stories about the Sun-Crowned King, hearing everyone reminisce about the past glory and wonders of Camelot, Mordred became deeply engrossed in these tales from a very young age.
As she grew older, she discovered that the so-called Sun-Crowned King was truly an exceptionally outstanding monarch.
But as a father, as a lover, he was an extremely unqualified person.
Time and again, she witnessed her mother Morgan, and other aunts like Merlin, Artoria, and Vivian, secretly feeling melancholy, sorrowful, and longing.
Through these long years, Mordred felt deeply conflicted, torn between her admiration for the King and her resentment towards her father.
Under these circumstances, arriving in Snowfield City, she discovered for the first time that there existed someone like Ryuya in the world.
He understood her thoughts, could chat happily with her, and got along with her wonderfully.
Even though Ryuya often tried to manage her behavior, Mordred surprisingly didn't feel the slightest anger or displeasure… instead, she felt quite delighted.
In the end, was it all because of favorability?
Thinking this way, Mordred didn't know what kind of dream she had. When she woke up...
"Mordred, you slept for quite a while."
"Want something to eat? Is Japanese breakfast okay?"
On the spacious bed, Mordred opened her eyes from the soft bedding and noticed Ryuya sitting not far away on the bay window, reading something from a book. The man's gentle voice reached her ears.
"Master... I... drank too much?"
Her memory of last night's events at the bar was vivid. Recalling the last scene was of herself, one foot on the table, holding a glass, provocatively shouting 'Who's next?' to the entire crowd, Mordred suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.
"Master, I yesterday..."
"Have some congee first. Get up later, change clothes, and take a shower. I'll take you to do something else today."
Stopping Mordred from saying more, Ryuya planned to spend the daytime with Mordred and return to the Einzbern Castle in the evening.
"Shower? Oh, okay."
Nodding somewhat confusedly, Mordred entered the bathroom.
"Huh? The clothes Master picked... hmm..." Looking at the punk-cowboy style outfit Ryuya had chosen for her, Mordred found that not only did the size fit her perfectly, but she also really liked the style.
Happily taking a shower and changing into the new clothes, she simply tied her hair into a ponytail.
Coming out of the bathroom, she found Ryuya had already had the hotel staff arrange breakfast.
"Master, you're so thoughtful."
Only she and Ryuya were in the large suite. Smelling the aroma of breakfast, Mordred felt her appetite stir and could barely contain herself.
"Wait a moment, dry your hair first."
Looking at Mordred's damp, even dripping hair, Ryuya helped her untie the messily tied hairband.
Then, he dried Mordred's hair for her again, and even applied conditioner and some other simple little things for her.
"Mordred, forget your past life. From now on, take better care of your body."
"I know you have a free-spirited nature and don't like bothering with trivial matters, but at least dry your hair before tying it up."
Listening to Ryuya nag while drying her hair, Mordred stared somewhat dazedly at their reflections in the mirror.
"Mordred, Mordred, what are you doing?"
"Mother... can you comb my hair for me?"
There was a time when the young Mordred was also a girl. Back then, she had a girlish heart too… after all, no one is born a tomboy.
As a child, she also wanted Morgan to dry her hair and braid it into little plaits. But every time, Morgan refused her because Camelot's state affairs were hectic at that time. Morgan, Artoria, Vivian... even Merlin couldn't slack off.
Understanding the adults' hardships, the sensible Mordred didn't insist. She even worked hard to be strong and grew up quickly to become a Knight of the Round Table, all to share the burdens of the kingdom.
Only... on some late nights, looking at her own shadow on the ground, although she couldn't see her exact appearance, Mordred could roughly sense that she must look quite sloppy.
And her hair was probably a mess too.
Recalling the unhappiness of the past and comparing it to the sight of Ryuya combing her hair in the mirror now, Mordred felt an inexplicable tightness in her chest.
Gently pursing her lips, she wanted to say something but didn't know what. In the end, everything turned into a sigh.
"Sigh..."
"Why is a young girl like you sighing? See how this hairstyle looks?"
He neatly arranged Mordred's medium-length golden hair and styled it into something resembling the hairstyle of Haibara Ai from Detective Conan. Strangely enough, Mordred's face actually suited this restrained style quite well.
Pinching the dazed Mordred's cheek, Ryuya called out, "Let's eat first."
"Ah... Oh?... Oh, oh, oh."
Nodding foolishly, looking at her brand new self in the mirror, Mordred replied with bewilderment in her heart.
After breakfast, Ryuya took Mordred out again.
Different from yesterday, the newly bought motorcycle was temporarily parked in the hotel garage.
This time, they used a Bentley rented from the hotel for their outing.
It wasn't that Ryuya couldn't buy a car… it was just that for only one day, buying a car was unnecessary. Using the luxury car provided by the hotel was fine.
"Master, this place is... an arcade?"
Following Ryuya to the new location and getting out of the car, Mordred looked at the vast entertainment store filled with all kinds of claw machines, dance machines, fishing games, etc. She never imagined Ryuya would bring her to such a place.
'Damn it, did he really think I would enjoy playing with these things?'
Staring blankly at Ryuya, she wanted to put on a fierce expression, but the face she made was like that of a pouting little girl.
Also sensing her own childishness, Mordred could only say forcefully, "Master, bringing me to a place like this, you must really look down on me, don't you?"
"Hmph, don't tell me you really think I'd like playing these childish games?"
After saying this, Mordred seemed to feel she wasn't firm enough.
She directly ran up to Ryuya. Standing a full two heads shorter than the man, she stared 'ferociously' at him. Finally realizing her stare wasn't working, she could only vent her anger onto Ryuya's shadow.
'Stomp on you, stomp on you! Hmph! Serves you right for treating me like a child, Master!'