The reason Kay gave Arthur the afternoon off today was complicated. Morgana's wishes certainly played a part, but the bigger reason was that someone important had returned to the palace.
That person was Gaius, the Royal Physician!
As the Royal Physician, Gaius held a very high position. This old fellow, who was a little odd with his slight difference in eye size and eccentric personality, had served two kings with his outstanding medical knowledge and pharmacy skills: King Uther and Uther's father. He was also a great friend to King Uther. Perhaps Gaius was the only person in the world who truly understood Uther. Gaius knew all of Uther's secrets, and Uther was always happy to share them.
This was because Gaius not only kept these secrets to himself but also offered Uther the wisest advice. He was a great friend and a top-notch advisor. Uther often sought Gaius's counsel on many matters of the kingdom.
A while back, the king of a neighboring country became seriously ill and appealed to King Uther, hoping Gaius could help. Gaius's reputation was well-known across all the kingdoms. Since Uther was a king who cared about his image, he certainly wouldn't refuse the request from a neighbor. So, he readily agreed.
As a result, Gaius had been out of the country for over a month, completely missing Kay's return.
Originally, while Gaius's status was high, his return wouldn't usually warrant a grand welcome feast—it had only been a month. However, Morgana, who was worried about her little brother, found a way to give him a break. She enthusiastically suggested holding a welcome banquet for Gaius.
Seeing her eagerness and considering his old friend, King Uther was happy to be generous and agreed immediately.
And just like that, Arthur was off the hook for a day.
At the banquet, Arthur was sipping wine and was practically moved to tears. Ever since Kay started his special training regimen, Arthur had said goodbye to alcohol. Kay didn't mind drinking generally, but he wasn't happy about Arthur drinking. Simply put, Arthur was still too young.
Nineteen years old. In Kay's past life, a kid that age would be a high school senior or a college freshman—definitely not old enough to drink. His body was still developing, and alcohol wasn't good for him. Plus, kids that age don't always have the self-control you'd hope for, which can lead to bad habits.
Kay knew his thinking was pretty old-fashioned and rigid, but since he wasn't exactly a pro at raising kids, he simply applied the education he received directly to Arthur. He figured there was nothing wrong with his own upbringing—he turned out fine, didn't he? He was a productive member of society, at least. So, Kay believed this "successful experience" shouldn't be wasted.
In short, due to Kay's old-school ways, Arthur hadn't had a drink in almost a month. Now, seeing the wine was like reuniting with a long-lost family member. This is why, when Arthur gave his toast to Gaius, his feelings were so genuine and his enthusiasm so passionate that it left Gaius completely stunned. He had never imagined Arthur liked him so much.
Arthur wasn't the best student and had a complete personality clash with "bookish" people like Gaius. While they got along fine, their relationship was never close. Morgana, on the other hand, was much more a favorite of Gaius's.
It was the same with Kay. Gaius was essentially Kay's first teacher, and Kay's education in his past life heavily emphasized respecting one's elders and teachers. Because of this, he held Gaius in high regard, which made Gaius very fond of Kay.
Since they hadn't seen each other in ten years, they naturally had a lot of catching up to do. The two simply found a quiet corner in the banquet hall, sipping their drinks and chatting.
As mentioned before, Gaius was an eccentric, and he wasn't fond of noisy, crowded events. If he had a choice, he would have preferred to find a peaceful place with Kay to talk. He was also very interested in hearing about Kay's travels abroad.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention: Gaius was also a sorcerer. He was perhaps the only sorcerer in all of Camelot that King Uther tolerated. Kay had once found a magic book—a very old one—in Gaius's quarters. Even so, Gaius hadn't practiced magic for over a decade, and the magical energy around him was incredibly weak. It was likely he would completely lose his connection to magic soon.
What exactly happened wasn't even entirely clear to Kay, but he knew it had something to do with a vow Gaius had made.
Everyone was happy tonight. Although Gaius didn't love the environment, he appreciated everyone's goodwill. As for Arthur? He wanted to hug Gaius and weep, begging him to step in and stop his father and older brother from torturing him with training. Morgana was happy, too, because she was in charge of the entire event. King Uther seemed to be deliberately training her in this area, making her the temporary lady of the palace.
The reason for this was pretty obvious, but while Morgana was a little shy about it, she took the responsibility very seriously.
Managing a banquet is a necessary skill for any noblewoman.
Merlin was also pleased. While he didn't have to suffer as much as Arthur, his life as Arthur's attendant wasn't easy either.
Now that Gaius was back, Merlin could legitimately spend less time with Arthur, since it was perfectly reasonable for him to be with Gaius as his apprentice, studying medicine and pharmacy. As for Arthur? He'd be fine.
King Uther was also very happy. His adopted son had returned, bringing glory and wealth. His biological son was getting better by the day. And his public ward (but actual daughter), was ready to be given to a reliable man. Now she was even learning the skills of a noble lady, and all that was left was to wait for the right moment for her to marry happily and live a joyful life.
Uther felt that soon, he would have nothing left to wish for in life.
But at that very moment, danger was quietly approaching Camelot. The gears of fate had begun to turn, and no one could escape destiny's design.
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In the morning, Kay woke up promptly at 5:40 AM. This was a habit from his past life. Unless there was a special circumstance, he always went to bed early and woke up early. Up at 5:40, twenty minutes for personal hygiene, training started at 6:00, and breakfast at 8:00. This habit came from his time in the military—he was always the first one up when he was an officer. He kept the habit when he became a police officer, and it hadn't changed in this world either, lasting for decades.
However, just as he was about to wake Arthur up, he saw Gwen, Morgana's maid, running down the hallway in a panic, looking like she was on fire.
Kay naturally stopped her to find out what was going on.
Gwen then told him the bad news: Morgana was seriously ill and had collapsed!