Father's office was an extremely boring place.
Angélica was absolutely certain of that.
At least… that was what everyone said.
Papers, huge books, city reports, maps, adult stuff, and a bunch of other things she had no idea what they were for.
But that had never stopped Angélica from going in there.
Especially because the office was also where her father stayed.
And any place where her father was automatically stopped being boring.
That was why, at that very moment, the five-year-old girl was running through the halls of the enormous mansion like a tiny hurricane.
"Angélica, please wait—!"
A beautiful maid with sky-blue hair and large, light-blue eyes tried to call out while chasing after her.
But it was already too late.
"You should stop trying to chase her, sister." Another maid, with light pink hair and large dark-red eyes, said as she approached. "She's basically a chaotic, female version of Arto." she added.
"When are you going to stop calling him that?" the blue-haired girl asked.
"Never in this lifetime," the other replied with a smile.
"Let Arto deal with her—we have work to do." she added.
"You're just forgetting that you're completely useless at housework, sister," the blue-haired one mocked.
Her words clearly hit where it hurt for the pink-haired girl.
The office door burst open.
Inside the room, Arthur was still seated behind his large desk, surrounded by piles of documents that seemed endless.
Beside him were Shion and Chloe, discussing matters related to the city.
On the sofa, holding a glass of wine with a relaxed expression, was Luminous. And in an armchair next to Arthur sat an adorable girl of around eleven or twelve years old, reading a book. Her face was so charming that even Angélica—who, with childish arrogance, claimed to be the cutest girl in the world—had to admit defeat. Her large sky-blue eyes had pink butterfly-shaped patterns in their irises. Her light cream-blonde hair was long, styled into two vertical spiral braids.
And then, completely ignoring the girl—
"DAD!"
Before anyone could react, the small figure dashed across the room and leapt straight into Arthur's lap.
Without any warning.
As if that place had been made specifically for her.
The impact sent a few papers flying off the desk.
But Arthur merely raised an eyebrow.
Angélica, on the other hand, settled comfortably in his lap, crossed her arms, and lifted her chin with a deeply satisfied expression.
"This is my throne."
She declared with all the authority of a spoiled child.
"And no one else is allowed to sit here but me."
For a moment, there was silence.
Then—
Chloe let out a small laugh.
Shion covered her mouth, trying to hide her smile.
Even Luminous raised an amused eyebrow.
The girl beside Arthur simply raised an eyebrow, slightly annoyed.
Arthur sighed softly… but an inevitable smile appeared on his face.
He lifted his hand and gently began patting the little girl's head.
Angélica immediately closed her eyes, visibly pleased, like a kitten being petted.
"What did my adorable little angel come here for? You always say my office is boring."
he asked calmly.
Angélica opened her eyes immediately.
She had clearly been waiting for that question.
"I wanted to know something!"
she said excitedly, still enjoying the gentle pats on her head.
"How did you meet my mother?"
Arthur blinked once.
Then he smiled faintly.
"And why do you suddenly want to know that, Angélica?"
The little girl huffed dramatically.
"Because Shiro said the way you met his mother was way cooler than how you met mine!"
She crossed her arms indignantly.
"He said his story has more amazing things in it!"
She pointed accusingly at Arthur.
"So I came to confirm if my story is better!"
For a second, Arthur remained silent.
Then he began to laugh.
"So you're jealous?"
Angélica immediately puffed her cheeks.
"I AM NOT JEALOUS!"
she declared with all the dignity a five-year-old hurricane could muster.
"But if you don't answer…!"
She turned her face away dramatically.
"I'll never talk to you again!"
Arthur placed a hand on his chest as if he had been mortally wounded.
"That would be the cruelest thing in the world. My little angel never speaking to me again would be the worst thing that could ever happen to me."
he said with an exaggeratedly tragic expression.
"I don't think my heart could bear such cruelty."
Shion burst out laughing.
Chloe too.
"Now I'm curious as well,"
she said casually.
"How exactly did you meet that queen?"
Arthur looked at her for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"It seems everyone is curious today."
He stood up from his chair.
Still holding Angélica with one arm.
The girl, who clearly had no intention of leaving his lap, simply made herself more comfortable.
As if that was exactly where she belonged.
Arthur walked over to the sofa.
And sat down.
Angélica immediately adjusted herself on his lap like a little empress taking her throne.
She looked at everyone in the room with an extremely proud expression.
Especially at the cream-blonde-haired girl, who immediately snapped her book shut upon seeing that look.
As if silently saying:
"See? He's mine."
Arthur rested his arm on the back of the sofa and spoke calmly.
"Since you all want to know…"
Angélica immediately leaned against him.
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"I'll tell you."
Arthur gently ran his hand through the little girl's hair.
Then he continued:
"It all started a few years ago when I was conducting some tests with my spiritual core. Nothing too complicated—I just wanted to see how I could fully unlock my Mystic Codes without placing a burden on my soul."
"While manipulating my soul, I heard a child's cry for help. Before I realized it, I was in a bizarre basement of a repulsive old man's house."
---xXx---
In the dark and damp basement, where the air was thick and filled with a putrid, nauseating stench, countless insects began to emerge from holes in the ground and the walls. They writhed over one another, forming a grotesque mass that slowly spread across the stone floor. Their small, black, slimy bodies advanced like a living tide, moving with a single purpose.
And they all had only one target.
The small black-haired girl.
Her fragile body trembled uncontrollably. Fear had taken hold of every part of her being, paralyzing her muscles. Even though she desperately wanted to run, her legs simply wouldn't obey. It was as if terror itself had chained her to the spot.
Her wide, fear-filled eyes watched helplessly as the swarm of insects drew closer and closer.
Above that grim basement, observing everything from an elevated position, stood an old man with a sinister appearance. His eyes, deep and piercing like those of a crawling creature, were fixed on the girl.
There was no trace of compassion in his gaze.
Only greed.
A sticky, repulsive greed.
To him, that girl was not a child.
She was merely a vessel.
A precious vessel that would soon belong entirely to the Matou family, for the sake of fulfilling his twisted desire for immortality.
His gaze seemed to savor in advance what he was about to claim, like a predator contemplating prey already cornered.
"Don't come closer… Dad… Mom… Sister… save me…"
The girl's voice was weak, barely more than a broken whisper filled with despair.
However, the moment those words left her lips, painful memories surfaced in her mind.
She clearly remembered her father's face when he sent her away without hesitation, without even looking back.
And then there was her mother.
The one who should have protected her.
But who merely remained silent, watching everything unfold before her eyes.
Without protesting, without acting, without even reaching out a hand to her.
Those memories mixed within the girl's heart like black ink spreading through clear water.
Little by little, something inside her began to sink and shatter.
The last remnants of hope within her were swallowed by an ever-deepening darkness.
However, at the final moment…
At the instant when the last small flame of light in her heart was about to be completely extinguished by that suffocating darkness and the approaching insects, the little girl opened her mouth and screamed.
It was a cry that came from the depths of her soul.
A desperate wish without a trace of falsehood.
"Someone help me!!"
Suddenly, a clear, crystalline sound echoed through the basement.
In the next instant, a magnificent magic circle appeared before the girl.
Complex lines began to trace themselves in the air, forming patterns that slowly rotated.
A blinding crimson light burst forth from the circle.
Its intensity was so overwhelming that the surrounding insects began to burn instantly. Their writhing bodies turned to ash before they could even get close.
At the same time, a flower with three red petals appeared on the girl's left hand.
Vivid markings, glowing as if engraved directly into her flesh.
Above the basement, the old man watched everything with eyes wide in pure shock.
His rigid body trembled slightly as he muttered to himself, unable to accept what was happening.
"This shouldn't be possible…"
His carefully prepared plan was now facing something he had never even considered.
"Even if the Fourth Holy Grail War is near… it shouldn't be possible to summon a Servant right now…"
Inside the magic circle, a figure began to take shape.
First, a crimson silhouette… then the contours of a male body.
Until finally, a blond young man appeared fully within the circle.
He stepped forward and then knelt before the little girl.
"I am a Berserker-class Servant. My name is Arthur Morgan. Answer me—are you my Master?"
A gentle smile appeared on his face as he looked at the girl.
Her gaze could no longer leave him.
The figure before her felt as solid as an unbreakable wall.
She didn't fully understand what had happened.
But she knew one thing.
Her hero had arrived at the moment she needed him most.
A miracle had been born from the sincere wish of a girl who, at the darkest moment of her life, still found the strength to cry out for help.
(End of Chapter)
A/N: Let's reach a consensus and say that no one in their right mind likes Zouken Matou