Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

Just as everyone was enjoying a hot pot feast, the Lion King in the palace stared at a large bowl of strange-looking mashed potatoes made from eyeballs that had been served on the table and fell into a long silence.

Finally, the goddess looked up at an empty dining table and slowly began to speak.

Where's Kai?

"Sir Kay said he had some ideas about a proposal from the morning roundtable, so he went to inquire about it."

Upon hearing this, Bedivere, who was engrossed in his meal, stood up and responded.

Is this Sister Wang's house?

In a thoughtful murmur, flames flickered slightly in those golden-green eyes, melting away the solid ice.

Chapter 81 I'm here to bankrupt your family

At Morgan Mansion, just as everyone was enjoying their meal, a rhythmic knocking came from outside the door. Kay, quite consciously, got up and went to open the door.

However, the moment the door opened, Kai stared in disbelief at the figure outside, clad in silver knight's armor and wearing a miniature golden British crown.

"Ah... Artoria?"

Immediately, Kai snapped back to his senses, quickly stopped speaking, straightened his posture, and bowed solemnly. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, he obscured the half-open door behind him and the scene inside the courtyard, his lowered gaze somewhat unfocused.

"Ahem, my apologies, Your Majesty, what brings you here?"

The Lion King frowned, paused for a moment, then relaxed his brows and spoke thoughtfully.

"Regarding the proposal to abolish the right of first night this morning, I have some questions I'd like to ask Sister Wang. Yes, that's it..."

Kai stared at the solemn Lion King before him, momentarily lost in thought, and muttered to himself involuntarily.

Why does this sound so familiar?

Immediately, Kai snapped back to his senses, his facial muscles twitching slightly.

Wait, isn't this my reason for running away?

However, before Kai could react, the Lion King had already pushed open the door with one hand and walked in on his own.

The group of people, who were enjoying a hot pot meal, were stunned by the unexpected visitor, and an eerie silence fell over the courtyard.

pat...

As Samael's fork "accidentally" slipped from his hand and fell onto the table, Morgan, realizing what had happened, frowned and asked a question indifferently.

"Why aren't you staying in the palace? What are you doing here?"

"There are some government affairs I'd like to hear Sister Wang's opinion on."

The Lion King's response this time was more fluent, but his golden-green eyes fell on the boiling soup pot on the table and the roast meat on everyone's plates.

Morgan has always harbored a strong sense of repulsion towards his sister who took everything from him, and it would be best to never have anything to do with her again unless absolutely necessary.

Now, this woman has unexpectedly come to visit. Morgan, unsure of her true intentions, can't help but anticipate the worst, his face displeased, and he can't help but coldly retort.

"Can't we talk in the palace?"

"It's a bill about abolishing the right of first night. There's too much resistance. Yes, it's more convenient to discuss it privately."

As the Lion King pondered deeply, he answered earnestly, as if some rusty mechanical part within him was creaking and turning.

Seeing Artoria's serious expression, Morgan's expression softened slightly.

The two sisters gazed at each other so closely, their faces identical, yet their fates were drastically different.

Kai, who had closed the door and quietly slipped back into the yard, sensed the inexplicable pressure between the two sisters and couldn't help but feel a little scared, fearing that they might start fighting at the slightest disagreement.

"Ahem, how about we sit down and talk?"

"Yes, since you are a guest, please sit down first."

Fortunately, Kai reacted in time. He exchanged a glance with his fellow sufferer sitting next to him, nodded to each other, and with stiff smiles, each led one of them to their seats.

However, after taking his seat, Morgan harbored doubts and remained silent, waiting for the other party to make a move. This Lion King, who had come to seek advice, also fell silent again, like an old computer that had crashed.

Everyone kept their eyes down, their noses closed, like clay or wooden sculptures sitting around a hot pot, with only the sound of the boiling broth filling the room.

Finally, the greedy Bawanxi couldn't sit still any longer. She quietly reached out with a slotted spoon and caught the playful lamb rolls floating in the soup pot, like a mouse stealing cheese.

Since no one was vying for it, the other side of the little imp's fork was completely filled with a thick skewer.

But the moment she put the fork back, all eyes immediately focused on the little girl.

Immediately, Bawanshi shrank back, her face stiffening as if she were being pricked by thorns. She had no choice but to pout, obediently get up, and with a mournful face, scrape the lamb rolls back into the pot one by one.

Through the rising steam from the soup pot, Samael's eyes met the gaze falling upon it. He seemed lost in thought, then turned to the human-shaped wooden stake sitting opposite him and tentatively asked a question.

"How about we grab a bite to eat together first?"

"it is good!"

In an instant, the old, rusty machine seemed to receive some coded instruction; its eyes flickered, and it immediately nodded.

really!

At this moment, Samael finally realized the real reason why the Lion King had come to visit. While asking Freya to bring a spare set of cutlery and sauce, he secretly rubbed his forehead and complained.

Soon, the Lion King, who had been assigned the tableware, quickly got into position and stood ready, his serious gaze falling upon them.

"Lord Samael, is it ready to eat?"

"Ahem, okay, eat up."

Samael snapped out of his daze and nodded repeatedly. The Lion King, having received the input instructions, followed the example of the others and, from his initial clumsiness, mastered how to use the new tableware.

But then, the Lion King became more and more skilled, and his speed in snatching food also increased.

Two plates of freshly cooked lamb rolls were quickly devoured by Artoria, causing ripples of ethereal energy to appear in the air. The meat slices on Artoria's plate were visibly piled up to fill the bowl.

As soon as everyone picked up their chopsticks, they stared at the empty bowl of clear soup, their right hands frozen in mid-air, exchanging bewildered glances.

Seeing that this ignorant child king was planning to bankrupt their family, Samael glared at the instigator with annoyance.

"Kai, we're out of meat. Go to the market and buy another sheep."

Kai, having realized the crux of the problem, naturally felt obligated to take responsibility.

Although he was being ordered around, Kai's gaze as he stood up and looked back quietly fell on the Lion King, who was enjoying his meal. A faint smile appeared on his lips.

It's been such a long, long time since I've felt this way...

However, just as he reached the door, the goddess beside him put down her chopsticks, elegantly wiped her mouth, slowly raised her hand, and looked solemn.

"Two of them, I want one too."

"..."

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter, and some were even at a loss for words.

So you think this is just for us to eat?

Even so, no one corrected the Lion King's mistake. For them, food was necessary but not essential. They could survive by absorbing ether, but it did not provide the pleasure of satiety or the stimulation of their taste buds.

So, it's just two sheep; with a little time, they can be eaten in one meal.

If there isn't enough broth or prepared sauce, you can always change the cooking method: stir-fry, grill, salt-baked, make soup, or stir-fry with vinegar. There are plenty of ways to cook it, enough to satisfy their cravings.

As Kai went off to prepare the meal, Samael, while laboriously rinsing vegetables, broke the silence at the table by casually asking the person across from him, who was waiting for the "eating instruction," a question that sounded like a casual chat.

"Your Majesty, if I may ask, was no meal prepared for you at the palace today?"

The Lion King paused, his eyes flashing, and nodded slightly, giving a firm answer.

"no!"

Meanwhile, inside the royal palace.

The invincible Gao Wenqing finished his work and returned to the council hall. He was stunned when he saw the two potato-mashed mountains on the round table where his name was engraved, and they were almost big enough to bury him.

Why do I have two copies?

"Oh, Wang saw that you were working so hard and was worried that one serving wouldn't be enough for you. She said she wasn't hungry, so she gave you her own portion as well."

Bedivere, who remained in the lobby organizing documents, offered a casual explanation.

"But I'm not hungry."

"Wang said, you must be hungry..."

Okay, I'm hungry.

"Since it is the king's favor, I should accept it with gratitude and have no way to refuse..."

Under Bedivere's earnest gaze, Gawain snapped out of his reverie and nodded solemnly.

That's more like it. How could we let down the king's favor? Bedivere's expression softened slightly.

Then, Gao Wen took a deep breath, turned to look at the two mountains of mashed potatoes in front of him, and muttered to himself.

"Two copies..."

"Actually, there are three..."

Bedivere put down the neatly arranged documents, gave a serious correction, and then took out a large portion of mashed potatoes from the nearby cupboard and placed it in front of Gawain.

"I forgot to tell you, Sir Kay was absent today due to important matters. Before he left, he left a message saying that he would entrust his share to you as well."

"..."

Surrounded by three mountains of mashed potatoes, the Sun Knight was somewhat stunned and spoke with a troubled expression.

"If you don't want to eat it, you can throw it in the kitchen to dispose of..."

"I'm afraid that won't work. Sir Kay said that every penny of the budget must be spent properly. Knights cannot waste food, so I'm leaving it to you."

Bedivere shook his head slightly, his tone gentle yet firm.

Without waiting for Gawain's response, Bedivere picked up a document, stood up, and said goodbye.

"I have other things to take care of, so I'll leave these to you."

The door creaked shut, leaving only Gawain sitting at the round table in the large meeting hall, staring blankly at the three enormous bowls of mashed potatoes, his brow furrowed in deep thought.

After eating these, you probably won't need to eat anything for three or four days, right?

At this moment, in the Witch's House.

After a sumptuous mutton feast, the guests and hosts were all in high spirits. The entire courtyard resembled a hunting ground invaded by lions, with white, fine mutton bones scattered everywhere.

The trio of Bavanshi, Melusin, and Bagst, who were assigned tasks, were responsible for tidying up the courtyard, while Habertlot assisted Freya in washing the dishes, and Samael and Kai served drinks and refreshments in a tacit manner, acting as mediators.

Since he was there to discuss serious matters in good faith, Morgan disdained to hide anything and simply told the Lion King his thoughts and what he had seen and heard.

"So, you just want to abolish the outdated practice of the right of first night?"

The Lion King seemed lost in thought, but his face remained largely expressionless, showing little empathy or concern for the so-called suffering of the common people.

"Actually, it's not just a matter of customs."

Seeing this, Samael offered an explanation.

"The right of first night can lead to some serious problems. On the one hand, those who do not want their wives to be humiliated will choose to flee, resulting in land abandonment and population loss."

On the other hand, many men had to spend large sums of money to redeem the rights that rightfully belonged to them from the lord in order to preserve their wives' chastity. Moreover, there was no such thing as a fair price for such redemption. How much the lord wanted to squeeze out of ordinary people depended entirely on his attitude and intentions.

This will exacerbate class conflict, making the poor poorer and the rich richer, enriching the lords, exploiting the people, and making it difficult to collect taxes from the state.

Considering the bigger picture, the Lion King's expression finally softened slightly.

"Ahem, let me interject. The taxes of commoners are paid to the lords in various regions. The royal family only has the right to conscript lords, but does not have the right to collect taxes from commoners beyond their own rank."

As he spoke, Kai couldn't help but cough lightly to remind him.

Samael was slightly taken aback, realizing that his common sense had been overlooked.

Not all countries are like that great Eastern power, which has strong control over the grassroots level, with household registration and the emperor's word mobilizing the entire population.

In feudal Europe, these so-called feudal lords, both large and small, wielded extraordinary power in their own territories. One of their powers was the ability to levy taxes independently, a power that, according to tradition, the king had no right to interfere with.

They were more like kings, large and small, than lords.

No wonder the country is so fragmented; even the Lion King showed little interest in the nationwide abolition of the right of the first night.

Ultimately, the king's power has not yet extended to the common people. Excessive interference in the lords' self-determination would only incite their discontent and shake the foundations of the state.

Even if a lord plunders the people in his territory, even if he is wicked and oppressive, as long as he can guarantee the supply of wealth to the royal family and accept conscription on time, that is enough.