*g* Denial is so much fun. And canon!wise, Arthur does pay an awful lot of overt attention to him that's not explained. More than you'd expect him to pay a servant. And it all makes me wonder just how secret Merlin's magic really is, because under that much scrutiny, and as bad a liar as Merlin is...

I'm so glad you liked the characterisations -- what I love about the show is how Arthur manages to not only be snotty, but almost to be deserving of it. I'm so happy that it came across here.