Arthur felt a little depressed.
He sighed quietly, sensing a strange weight in his chest. I trusted you so much, he thought. And yet you never told me the truth.
Back then, couldn't you have simply said that the dragon blood you gave me came from Vortigern?
If you had spoken openly, how could I possibly have refused?
So what if it came from a rebellious dragon? As long as it was powerful enough, that would never have been a problem for me!
Then why hide the truth? Why keep it secret for so long? And now, after all this time, you decide to reveal everything like this...
Where did the gentle, lovely, honest older sister I once knew go? When did she become like this?
Do you think I'm the kind of person who would refuse something just because it involves Vortigern's blood?
Definitely not!
If necessary, you could even drain all of Vortigern's blood, and I still wouldn't care...
"Are you angry?" Morgan asked, carefully observing Arthur's clearly dissatisfied expression.
"Of course!" Arthur replied, turning abruptly before entering his room.
Morgan pressed her hand against the door, preventing him from closing it. Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Why did you suddenly become so cold? Don't you even want to hear my explanation?"
"Sorry, I'm sleepy. We can talk tomorrow," Arthur replied coldly before shutting the door.
It was not a pleasant feeling to imagine that everything had been happening exactly according to someone else's plan. It made it seem as though every step he had taken so far had simply followed the script Morgan had written.
Even his descent into the basement to meet Vortigern seemed to have been calculated by her.
In other words, almost every interaction between them might have been part of a grand scheme.
Thinking about it that way, it was impossible not to feel hurt.
Morgan had not directly done anything against him. However, she had hidden something extremely important: the fact that the dragon blood came from Vortigern. And only now, after so much time had passed, she had guided him down to the basement to reveal the entire truth.
But what would come next?
What would the next step in her plan be?
What did she intend to do now?
Was all of this really just a simple desire to make him stronger?
Or was there some hidden benefit behind it?
As Arthur recalled all the interactions he had shared with Morgan over the past years, and considered that even the seemingly harmonious relationship between them might have been part of her plan, he began to feel deeply uncomfortable.
If I had known it would end like this... maybe it would have been better to stay in the Land of Shadows.
Arthur lay down on the bed.
The bed was large, and the blankets were soft—almost excessively luxurious. Yet for some reason, it made him uncomfortable. The place felt strange and unfamiliar. Without realizing it, he began to miss Scáthach and Nessa.
If I were in the Land of Shadows right now, I'd probably be talking with my master... maybe Nessa would also be around, bothering me...
But now I'm completely alone in this strange place.
Suddenly, someone gently touched his back with the tip of a finger.
Arthur didn't even need to turn around. He already had a strong suspicion about who was behind him. After all, there was only one person capable of entering his room without anyone noticing.
Morgan le Fay.
"Why are you angry?" she asked again. Her voice sounded soft and pleasant.
She truly was a witch.
At that moment, her voice seemed even more seductive, vibrating gently in the air and causing Arthur's heart to beat faster involuntarily.
"Are you upset because you felt that the gentle Morgan deceived you, so you decided to make this scene?" she continued.
Arthur remained silent.
Soon after, her hand slid around his waist.
"Do you really think I would hurt you?" Morgan whispered near his ear.
"No… that's not it…" Arthur finally replied, his voice filled with frustration. "But it's still uncomfortable."
If all of this had been planned by Morgan… then the relationship they had shared until now had also been part of that plan?
If even that bond had only been a piece in a game… then everything had merely been a façade.
Morgan remained silent for a moment. Then, slowly, a genuine smile appeared on her face.
"I see… so that's it."
She tilted her head slightly.
"You're upset because you feel that I wasn't sincere with you… and you think everything I did was simply part of a plan."
Arthur didn't answer.
Did she have to say it so directly?
It was a little embarrassing to hear his own thoughts exposed like that.
"Turn around," Morgan suddenly said.
Arthur remained still.
"Turn around," she repeated, this time with an imperative tone—the voice of someone accustomed to being obeyed, like an empress giving an order.
With little choice, Arthur finally turned around.
Morgan's deep blue eyes met his.
In the next instant, she raised her hand and gently pulled his face against her chest, softly stroking his hair.
"Don't worry. At first, I only intended to use you to control Lily… but I changed my mind a long time ago."
After a few seconds, Morgan released Arthur and looked directly into his eyes.
"Yes, I am using you. But believe me—there will never be another person I could use this way."
She paused briefly before adding:
"After all, no one uses someone else while risking becoming emotionally involved."
Arthur was momentarily confused. However, when he saw the sincerity in her eyes, he lowered his gaze.
"I understand."
"So you're not angry anymore?" Morgan asked with a faint smile.
"At first… I wasn't even that angry," Arthur murmured.
In truth, he had considered expressing his irritation by kicking Morgan out of the room… but deep down, he simply couldn't feel anger toward her.
Morgan had never truly harmed him.
Quite the opposite.
She had been one of the people who helped him the most in the past. She had granted him the blessing of the goddess of death. For more than four years, she had taught him magic every single day. After that, she had even given him the blood of the White Dragon.
Even though she hadn't told him that the blood came from Vortigern, it had never caused him any harm.
Everything seemed to have had a purpose… but the words she had just spoken were filled with sincerity.
Without a doubt, Morgan was being serious.
If he ignored that, he would simply be petty.
After thinking about it that way, the remaining anger within Arthur completely disappeared.
"Do you still want Vortigern's blood?" Morgan suddenly asked. "I let you see him so you could make your own decision. Once you completely absorb his essence, you will become the next White Dragon of Britannia."
She sighed softly.
"But by now, you probably don't want that dragon blood anymore. After all, it's the blood of an evil dragon. Even if it's powerful, I imagine you wouldn't want something like that, right?"
Arthur remained silent for a few moments before answering.
"Morgan… you said earlier that I would finish absorbing the White Dragon's blood in six months, right?"
Morgan nodded.
"Yes. Why ask that suddenly?"
"Would the effect be better if I absorbed it for a few more months?" Arthur continued. "Why don't you just drain all of Vortigern's remaining blood?"
Morgan fell silent.
"..."
Her worries had clearly been unnecessary.
Arthur simply didn't care about that detail.
"Even if you don't mind, six months is the limit. Absorbing more will have no additional effect," Morgan explained, her cold fingers gently sliding along Arthur's face.
What a pity...
If only it were possible to absorb all the essence and blood of that White Dragon.
Arthur couldn't help but feel a small sense of regret.
While those thoughts ran through his mind, a wave of drowsiness began to overcome him.
Arthur looked at Morgan, who was still lying beside him.
"I'm going to sleep now, Morgan."
"Then sleep. Don't worry about me being here," she replied with a calm smile.
"How am I supposed to sleep with you here…" Arthur complained.
Ever since she entered the room, a faint fragrance had filled the air. The scent resembled the petals of some delicate flower. Without a doubt, Morgan had taken a bath recently, and that elegant and seductive aroma emanated from her.
"Do you want me to leave?" she asked.
"That depends on yo—"
Before Arthur could finish the sentence, Morgan leaned closer and blew gently into his ear.
"Now that your master and your sister aren't here… it's just the two of us in the palace."
She whispered:
"Don't you want to do something?"
"No," Arthur replied, trying to sound indifferent.
Morgan let out a soft laugh.
"Hehehe… and yet you're already quite excited down there."
Arthur immediately turned his face away, clearly unable to refute her teasing.
One day you'll pay for this, Morgan.
Morgan watched his reaction and sighed.
"What a pity. I was planning to show you a kind of pleasure that neither your master nor that girl could give you… but it seems you're not interested."
As she spoke, her fingertips lightly brushed against his cheek.
A few seconds later, however, the warmth surrounding the bed began to fade.
Morgan stood up and adjusted her clothes.
"Get some rest. We need to leave early tomorrow."
She cast one last glance at him.
"But considering that the power of the White Dragon now flows through your veins, you probably won't be very tired… even if you stay awake all night."
After that, Morgan left the room.
Silence once again filled the space.
Only after hearing the door close did Arthur release a long sigh of relief… although, strangely enough, he also felt a slight disappointment.
Perhaps that was simply how men worked.
He had said he wasn't interested, but deep down a part of him had expected something to happen. If the situation had continued any longer, he might really have lost control.
To be honest, the fact that he had managed to restrain himself that much was already surprising.
Morgan was a breathtakingly beautiful woman. When she asked, "Don't you want to do something fun?", any normal man probably would have given in.
Arthur lightly slapped his own face.
Focus… focus.
Let's concentrate on resting. The real training begins tomorrow.
It was still impossible to know what kind of training Morgan had planned for him.
Arthur stared at the dark ceiling while those thoughts slowly passed through his mind.
Before he realized it…
Another night had passed.
The next morning, Arthur was awakened by Morgan.
"This time you won't be training alone," she said while guiding him through the palace corridors. "So you won't have to worry about feeling lonely during training."
"I won't be training alone?" Arthur asked, walking beside her, curious about the person she was referring to.
As they crossed the corridor, a strand of hair swaying gently in the breeze caught his attention.
Arthur froze completely.
"Why are you here too?!"
He rubbed his eyes in disbelief as he looked at the girl standing before him.
Had Morgan kidnapped Artoria?!
(End of Chapter)