"So, why do you keep following me?"
The next morning, when Arthur arrived at the palace's main hall, he immediately noticed a familiar presence hidden among the enormous white stone pillars supporting the high ceiling. His eyes slowly moved in that direction before he let out a resigned sigh.
The soft morning light streamed through Camelot's stained-glass windows, casting colorful reflections across the polished floor as the young king turned around.
"You can come out now."
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Then, slowly, Nessa emerged from behind the pillar, walking forward with her arms crossed and an extremely serious expression on her delicate face.
"I need to stop any shameless women from plotting against you." Since her hiding place had already been discovered, Nessa gave up on concealing herself entirely and walked until she stopped in front of Arthur, staring at him as though she were carrying out an incredibly important mission.
Arthur stared at her for a moment, unsure whether to laugh or sigh.
"Do you have ulterior motives with me...?"
The moment Arthur finished speaking, he immediately noticed that Nessa was no longer looking at him. The girl's violet gaze had turned cautious, almost hostile, directed at a point behind him.
Arthur raised his eyes.
Then he saw Morgan.
The woman stood several meters behind them, wearing her usual elegant and dangerous smile. Her pale hair shimmered beneath the hall's light while her blue eyes observed the pair with nearly perverse amusement.
Could the "shameless woman" Nessa was referring to be Morgan...?
"Good morning, you two." Morgan smiled gently as she waved, looking absurdly friendly.
"Good morning." Arthur replied naturally before glancing back at Nessa.
But Nessa remained completely silent.
She merely tightened her grip on Arthur's arm even more, as though protecting something precious from an extremely dangerous predator. Her gaze never left Morgan Le Fay for even a single second.
The two stared at each other.
Then suddenly, Morgan moved without warning.
She leaned forward and kissed Nessa on the cheek while her tongue quickly brushed across the girl's face.
"Huh?!"
Nessa let out a muffled exclamation, her eyes widening in pure shock. Her entire body froze for an instant before she immediately released Arthur's arm and stumbled backward several hurried steps.
"What is it?" Morgan asked innocently, blinking slowly. "You didn't greet me. I thought you were going to greet me like that."
"That's obviously impossible!" Nessa shot Morgan a furious glare, her face slightly red from indignation.
But then she noticed Morgan leaning toward her again.
As if she genuinely intended to repeat it.
"Arthur, I'm going for a walk first. I'll see you tonight!"
Without even waiting for a response, Nessa turned and sprinted down the corridor at absurd speed, disappearing within seconds.
Arthur remained motionless.
Morgan simply watched the girl's figure vanish into the distance while a satisfied smile slowly appeared on her lips.
"What an innocent child."
Naturally, she knew why Nessa had arrived in Britain ahead of schedule. After that letter sent to the Land of Shadows, it was obvious that Scáthach had become worried about Arthur.
So she sent her daughter early.
But...
Who said Morgan only liked men?
Whether it was Lily, Arthur, or even Nessa... all of them were extremely delicious sweets in her eyes.
"Morgan... aren't you going a little too far?" Arthur asked while massaging his forehead, staring at the empty corridor where Nessa had fled.
"I was merely retaliating. Is that not allowed?" Morgan replied with a completely innocent expression.
Arthur opened his mouth, then gave up arguing.
Fine.
As long as this doesn't completely traumatize Nessa...
Although honestly, the emotional damage had probably already begun.
After this, Nessa would likely start feeling fear whenever she saw Morgan.
After all, even Arthur had to admit that Morgan's gaze looked frightening just now. Those blue eyes gleamed in a predatory manner, almost like a wolf staring at extremely interesting prey.
If even he felt slightly intimidated, it was no wonder Nessa had fled like that.
"How are the preparations for the party?" Arthur asked quickly, changing the subject before Morgan decided to chase Ushaha throughout the entire palace.
"Everything is nearly ready." Morgan replied while gazing toward some distant point within the castle. "If nothing unexpected happens, the Saxons have already begun moving. And those restless traitors are likely acting in the shadows as well."
Arthur remained silent for several seconds.
"Isn't this making too much noise...?" he murmured.
The original plan had been simple.
First, uncover the traitors.
Then deal with the external threats.
But Morgan accelerated everything.
She intended to use the ball to gather all the enemies at once, crush the Saxons' military strength, and simultaneously drag out the traitors hidden within Britain itself.
It was an extremely aggressive plan.
"Don't worry." Morgan slowly approached Arthur before lightly patting his head. "Unless a god personally decides to descend or Vortigern somehow obtains some absurd power from beyond, the Saxon leaders are merely small fish."
Her smile remained calm.
Confident.
Dangerously confident.
"Besides, my power is even greater within Britain." She continued. "And with that woman here... there is no one in this world capable of harming you."
"This time... I will eliminate every enemy at once."
Arthur silently observed Morgan.
She looked so calm it was almost absurd.
But honestly...
Perhaps she truly had reason to act that way.
Scáthach and Morgan le Fay.
Thinking about it rationally, that combination was practically equivalent to placing the goddess of victory herself on their side.
---
Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
During those five days, Nessa's original objective—protecting Arthur from Morgan's advances—changed completely.
Now, she was busy trying to protect herself.
In Nessa's opinion, Morgan was terrifying.
At first, she believed that woman was interested in Arthur.
But after spending several days in Camelot, she realized a horrifying truth.
Morgan did not only like Arthur.
She liked her as well.
And that was far worse.
That woman's gaze always seemed hungry whenever it landed on her. Morgan looked at Nessa like someone admiring an extremely delicious dessert.
Sometimes, it even felt as though she wanted to rip her clothes off immediately.
Because of that, whenever Nessa encountered Morgan in the palace corridors, she instantly fled like a small animal being chased by a predator.
And, to Morgan's complete amusement, that only made her even more adorable.
---
The ballroom was finally complete.
All the decorations had been finished perfectly.
Gigantic chandeliers illuminated the golden hall, court musicians waited near the main stage, maids silently walked among the guests, and the refined scent of expensive perfume mixed with the aroma of wine.
The nobles began arriving one after another.
"Duke Bell, I didn't expect you to arrive so early." Milo commented with an elegant smile when she saw the man approach.
"No matter how early someone arrives, it will never be earlier than you." The duke replied with a meaningful smile. "You played your cards very well, niece Milo."
After all, voluntarily handing over one's entire territory to King Arthur was impossible to ignore.
Either Milo was completely insane...
Or she was planning something grand.
And clearly, no one there believed she was an idiot.
One only needed to observe the way she spoke to the king.
Her relationship with the king had improved drastically.
"Arthur, you must be tired too, aren't you?" Milo asked gently as she turned toward him. "Why don't you go rest for a while? Leave the rest to me and Princess Morgan."
"There's no need." Arthur shook his head softly. "There are still tribal leaders who haven't arrived yet."
Then he added politely:
"But thank you for your concern."
"Of course." Milo smiled charmingly. "If you become tired, just let me know. Everyone will understand."
Many guests discreetly observed the girl.
She was beautiful.
Elegant.
Intelligent.
She knew how to converse with nobles.
She knew how to please the king.
She possessed political influence.
In the eyes of most people present, Milo was clearly a strong candidate for future queen.
Morgan slightly narrowed her eyes while observing the pink-haired girl.
It seems the previous lesson didn't frighten Milo at all...
But Morgan had no time to worry about that right now.
Her gaze slowly swept across the hall.
Tribal chiefs.
British nobles.
Knights of the Round Table.
Foreign guests.
Among them, there were certainly important members of the Saxons.
The game was finally about to begin.
However...
Morgan still could not find a certain woman.
Scáthach still had not arrived.
Does she truly not care that much about her own disciple?
Meanwhile, Arthur had also been discreetly searching for Scáthach since the beginning of the event.
But he still could not see her.
"It seems she still hasn't arrived..." he murmured softly.
Perhaps there was something she needed to resolve before leaving the Land of Shadows.
While thinking about that, he felt someone gently tugging on his sleeve.
Arthur turned his head.
It was Nessa.
"Mom arrived." She whispered. "She's outside the palace right now."
Arthur's eyes immediately lit up.
"Master...!"
Without even trying to hide his happiness, he quickly left the hall.
The nobles behind him were momentarily confused by the king's sudden reaction.
Even Morgan's smile vanished for an instant.
Judging by that...
It really was that woman.
Outside the palace, a figure was already waiting calmly.
The tight purple bodysuit perfectly outlined Scáthach's mature and flawless figure. Her long hair swayed gently in the night wind while her crimson eyes remained serene.
But the instant she saw Arthur hurriedly walking toward her—
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"You seem to have grown quite a bit."
She was not talking about height.
But presence.
The boy who once trained in the Land of Shadows now carried the natural dignity of a king.
"Master." Arthur stopped before her and slightly lowered his head in respect.
Master?
Almost all the nobles were shocked.
King Arthur had a master?
And she looked so young...
"Very well, very well." Morgan interrupted with an elegant smile. "You can continue this emotional reunion later. Why not come inside first?"
Scáthach briefly glanced at Morgan before looking away again.
"Let's go inside."
Arthur immediately nodded and returned to the hall beside her.
The nobles also began returning.
But then—
"Please wait a moment!"
Another voice echoed throughout the hall.
Everyone turned around.
The moment they saw who it was, their expressions immediately became respectful.
Sir Ector.
One of Britain's oldest knights.
A veteran from King Uther's wars.
Even rebellious tribal leaders showed him respect.
"Sir Ector." Arthur looked at the elderly knight with genuine respect. "Is there something you wish to say?"
Sir Ector slowly walked to the center of the hall.
First, he observed everyone present.
Then he turned toward Arthur.
And solemnly said:
"King Arthur... since your master is present tonight, why don't we take this opportunity to officially decide the position of Queen?"
---
(End of Chapter)