Chapter 18: The loyalty reward a knight deserves
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[Talent Energetic+ has been replaced with Blessing of the Lake+: You were brought to this place where Morgan was born. You are beginning to be recognized by this sacred and peaceful place. From now on, you will no longer feel tired, your resistance to magic has also improved, and some low-level magic can no longer affect you.]
[Once a terrible thought is born, it is difficult to eliminate.]
"When you start to realize how completely unfair this is to Morgan, you can no longer brush it off."
"You can't bear to see Morgan in so much pain, and it breaks your heart every moment."
"Stop it, Ian," Morgan said, stopping her sorrow-filled sobs. "I'm not sad anymore."
"Understood, my lady," Ian replied, his loyalty to Morgan beyond imagination. Morgan gave this order, and he followed, stopping beside her.
Morgan, who sat up from the grass, couldn't help but find it amusing to see Ian insisting on his duty even though he clearly had some ideas.
"Come here, let's sit closer."
"My Lady, this..."
"Ian, are you going to disobey my orders?"
The princess's orders were commands that must be obeyed absolutely. Ian didn't say anything else but sat down by the lake as Morgan requested. Morgan soon sat down next to this extremely loyal knight. This time, the two people were no longer in a superior-subordinate relationship but sat side by side.
[You were silent for a long time.]
[The breeze in the forest brushes across your faces, silently telling the passage of time.]
[Even so, you feel that this is one of the few good times in your life.]
[Although you are a healthy man, you still feel a thrill around Morgan.]
[At this moment, Morgan's hand touched yours, gently but politely.]
"I didn't scare you just now, did I?" Morgan's voice sounded a little worried. "Ian, you know, I'm not really..."
"It's alright, Princess," Ian replied with a smile. "It's my duty as a knight to help you forget your sorrow for a while."
Ian's words touched Morgan. It had been a long time since she had released her inner sadness like this.
"You are a loyal knight," Morgan said, bending down towards the lake and gently touching the water with her hand. Her hands, soaked in the lake water, looked even whiter and smoother. "I think it's time to reward you."
The next moment, Ian felt something wet—Morgan's hand touched his cheek.
"My Lady, you..."
"Don't you like it?" Morgan asked, supporting his chin with her other hand. "Then I can let go now."
"No, that's not what I meant."
"Isn't that right?" Morgan's feet gently splashed in the water. "But don't blame me for not telling you in advance. You are my pawn. Everything you can do is still within my control."
"My Lady, this is a little surprising to me."
"But you don't want me to let go, do you?" Morgan's mouth curled up slightly. "You said that you are loyal to me and I can do whatever I want."
"I understand, Princess..."
Morgan's fingers were long and delicate, as smooth as the skin on the soles of her feet, and they were extremely flexible because of the need to study magic. She wiped her fingers back and forth on Ian's cheek, showing a warm and nostalgic look.
"Ian, it seems like we haven't tried this kind of thing in years, right?"
"Yes, Princess," Ian took a deep breath. "You remember correctly, the last time I spent time with you like this was a long time ago."
"Then Vortigern must have shown you a lot of things, right?"
Ian shook his head. "No."
"That is a reward for trampling over the British knights. I cannot bring myself to accept it."
Morgan's expression turned into one of disbelief. "Ian, are you saying that you never accepted Vortigern's reward?"
"Yes," Ian nodded. "I never got anything from him."
Hearing this, the clever Morgan suddenly realized something. "Then Ian, haven't you been suffering in this situation for several years?"
"No, lurking for you, my lady, is not painful at all."
"…"
Morgan was silent for a long moment. Even though she knew Ian would never blame her, she still felt a little sad in her heart. Finally, her lips were no longer as tightly closed as before.
"I'm sorry, Ian, it's my unrealistic fantasies that have caused you to go through such years. You regret it, don't you?"
"No," Ian replied with a smile. "My Lady, I have said that I will never regret being loyal to you. Your order is the highest honor for me."
There is a lot of flattery in times of honor, but loyalty is revealed in times of loneliness. Morgan turned her face away and whispered in a vague voice:
"Are you... resenting me? If that's the case, you can just say it now."
"Thank you for your concern, Princess. These things are indeed painful for me," Ian answered very directly. "But Princess, all this can be changed for you. Princess, I will never resent you."
"How stupid..."
Morgan looked away but held Ian's hand tighter. "Do you think I'll feel guilty for you? You're just my pawn."
"My Lady, of course, I understand all of this."
"Then hold me tight," Morgan whispered. "Ian, you don't have as many chances as you think. If you miss this time, you don't know when the next time will be."
Morgan felt the warmth from Ian as they held each other's hands. With the princess's permission, the knight finally hugged the person he had been waiting for and protecting. A cool breeze blew through the entire forest, and everything returned to peace again.
"It's obviously very uncomfortable, right?" With her legs slightly apart, Morgan gently wrote her name on Ian's chest with her fingers—she felt a little confused inside. "Why didn't you explain it to me?"
"Because, my lady, you do not need my pain."
"Then I order you now," Morgan wrote her name. "If you have any ideas in the future, tell me immediately."
"Then Princess—" Ian looked directly at Morgan in his arms. "What if my idea is... I don't accept that you won't get the throne?"
You didn't notice one thing.
[That is, the clear lake water began to become slightly turbid when you said this.]
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