Bonus Chapter!
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"Morgan... so you're here too?"Uther, wearing his crown and with chestnut hair now flecked with gray, had just stepped out of the carriage. He hadn't yet found Kaelar or Artoria when he spotted two tall, handsome young men.
He recognized them as Morgan's "beloved sons," who now served as lords under the Kingdom of Camelot, each ruling a territory under Morgan's name.
Gawain and Agravain held their mother in the highest regard, and thus had little love for Uther, the "old tyrant."
Gawain's hand rested on the hilt of his sword, Excalibur Galatine, a blade forged by the fae of Avalon, imbued with a faint holy radiance. He said coolly, "If you can be here, King Uther, then why can't I?"
King to king—Uther would never lower himself to answer such insolence personally. That would only diminish his authority.
Ector, standing nearby, frowned. "Sir Gawain, you are speaking most disrespectfully to our king!"
"My lord's liege is not my king," Gawain retorted sharply. "I answer only to my mother, Morgan le Fay."
"Maple Ridge is my domain, Sir Gawain," Ector replied coolly. "If you continue to insult my lord, the true King of the Celts, I'll have no choice but to expel you."
"Then go ahead and try," Gawain sneered. "Even though the sun has set, I think I could still—"
"Gawain!" Agravain's harsh voice cut him off, his expression as hard as iron. "Don't cause trouble for Lady Morgan, and do not provoke the lord of Maple Ridge."
"Tch!" Gawain clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "I'm not so arrogant as to challenge Kaelar without sunlight..."
"Enough." Gawain gave a half-hearted, almost mocking bow. "Your Majesty, you may go inside. Lady Morgan, Lord Kaelar, and the 'star of the show' are all present."
Uther felt a pang of discomfort at Gawain's biting tone, but not because of the disrespect. What unsettled him was that events had slipped out of his control.
Kaelar had actually invited Morgan, and judging by the situation, they seemed to share a close relationship...
Could someone like him truly be trusted?
Would he stand with Morgan or with Arthur?
But before Uther's worries could deepen, the prosperity of Maple Ridge left him in shock... Was such splendor really achievable by human hands?
Camelot, the Unfallen, thrived because it lay at the heart of the waning Age of Gods—a land blessed as the final retreat of divine power on the island of Britain. Its prosperity was a gift of the environment.
Yet here stood Maple Ridge, which had faced years of declining harvests and dwindling resources since Kaelar's youth, still far surpassing the capital city of Camelot in wealth and splendor.
Practical infrastructure abounded here, the likes of which Camelot couldn't even begin to imagine.
The Saxons labored alongside the Celts, and aside from their hair color, there was little to distinguish them. There were no signs of the pervasive prejudice that plagued other lands, nor the bitter ethnic tensions that were commonplace elsewhere.
Kaelar's relentless efforts over more than a decade had finally borne fruit in Maple Ridge. The people no longer judged others by their race, but by the nobility of their character.
"So this... is Kaelar's enlightenment?"
Uther was no fool. He had studied Kaelar's principles over the years, but like Duke Ector, he had always considered them far too idealistic.
Today, however, he saw the real results of Kaelar's work.
Kaelar had truly captured the hearts of an entire people. He had transformed the Saxons from the Celts' fiercest enemies into allies—no, more than allies. In the future, the two peoples would be one nation, one family.
Unlike the stubborn and traditional Ector, Uther, as a ruler, was pragmatic. If he could see that Kaelar's methods were effective in subduing a populace, any lingering hostility towards the Saxons vanished from his heart.
Uther thought to himself, Now, I just need to determine if Kaelar will pledge his loyalty to Arthur.
Then he saw Kaelar, standing alongside Artoria, guiding her hand as she smoothed cream over a cake. Nearby was Morgan, assisting—or perhaps, pretending to assist—Kaelar.
"Morgan, you said you'd come to help me, but I see you're sneaking extra cream for yourself," Kaelar teased, catching her hand mid-act. Morgan turned her head aside, looking indifferent, and stubbornly claimed, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Kaelar snapped his fingers, and the hidden cream floated back to its proper place. He sighed, exasperated. "Morgan, did you forget my magic is elemental reconstruction? Who do you think you're fooling with a cheap trick like that?"
Morgan dropped the pretense and huffed, "Damn, I forgot to cast a warding spell."
"That would've made it even more obvious..." Kaelar rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Forget it, if you don't want to help, just sit there and play at being commander. But stop making things harder for me."
Thank you, Morgan. If it weren't for your 'help,' this cake would've been done an hour ago.
Morgan tilted her head and noticed Uther, his expression a mix of shock and bewilderment. Even after all these years apart, and despite his visibly frail state, she recognized him instantly.
Especially that look on his face. For a brief moment, Morgan felt a flash of irritation, but she knew Uther too well. In that instant, she decided to strike a blow he wouldn't soon forget.
Morgan crossed her arms and said, "My dear student Kaelar, it seems you've become quite skilled at making cakes. I wonder... when my birthday comes around, will you make me an even bigger one?"
Her voice carried a subtle magical undertone, but there was no malice. Kaelar, oblivious to Morgan's little manipulation, simply nodded. "Sure, why not? You're Lily's sister, after all. I'll make an even bigger cake for you then."
Kaelar thought nothing of it. After all, just a few hours earlier, Morgan had demonstrated a bottomless appetite to rival Artoria's. For a fae queen with such a voracious appetite, making a larger cake seemed entirely reasonable.
"Excellent, Kael... then this is our new covenant: The cake I receive shall be bigger than Arthur's!"
As Morgan spoke, a glowing mark appeared on the back of her hand, as if etched in ink—a symbol of the binding Geis.
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