Chapter 4. Morgan Hypothetical Foe
The moonlit encounter was a fleetingly beautiful moment, but time moved ever onward.
[Morgan kept the events of that night a closely guarded secret. No one knew that a knight like you had stolen the princess's first night.]
[She remembered your name and selected you from among countless knights to serve as her trusted retainer.]
[Yet, you never again saw the sorrow of that night in Morgan's eyes, nor did you touch her body once more.]
[She deliberately kept her distance from you, never speaking your name in public. The relationship between the two of you seemed permanently fixed as princess and knight.]
[You felt a tinge of sadness but understood that this was inevitable. A noble princess like Morgan could never admit to having been intoxicated and spending the night with you.]
[Months passed until, one day, she summoned you.]
"Sir Knight," Morgan's maid said respectfully to Ian, who stood before her.
"The Princess has requested your presence immediately."
"Is that so?" Ian replied, turning to her. "Understood. I will go at once."
Walking down the palace corridors, Ian stopped before the door that had once altered his fate. He knocked lightly on it.
"Who is it?" Morgan's voice called from within.
"It's me, Princess, your knight—Ian."
"Enter."
With Morgan's permission, Ian pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Morgan stood before a mirror, arms crossed over her chest, a stern expression on her face as she gazed at her reflection.
"Come here, Ian."
Uncertain of her intentions, Ian obeyed. Following the princess's command was the knight's duty. He slowly approached her side.
"Princess."
"Don't look at me. Look at the mirror."
Ian complied, shifting his focus to the mirror.
[You looked into the mirror and saw a face that was both unfamiliar and familiar.]
[It bore some resemblance to Morgan but also had features that starkly contrasted with hers.]
[The image in the mirror was unstable, flickering and disappearing after a moment.]
[You realized it might be Morgan's Magecraft, but you refrained from commenting on it.]
"How was it?"
Morgan lifted her head, looking at the tall knight standing beside her.
"The person you just saw, Ian, what was your first impression?"
"My Princess, the first impression you're asking about is…"
"The first word that comes to your mind," Morgan replied. "Ian, answer me now."
"Understood."
Ian gazed into the mirror, now restored to its normal state, and answered:
"Princess, my answer is… you."
"Me?"
"Yes, Princess." Ian looked straight at Morgan. "In that mirror, I saw you."
Morgan lips curled into a faint smile, but it was quickly replaced by a somber expression.
"Ian, you're lying."
"The person in the mirror was clearly not me."
"True, it wasn't entirely you," Ian didn't deny Morgan words.
"But because I saw parts that resembled you, and those were all I focused on, to me, it was you—you are that person."
"Hmph." Morgan let out a cold laugh.
"Ian, by your reasoning, as long as someone resembles me, you'd consider them to be me and pledge your loyalty to them, is that it?"
"Is that what you call loyalty?"
"That could never be the case," Ian replied firmly. "A knight's loyalty is given only once, and mine has already been given to you, My Princess."
[Morgan fell silent at your irrefutable response.]
[She gently touched the mirror, making the previous image reappear.]
[She explained to you that this was Magecraft, a type of Magecraft she had personally developed.]
[You believed her completely because you knew she was one of the few Magus in all of Britannia capable of rivaling Merlin.]
[You asked her about the person in the mirror, but she admitted she didn't know.]
[You realized she had used herself as a model to create an imagined enemy, which was why the face was both like and unlike her own.]
"Princess, why would you do such a thing?"
Ian looked at the mirror.
"An enemy that doesn't exist will only bring you more trouble. It's best to eliminate it."
"She's not a nonexistent enemy, she…"
Morgan paused, realizing she had almost misspoken.
She turned her head away and corrected herself:
"This has nothing to do with you, Ian. You are just a knight. What you know is for me to decide."
"Indeed." Ian lowered his head and apologized.
"Princess, forgive my impertinence."
"..."
"I am not angry." Morgan adjusted her emotions, unwilling to argue further.
"Ian, to you, was your first reaction when seeing the image in the mirror truly just me?"
"Yes, Princess."
Ian answered without hesitation, a manner of response Morgan favored most. It symbolized loyalty and straightforwardness.
Morgan no longer doubted him as she had earlier.
She sat on the edge of her bed, beginning to issue orders with the authority of a monarch.
"Ian, kneel."
With just one command, her knight knelt on one knee.
This absolute obedience brought a faint, almost imperceptible smile to Morgan face—one that quickly vanished.
She parted her thin lips slightly:
"Ian, you haven't spoken to anyone about what happened that night, have you?"
"I have never mentioned it to anyone."
Morgan didn't doubt Ian's words.
After all, if it were exposed, she might only lose her honor, but he would be erased from the land of Britannia.
Morgan lifted her leg slightly.
Her slender, pale white foot rested against Ian's forehead, leaving faint marks on his skin.
The image of absolute submission from the other seemed to grant Morgan a sense of satisfaction. She continued speaking:
"It seems you're not entirely foolish—at least you know how to preserve your own life."
"But let me remind you, as of now, to me, you are nothing more than ashes after a fleeting night of pleasure—easily blown away at any moment."
"I do not like you, and I will never develop any feelings for you, as I have no need for such entanglements."
"Ian, tell me—do you understand this clearly?"
"Yes, I understand completely, Princess."
"This is the burden I must bear."
[Morgan was very satisfied with your submission, as though it granted her a sense of grasping something untouchable.]
[But that wasn't the sole reason she summoned you.]
[She retrieved a sword from the shadows, engraved with her name.]
[She planted the sword beside you.]
[You realized she likely intended to entrust you with another mission.]