Chapter 17: Please cry with joy, My Princess
[You sense the sadness in Morgan's words.]
[You realize she is hiding many things from you.]
[However, at this moment, you know you must answer her question first.]
"Princess, no matter how things are." Ian knelt, scooping up the crystal-clear water of the lake, letting it gently flow over Morgan's feet.
"For now, I am your knight, and in the future, I will remain your knight."
"Stop lying, Ian." Morgan's gaze was filled with melancholy. "Sooner or later, you will leave me."
"Indeed, I cannot stay by your side forever, Princess," Ian replied in an even tone, neither fast nor slow.
"Because I will travel wherever you need me to, and I will gladly sacrifice my life for your goals if necessary."
"I cannot guarantee that I will always be by your side every moment, but I can promise that I will come the moment you call, even if I am in hell itself."
Other knights might not sound convincing saying such words.
But when Ian said them, it was merely a reaffirmation of his actions.
[Morgan cannot deny your words.]
[It seems she dislikes being refuted by you in such a way.]
[She begins to sulk.]
[She splashes the lake water at you with her feet, drenching your face.]
[You are not angry at this action.]
[On the contrary, you know Morgan is venting her frustrations this way, and it makes you feel happy.]
[After some time, she finally tires out.]
"Ian, why didn't you dodge?" Morgan asked between breaths, mumbling.
"Because you looked like you really wanted to do that," Ian replied honestly.
"Who said I wanted to do that?" Morgan glared at Ian. "Now let go of my leg."
"As you wish, Princess."
As the grip on her leg loosened, Morgan body tilted slightly forward.
Her jade-like legs, wrapped in the enchantment of her Magecraft, lightly brushed Ian's chin.
"Ian, don't you ever want to argue with me?"
"Perhaps I once did."
Ian raised his head, looking straight at Morgan.
She sat on the bank, her face slightly flushed from her earlier temper, her gentle breaths like a thin mist lingering around her lips.
"But when I look at you, Princess, I feel that the right or wrong of the matter no longer matters."
Morgan paused for a moment before continuing:
"Ian, you should know that I absolutely cannot love you... You are my pawn, and I can discard you whenever I wish."
"I understand, Princess."
Ian gently supported the foot resting against his chin.
"So, Princess, right or wrong does not matter to me. What matters is how you wish for me to think."
"Ian, are you saying this because of my father's orders?"
"No." Ian shook his head. "If it were because of the king's orders, then I should be taking you back to the royal palace right now."
"But since you don't want me to do that, I made my own choice."
[Once again, Morgan could not deny your words.]
[However, this time, she was not angry.]
[She ordered you to stop supporting her foot.]
[You complied.]
[But you did not expect that when you withdrew your hand, Morgan would not move her foot away.]
[She had her own thoughts.]
A gentle breeze blew through the forest, rustling the trees, and rays of sunlight filtered through the leaves, dancing over the two figures by the lake.
The surface of the water rippled with faint waves.
Morgan slowly lowered her foot into the water.
The clear water enveloped her foot, rising to her ankle, and then her calf.
The loyal knight noticed that the princess's foot had stopped at an exceedingly delicate position.
"Ian."
Morgan leaned forward slightly, flattening the soft grass beneath her with the motion.
"That night, was what you did also your own choice?"
Ian was no fool.
He knew what Morgan was referring to — the first night the two of them had crossed the line.
"Yes, Princess. That too was part of my choice."
"You filled me with endless desires, and I, a worthless being, could only repay you with my loyalty."
"So, in the end, it was all because of that..."
Morgan toes danced lightly in the water.
"Is that why you swore loyalty to me?"
"Not entirely, but not entirely not because of it either."
Ian endured the ticklish sensation, then took a deep breath.
"I admit that I've had many improper thoughts about you, Princess, and countless times, visions of your flawless body have surfaced in my mind."
"But what truly made me realize everything was the exhaustion I saw in you that night."
"I don't know what grievances you endured during the banquet, but seeing you like that broke my heart, even as someone who is merely your knight."
"I hoped that, in my own way, I could bring you joy and help you regain your smile."
"Of course, I won't deny there was selfishness in that as well."
Ian spoke with unwavering candor.
His bluntness left Morgan unable to reprimand him.
She understood that if, at this moment, she ordered Ian to draw his sword and take his own life for his insolent words, he would do so without hesitation.
Yet Morgan realized she could not bring herself to do such a thing.
"Ian, do you know my father has another child?"
Ian nodded.
"I do."
"It's the child who has brought joy and celebration to all of Britannia."
"Yes..." Morgan pressed her foot down slightly harder.
"My sorrow stems from that."
[The mystery of many years was finally unraveled.]
[Morgan told you everything she saw and heard during the banquet.]
[You came to understand that Morgan had already anticipated the arrival of such a child, and from King Uther demeanor, she had sensed the importance he placed on this infant.]
[She realized she had been overlooked.]
[She tried to resist, but the outcome remained unchanged.]
[The moment she received Uther decree to return to the capital, she knew she was destined to become a forsaken princess.]
"Princess..."
Ian stood up from the water.
"Ian, what are you doing?!" Morgan was visibly displeased with his action. "Didn't you say you would always be my knight?!"
"Indeed, Princess. I will always be your knight."
Ian pushed Morgan down onto the grassy bank by the lake. The lush grass flattened under her, bending and parting like a collapsing army.
"I cannot bear to see you in such sorrow."
"Please cry with joy, My Princess."
[Morgan did not resist you.]
[She wept uncontrollably beneath you, her hands clutching tightly at you, leaving marks on your body.]
[It was the first time you had seen her like this.]
[You knew she wasn't crying because of your actions but because the humiliation and neglect she had endured for years had finally erupted.]
[You began to feel that all of this was profoundly unjust to Morgan.]
[A terrifying thought emerged in your mind.]
[You wanted to overthrow everything for Morgan sake.]
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