[Every word Morgan spoke carved itself into your soul.]
[Though you had never seen the False King Vortigern before, the devastation he and his army had wrought upon Britain was proof enough that he was no ordinary foe.]
[You knew from the very moment she spoke those words—this was a mission with no chance of victory.]
[Morgan was sending you to your death. There was no other way to interpret her command.]
Yet, despite understanding this, Rei did not hesitate.
He responded with only a single sentence:
"Understood, Princess."
Morgan gazed at the knight kneeling before her.
For the first time, a flicker of emotion appeared in her deep blue eyes.
But it was not affection.
Only… confusion.
"Rei… do you actually believe you can accomplish this?"
"No." Rei shook his head. "I have never met Vortigern, but I know he will be a formidable foe."
"Then why do you not refuse me?"
"No knight would ever reject the command of the one to whom he has sworn fealty." Rei answered firmly.
"Princess, I am no exception."
"And if you never return?" Morgan asked, her gaze unwavering.
"Then I will not return."
[Morgan fell silent.]
[She had planned to mock you—to taunt your cowardice, to provoke you into accepting out of wounded pride.
Yet, she had never expected your loyalty to surpass even her calculations.
You hadn't even asked what the task entailed. You simply agreed.
For the first time, she chose to believe in your loyalty.
"Come with me, Rei."
Morgan stood.
"I grant you permission to bathe in my presence."
The setting sun cast a golden glow over the palace corridors, painting a scene that seemed almost poetic.
Rei walked in silence, following the princess who had kept him locked away from the outside world for years.
For a brief moment, he felt a strange sense of detachment.
It had been so long since he had last seen the sky, the fading light of day.
"Rei, do you like this place?"
Morgan's voice broke the silence. She was still walking ahead of him.
"Yes, Princess."
"I do as well."
Morgan reached out, catching a falling leaf between her fingertips.
For the first time in years—she smiled.
"If I had the chance, I would remain here for all eternity."
"I would let Britain's glory shine forever upon this land."
"Princess, your wish shall be realized."
"..."
Morgan's smile faded.
It was as if she had been pulled back to cold reality.
"I hope you are right."
Without warning, she pressed the leaf against Rei's lips.
"Swallow it. And forget what you just saw."
Morgan watched as her obedient knight did exactly as she commanded.
It seemed to put her in a better mood.
[Morgan was not jesting.]
[She truly brought you to the royal baths—a place only the royal family was permitted to enter.]
[She dismissed all attendants. Now, only the two of you remained.]
[She ordered you to remove your armor and step into the water.]
[You realized— she was finally going to tell you her plan.]
"Rei."
Morgan sat at the edge of the bath, dipping her toes lightly into the water.
The pool's surface rippled, reflecting the dim candlelight.
It was a special pool—one purified by magecraft, eternally pristine.
"Tell me, Rei…
What do you think betrayal truly is?"
She spoke as she pressed her foot against Rei's solid chest.
Clear water cascaded from Rei's torso, trickling back into the bath.
"To me, betrayal is defying your command, resisting your will." Rei answered with unwavering reverence.
"Hah, as expected of you."
Morgan's foot trailed upward along Rei's chest—until it reached his throat.
Truthfully, if anyone else had done something like this, Rei would have assumed they were trying to seduce him.
But Morgan alone could never make him feel that way.
She had never shown him tenderness.
All she had ever given him was the pleasure of flesh.
"But let me tell you this—you are wrong."
"True betrayal requires the other person to actually value you."
"I do not value you."
"You are nothing more than a pawn, one that I will discard whenever I see fit."
"So your understanding of betrayal is entirely mistaken."
"You may betray anyone—but you cannot betray me."
[You felt no disappointment—Morgan had already told you countless times that you meant nothing to her.]
[As her toes pressed lightly against your lips, she finally revealed her plan.]
[She intended for you to pose as a wandering knight who despised Britain—someone who would infiltrate Vortigern's forces and earn his trust.]
[You would become the hidden blade she had planted at the False King's side. And at the most crucial moment, you would betray him—plunging your sword into his throat.]
[She was certain that this deceitful method suited you. She was convinced that you would wound Vortigern deeply.]
[And in addition, there was something she wanted to give you.]
Shhhk.
The blade slid from its sheath.
Morgan drew a sword—one that had evidently been prepared long ago.
"Rei, do you recognize this?"
"I do," Rei nodded. "It is your sword. However…"
Rei distinctly remembered that the last time he had seen this blade, Morgan's name had been engraved upon it.
Yet now, that inscription was missing.
Morgan had anticipated his reaction.
She ran her hand along the blade, and in an instant, the name reappeared, etched into the metal.
"I concealed it with magic."
Her voice was casual.
"There is no need to overthink it—it is still the same sword."
Then, Morgan's gaze sharpened as she pressed her foot against Rei's forehead.
"I command you—
No matter the circumstances, when you assassinate Vortigern, you must use this blade."
Though a thousand questions burned within him, Rei knew he had no right to ask.
"Understood, Princess."
[From that point on, you and Morgan did not speak of this matter again.]
[She brought out wine—and ordered you to drink.]
[She watched you drink in silence, her expression unreadable.]
[For the first time, you sensed something in her gaze—a quiet expectation. But for what reason, you could not tell.]
[She poured you drink after drink. And as the night wore on, she drank as well.]
"There is no time to waste," Morgan murmured, her cheeks faintly flushed from wine.
"You will leave tonight—when the moon is at its peak."
Her voice was steady, resolute.
"I have arranged everything for your departure.
And the moment you are gone—you will be branded as a criminal, accused of slaying two fellow knights."
Morgan was not leaving any path of return open for him.
When the moon rose, his fate as an exile would be sealed.
Yet, even knowing this, Rei remained unfazed.
"As you command, Princess."
[Beneath the moonlight, Morgan watched you disappear into the distance.]
[She stood atop the castle walls, gazing out at the horizon—watching, watching—until you became nothing more than a speck on the edge of the world.
And when you were finally gone, she realized something. She had grown… unaccustomed to not having a knight kneeling before her.]