[You sense the sorrow in Morgan's words.]
[You realize she is hiding many things from you.]
[But for now, you know you must first answer her question.]
"Your Highness, no matter what the past may hold,"
Rei lowered his head, cupping the clear lake water in his hands,
Allowing it to ripple gently over Morgan's feet.
"At the very least, I am your knight now, and I will always be your knight."
"Don't lie to me, Rei."
Morgan's expression was one of quiet melancholy.
"You will leave me someday, just like everyone else."
"It is true that I cannot always be at your side, Your Highness."
Rei spoke with steady certainty.
"Because I will run wherever you need me to be."
"And when the time comes, I will offer my life for your cause."
"I cannot promise that I will always be with you,
But I swear that if you call for me, I will ride through the night—
Even if I am in the depths of hell."
For most knights, such words would have sounded like empty flattery.
But when Rei spoke them, they were merely a statement of fact.
[Morgan cannot refute your words.]
[She does not like the feeling of being contradicted.]
[She begins to sulk.]
[She kicks up the lake water with her foot, splashing it onto your face.]
[You do not feel the slightest anger.]
[On the contrary, you are happy—
Because you know this is how she chooses to vent her frustrations.]
[After a while, she finally tires herself out.]
"Rei, why didn't you dodge?"
Morgan panted softly, mumbling as she glared at him.
"Because it seemed like something you really wanted to do, Your Highness."
Rei answered honestly.
"Who said I wanted to do that?!"
Morgan shot him a sharp glare.
"Let go of my foot. Now."
"As you command, Your Highness."
The moment Rei released his grip, Morgan's body leaned forward slightly.
Her foot, still surrounded by a faint aura of magic,
Hooked gently beneath Rei's chin.
"Rei, don't you ever feel like arguing with me?"
"Perhaps I once did."
Rei lifted his gaze to meet Morgan's.
Seated on the riverbank, her cheeks were tinged with a soft flush,
The remnants of her earlier outburst leaving a misty breath at the edge of her lips.
"But the moment I see you,
I realize that whether I am right or wrong no longer matters."
Morgan blinked in surprise, caught off guard by his response.
But then, she spoke again.
"Rei, you should know by now—
I will never love you."
"You are my pawn.
I will discard you whenever I see fit."
"Yes, I know."
Rei gently cradled the foot resting against his chin.
"Which is why the truth does not matter to me.
Only what you need me to believe does."
Morgan narrowed her eyes.
"Rei, are you saying this because of my father's orders?"
"No." Rei shook his head.
"If it were because of the king's command,
I would have already taken you back to the royal court by now."
"But you do not wish for that."
"And so, I made my own choice."
[Morgan once again fails to refute your words.]
[But this time, she is not angry.]
[She orders you to stop holding her foot.]
[You obey.]
[However, you did not expect that even after you let go, Morgan does not withdraw her foot.]
[She has her own plans.]
A gust of wind rustled through the forest,
Casting shifting patterns of light and shadow upon the lake's surface.
Ripples spread across the water.
Morgan slowly lowered her foot into the lake,
The clear water gently washing over her pale skin.
The surface lapped at her instep, then her ankles,
Rising up past her calves in a slow, deliberate motion.
Her knight felt her foot press against a rather delicate place.
"Rei."
Morgan leaned forward slightly,
Her weight pressing into the soft grass beneath her.
"That night…"
"Was it also your choice?"
Rei was no fool.
He knew what she meant—
Their first night together.
"Yes, Your Highness. That was also my choice."
"You stir in me an unquenchable desire."
"And as a man with nothing to his name,
All I have to offer in return is my loyalty."
Morgan scoffed lightly.
"So, in the end… it's because of that."
Morgan's Foot Moved Lightly in the Water.
"So, is that the real reason you swore loyalty to me?"
"Neither entirely, nor not at all."
Rei endured the ticklish sensation, inhaling deeply.
"I admit, Your Highness, that I have had improper thoughts about you.
Countless times, I have been haunted by visions of your graceful form."
"But what truly made me aware of it all—
Was your exhaustion that night."
"I do not know what grievances you suffered at the banquet,
But seeing you like that, even as just your knight, pained me deeply."
"I wanted, in my own way, to bring you joy—
To see Your Highness smile again."
"Of course, my own selfish desires played a part as well."
Rei spoke plainly.
Such honesty made it difficult for Morgan to rebuke him.
She knew that if she ordered him to draw his sword and slit his own throat for such treasonous words,
Rei would do so without hesitation.
But she realized—
She could no longer bring herself to issue such a command.
"Rei, do you know my father has another child?"
Rei nodded.
"I do."
"A new heir whom all of Britain rejoices for."
"Yes…"
Morgan pressed her foot down slightly.
"My sorrow stems from that child."
[At last, the mystery from years ago is unraveled.]
[Morgan tells you everything she saw and heard at the banquet.]
[You realize she had long been aware of this new heir,
And from Uther's attitude, she understood how much he valued this child.]
[She realized she had been cast aside.]
[She struggled desperately to prove herself, but the outcome never changed.]
[When Uther ordered her to return to the capital, she knew—
She was a princess meant to be discarded.]
"Your Highness…"
Rei rose from the water.
"Rei, what are you doing?!"
Morgan glared at him in displeasure.
"Did you not vow to always be my knight?!"
"I did, Your Highness. I will always be your knight."
Rei pushed Morgan down onto the grassy shore.
The lush greenery bent and swayed, like an army collapsing in retreat.
"I cannot bear to see you in such sorrow."
"Cry if you must, Your Highness—
But let it be in the midst of pleasure."
[Morgan does not resist.]
[Beneath you, she sobs uncontrollably, clutching your body tightly, leaving deep marks upon your skin.]
[It is the first time you have ever seen her like this.]
[You know she is not crying because of what you are doing—
But because years of being ignored have finally broken her.]
[You begin to realize just how unfair this world has been to Morgan.]
[A dangerous thought takes root in your heart.]
[You want to overturn everything for her.]