[The skill Endless Stamina+ has been replaced with Blessing of the Lake+:
Brought to the sacred place of her birth, you have been acknowledged by this tranquil lake.
From now on, you will never feel exhaustion, your resistance to magic has strengthened,
And lower-tier spells can no longer affect you.]
[A dangerous thought, once born, is not so easily erased.] [Once you realize how unjustly Morgan has been treated,
You can no longer dismiss it as mere circumstance.]
[Seeing her in pain is unbearable to you. It torments you with every breath.]
"Enough, Rei."
Morgan quieted her sorrowful cries.
"I am not sad anymore."
"As you command, Your Highness."
Rei's loyalty to Morgan was absolute.
The moment she ordered him, he obeyed without hesitation.
Morgan, now sitting upright on the grass,
Looked at Rei—
This man, whose desires were clear in his gaze, yet who remained steadfast to his oath.
She found it amusing.
"Come, sit closer."
"Your Highness, this—"
"Rei, are you defying my command?"
A princess's orders were absolute.
Rei said nothing more and sat down by the lake.
Morgan soon followed, settling beside her ever-loyal knight.
For the first time, they were no longer positioned as master and subordinate,
But simply sat side by side.
[The two of you remained silent for a long time.]
[The breeze whispered through the trees, marking the passage of time.]
[Even so, you felt that this moment was one of the most beautiful in your life.]
[And though you are a man in full possession of his senses,
Sitting beside Morgan still stirs a deep, inescapable yearning.]
[At that moment, Morgan's hand reaches for yours—
Gentle, yet deliberate.]
"I didn't scare you, did I?"
Her voice held a rare trace of concern.
"Rei, you know… I am actually not—"
"It's Alright, Your Highness."
Rei smiled gently.
"If I can make you forget even a little of your sorrow,
Then I have fulfilled my duty as your knight."
His words touched Morgan.
It had been a long time since she had allowed herself to release the grief in her heart.
"You are a loyal knight."
Morgan leaned forward toward the lake, trailing her fingers through the water.
Her hand, now glistening with moisture, looked even fairer and softer than before.
"I suppose... it's time to reward you."
The next moment, Rei felt something cool and damp against his skin—
Morgan's hand, pressing against his cheek.
"Your Highness, you—"
"Do you not like it?"
Morgan rested her chin on her other hand, tilting her head slightly as she gazed at Rei.
"I can let go right now, if you prefer."
"No, that's not what I meant."
"Then that settles it."
Morgan swirled her foot lightly in the water, sending ripples across the lake's surface.
"But don't say I didn't warn you—
You are my pawn, and everything you do remains within my control."
"Your Highness, I must say, I did not expect this."
"And yet, you don't want me to stop, do you?"
A playful smirk appeared on Morgan's lips.
"You once swore to me that your loyalty was absolute—
That I could do with you as I pleased."
"I understand, Your Highness…"
Morgan's fingers were long and delicate, as refined as her skin.
Yet they also possessed an unusual dexterity—
The result of years spent mastering magic.
Her fingertips brushed against Rei's cheek, slowly tracing his features.
For the first time in a long while, her expression softened—
A warmth, a quiet nostalgia flickering in her eyes.
"Rei, I suppose it's been years… since we last did something like this."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Rei inhaled deeply.
"You remember correctly.
The last time we spent time together like this… was long ago."
"I imagine Vortigern must have shown you quite a few things?"
Rei shook his head.
"Not at all."
"Any rewards granted from the blood of Britain's knights—
I could never bring myself to accept them."
Morgan's expression flickered with disbelief.
"Rei, are you telling me…
You never once accepted Vortigern's rewards?"
"That is correct."
Rei nodded.
"I never took anything from him."
Hearing this, the ever-perceptive Morgan suddenly realized something.
"Then, Rei…
You must have suffered through all those years in silence?"
"Not at all."
"To serve Your Highness in secret—
That was never suffering."
Morgan fell silent.
Even though she knew Rei would never resent her,
A strange sorrow settled in her heart.
At last, her lips, so often tightly pressed together, parted.
"I'm sorry, Rei."
"It was my own foolish fantasy that forced you to endure all that."
"Do you… regret it?"
"No."
Rei answered with a smile.
"Your Highness, as I have said before—
I will never regret my loyalty to you."
"Your commands are the highest honor I could ever receive."
Flattery is common in times of glory.
But true loyalty is seen in moments of despair.
Morgan turned her face away, muttering in a hushed voice—
"Do you… hate me for it?"
"If you do, then say so now."
"I appreciate Your Highness's concern."
"To be honest, all of it was difficult."
Rei admitted frankly.
"But, Your Highness—
For your sake, I would endure it all again."
"I will never hate you."
"Foolish man…"
Morgan looked away—
But her hand gripped Rei's even tighter.
"Do you think that by saying this, you will make me feel guilty?"
"You are just a pawn."
"Your Highness, of course I understand that."
"Then hold me."
Morgan's voice was soft, almost a whisper.
"Rei, you won't get many chances like this."
"Miss this one… and who knows when the next will come?"
For the first time, she allowed herself to feel warmth—
The warmth that came from Rei.
Rei's hand clasped tightly around hers.
The knight, given permission by his princess, embraced the one he had long awaited, the one he had sworn to protect.
A cool breeze swept through the forest, and for a moment—
Everything returned to peace.
"It must have been unbearable, wasn't it?"
Morgan's fingers traced delicate strokes across Rei's chest, writing her name upon him as if trying to ground herself.
Her heart felt restless.
"Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"Because, Your Highness," Rei answered softly, "You never needed my suffering."
"Then I command you."
Morgan finished writing her name.
"From now on, if you have anything on your mind—
You are to tell me immediately."
"Then, Your Highness—"
Rei gazed at Morgan in his arms, unwavering.
"What if my thought is this—
I refuse to accept a world where you are denied the throne?"
[You failed to notice one thing.]
[The once crystal-clear lake behind you…
Began to stir with the faintest murk.]