"Understood, Your Highness."
Rei looked at Morgan and answered without hesitation.
"Rei, are you not going to hesitate even a little?" Morgan eyed him, intrigued by how quickly he had agreed.
"That is the King's throne we are talking about."
"Yes, I know it is the throne of the King."
"But isn't that also the place you aspire to claim, Your Highness?"
A sly smirk tugged at Rei's lips.
"And someone must be the one to escort you there, mustn't they?"
[Morgan said nothing more.]
[Draped in her sheer nightgown, she took your hand and led you out of the room.]
[At some point, she had cast a spell upon the two of you—one of her own design. Under the full moon, even as you walked hand in hand through the night, your presence remained unseen.]
[You strolled through the palace corridors.]
[Beneath the clear, starry sky, she slowed her steps.]
"Rei."
"I am here, Your Highness."
"This is the first time we've walked here at night, isn't it?" Morgan gazed at the moonlit garden.
"You remember correctly, Your Highness."
The truth was, outside of Morgan's chambers, they had never wandered anywhere else together.
After all, if anyone were to discover a knight and a princess engaged in such an affair, it would be an irreversible scandal.
Still, Rei saw no need to point that out—their responses were neither right nor wrong.
"Rei, answer me again."
Morgan turned, her deep blue eyes locking onto his.
"Between me and these flowers… Who is more beautiful?"
"I don't want the same answer as last time."
"This is obvious." Rei smiled. "You, of course, Your Highness."
"Why?"
"Because you, like the flowers, walk beneath the moonlight," Rei replied smoothly, without breaking eye contact.
"But I can only see you—not the flowers."
Morgan let out a slow, pleased laugh.
"Rei, this is a completely different answer from before. Do you see me as fickle?"
"Your Highness, not at all." Rei answered, unshaken.
"When the sun of Britain rises, you shine just as brightly. The mere act of praising this radiance would exhaust all the verses of poetry, so your beauty can only be buried deep within my heart."
"But when the sun of Britain rests, I no longer need to recite those verses—for under the night sky, your beauty alone is the most dazzling light of all."
Morgan's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
"Rei, your flattery grows more and more poetic."
"But there is something I must correct you on."
"The sun of Britain never sets. It simply shines elsewhere."
"You are right, Your Highness."
[For now, the tale of Morgan and the flowers comes to a close.]
[She took your hand, leading you through the endless corridors of the royal palace.]
[Countless chambers passed by, whispering silent tales of Camelot's grandeur.]
[Light and shadow intertwined as you finally stopped before an enormous set of doors.]
[You had never been granted entry beyond this point, yet you knew very well what lay beyond.]
[The throne.]
[You understood exactly what you were about to touch.]
"Rei."
Morgan gazed at the towering doors before her, a complex emotion flickering in her deep blue eyes.
"Do you know what lies beyond these doors?"
"I do, Your Highness." Rei fixed his eyes upon the door as well.
"It is the place you have dreamed of, the place where you belong."
"It's rare that you remain so steadfast in that belief."
Morgan traced a delicate hand along the door's surface.
Though King Uther had not opened it in a long time, it had been meticulously maintained by those permitted to enter.
No dust marred its surface.
Not that Morgan would have minded, even if there was.
"...Yet no one else seems to think so."
"That is because the people have yet to witness your reign. Once they come to understand your vision, they will surely awaken to the truth."
"So, Your Highness…"
Rei placed his hand upon the door as well—a clear act of insubordination.
"Allow me to open this door for you."
"The Throne That Awaits You"
[The heavy wooden doors creaked open beneath your touch.]
[The grooves at the base carved quarter-circle arcs upon the stone floor.]
[You knew full well the gravity of your actions. This was an offense punishable by death.]
[Yet you did not waver.]
[Because you knew—this was what Morgan needed.]
[And so, this time, it was you who took her hand and led her into the place she had envisioned countless times.]
"We have arrived, Your Highness," Rei announced.
Morgan gazed upon the moonlit chamber before her.
For a long moment, she was silent.
Then, at last, she spoke.
"Rei… Do you understand what you have done?"
"I do." Rei nodded without hesitation.
"A reckless knight, unaware of his place, has trespassed into the royal council chamber at midnight."
"And you, my princess, are the wise and discerning one who caught him."
[Morgan understood your meaning completely. She knew that if discovered, you would take full responsibility without hesitation.]
[But she did not need you to.]
[She had full confidence in her magic. She did not believe for a moment that either of you would be caught.]
[Yet, you also noticed something else.]
[Her gaze had not left the throne ahead.]
[You understood her thoughts.]
[You knew it was time to help her take the next step.]
Morgan's eyes remained fixed upon the throne—Uther's throne.
Her heart pounded within her chest, each beat as loud and clear as a war drum.
She felt as though it might burst forth at any moment.
Morgan knew that this obsession of hers bordered on madness.
Yet she also knew—this obsession was the very foundation of her soul.
If someone must sit upon the throne…
Then why should it not be her?
The memory by the lake—the one that had first ignited her ambition—stirred once more.
It brewed a restless storm within her.
But before she could be consumed by it—
Rei's voice pulled her back to reality.
He spoke a single sentence.
"Forgive me, Your Highness, but allow me to be impertinent for a moment."
"What?"
Before Morgan could react, Rei bent down—
And lifted her into his arms.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
With precise, deliberate strides, Rei carried Morgan toward the throne.
Then—
He gently set her down upon the seat of power.
"Your Highness."
"This is how you should sit."
"Standing… is for a humble knight such as myself."
Hearing these words, Morgan's hand gently traced the edge of the throne.
The cold sternness on her face gradually crumbled, replaced by a faint blush—one reminiscent of the pleasure she derived from Rei.
"No, Rei, you should be kneeling before me."
Morgan rested her right hand against her chin, leaning sideways on the throne.
One of her delicate feet pressed against the inside of Rei's thigh.
"As a knight, do you not seek my formal rite of knighthood?"