71. The Princess Finds Herself Afraid

[You begin to further entwine yourself with Artoria.]

[Having entrusted her final emotions to you, guiding her thoughts and actions becomes effortless.]

[After all, no one would ever imagine that the cold and unyielding King of Knights could, in your presence, transform into such an innocent and affectionate young woman.]

[This delicate vulnerability allows you to uncover yet another secret hidden within her existence.]

[Dragon's Lair Brew has been replaced with Gift of the Red Dragon: You have discovered that it is not merely the wine Artoria creates that can strengthen your body—her very being harbors a power capable of significantly amplifying magic.]

[You now realize that Merlin's prophecy was a deception.]

[It was not that the Red Dragon appeared because of the prophecy, but rather, the prophecy existed because of the Red Dragon.]

[This revelation only deepens your resentment toward the grand scheme at play.]

[Unconsciously, that resentment spills into your interactions with Artoria.]

"Your Majesty."

Gawain knocked firmly on the heavy door.

"May I enter?"

"What is it?" Artoria's voice came, cool and composed.

"It's about this morning's court session." Gawain's tone remained respectful.

"I made an error in my report and failed to mention something important."

"…Everyone makes mistakes, Sir Gawain. Go ahead and relay the information now."

"Understood. My gratitude for Your Majesty's patience."

Gawain exhaled in relief, then unrolled a parchment and began his report.

"Your Majesty, regarding the expansion of the Round Table's ranks that you previously mentioned, the knights have unanimously expressed their support."

"However, the key issue is ensuring that those who join are truly worthy of the honor."

"…That is simple." Artoria responded without hesitation.

"Conduct an initial selection process. I will personally oversee the final candidates."

"But, Your Majesty, if each knight conducts the evaluations based on their own judgment, the standards may be inconsistent. How should we address this?"

"…Then do not conduct individual assessments." Artoria's voice remained steady.

"Gather multiple knights for each evaluation. Allow the majority to decide."

"If disputes arise that cannot be settled, bring them to either myself or Sir Rei for final judgment."

"However, I trust such cases will be rare. After all, you are all knights of great caliber, and your judgment should reflect that."

Gawain was struck by the clarity of her decision.

He had been considering the issue from a singular perspective, while Artoria had been weighing it on a much larger scale.

His admiration for her grew even stronger.

"I see now. That is a wise course of action."

"If I may ask one more thing, Your Majesty…"

Gawain hesitated before continuing, "Have you seen my father recently? He seems particularly busy these days."

"Sir Gawain." Artoria's voice remained impassive. "You should have faith that Sir Rei is carrying out what I require of him."

"…Is there anything else?"

"No, Your Majesty. Thank you for your guidance."

Gawain bowed and turned to leave, filled with renewed respect for his king.

She truly was exceptional.

Though…

Just now, did he hear a faint, unusual sound from inside the room?

Gawain could not have known—

Beyond the door lay a scene of quiet disarray.

The king's ceremonial coat lay draped loosely over the bed.

The pristine white dress she wore in private moments lay crumpled upon the crimson carpet.

A bottle of wine had tipped over on a nearby table, leaving a small, irregularly shaped stain upon the fabric.

And the once-cool and composed figure of the King of Knights had softened, warmth radiating from her every breath.

"…Gawain seems to have left."

"Yes."

"Sir Rei, may I make a small request?"

Rei turned his gaze toward her.

"What is it?"

"Well…"

Artoria hesitated for a moment, her fingers idly playing with the fabric of her sleeve. Then, finally, she lifted her head and looked at him, her emerald eyes reflecting the moonlight.

"…Can we stay like this for a little while longer?"

Leaning against the door, Artoria looked at the cork in the man's hand, her face flushed with embarrassment. 

"Next time you pour the wine, could you at least give me a little warning?" 

"I almost lost control just now." 

"Artoria, are you afraid?" 

Rei pulled her into his arms, feigning an interested expression. 

"Even when I'm right in front of you?" 

"Sir Rei, that's not what I meant." 

"Then it's fine." 

"No one will find out." 

As soon as he finished speaking, Rei sealed Artoria's lips with a kiss, silencing her before she could say another word. 

This little trick of forcing silent consent—she wasn't the only one who knew how to play it.

[You already hold the last remnants of Artoria's emotions, making it effortless to lead her astray.]

[You attempt to uncover the secrets of her body through her own understanding, only to realize that she, too, remains unaware of many aspects of herself.]

[You decide to shift your focus elsewhere.]

[Originally, you sought to learn about Merlin from her, but instead, you unearthed even more heartbreaking memories.]

["I used to sleep only three hours a night, and during those hours, Merlin would teach me the ways of knighthood and the righteousness of a king."]

["So for me, simply being able to live like this is already a blessing."]

[You come to understand that Artoria's smile is not as carefree as it appears—her every expression is shaped by the weight of the destiny forced upon her.]

[That night, for the first time, you remained by her side until midnight.]

"Sir Rei."

Lying on the bed, Artoria gazed out the window, her eyes filled with a youthful, dreamlike warmth.

"The stars are shining so brightly in the sky."

"Mm."

Rei also turned his gaze toward the night sky.

"Tonight, the stars seem especially brilliant."

"That must be because Sir Rei is here in my room, making them shine even brighter!"

As soon as she spoke, Artoria realized she had gone too far.

She quickly covered her face with both hands, her voice flustered as she repeatedly apologized.

"I-I'm sorry, Sir Rei!"

"I didn't mean to say that!"

"It's fine."

Rei gently pulled her hands away from her face.

"If my presence truly brought you such a beautiful night sky…"

"Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?"

Hearing this, Artoria's cheeks burned an even deeper shade of red.

But then, a sudden thought crossed her mind.

"Um… Sir Rei."

"If you don't return to her side, won't there be trouble?"

"Of course, there will be." Rei replied without hesitation before glancing at Artoria again.

"But, if you're willing to help me, then it won't be a problem at all."

"Help you? How?"

"No need to be so nervous. Just answer a few of my questions."

Rei caressed Artoria's cheek, feeling the warmth of her skin, tinged with a blush from his teasing.

"Artoria, how far do you plan to expand the Knights of Round?"

"At the very least, I want to fill the seats of the famed Round Table."

Artoria made no effort to conceal her ambitions.

"That way, I'll have more confidence when making strategic decisions."

"And after that?"

"There's no 'after that.'

Artoria leaned closer to Rei, slipping her arm around his.

"Once I believe we have enough strength, I'll lead our forces and defeat the enemies that must be vanquished."

"And then—"

"And then what?"

Artoria glanced up at Rei, a soft smile appearing on her lips.

"It's nothing."

"But… Sir Rei…"

Her legs trembled slightly as she hesitated before continuing.

"Aren't we going to taste the wine tonight?"

"I… even had someone prepare several different kinds of fine wine."

"..."

Rei realized that he had indeed nurtured a peculiar habit in Artoria.

But was that really a bad thing?

A king who was entirely his to control—now that was the ideal puppet.

"Of course, we'll taste them."

Rei ran his fingers through Artoria's golden hair.

"But this time, let's try a new method."

"A new method?"

"Mm." Rei nodded, brushing a finger over the corner of her lips.

"I want to see how well you fare against yourself."

Understanding his meaning, Artoria averted her gaze slightly.

"Mm… Sir Rei, I understand."

[It turns out that not all methods of drinking wine have the same pace.]

[Rather than simply letting the wine flow down her throat, Artoria is far more skilled at the method you taught her.]

[But regardless, she has already drunk quite a lot.]

[Still, she doesn't want to miss a single moment of being alone with you.]

[So, even while completely intoxicated, she forced herself to stay awake until dawn before finally falling into a deep sleep.]

[You carefully tucked her in, tidied up the room, stowed away the white dress in her wardrobe, and placed the king's attire at her bedside.]

[You pressed a light kiss on her forehead before slipping away into the lingering darkness just before sunrise.]

[You returned to your shared room with Morgan.]

[This time, you found her already sitting there, waiting for you.]

[But you weren't surprised—after all, this wasn't the first time.]

"Rei, where have you been?"

Morgan's voice carried a clear trace of displeasure as she stared at the knight who had only just returned with the first light of dawn.

Rei, however, responded with complete honesty.

"My lady, I spent the night at Artoria's quarters."

"You—!"

Morgan's eyes widened in shock.

"Why were you with her again?!"

"Because there were matters that needed to be discussed."

Rei remained unshaken as he took a seat beside Morgan.

"My lady, she and I spoke about the future development of the Knights and the plans moving forward."

Morgan fell silent for a moment, though she never doubted Rei's ability to gather intelligence.

"And what did she say?"

"It seems she intends to expand the Knights to fill all the seats of the Round Table."

Morgan's expression momentarily flickered with surprise.

"Is she insane? Won't that allow all sorts of questionable people to join?"

"That's why she plans to have the existing knights conduct the first round of selection, while she personally oversees the final assessments."

Morgan didn't respond immediately.

Rei knew that if she had been in Artoria's position, she would likely have adopted a similar approach.

Despite being young and seemingly naïve in some ways, Artoria's decision-making was never foolish.

"My lady, the key part of this intelligence lies in what comes after."

"What comes after?"

"Yes. The crucial detail is that she mentioned a plan to wage war against Vortigern."

Morgan was far from foolish.

She quickly grasped the deeper implications behind Rei's words.

"Are you suggesting that we could take advantage of this opportunity?"

"Precisely." Rei nodded.

"If we can secure more Round Table knights during this selection process, then when the time comes—whether for the army marching to war or the forces left behind to defend Camelot—we will hold significant influence over them."

[Morgan did not respond.]

[But from the way her gaze shifted, you could tell that she was already convinced.]

"Rei, is this the result of your efforts from last night?"

"Yes, my lady." Rei admitted without hesitation.

"Then why do you reek of wine?"

"Because I drank with Artoria—just as I did last time."

There was nothing questionable about his answer.

And it wasn't a lie, either—they truly had been drinking.

Morgan sat in silence for a long time before finally raising her head and leaning in to place a soft kiss on Rei's lips.

"You've worked hard."

"Get some rest."

"Understood, my lady."

Rei truly was exhausted—corrupting Artoria was no simple task.

What he didn't know, however, was that the moment he fell asleep, Morgan immediately began inspecting the clothes he had taken off.

She carefully searched through each garment but found no traces that would indicate anything beyond conversations.

With her wealth of experience, she knew that the slightest evidence of intimacy would be impossible to completely erase.

This could only mean that he had indeed entered Artoria's chambers—but had not entered her body.

But—

Was that really the case?

Morgan inhaled the lingering scent of wine in the air, and for some reason, she felt as though something wasn't quite right.

She realized, for the first time, that she was afraid.

[Morgan had changed.]

[She began pulling you into public more frequently.]

[The two of you were often seen kissing in front of others.]

[And whenever Artoria was present, Morgan's behavior became even more intense.]

[The people of Camelot admired the display, praising the deep bond between you.]

[But in private, she took over nearly all of your free time.]

[She relentlessly drained you.]

[Whenever she found even the slightest moment of leisure, she would push you onto the bed.]

[Yet unlike before, Morgan was no longer merely indulging herself.]

[She began experimenting with new ways to tempt you—such as new positions, swaying her body before your eyes.]

[You, ever the depraved knight who lusted after her, naturally fell for her every single time.]

"This should be enough..."

Morgan traced her fingers over her stomach, feeling the lingering warmth within, as she reassured herself.

If she kept this up, there would be no way for him to seek out that Artoria again.

And besides, there was nothing wrong with this.

She was, after all, his wife in name—so what was wrong with a wife ensuring her husband had no energy left for anyone else?

Morgan swore upon her royal name—she would never allow him to escape her grasp.

"Rei, I command you—move immediately."

"…Understood, my lady."

Just as Rei's hands reached for Morgan's waist, a gentle knock came from the door.

A moment later, a maid's voice followed:

"Um, King Lot!"

"The King of Knights has summoned you at once!"

"She says there are new knights awaiting an audience!"