Just before Morgause could sense something was wrong, her vision blurred.
The sound of the orchestra and the murmurs of the guests echoed like a cave.
Gradually, a familiar voice drowned out the distant noise.
A scene from her childhood unfolded in her mind.
“It’ll be hard to see each other from now on.”
Young Morgause stared at her mother. Her mother, Matrona, watched a maid carrying a light suitcase and absentmindedly rubbed the handle of her parasol.
“It’s a shame, but isn’t it better for you to have the backing of the Fay family rather than wandering around aimlessly?”
“Mother, where are you going now?”
Morgause asked, tightly holding Elaine’s hand.
Unlike her, Elaine simply stared blankly as Matrona prepared to leave.
Morgause was the only one who felt any regret about this. Matrona shrugged as she looked at the carriage loaded with luggage.
“Well, I’ll be traveling here and there. I’ve fulfilled my duty, so now it’s time for freedom, isn’t it?”
“Then I won’t see you anymore?”
“Of course you will. We’ll meet again. When you’re older, you’ll realize it was good to stay with the Fay family.”
She sniffled and whispered playfully to her two daughters.
“Even if he’s not great, he won’t cast you out since you’re his direct heirs.”
It was an amicable divorce.
There was no fighting or falling out. Matrona simply had no interest in what the Duke of Fay did, and he, in turn, didn’t interfere with her as long as she bore his children.
The divorce felt more like parting ways when the time was right.
Morgause struggled to accept this.
“Take care. I’ll contact you from time to time.”
She watched helplessly as Matrona’s carriage left without a trace of hesitation. That scene kept repeating in her mind.
As she kept seeing it, she could no longer distinguish between reality and dreams.
Matrona left as always, and all she sent occasionally was a single letter.
Sometimes, she sent strange things as gifts.
Seashells, dried flower bookmarks, and even empty bottles. She claimed the bottles contained mountain air.
They were cheap and practically useless.
Moreover, the places Matrona traveled to weren’t places a former Duchess of Fay should be visiting.
Paradoxically, Matrona would miraculously appear wherever a banquet or festival was held.
Whenever they coincidentally met at a banquet, Matrona’s dazzling dress stood out more than anyone else’s.
It seemed she never forgot her noble status, no matter where she traveled.
Morgause couldn’t understand it.
‘If she had stayed with the Fay family, she could have enjoyed all the luxuries. Why did she go through a divorce to leave?’
Even if their marriage wasn’t based on love, they had gotten along well enough without conflict.
How many people marry for love anyway?
‘When I saw her at the banquet, she was still living lavishly. Once she’s had enough fun, she’ll come back.’
She just had to wait. When Matrona, who loved to show off her noble status, returned, Morgause would be ready to present herself in a way that would make her proud.
“A good impression…”
Morgause muttered.
Elaine, hearing her mutter, quickly glanced around to see if anyone was listening.
Assuming it was nonsense, she poked Morgause’s side with her elbow.
“You said you wanted to make a good impression on the High Priestess. What are you saying out loud?”
“I need to make a good impression. Not by groveling to Morgana. That’s not noble at all.”
“What’s wrong with her…?”
For some reason, Morgause’s fiery determination felt different from before.
Unlike her usual fierce expression, Morgause’s sly smile and the words that followed were nothing short of ominous.
Unaware of Elaine’s voice, Morgause sneered and asked,
“Do you really think Morgana was the one who pulled the sword?”
“What are you talking about?”
Flustered, Elaine suppressed the urge to scream and whispered back.
This wasn’t just any sword—it was Excalibur, the holy sword written about in the scriptures.
Who would dare doubt the one who pulled Excalibur, a sword no one had ever drawn before?
Elaine herself had tried to pull the sword as a child, and Morgause was no different. They both knew how impossible it was.
Yet Morgause calmly crossed her arms and continued.
“Think about it. Before, Morgana demanded a share of the Fay family’s wealth, and when we refused, she tried to take it by force.”
“So what? Are you saying she stole the sword now?”
“Who knows? She’s capable of it. She’s stolen from us before.”
Elaine’s eyes darted around nervously, fearing they might be accused of blasphemy.
Nimue, who met her gaze, simply shook her head in resignation.
“It’s alright. Elaine Le Fay, was it?”
At Merlin’s gentle question, Elaine quickly bowed her head.
“Ah, yes. I regret not being able to visit Avalon more often due to its complicated political situation.”
“Indeed. I should’ve visited more often. I regret it now.”
Merlin’s divine beauty made her seem almost otherworldly.
Elaine was so overwhelmed by her sacred presence that she could barely speak.
‘Should I say that the Fay family would host a grand banquet if she visited Avalon? What should I say here?’
Unused to flattering anyone, Elaine struggled to find the right words.
Just then, she faintly heard Merlin muttering.
“If I had known the Fay family’s power was like this, I would’ve checked sooner.”
“Excuse me? What did you just say?”
Elaine asked, unable to hear clearly over the noise, but Merlin simply smiled.
“Nothing. Where is Duke Fay? I’d like to speak with him.”
💫
A suspicious commotion began in the corner of the banquet hall.
Morgana stood with her arms crossed, quietly observing them from a distance.
Centered around Morgause, noble ladies and aristocrats from various countries were listening intently.
“She tried to poison my father. She clearly wanted to take over the entire family.”
Those who had been trying to make a good impression just moments ago now showed signs of unease.
“My goodness… Is such a wicked person really destined to rule the continent?”
“Could it be that she even stole the sword from someone else?”
“With her personality, she’s capable of anything.”
Amid the whispers, the sound of shattering glass echoed through the hall.
Startled nobles turned to see Caradoc, holding the shards of a broken wine glass, smiling gently.
Though the liquid dripping from his hand—whether wine or blood—made the atmosphere far from gentle.
“Many witnessed her pulling the sword. These baseless rumors are excessive. If this were Britain, I’d have her head on a platter by now…”
“Sir Caradoc.”
A noble beside him urgently tried to stop him, and only then did he regain his composure.
“Ahem. Remember, this is a temple.”
His menacing tone only fueled the nobles’ unease.
“She said she would rule the continent, but she never said she’d do it well, did she?”
“But the prophecy…”
“According to the scriptures, if Excalibur falls into the hands of an unstable person, the Lady of the Lake will reclaim it.”
“But the Lady of the Lake is from her family. It’s like she’s holding the leash herself.”
Hearing this, Excalibur let out a scoff.
— What are they talking about? I was properly drawn! Show them, master. Today’s dress code is red! A day stained with blood, hyaa!
No!
Morgana quickly tightened her grip on the sword’s hilt. Her hand trembled as she tried to restrain its movements, and Arthur, standing behind her, mistook it for anger.
He leaned in and whispered, “Shall I kill those spreading these rumors?”
That would just confirm the rumors!
Meanwhile, Guinevere, standing in front, quietly recited to a knight beside her.
“The heir of the Ferner family, his second sister, and the Baroness of the Orphe family…”
“Princess, what are you doing?”
When Morgana called out to her, Guinevere smiled faintly and quickly hid her maid behind her.
Blinking awkwardly and avoiding eye contact, Guinevere replied in a tone as if she were reading a book.
“Huh? What? I didn’t do anything.”
“You were just listing family names…”
“A list? I was just reciting a list. Oh my, someone’s coming to greet me! As a princess, I can’t ignore them!”
Didn’t she say before the banquet not to act familiar?
As Morgana’s eyes narrowed, Guinevere quickly opened her fan, hid her face, and fled into the crowd.
Morgana let out a deep sigh and turned to Kellive beside her.
“I’ll go talk to Sir Caradoc for a moment…”
His golden eyes, smiling like a predator before the hunt, gave her pause. He answered, but his smile remained fixed as he quickly scanned the faces of the nobles.
Feeling an ominous premonition, Morgana firmly warned him.
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what? I haven’t done anything yet.”
“Just don’t. Understood?”
Morgana glared at him, driving her point home, then sighed and moved forward.
As Morgana, who had been quietly leaning against the wall, began to move, all eyes in the banquet hall turned to her.
Excalibur, reveling in the attention, was in high spirits.
— Who’s first? How should we do it? Slash horizontally, vertically, or diagonally!
No, that’s not it.
Morgana gracefully walked through the parting crowd, like a wave, and approached Caradoc.
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