Anyway, there was no way they would know even if she told her.

 

Just in case, Morgana casually asked, “By any chance, do you know the face of Merlin, the former High Priest? It wasn’t him, was it?”

 

“I’ve seen his face once, and it was definitely not him.”

 

Hmm, I wondered if perhaps he was the one who moved Agravain with a curse. 

 

It seems that wasn’t the case.

 

Lune also seemed uncertain, rolling her eyes in the air and continuing in a vague voice.

 

“But I saw Sir Agravain a few more times after that, and each time, I noticed that scent. I thought perhaps it was a relationship where they had been meeting carefully for quite a long time…”

 

Guinevere let out a scoff.

 

“Well, would you look at this? Pretending to be quiet and discreet, he was hiding a lover, wasn’t he? I wonder if the Marquis of the Right knows about this.”

 

“Would it be possible to figure out who it is?”

 

Morgana wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about the nobles within Britain.

 

Even if she described their appearance, it would take time to find them among the young ladies.

 

The fact that it was described by a scent made it even more difficult.

 

Guinevere, for her part, just shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

 

“It’s fine. If they’re a nobles within Britain, we’ll find out if we shake things up a bit around them. Everyone loves to gossip—it’ll come out if we just stir the pot a little.”

 

As if she had gotten a lead, the corner of her mouth tilted up confidently.

 

💫

 

It was only a few hours after returning to the royal palace from Tir na Nog.

 

Agravain had been practically dragged here because he was unexpectedly summoned to the royal palace.

 

He stared blankly at the tea placed on the table, then raised his head.

 

Guinevere, sitting arrogantly on the main sofa with her legs crossed as if she had no interest in the tea, was looking at him askance.

 

Across from him, Morgana held a teacup with a relatively correct posture, but the ominous holy sword placed beside her seemed like it could be picked up at any moment to cut him down.

 

Next to him was Lancelot, who was clearly so amused by something that his eyes were crinkled with laughter.

 

‘An interrogation… is it?’

 

Although the location was Guinevere’s office, not an interrogation room, the pressure was uniquely intense.

 

To begin with, he had no idea why he had been suddenly summoned here.

 

‘Could the conversation I had with my father have been leaked? I made sure the servants were sworn to secrecy.’

 

His sharp eyes quickly scanned the surroundings.

 

When he entered, he had noticed guards stationed at the office entrance.

 

Since Lancelot was here, it was possible that royal knights, ready to arrest him if summoned, were hiding somewhere.

 

‘Still, the fact that I was called to the office suggests they have no concrete evidence.’

 

Actually, he hadn’t formulated a proper plan with the Marquis. He intended to decide after observing Guinevere’s actions.

So he needed to keep his composure.

 

There was nothing more foolish than arousing suspicion and poking a hornet’s nest for no reason.

 

As he calmly lifted his teacup and took a sip of tea,

 

Guinevere’s blunt question suddenly shot out.

 

“It seems you have a secret lover or something. You’re being so cautious.”

 

Pfft—!

 

Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, Agravain spat out his tea.

 

Cough, cough! 

 

The tea that went down the wrong way instantly made his breathing ragged. With a red face, he stammered out his words.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. Where did such a rumor come from?”

 

“I heard it’s quite the gossip in the salons. A fiancée? Or perhaps you fell in love at the academy after I sent you there to guard our Mordred?”

 

“No. I never once left His Highness Mordred’s side at the academy.”

 

Gasping, he barely managed to stop coughing, forcing his grimacing expression under control as he answered.

 

It was evident that, if nothing else, he could not possibly accept the false accusation of neglecting his duties.

 

Guinevere, who had actually asked the question, did not seem to be paying much attention to his words.

 

It seemed she had been firmly convinced from the start that there was a woman.

 

In response, Morgana, sitting in front of him, smiled faintly and asked kindly,

 

“Why so serious? A knight of your standing, Sir Agravain, is perfectly permitted to have a fiancée.”

 

“I assure you, that is not the case. Why would such a misunderstanding…”

 

Suddenly, the word ‘salon’ from Guinevere’s earlier remark stuck in his mind.

 

Only then did he let out a short, quiet sigh.

 

He realized where the misunderstanding had originated.

 

“Is this perhaps because of the lady with whom you purchased perfume at the salon?”

 

“Oh, does that strike a chord? You seem to be figuring something out.”

 

Guinevere, who had been leaning back indifferently, sat up and showed interest.

 

He shook his head firmly. He had never imagined that a single encounter would still be the subject of rumors.

 

“No, it is not. When His Highness briefly returned from the academy, a close friend of his from the academy visited Britain. I merely acted as a guide for a short time. There is no other reason.”

 

“Our Mordred is on such familiar terms with a fully grown lady? From which kingdom is she?”

 

“I did not hear the details. His Highness was also rather flustered by the lady’s sudden arrival.”

 

He felt truly wronged.

 

If there had been at least some emotional exchange, it might be different, but he hadn’t even seen her at the academy since that day.

 

She didn’t seem to be particularly close to Mordred in the first place.

 

He had no idea how fussy she was and how much he had suffered being pestered by her all day.

 

He simply couldn’t show it because she was Mordred’s guest. But for some reason, those present did not seem to believe him.

 

Morgana smiled faintly and asked again, “I heard you’ve been meeting for a long time.”

 

No scent came from Agravain, who was right in front of her. He didn’t seem like the type to wear sweet perfume anyway.

So, if she had encountered that same scent several times since then, it was clear they had met at least once before.

 

She was taken aback by Agravain’s audacity in lying even in this situation.

 

Agravain’s voice suddenly turned stiff.

 

Unlike with Guinevere, he was quite open about his dislike of Morgana.

 

“That is not true.”

 

“Very well. Then I take it, Sir Agravain, you also agree to investigate the matter of this woman.”

 

“And why is that? Have I not been honest with you?”

 

At the word ‘investigating,’ he set down the teacup he was holding.

 

From his rigid posture to his expression, he seemed to find this situation quite unpleasant.

 

In truth, while it was called a conversation, this meeting had been arranged from the start for the purpose of interrogation.

 

They had merely maintained a degree of formality because he was a person from the House of Orhan.

 

Lancelot, who had been listening quietly, asked a question in a bright tone that felt out of place.

 

“Why? If you’ve only met once, wouldn’t it be fine if we found out who she is?”

 

As if she had been waiting for this, Guinevere waved her hand in agreement.

 

“Right. I thought you might have been meeting a woman behind the House of Orhan’s back, so I called you here out of what I thought was consideration. If she’s a complete stranger, why would you care?”

 

“Even so, she is a lady from a foreign land and has a connection with His Highness Mordred…”

 

“If you were close, you would have visited more times since then. Her father passed away, and she even held the funeral, yet you didn’t show your face once. Is that any way to treat a connection?”

 

As Guinevere fired off her words, Agravain was left speechless.

 

Indeed, who the woman was wasn’t an important matter to him. But he was uncomfortable for a different reason.

‘Why can’t they believe what I say?’

 

Why was that woman so important anyway?

 

She was just one of many fleeting encounters, nothing more.

 

There was likely a reason even Princess Guinevere was stepping in and stirring things up.

 

Morgana and her group already considered Agravain beneath their notice.

 

They were talking amongst themselves about sending an official inquiry to the academy to verify who had used their leave.

 

‘This is… a check.’

 

It was clear they were trying to find a pretext by forcibly linking him to some young lady whose name he didn’t even know.

 

Grind— His teeth grated.

 

He had even debated whether it was necessary to damage Guinevere’s reputation, despite the risks to his father and himself.

 

It was all a pointless discussion.

 

As soon as the tea time ended, and he returned to the House of Viscount Orton, he immediately went to his father’s office.

 

Seeing Viscount Orton rise from his desk, he strode quickly over and whispered covertly.

 

“Father, let’s proceed. If we don’t, we’ll be the ones cornered.”

 

“Well then…”

 

Watching Viscount Orton swallow hard, he continued.

 

“The relationship between Princess Guinevere and Sir Lancelot is unusual. Lady Morgana is merely a puppet being used to cover their affair. Let’s start this rumor.”