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The next day, when Morgana left to go to Tir na Nog, she sensed an odd atmosphere from the moment she left the royal palace.

 

The maids, who had been whispering amongst themselves, would scatter and run away the moment they saw her.

 

At first, she thought they were just having a secret conversation.

 

Everyone has their own personal matters, so there was no particular reason to find it strange.

 

But when she kept witnessing such scenes repeatedly, anyone’s mood would become peculiar.

 

“You’re lying. There’s no way the Captain would… Hey, hey.”

 

Two royal knights walking ahead of her were talking, but hurriedly shut their mouths when they saw Morgana.

 

When their eyes met, they exchanged an awkward glance; their expressions were also strange.

 

Excalibur seemed to have sensed it too, grumbling incessantly.

 

— What’s this? Their eyes are so unpleasant. Are they pitying me right now? Feeling sorry for me because I don’t have a body?

 

“Usually, they wouldn’t even know if you had a body or not.”

 

— Then what’s with those full-of-pity looks? Over there, and there, and here too!

 

As Excalibur huffed and puffed, it pointed in turn at the groups of maids, nobles visiting the palace, and the sentries.

 

It was certainly hard to put into words, but it was strange—it wasn’t hostility or displeasure.

 

Some maids and knights clenched their fists, showing them to her as a gesture of support.

 

“Stay strong. It probably won’t be a big deal!”

 

“Don’t worry about it too much!”

 

What in the world…?

 

Morgana, who had reflexively clenched her fist in return to these abruptly truncated words of encouragement, could only head towards Tir na Nog in bewilderment.

 

It wasn’t until she arrived at the shop that Morgana understood the meaning behind the strange looks she had received at the royal palace.

 

Raon, who usually didn’t often come out to Tir na Nog in person, was, for some reaso,n loitering in front of the shop from early on.

 

As soon as Morgana was spotted, he quickly ran over.

 

“Miss, are you alright?”

 

Usually, such questions were asked when something serious had happened.

 

Only then did Morgana, sensing the gravity, cover her mouth.

 

If everyone was this worried about her…

 

“I don’t know why I wouldn’t be alright, so for now, I’m fine. Did my mansion burn down or something? Did my money vanish into thin air?”

 

Had the entire fortune she’d painstakingly gathered really just evaporated?

 

The warehouse connected by magical tools showed no particular signs of anything unusual.

 

Finally, Raon let out a deep sigh and held his forehead.

 

“Oh, Miss. You haven’t heard. Well, it’s true the content is difficult for someone to tell the person involved.”

 

“Wait a moment. I need to mentally prepare myself.”

 

If Raon was acting like this…

 

Morgana took a deep breath, then nodded solemnly.

 

As long as Tír na nÓg remained, she could always earn money again.

 

Thinking that it was fine as long as the servants she brought from the Fay family were okay, she waited for Raon’s next words without even blinking.

 

Soon, he lightly patted Morgana’s shoulder to comfort her.

 

“You might feel used in the power struggle for the throne… But it’s alright, it’s all experience.”

 

“Used how?”

 

At her unexpected reply, he asked in return. Raon lightly shook his head and continued.

 

“Ha, you really haven’t heard anything.”

 

He subtly covered the side of his mouth with one hand, swiftly scanned the surroundings, and whispered.

 

“They say the Princess, to gain the throne, seduced you by proposing marriage, but was secretly having an affair with the handsome Captain of the Knights behind your back.”

 

They were never even in a relationship in the first place, so what ‘affair‘ was he talking about?

 

For the first time, Morgana truly experienced the fact that when something is too absurd, you’re left speechless.

 

It was literally, jaw-dropping.

 

Thinking that she was the one who was shocked, Raon let out a deep sigh.

 

“That’s just how all nobles are. Do you think I’ve only seen one or two people who tried to change their words and use me while I was working as a mercenary?”

 

“No, wait a minute. So, what is it that Princess Guinevere and the knight commander are said to be doing?”

 

“I don’t know. That’s all I heard. But it’s true that there was a particular knight commander she was especially often seen with.”

 

Well, of course.

 

It was because Mordred was accompanying her while investigating the mysterious incense.

 

It was a rumor where the person involved was plain to see.

 

Morgana let out a small, dry laugh.

 

“Wow, really. I said from the first time I saw them that the look in their eyes was unusual.”

 

“You felt it instinctively too, miss? Good heavens, so it was true.“

 

Misunderstanding Morgana’s words, Raon covered his mouth, which was dropping open in shock, with one hand and struggled to compose his expression.

 

Morgana quickly corrected herself before the rumor could spread further.

 

“No, it’s not like that.”

 

It was clearly Agravain’s doing.

 

What better way to lower Guinevere’s evaluation and plant the perception that she was unfit for the throne?

 

‘But I never thought he would come up with a tacky setup straight out of a third-rate novel!’

 

It was a topic that gossip-loving nobles would relish.

 

It was perfectly suited to spread like wildfire.

 

However, if the Right March was spreading it, the risks were also high.

 

‘Could it be… because I questioned Sir Agravain about the young lady yesterday, he’s now counterattacking…?’

 

He, who had reacted so vehemently, insisting they had no connection, had turned aggressive overnight.

 

‘Does that mean that young lady is that important to him?’

 

If, as he said, they were merely passing acquaintances who met briefly, was there any need for him to go this far?

 

Spreading false rumors about a royal would be a crime worthy of having one’s title stripped and facing execution, and that still wouldn’t be enough. 

 

And of all things, an affair?

 

And on top of that, Lancelot, whom we fight with almost every day!

 

Morgana strode purposefully into the shop and asked.

 

“Raon, is Lune at the Ruby Hall?”

 

“Ah, she should be preparing to open now. Why do you ask about Miss Lune all of a sudden?”

 

“I have something to ask her.”

 

Morgana, cutting straight across to the Ruby Hall, almost ran towards Lune, who was displaying perfumes, and asked.

 

“Lune, Lune! Do you happen to know who the lady is that came with Sir Agravain?”

 

Seemingly flustered by the sudden question, Lune blinked for a moment before stammering out an answer.

 

“Uh, well… I don’t know who she is. She was a lady with dirty blonde short hair.”

 

If she was a foreign lady, it was highly likely Raon wouldn’t know either.

 

Morgana swallowed dryly and asked again.

 

“Anything, like a conversation or even something small. Isn’t there anything that could identify the lady?”

 

“Hmm…. Well, she seemed to have visited the back alleys. She knew about the rumors that poison incense is distributed there.”

 

Raon, who had chased after Morgana belatedly, frowned and asked in return.

 

“Back alleys? Who would go there, a place even Brittania’s nobles rarely visit? And poison incense, of all things?”

 

Raon sniffed as if he had heard something absurd.

 

“For how long did I work as a mercenary in Brittania? I’ve never heard such a story.”

 

“Are you sure? If it’s the back alleys, they could be selling it secretly.”

 

All sorts of illegal activities usually took place in the back alleys.

 

She had heard that expensive poisonous herbs were sometimes sold there, and that it was even a place to buy and sell slaves or children, which was normally impossible.

 

So, it wouldn’t be strange if poison incense was sold there.

 

But Raon answered firmly.

 

“I’m telling you, it’s not. Poison incense? Making that is a job in itself. Common folk wouldn’t know about that stuff; only young ladies like you would know herbs well. At most, they might trade poisonous plants.”

 

“Indeed, she is said to be a young lady from a foreign land…”

 

As Morgana nodded and muttered in understanding, he pointedly bobbed his head.

 

“Even a foreign guest? I’ve been entrenched in Britain for ages and never even heard rumors of a ‘poison scent’ being in vogue. Where did the young lady hear about it? Hah, really.”

 

I thought it was strange ever since Lune lost her sense of smell.

 

Now I see. What Agravain and that unnamed young lady were aiming for from the very beginning was Oted.

 

‘She was convinced that Oted’s sense of smell wouldn’t return.’

 

It’s clear their plan from the start was to use Oted to destroy Lune’s sense of smell.