The moment she stepped out of the room, everyone in the corridor bowed their heads toward her.

 

Click, click… 

 

No one straightened their backs until she had passed.

 

It was a completely different reaction from before, when people had only given her a quick greeting and moved on.

 

“Your Majesty!”

Only Mangeum remained unchanged, trotting along beside her with his pock-pock footsteps.

 

Royal knights stood in a line along the corridor leading to the Great Hall, where the succession ceremony was being held.

 

As she passed the knights with one hand placed over their chests, Sir Caradoc stood in front of the massive arched door, smiling as if he had been waiting.

 

“Lady Morgana, congratulations.”

 

Unlike his usual casual tone, Caradoc looked exactly like the reliable Grand Commander of the Knights.

 

“I said to keep it simple. Isn’t this too much?”

 

She glanced sideways at the knights lining the corridor and gave him a look. He grabbed the door handle with his large hand and answered casually.

 

“This is still simple. If you had seen His Majesty Vortigern’s succession ceremony, you would have called this very modest.”

 

He took a deep breath and stomped his foot three times with heavy thuds.

 

At the same time, the knights standing in the corridor struck the floor three times with their scabbards.

 

Three strikes signaled the entrance of the king.

 

The music flowing from the Great Hall stopped abruptly. Caradoc shouted in a loud voice.

 

“His Majesty Morgan, King of Brittania, is entering!”

 

With a creak, the door opened, and the dazzling light from the chandeliers poured down on her.

 

The long red carpet laid out guided the path she was to take. She could see nobles from Brittania as well as people who appeared to be envoys from other countries.

 

No one stood in the path she walked.

 

Mangeum, firmly held in Caradoc’s massive arms, bared his teeth and growled.

 

To avoid disturbing the succession ceremony, Caradoc’s awkward attempt to soothe him followed.

 

“Shh, puppy. Just endure it for three minutes.”

 

“Grrrr…”

 

“This guy has the temperament of a future commander.”

 

The red carpet continued all the way to a low platform.

 

At the end stood an overwhelmingly grand throne.

 

Morgana walked up briskly and sat on the throne. Guinevere held out a large crown resting on a red cushion from the side.

 

“Congratulations, Your Majesty Morgana.”

 

Her bright smile contained not a single trace of falsehood.

 

It was one of the few purely sincere congratulations she could truly trust.

 

Morgana placed the crown on her head, and everyone in the Great Hall who had been looking up at her bowed their heads.

 

Guinevere declared brightly.

 

“From today onward, Brittania will enjoy glory under the reign of His Majesty Morgana!”

 

“Glory to Brittania!”

 

The voices ringing out in unison from the hall felt unreal.

 

It was like a dream.

 

Fortunately, a listless voice immediately pulled her back to reality.

 

“Why? What’s going on? Why is everyone suddenly bowing their heads to my Master?”

 

Lancelot, standing beside the confused Nimue, who was looking around, hurriedly gave him a warning look.

 

Morgana looked at the unchanged Excalibur and smiled in resignation.

 

‘Yeah… That’s exactly Excalibur for you…’

 

Sitting on the throne, she could clearly see everyone in the vast hall.

 

Among them, familiar faces were easier to spot. She distinctly felt a pair of water-colored eyes staring intently at her from a short distance away.

 

Morgana gave a signal with her eyes to Caradoc, who was standing at the very front.

 

Understanding the signal, he shouted loudly once more.

 

“Additionally, I announce the promotion of a knight who will serve as His Majesty Morgana’s escort from today onward. Arthur Pendragon!”

 

Arthur, who had been staring upward with eyes almost blinded by the light, finally lowered his head.

 

The family name “Pendragon” was now attached to the name he had always been called.

 

The family that he and Lord Actor had longed so much to restore had been reinstated. He was now the head of the Pendragon ducal family, participating in Brittania’s glorious new era.

 

Nobles who had never acknowledged him before began greeting him the moment he entered the hall and introducing their daughters.

 

As an unmarried man and one of Morgana’s closest associates, he was clearly a desirable son-in-law candidate.

 

It was hardly surprising that rumors of her appointing Arthur as Captain of the Royal Guard had spread through high society in less than a day after the succession was confirmed.

 

He received countless greetings, but no woman remained in his memory.

 

Arthur’s attention was directed toward only one person.

 

The person sitting in a place so high that he could not dare look at her.

 

Arthur walked forward with firm steps. He knelt on one knee in front of the platform, and her familiar voice gently gave the command.

 

“From today onward, I appoint Sir Arthur Pendragon as my escort knight.”

 

“…Thank you.”

 

He clenched his fist on his knee so tightly that his knuckles stood out, then raised his head. He had agonized over it for days.

 

‘Can I really give her up?’

 

The answer was already clear without needing to ask.

 

Unlike before, his straight gaze was directed at her, the one with silver hair and round eyes, blinking as she sat there.

 

There was no longer any hesitation or confusion in his firm voice.

 

“I swear on my life and honor that I will definitely protect Your Majesty’s position.”

 

Please forgive this one for daring to desire the King of Brittania.

 

He swallowed the words no one could hear deep inside.

 

Escort knight. He had obtained the honor of staying by her side for the rest of his life. 

 

If it was what she wanted, what was there to regret about a life he had already offered?

 

Arthur was content as long as he could become fertilizer on the path she walked.

 

Just the fact that Morgana had chosen him was enough.

 

“Arthur, I accept the command.”

 

💫

 

Morgana tilted her head at Arthur’s unusually stiff demeanor.

 

‘I guess the succession ceremony is quite nerve-wracking after all.’

 

There hadn’t even been enough time to properly congratulate him on the restoration of the Pendragon family.

 

She felt particularly bothered that she couldn’t greet him properly due to the tight schedule.

 

‘I’ll have to hold a separate banquet for him later.’

 

Morgana made a mental note for later and sent an apologetic look with her eyes.

 

However, seeing Arthur’s rigid expression, it didn’t seem like he understood.

 

Once Arthur’s title conferral was over, nobles began lining up one after another to leave their mark with Morgana.

 

In the middle of that crowd, she spotted Raon and the mercenary members awkwardly stuck, not knowing what to do.

 

Unlike usual, they looked uncomfortable in formal attire, drinking wine and champagne instead of beer, and kept shifting their bodies around.

 

The moment their eyes met, she raised her hand slightly in greeting. Raon pointed at himself, then looked around.

 

He scratched the back of his head awkwardly and bowed. The mercenaries quickly followed, bowing deeply in unison and shouting loudly.

 

“Congratulations, Your Majesty!”

 

Instead of replying, Morgana quickly waved her hand.

 

The orchestra conductor, who had been watching her closely, immediately recognized the signal and began playing a standard waltz.

 

It was a silent signal that greetings were unnecessary and the guests should enjoy themselves.

 

While the flustered nobles looked back and forth between Morgana and the orchestra in confusion…

 

Guinevere, seated in a chair behind the throne, answered bluntly.

 

“You’re looking for His Highness Kellive, right?”

 

From behind, Guinevere’s hand pointed to a spot below the platform.

 

There stood Kellive in a black formal uniform, along with Gawain and Raves, who looked slightly healthier than before.

 

As if they had been waiting for her to call them, the moment their eyes met, Kellive greeted her on their behalf.

 

“Congratulations, Your Majesty Morgana.”

 

“Greetings are fine. Can we talk for a moment?”

 

She hadn’t called him just to receive congratulations in the first place. He smiled softly and gave a short nod.

 

“If you call for me, of course.”

 

Morgana stood up and gestured toward the wall with her head.

 

It meant it would be difficult to talk here, so they should meet elsewhere.

 

There was a door beside the platform leading to the corridor.

 

It was originally used by servants and knights, but it also served as a good emergency exit when needed.

 

Kellive understood immediately and nodded.

 

“Let’s go, Guinevere.”

 

At the quiet command, Guinevere nodded without hesitation and headed toward the door leading to the corridor.

 

When they stepped into the corridor, Olivia, who had been waiting, bowed lightly.

 

“The reception room is ready.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

After handing her the crown, Morgana arrived at the reception room and instinctively moved to sit on the sofa, but flinched at Guinevere’s intervention.

 

“You should sit at the head now.”

 

“Ah, it really is awkward. Can’t we just be comfortable when it’s private?”

 

As she awkwardly moved to the head seat, Guinevere smiled brightly and answered as if she had been waiting.

 

“Shall we? I’ve been struggling to stay cautious this whole time.”

 

Seeing her immediately slump casually on the sofa made Morgana feel more at ease.

 

The wait for Kellive felt unbearably long, to the point her insides were burning with impatience.

 

Guinevere leaned crookedly on the sofa with one arm on the backrest and asked.

 

“It’s because of Mordred, isn’t it?”

 

“Yes. Since he went to Avalon, I think getting permission from Kellive should come first.”

 

Kellive had never once refused her requests.

 

‘It might have been because he wanted me to come to Avalon.’

 

Now that she had become the King of Brittania. Her situation had changed significantly from the goal Kellive had desired.

 

‘There’s no guarantee he’ll accept this request either.’

 

The cause of her anxiety was clear.

 

People’s goodwill was built on transactions.

 

What Kellive had wanted all this time was for the ‘master of the holy sword’ to come to Avalon. He had denied it, but the atmosphere at the Avalon banquet had suggested otherwise.

 

There was no such thing as free goodwill.

 

While Morgana took a deep breath to ease her tension, a quiet knock sounded, and Kellive entered.

 

Morgana stood up lightly to greet him.

 

“I’ve been waiting, Kellive.”

 

“I’ve been waiting every day as well.”

 

Kellive smiled kindly as always and replied.

 

He didn’t seem much different from when they had met in the capital of Brittania before entering the palace.