Olivia calmly guided him to the sofa in the reception room.
He took a seat opposite Guinevere, and his relaxed demeanor suggested he knew nothing about matters concerning Mordred.
Behind Kellive stood Gawain with a bewildered expression and Raves, who was pretending to be calm while quietly observing his surroundings.
Kellive leaned forward, bringing his eyes close to Morgana’s.
“You’re wearing the necklace I gave you.”
His eyes curved gently with clear joy. Morgana swallowed a small sound before speaking.
“There’s a reason for it. Have you… Perhaps heard anything about His Highness Mordred?”
“Oh, of course. I hear about His Highness’s movements every day…! Kyaak!”
Before Kellive could finish, Gawain suddenly let out a groan and bent over at the waist.
Clutching his side, he rubbed the spot rapidly as if he had been pinched.
“Ow, if only I had been wearing armor…!”
At the loud noise, Morgana turned to look at them. Raves, standing beside him, drooped his eyebrows.
“It’s nothing, Your Majesty. Sir Gawain occasionally falls asleep standing like this and talks nonsense. Please ignore him.”
It was the first time she had heard such a thing, but seeing Gawain awkwardly laughing and nodding along made it hard to press the matter.
Morgana tilted her head slightly but had no choice but to focus back on the conversation at Kellive’s kind voice.
“I know about the young prince who is said to be at the academy. Is something wrong?”
Guinevere, who had been watching from the sofa, let out a hollow laugh at his smiling face that seemed to genuinely know nothing.
“Hah, look at the prince of Avalon.”
“Why?”
When Morgana asked what she meant, Guinevere waved her hand as if telling her to continue the conversation.
However, her gaze fixed on Kellive was still full of disapproval.
Perhaps because the topic of Mordred had been brought up.
It was the most important part of today’s conversation with Kellive, so the subject could not be avoided.
Morgana opened her mouth as gently and carefully as possible.
“That His Highness Mordred is also the reason I took the throne of Brittania.”
“I was surprised to hear that you, who has no right of succession, received the throne. I even wondered if you had married the princess.”
“Brittania has officially declared His Highness Mordred a rebel.”
She stated clearly that she no longer had any connection with Mordred. She deliberately did not look toward Guinevere.
Guinevere had understood and accepted it from beginning to end.
Awkward consideration would only be poisonous.
At Morgana’s firm declaration, Kellive, who had been listening attentively with his hands loosely clasped over his knee, straightened up.
“Did the rebel flee to Avalon?”
“It’s not fleeing. He will be heading to Mount Badon in Avalon after hearing that the Holy Grail is there.”
“Mount Badon…”
Kellive lightly rubbed his chin with his gloved hand.
Gawain, behind him, blinked and asked.
“There is no place called Mount Badon in Avalon?”
Just before Morgana could ask again, Kellive quickly answered.
“It is an old name. It is no longer called Mount Badon.”
She had heard that Excalibur had been stuck in the rock for 100 years alone.
If the House of the Lake Fairy had hidden the Holy Grail from the very beginning, it was not strange for the name to have changed.
‘Excalibur… When you think about it, he really is old.’
Usually, he acted immature, but occasionally, she was reminded that he was a holy sword who had lived for a very long time.
In any case, from Kellive’s reaction, it was clear that the location existed in Avalon.
Morgana cleared her throat awkwardly and continued.
“I am also planning to go to Mount Badon. Together with Excalibur.”
“Good. Let’s go together.”
Morgana blinked at Kellive’s answer, which came out willingly and without hesitation. His curved eyes and softly smiling lips showed not even the slightest reluctance.
On the contrary, only Raves’s face behind him grew increasingly pale.
Worried that he might have misunderstood, Morgana asked again.
“After all, a rebel from Brittania is heading to another country’s land, and I am now officially visiting from Brittania’s position.”
“I know. Isn’t that why you told me?”
Why is this so easy…?
There was no way she would go to Mount Badon without carrying any weapons.
In the situation, she had no choice but to bring Excalibur, and so did Mordred. While Nimue’s appearance could be considered human, he was still clearly a holy sword.
The fact that the king of another country was entering armed into a foreign land could lead to war.
“Your Highness… Please think twice before answering.”
Raves, Kellive’s aide, was desperately trying to stop him in a voice so pale it sounded like he might faint.
Morgana had even prepared negotiation points in advance for this discussion. She cleared her throat and raised her index finger.
“That’s why I prepared a negotiation proposal. First. Tax exemption on herbal distribution.”
Spreading another finger, Morgana continued in a firm, serious voice.
“The second proposal is the activation of trade between Brittania and Avalon. There is no longer much reason for us to keep checking each other like before, right?”
“Very wise, Lady Morgana!”
The more proposals she made, the brighter Raves’s expression became.
He must have already finished calculating, as he kept poking Kellive’s shoulder to get his attention.
Understanding the signal, Kellive crossed his arms, smiled softly, and answered kindly.
“You don’t need any of that.”
“Cough!”
The moment Kellive finished speaking, blood flowed from Raves’s mouth.
Startled, Olivia jumped up and hurriedly handed him a handkerchief.
Raves covered his mouth with the blood-stained handkerchief and whispered faintly like a fragile leaf, almost collapsing toward Kellive.
“Your Highness… Please proceed with the second proposal…”
“I don’t want to.”
Despite his refreshing tone, the firm refusal made Raves’s face turn even whiter.
Morgana was equally surprised.
“Why? You can choose any of them. Just in case, I also prepared a third proposal. Would you like to hear it?”
“No. There’s no need to hear more. Just take me with you when you go to find the Holy Grail. That’s enough.”
“Cough, cough! Kugh!”
Raves looked like he was dying every time Kellive spoke, but no one except the people from Brittania seemed to care.
Morgana tilted her head at the strange gap and asked.
“No, are you really okay with this?”
Is he playing hard to get because it’s too little?
Who in the world would refuse goodwill offered for free?
Unable to understand, Morgana asked again to confirm.
Kellive’s golden eyes slowly scanned her face for a moment. His gaze was so clear that it somehow felt embarrassing.
Had her proposal been too insufficient?
However, his low voice said something completely different.
“I like everything you give me, Morgana. Normally, I would have been happy even if you gave me just one piece of candy.”
“Then you can just accept it. What’s the problem?”
“But I don’t want to receive it as a transaction.”
His voice was gentle, yet the determination within it was clear. His face, which had always looked soft, appeared firm in this moment.
“Therefore, I will not accept it.”
For some reason, that short sentence echoed loudly.
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