In the temple, where nobles from Britain to Avalon had gathered, there weren’t many places to hide from prying eyes.
And with Tristan following her everywhere, the pressure doubled.
If she went to a secluded corner of the temple garden, he’d be behind a tree.
And if she headed to the beautifully decorated pavilion by the water, he’d be hiding behind a nearby wall.
Then, if she went to the terrace, perfect for an outdoor tea time, he’d be watching from the building across.
Tristan’s narrowed eyes were always fixed on her.
‘You’re being way too obvious…!’
Morgana was sweating bullets, trying her best to ignore him.
Holding the bouquet, she glanced at Kellive, who was sitting across the table. When their eyes met, his smile deepened.
“You can just look, you know.”
“I wasn’t looking. My gaze just happened to pass by, and there you were, Your Grace—I mean, Kellive .”
He tilted his head slightly and replied slowly, “You can call me ‘Your Grace’ if you want. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”
“But you’re not a duke.”
“I could be if you wanted. I could create a title, set up a puppet, and adopt myself into the family.”
‘Who would adopt a king as their heir…?’
While Morgana was baffled, Kellive maintained a serene smile befitting the temple’s sacred atmosphere.
“There’s another way, if you’d like to hear it.”
“There’s more?”
Curious, Morgana leaned forward slightly. If her plan went awry, she’d have to consider passing the throne to someone else and making a quick exit.
There were plenty of options, so it couldn’t hurt to hear him out.
Kellive leaned closer over the table.
In a hushed tone, he whispered, “It’s a way to be with you, Morgana.”
“Let’s move on to the next topic!”
She didn’t need to hear anymore. Morgana firmly raised her hand to stop him from getting any closer.
Kellive openly showed his disappointment.
“That was my most confident method, you know.”
He lightly tapped the table with his long fingers.
It seemed to be a habit. As she watched his hand, his soft voice brushed past her ears.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to deceive you.”
‘Who would’ve thought someone wouldn’t recognize the king’s face?’
Especially someone from the Duke of Fay’s household.
After living in Britain, she realized that even mercenaries knew who Caradoc was, let alone the king.
‘Well, I did get a lot of help from him…’
Of course, if she’d known his true identity earlier, she would’ve cut ties immediately.
‘But then I wouldn’t have known about the summoning circle in the painting.’
In fact, it was the Duke of Fay who had introduced him as a duke. If not for that, she would’ve figured it out much sooner, given his appearance, demeanor, and even his speech—all of which matched the original story’s antagonist perfectly.
‘The Duke of Fay… To lie about something like this…’
While Morgana clenched her teeth, Kellive smiled calmly.
“It’s my fault, so call me whatever you like.”
“No, it just slipped out. Kellive. See? I’m getting better, right?”
“Yes,” He replied out of the blue.
Confused, she blinked, and he smiled brightly, clearly pleased, before speaking again.
“Yes, Morgana.”
Under his steady gaze, Morgana felt awkward.
‘Was it really such a big deal just to say his name once?’
Facing his relaxed smile made her feel embarrassed for no reason. She fiddled with a strand of her hair.
He felt different now compared to when she thought of him as a comrade in a similar situation.
Though he hadn’t changed, the atmosphere around him felt subtly unfamiliar.
Just as the sound of teacups clinking filled the air,
Thud, thud—
A rough noise came from near the terrace.
The priests’ urgent voices followed.
“Your Highness, calm down!”
The terrace door slammed open, and a loud voice boomed.
“Morgana, are you cheating on me?”
Guinevere, her hair disheveled from running, was panting heavily.
‘Huh…?’
Wait, she hadn’t even started a relationship, and now she was caught in an affair?
The absurdity of the situation left Morgana speechless.
Meanwhile, Kellive calmly retorted, “If anything, wouldn’t you be the third wheel, Your Highness?”
With a sly smile, he added cheerfully, “We met first, didn’t we?”
‘That’s not the point!’
There were too many things to address, making it impossible to pinpoint where to start.
Amid the chaos, Excalibur chuckled and chimed in.
—My master messed up. But then again, someone as popular as my master should have this kind of attention.
Morgana nervously searched for Tristan across the temple building. Having seen her with Kellive, he now looked at her with a satisfied expression.
‘Well, as long as you’re convinced…’
Morgana forced a faint smile.
Just then, Guinevere’s guard knight rushed over, having noticed the commotion.
“Your Highness, what will you do if you just leave your luggage behind?!”
“It’s a temple. Who’s going to steal it? The gods are watching with wide eyes!”
The maid and knight blocked her path as she brushed off their concerns.
“First, gather your belongings and change your clothes. To win a battle, you must arm yourself first!”
“That’s right, Your Highness! You must also greet the nobles of Britain!”
At the mention of nobles, Guinevere scoffed, “The same faces every time, what’s so great about seeing them again? I told you not to act familiar in the temple.”
The maid, undeterred by her stubbornness, declared with the resolve of a knight heading to battle,
“His Majesty Kellive of Avalon has already finished greeting the nobles of Avalon!”
“What…?”
Shocked, Guinevere whipped her head around to glare at Kellive, then pursed her lips.
With a haughty turn, she declared firmly,
“Let’s go. I must do my part to save face.”
The maid and guard knight seemed well-practiced in handling her.
As they practically dragged Guinevere away, Morgana quickly called for a priest.
“Excuse me, could you bring the knight with the injured leg from across the way?”
“Of course!”
The priest, who had been eyeing Excalibur nervously, hurriedly fetched Tristan.
When he returned, his tone had softened considerably as he greeted her.
“I truly thought you had completely gone to Britain, Lady Morgana! I don’t know how such rumors started…”
‘That’s accurate. I did go, but then I took a step back and only halfway returned.’
Morgana simply smiled instead of answering.
Tristan, who was still sitting across from her, glanced at Kellive with a hint of hope in his eyes.
It seemed he was that desperate for Avalon’s survival.
Morgana awkwardly agreed with him and steered the conversation elsewhere.
“Y-yes, exactly! But why are you so determined to protect Avalon, Tristan?”
“Because my lady loves Avalon. So I love it too.”
‘Finally, he’s talking about the lady.’
This was the man who had insisted on searching for his lady even with an injured ankle. His gentle, thoughtful expression showed just how much he cherished her.
Morgana cleared her throat and subtly asked, “You said the lady went into the forest, right?”
“Yes. She ran away to the Caledon Forest.”
He continued bitterly, “The Count wanted to marry her off to an old noble from Britain.”
This, too, was a common occurrence in Avalon.
Tristan’s eyes, fixed on his nearly broken, shoddy bow, twisted as if he were about to cry.
“The news of the marriage was so shocking that she started having nightmares. Eventually, she ran away, saying she would become a priestess…”
She could guess the rest without hearing it.
The Caledon Forest was vast.
Just beyond a mountain in Avalon lay its outskirts. It was the shortest route to the temple, but most avoided it due to its dangers, opting instead for teleportation stones or carriages that took the longer, safer roads.
For Tristan to venture there alone was no small act of recklessness.
‘Even so, to come all this way alone for his lady…’
Kellive, sensing the danger, kindly interjected, “You let the lady go alone? Where were the other knights?”
“I don’t know. She left only a letter and suddenly disappeared.”
“Did she meet anyone the day before?”
“No. She just seemed to be talking with the priests. I think she was asking about how to become a priestess…”
Tristan’s voice choked, and his eyes grew moist as he struggled to steady his breathing. His tearful demeanor was unusual.
‘How deeply must he care for his lady to risk so much and even shed tears for her?’
There was a touch of poignancy in his actions.
Morgana, watching him with narrowed eyes, flicked her finger and asked, “Do you love the lady?”
“Huh? W-well, no, I mean…”
Flustered, Tristan’s face turned bright red as he nodded.
Morgana tilted her head and pressed further, “Even if the lady doesn’t go to Britain, she might still marry someone else. Why go to such lengths?”
“The lady said she wanted to stay in Avalon, and as long as she’s there, I can at least watch over her.”
‘Such pure devotion.’
Honestly, Morgana didn’t fully understand it.
‘Why love someone without expecting anything in return?’
The world was built on give-and-take relationships. Her mother before the possession had been like that, and most people only showed kindness when they received favors in return.
If there was nothing left to give, the relationship would fall apart.
But a relationship where just being by someone’s side was enough?
His loyalty to Avalon was entirely for the lady’s sake.
So much so that he was willing to attack Morgana, who had offered to heal his injured foot, just to protect Avalon.
Kellive, who had been quietly listening, rubbed his chin.
“But the temple manages the Caledon Forest. It’s not a place an Avalon knight can enter without permission.”
“I’ll find a way to get there, no matter what!”
Tristan replied with the determination to blaze a trail if necessary.
Morgana, unfamiliar with the Caledon Forest, felt his plan was vague.
So she glanced at Kellive. Having experienced his vast and eclectic knowledge in Britain, she trusted his insight.
“Kellive, do you know a way?”
He tapped the table lightly with his index finger and answered,
“Only the high priests know the way. It’s a neutral zone, so no other nation can intervene.”
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