“What about the Duke of Fay?”
Morgana’s eyes widened at Olivia’s unexpected declaration.
They were all employees of the Duke of Fay.
Since the temple had come with the Duke, they weren’t exactly quitting their jobs either.
Olivia, as if she had anticipated this question, answered without hesitation.
“If you’ll just take us in, we’re ready to quit!”
It seemed the servants had already discussed this among themselves before coming to the temple.
Olivia, worried that Morgana might refuse, made a pleading face and added urgently,
“We didn’t know where you went, so we couldn’t follow you. And once we found out, we couldn’t come after you.”
Indeed, Britain was off-limits to Avalon’s people.
But Morgana, in her current position, had no real ties to the Duke’s servants. She was the wielder of Excalibur, the Holy Sword, and belonged to no kingdom.
If she went to Britain, Avalon would likely become a vassal state as per the prophecy, so it didn’t matter. And if she returned to Avalon, that wouldn’t be a problem for them either.
Excalibur, pleased at the thought of more people admiring it, chimed in with a cheerful tone.
— They all want to see me, huh? I get it. I am pretty impressive, after all.*
Though Olivia had come to see Morgana, not Excalibur, Morgana didn’t bother correcting it.
She knew how hard it was to find trustworthy maids.
Even Guinevere had suffered multiple assassination attempts disguised as servants due to the prophecy.
The Duke’s servants, in a way, were already vetted.
They were people who had come for her, with no connection to the Holy Sword.
“Alright. I’ll hire all of you!”
As soon as Morgana gave her clear answer, Olivia’s face lit up. She quickly began gathering her suitcase, as if she had been waiting for this moment.
“I’ll submit my resignation right away!”
Pulling out a neatly folded letter from her suitcase—likely written in advance—Olivia bowed and then dashed out without hesitation.
💫
“What is this?!”
Morgause, dressed in her gown, irritably stomped her foot on the floor. Even the hand brushing her long silver hair was rough.
The Duke of Fay, clutching a crumpled resignation letter, gritted his teeth and replied,
“Did I expect them to come all the way here just to quit?”
“That’s why I told you not to come! Everyone from British nobles to Avalon’s people and the priests will see us like this. How are we supposed to face them?!”
Morgause even threw the brush she was holding onto the guest room bed.
They had been so busy loading the carriage with luggage from the estate that they hadn’t had time to properly prepare for the temple.
Now, with the servants quitting, they had no one to help them.
The dress Morgause and Elaine had helped each other into looked shabby. Having never dressed themselves before, no matter how they tried to accessorize, it still looked tacky.
Meanwhile, Elaine bluntly asked,
“Why don’t we just ask the priests for help?”
“Since when do you treat priests like your servants?!”
The Duke scolded her sharply. He roughly crumpled the resignation letter and threw it onto the table, sternly addressing his daughters.
“The priests are from the neutral zone. I’ve told you countless times—they’re not people you can boss around, unless it’s for guidance!”
Elaine spread her arms, her whole body expressing how absurd she found the situation.
“Nowadays, there are so many priests without divine power. What does it matter?”
“It still doesn’t work. Figure it out yourselves. Do you even realize what a mess we’re in?”
“I don’t understand why you’re acting so submissive, Father. Ugh, this is frustrating.”
Of all things, Morgana had drawn the Holy Sword.
As soon as he heard the news, the Duke had quickly registered Morgana’s name in the Fay household, but there were issues his daughters didn’t know about.
‘Does Morgana know I sent people after her?’
He had hired a guild to bring her back to Avalon.
Given the lack of news, they had either been wiped out or fled after failing. There were no other possibilities.
Either way, it meant Morgana had successfully avoided them, but the question was whether she knew he had sent them.
‘Earlier, from a distance, even His Majesty Kellive seemed stunned.’
The sight of him smiling at Morgana was shocking, given his usual cold, high-handed demeanor.
When looking at the Duke, Kellive would only smile with his lips, his gaze always emotionless.
It was unclear how long Morgana and Kellive had known each other.
Either way, Morgana was someone who wielded the power of the Fay household.
‘So it’s as if the Fay household drew the sword.’
The Avalon nobles had been on edge the moment they saw him at the temple.
The Duke, trying to soothe his daughters, reluctantly made his way to the banquet hall.
Elaine, following behind him with a face full of discontent, casually opened the conversation.
“I heard Morgana lived as a maid in Britain.”
“…Really?”
“I overheard it from the British nobles, so it’s definitely true.”
Morgause’s lips twisted into a sneer as she walked irritably. It was a position all too fitting for her.
Given that she had wandered around Britain’s slums, struggling to survive, being a royal maid was actually quite an achievement.
“Then she must not have anything proper.”
“I doubt she’s ever been to a proper banquet. She’s probably never even danced with a partner. She’s bound to be awkward.”
Elaine’s words weren’t malicious—she genuinely believed what she was saying. Morgause nodded in agreement.
💫
“My lady, it’s done!”
Olivia’s voice, filled with emotion, came from behind Morgana as she nodded vigorously in the mirror.
The extravagant dress and jewelry Morgana was wearing felt unfamiliar, as if she hadn’t worn them in a long time.
Olivia curiously leaned in to examine Morgana’s dress.
“Where did the dress and jewelry come from?”
“From the magic storage.”
There were dresses and jewels she had received from the Equator Count’s household. She hadn’t had a chance to wear them before, as there had been no banquets to attend.
Seemingly worried about her, Olivia let out a sigh of relief.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t have anything, so I brought some from the Duke’s estate…”
Rummaging through her suitcase, she shyly turned her head and pulled out a small jewelry box, slightly larger than her hand.
“I snuck them out.”
‘You really came prepared, huh?’
Just then, a knock interrupted their conversation.
Turning her head, Morgana saw Kellive standing at the door as it opened. His shoulders draped with a sash and a cloak.
Despite his neat attire, his slightly disheveled bangs gave off a strange contrast.
In the temple, where everything was white, his black uniform stood out starkly.
Morgana stood up with a solemn expression.
“Kellive , you came in person?”
“Were you expecting someone else? Britain said they’d send the Knight of the Lake. The princess was confident you’d take her hand.”
A chill ran down Morgana’s spine.
So Britain had planned to send Lancelot.
The Knight of the Lake and the Lady of the Lake. To the public, it was a clear message that Morgana was to be tied to Britain.
‘Thank goodness Kellive came instead!’
She smiled brightly, her tone kinder and gentler than ever.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about! I always planned to go with you, Kellive. Of course!”
He gently took her hand to escort her.
As she stood up, his thumb pressed firmly against the back of her hand. Kellive smiled slowly, his low voice warm and affectionate.
“I didn’t come to escort you as a representative of Avalon.”
Feeling a strange sensation, Morgana glanced at him sideways. His large fingers slowly wrapped around her palm, the knuckles pressing against her skin in a way that felt oddly sensitive.
When her hand twitched, his smile deepened.
“Every time, you had to come find me for us to meet, didn’t you?”
“Ah, in Britain, the situation was a bit…”
“So this time, I came to you.”
Kellive’s expression seemed subtly pleased. He continued in a firm yet gentle tone,
“I didn’t come out of obligation. I just wanted to see you, Morgana.”
This was the first banquet held at the temple.
Unlike the Lake Festival, which brought together people from various kingdoms, this banquet was unprecedented, held specifically for an outsider.
It made her wonder if this lavish treatment was because she was the one who had delivered the prophecy.
Branches of panacea, said to grow only in the temple, adorned the hallways, their round leaves slightly larger than a fingernail.
Occasionally, decorative carvings of various animal faces were added, giving the impression of being immersed in nature.
The temple’s clean, white aesthetic was distinctly different from the palaces of Avalon and Britain.
A priest waiting to announce them spotted Morgana and called out loudly,
“Lady Morgana and His Majesty Kellive are entering!”
The grand doors to the banquet hall opened, and the gazes of those bowing in greeting focused on them.
With the future of each kingdom at stake, everyone seemed both solemn and visibly tense, their preparations evident.
As the orchestra’s lively music resumed, the guests returned to their conversations.
Among them, one area was particularly crowded.
“Haha, the power of the household has found its rightful owner!”
The Duke of Fay laughed loudly, surrounded by a throng of people.
‘Where did Morgause and Elaine go?’
It took Morgana a moment to spot them, squinting as she carefully scanned the banquet hall.
‘Why are they hiding in the corner like that?’
They were doing their best to avoid Morgana’s gaze, using the Avalon ladies as a shield.
After finishing his conversation, the Duke pushed through the nobles and approached Morgana.
“Morgana, it’s been a long time!”
He spread his arms wide as if they were old acquaintances.
“Who are you?”
Morgana smiled brightly, feigning innocence.
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