บท 205: C205
Morgan had her doubts in her heart about whether he was really her biological brother.
Right from the beginning, she had doubts about whether he and her supposed brother were truly related. This was because he had a different hair color than their father and didn't bear much resemblance to their family.
However, after discreetly monitoring his activities for more than two months and observing his dazzling personality, she had come to sincerely believe that he was indeed her biological brother. She had been trying to convince herself of this fact since the beginning.
Morgan's subconscious mind had convinced her that everything he did was remarkable. Even when he was being interrogated during the Camelot coronation, she defended him not because she had any ulterior motives, but simply because she believed he was her brother.
To Morgan, he was her kin, and she was fiercely protective of him. Any doubts or inquiries about him were viewed as hostile attacks on her beloved sibling. And as time passed, he ascended to the throne and became a genuine, splendid, and awe-inspiring king.
Despite her strength, Morgan found herself unconsciously hesitant to act recklessly in the presence of the king. When she became aware of her psychological shift, she understood that he was not just her brother, but also a king who had unconsciously won her over and gained her wholehearted approval.
Morgan typically asserted her sisterly authority in the king's presence to support her brother, but she found herself retreating and feeling a little afraid when he became serious. She couldn't pinpoint the exact cause of her fear, as this was the first time she had felt dominated by someone.
She was acutely aware that her psychological disadvantage indicated that she had been conquered and dominated by another. However, she didn't mind because he was her dear brother, who respected and loved her deeply.
However--
-- "I see that you are already preparing someone to serve Lily."
-- "It's crucial to be prepared well in advance. When the time comes for me to return the throne to her, I want her to be fully prepared and not caught off guard."
These were the words that Morgan heard from the king and Merlin when she went to find them. It took her three whole seconds to process and comprehend the implications.
Returning the throne?
What is all of this about?
Morgan's mind was filled with confusion as she struggled to comprehend the meaning behind the king's words. Moreover, she couldn't help but recall the chaos that had ensued during the Camelot coronation ceremony over two years ago.
In reality, she had never let go of that issue. The reason being that her brother was meant to receive a complete kingdom during the coronation ceremony. However, due to the scheming of various forces, he was forced to establish his own kingdom from the barren land of Cornwall.
She was convinced that her brother's inability to receive a complete kingdom during the coronation ceremony was due to her own lack of strength and support. For someone as strong-willed as her, it was like a thorn in her heart that she could never remove.
However, the secret she had heard directly from the king's mouth, coupled with the words spoken during the turmoil of the coronation ceremony, was now shaking her firm resolve.
--- "Princess Morgan, I am not defaming anyone. I am merely stating the truth. This individual, Guinevere, has resided within the estate for a year and has spent almost ten months forcing himself to learn our language. Whether it is 'Shee-row' or 'Fuhjuh mahruh Shee-roh', those are the names of this individual in other tongues."
--- "The only child brought to the estate by Merlin a decade ago was... It was Miss Artoria!"
--- "Are you saying that 'Arthur' is actually Miss Artoria?"
As more and more memories of the coronation ceremony flooded her mind, she became increasingly doubtful and panicked. The overwhelming doubts swirling in her head made her question everything, including whether or not she truly had a brother. Was he fake? A fraud?
The thought terrified her, and she tried to calm herself down, repeatedly telling herself not to entertain such doubts.
She tried to reason with herself and calm down. "Think carefully, Morgan," she told herself. "If he's not your brother, why would he have done all that he has done for Camelot? Haven't you witnessed everything he has accomplished in the past few years?"
Despite her efforts to convince herself otherwise, the doubts continued to grow and fester in Morgan's mind, causing her to panic. She felt an urgent need to speak to the king and have him personally deny her doubts.
Even if it was a lie, his smile or any words of reassurance would suffice to calm her down.
However, Morgan hesitated. She feared hearing something she did not want to hear, and the thought of having her doubts confirmed filled her with dread.
Overwhelmed by her doubts and fears, Morgan ran away. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of anger towards Guinevere and even had the urge to kill her. If Guinevere hadn't been there, Morgan wouldn't have heard those words, and she wouldn't be troubled by her doubts and uncertainties.
She was tormented by this question for several days, unable to find the courage to ask the king directly. She turned to Artoria for answers, believing that she would receive an honest response.
However, when the words were on the tip of her tongue, Morgan couldn't bring herself to ask. She was overwhelmed by fear, afraid that she might receive an answer she didn't want to hear. Once again, she fled the scene, unable to face the truth.
Unable to find peace and losing sleep over the question, Morgan eventually confided in her most trusted confidante, Agravain. She poured out her worries to him and asked for his advice.
Agravain assured her and advised her to be at ease, assuring her that the king must be her real brother. Although it didn't entirely dispel her fears, his words brought some comfort to Morgan and provided her with a sense of relief.
Morgan requested that he keep this matter between them, and he promised repeatedly to keep her secret safe. She regarded Agravain as a reliable and trustworthy child, someone she trusted the most and felt least guarded against.
However, she never expected that as soon as Agravain turned around, he would tell Shirou about this matter.
"She's been acting strangely lately, so I suspected that she might have already figured out the truth," Shirou sighed. He then cast a disapproving glance towards Merlin, who was avoiding eye contact and attempting to diminish his presence.
He couldn't believe that this waste, Merlin, who possessed Clairvoyance, was unable to keep an eye on Morgan and prevent her from discovering the truth.
Shirou turned his attention to Agravain, who appeared respectful and asked him, "Why didn't you help Morgan keep this matter a secret? She confided in you because she trusts you implicitly."
Agravain responded, "For the sake of Britain, Morgan isn't as important as you are."
Hearing this, he let out a sigh and said, "You may go now. It's best if you don't involve yourself in this matter."
"Yes." Agravain departed as instructed.
Shirou took his seat on the throne and glanced over at Guinevere, who was already trembling and covering her ears underneath the table. In fact, she was already in tears. Shouldn't they have discussed such confidential matters in a private location where no one else was around?
At the very least, they should have waited for her to leave before speaking about it. Why did they make her listen?
Guinevere couldn't help but wonder if the king was going to pull out his sword and hold it to her neck, saying, "You know too much," and then "click" and cut off her head.
Why was she so unlucky?
Feeling overwhelmed with emotion, she broke down into sobs.
He heard her sobs and called out to her, "Guinevere..."
But she was already in a state of panic. She covered her ears and repeated to herself, "I didn't hear anything, I didn't hear anything... Please don't cut off my head..."
"I didn't say anything about cutting off your head," He then tossed the test paper at her, "Here's today's homework. Make sure you do it properly. Last time, you tried to fool me by writing nonsense and even intentionally left three answers blank. If you make more than two mistakes this time, I'll shave off your hair!"
"Sob..." she trembled in fear and sobbed, her face paling at the thought.
He glanced at Merlin, who had buried his head in the documents and said, "How long do you plan on being a coward?"
"Well..."
"The situation has already occurred, and instead of solving it, you're thinking about avoiding it... Do you really think I won't shave off all your hair?"
Merlin let out a sigh and said, "Are you so twisted now that you're interested in my hair?"
"I'll kick you to death! Just hurry up and bring Morgan and Artoria to me."
"Fine, fine," Merlin said with another sigh as he turned and left.
"Um... Your Majesty," Guinevere hesitantly spoke up, "may I go outside to write?"
He quickly grabbed Guinevere's hair and pulled her back, firmly stating, "No, you stay here and write."
"Sob... I don't want to hear any more scary things..." Guinevere whispered to herself, feeling frightened and overwhelmed.
Merlin brought Artoria and Morgan to the palace. However, he only had to use his spell to summon Artoria, whereas he used a trick to lure Morgan into coming along.
At the sight of Artoria and Shirou seated in the palace, Morgan's heart skipped a beat and her face paled. She turned to flee, but Merlin had closed the doors of the palace.
Morgan glared at Merlin, her voice thick with threat. "You useless white-haired waste!" But despite her anger, Merlin could only spread his hands helplessly.
Artoria was bewildered, unsure of what was happening.
Shirou gazed at Morgan and spoke up, "I heard that you have something to ask me."
Morgan hesitated for a moment before replying, "No, I don't!"
He insisted, "Yes, you do."
Shirou descended from the throne and strode over to Morgan, declaring, "You want to ask me if I am Arthur, your younger brother. And more importantly, you want to know who I truly am."
Morgan's face went pale, and Artoria's expression froze in shock.
Guinevere, on the other hand, had already covered her ears with her fingers, cowering under the table and trembling.
"And what I want to tell you is..." Shirou began to say.
But Morgan cut him off, yelling, "I don't want to hear it!" as she clamped her hands over her ears.
He reached out and grabbed her hands, "I have no doubts in my heart, Morgan. However, it seems that you do. And so, I will answer your question. I am not your biological brother. You have only one biological sister, and that is Artoria. In fact, she is Arthur. I am merely standing in for her and temporarily occupying this throne."
Morgan stumbled back a few steps as tears streamed down her face. "Why did you have to tell me?" she cried out in anguish. "Why couldn't you just lie to me? I would have believed you if you were willing to lie! Why couldn't you just lie to me?"
He met her gaze and replied firmly, "Because I don't want to keep deceiving you."
"You... you liar!" she shouted, her voice choked with emotion.
She glared at him, but beneath the surface, a whirlwind of emotions was brewing in her heart.
Alongside the fear and terror of the answer, there was a deep well of anger and a fierce sense of sadness. Morgan resented Shirou for his deceit that had lasted for over two years, and she was deeply saddened that he was not willing to keep lying to her.
As Morgan gazed at his familiar face, she could no longer contain her rage. "You... you liar!" she spat out, drawing a rune in front of her as if to attack the king.
Although Artoria and Merlin were uneasy, Shirou simply gazed at Morgan with a calm demeanor, making no move to dodge or defend himself.
"You... you...!!!"
In the end, she refrained from attacking. She had invested too much emotional energy into the king, harboring a deep well of anger and destructive rage, but ultimately gave up.
She withdrew her hand from his hand, spun around, and fled from the room in tears.
He turned to Merlin and commanded, "Go after her and confine her to her quarters."
"Okay..." Merlin nodded in resignation and hurried after Morgan, his footsteps echoing through the halls as he pursued her.
Artoria appeared hesitant as she addressed him, "My king... may I ask why you did that?"
He met her gaze and responded, "If I don't resolve this issue before relinquishing the throne to you, it will cause problems for you when you assume the throne."
Shirou's words about relinquishing the throne left Artoria shaken, and she stammered out, "I... my king... you are more suited to this throne. There's no need for you to..."
But he cut her off abruptly, "Go and attend to your duties."
"My king..."
"Hmm?"
"I...I understand."
She could not bring herself to voice her objections and turned away from him, her head bowed and her expression one of fear and confusion.
Deep down, she understood the truth of the matter. She knew about his true identity and understood that if he chose to relinquish the throne, it meant that he would be leaving.
Shirou let out a deep sigh and settled back into the throne, casting his gaze down at Guinevere, who remained crouched under the table, trembling and covering her ears. He asked, "Did you hear everything?"
"N-no..." Guinevere stammered out, her voice quivering.
"I'll give you another chance to hear it," he offered.
But she shook her head, tears streaming down her face, "I...I heard it clearly."
She couldn't help but feel that the king was being cruel. Why did he have to make her listen to all of this? She had overheard things that were not meant for anyone else's ears. It was too much for her to bear.
He spoke up, "Well then, study hard and learn as much as you can from me. Absorb all the knowledge and wisdom I can impart to you and grow into the best version of yourself."
After a brief pause, his expression softened into a pleased smile. "I am genuinely excited to see what you will become under my tutelage."
Guinevere was frightened by the king's smile and trembled all over, feeling a sense of unease wash over her.
Despite her apprehension, he paid her no attention and returned his gaze to the paperwork in front of him as if everything that had just happened was nothing more than a passing cloud.
...
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