A ray of sunlight streamed through the window.
It landed squarely in Artoria's eyes.
So uncomfortable.
The girl clutched her head.
Even though he didn't come last night, she slept worse than usual.
Without realizing it, the knight princess's hand slipped under her skirt.
No sensation...
If it's not him, there's no feeling at all.
Wait.
What am I doing?
Realizing something was wrong, Artoria quickly stopped her wandering hand.
Were her words too harsh yesterday?
Maybe she should apologize?
With that thought, Artoria grabbed her trusty golden sword.
She'd go find him!
Determined, she washed her face quickly and stepped out the door.
But she didn't expect to find the villagers already gathered outside.
And the moment they saw her, they all dropped to their knees.
"The king's grace is boundless!"
"My king, you saved us!"
Artoria was stunned.
Everything was normal last night—so how did things become like this today?
"Come on, didn't I tell you not to act like this?"
"The king doesn't need you to do this."
The one who spoke wasn't a villager, but Morgan.
She walked over from the distance, raised her hand, and dispersed the kneeling crowd from in front of Artoria.
"Sister, what did you do?"
Artoria asked.
"Nothing."
Morgan smiled.
"I just told them your identity, that's all."
"…"
"You didn't!"
"How could you tell them?" Artoria grew anxious. "Didn't we agree to travel in secret?"
"Doesn't that completely defeat the purpose?"
"Don't worry, I handled it properly."
Morgan tried to soothe her.
"We'll be leaving here today anyway."
"If they want to pay their respects, it's just this once."
"Still, it's not right!"
Artoria looked down at her outfit.
"Sister, I'm wearing your clothes."
"If they see this, won't that be like telling them the king is a girl?"
"That, you don't need to worry about either."
Morgan acted as if she had predicted everything.
"I've already explained things to them."
"E-Explained?"
"Yes."
Morgan nodded.
"I told them you like wearing women's clothes. You're their savior—no one's going to care about a little quirk like that."
"…"
Though it felt a bit strange, Artoria realized Morgan had already taken care of everything—without her knowing.
"Sister, why would you do this?"
"Because I want you to understand how much people can love a good king, Artoria. Look—"
Morgan smiled and pointed to the villagers gathered nearby.
"Didn't they all look happy just now? Couldn't you hear their genuine praise?"
"Isn't this the kind of scene you've always wanted to see?"
"…"
Artoria fell silent. Though she didn't enjoy being worshipped, the smiles on the villagers' faces had been deeply etched into her heart.
Everyone was smiling. That had to mean something, right?
"Yes, I did want to see something like this."
"Then that's perfect."
Morgan gently patted her on the shoulder, looking warm and kind.
"You did well this time. If you keep this up, Artoria, maybe you really can become an excellent king."
"Really?"
Artoria gripped the sword at her waist, unaware that Morgan's words were laced with magic.
"That's great."
She had to admit—Artoria's natural disposition was formidable. Morgan doubted she could have persuaded her through words alone.
But then again—she had Tiamat backing her.
Manipulating Artoria wasn't difficult at all.
Still, that wasn't the goal for today.
A subtle, nearly imperceptible smile formed on Morgan's lips.
She had something more devious planned.
"Well then, no time to waste. Let's go."
"If the villagers grab hold of us again, it'll be hard to get away."
"Okay!"
Artoria nodded but suddenly thought of something.
"Where's Ian?"
"Him? He's already waiting for us," Morgan replied.
"Just up ahead."
"What?"
Artoria frowned slightly.
"Why is he waiting for us there? He didn't say anything."
"I told him to."
Morgan said it casually.
She watched Artoria's reaction carefully. Once she confirmed the girl was paying close attention, she continued:
"I'm not sure why, but last night—he came looking for me."
"He came to see you?"
Artoria's hand on her sword trembled slightly.
"Yep."
Morgan nodded with a smile, then began walking ahead. Artoria followed.
"I was surprised when Ian showed up."
"Artoria, did something happen between the two of you?"
"…"
Remembering last night made Artoria's head buzz.
She instinctively replied, "Nothing happened. Maybe he just wanted to see you."
"He just wanted to see me?"
"But he—"
Morgan trailed off deliberately.
That only made Artoria more anxious.
"What did you two do?!"
"Nothing."
Morgan shook her head with a faint smile.
"We didn't do anything. He's your loyal knight, isn't he?"
"…"
Artoria had no response.
Morgan, now beside Ian, kept a polite distance.
"Alright, everyone's here. Let's move on."
"We need to finish this journey sooner rather than later."
"Right."
Artoria responded, but her heart was in turmoil.
No. Something wasn't right. They were obviously hiding something.
The more she thought about it, the more she began noticing little details she hadn't seen before.
Her gaze swept quickly over Morgan—until it landed on a marks at the hem of her skirt.
What was that?!