The rain had passed, and the sky cleared.
Raindrops that hadn't yet evaporated slid off the rooftops, dripping down onto the streets of Camelot.
The air felt fresh and clean. Just taking a breath made one feel refreshed and alive.
But...
Rather than enjoying the peaceful post-rain Camelot, Morgan was preoccupied with something else.
Her gaze drifted downward, settling on her hand intertwined with Ian's.
Was this really... a date?
"Morgan-neesan," Ian said gently.
"I told you, when we're outside, you're supposed to call me 'Your Highness,'" Morgan muttered with a sigh, shooting him a sideways glance.
"What's wrong?"
"People are staring at us."
"Huh? What?"
Up until now, Morgan had been too focused on their joined hands to notice the stares around her.
After the rain, Britain had returned to its usual liveliness.
Naturally, the streets were full of people.
And those people were whispering—quietly, but not kindly.
"Isn't that the princess? Why's she holding hands with another man?"
"Don't be stupid. That's the guy who pulled the sword with King Arthur, isn't it?"
"Oh? That's him?"
"Exactly."
"Besides, I heard the king doesn't particularly favor that princess anyway."
"That explains it. That really explains it."
...
This—this was exactly why Morgan didn't like going outside.
Her identity was just too awkward.
She was the eldest daughter of King Uther, yet had no right to inherit the throne.
From a commoner's perspective, that naturally meant she was the daughter despised by the king.
Each whisper from the crowd struck Morgan's heart like an arrow.
She turned her head away, visibly flustered.
"Wait here a sec."
Before Morgan could even respond, Ian shot forward at a speed she didn't expect.
Then, right before her eyes, he grabbed a man with one hand.
"You—what are you doing?!"
"I'm going to kill you."
His voice was calm, serious.
And his eyes... were already blood red.
No one could hear that tone and think he was joking.
"Stop joking around!"
"Even if it's you, you can't just—"
The man who had been shouting the loudest suddenly couldn't say a word.
Because Ian had wrapped his hand around his throat.
"..."
Realizing what was happening, Morgan hurried over.
"Stop it!"
"Ian! I said stop!"
"..."
Only after glancing at Morgan did Ian's eyes begin to cool down.
He released the man, who collapsed to the ground, gasping desperately for air.
"Th-thank you..."
"Don't thank me. Just get lost."
Morgan said coldly.
"I didn't do that to save you—"
...
Her tone was even colder than Ian's.
The man who barely escaped ran off immediately.
And the rest of the people who had joined in mocking Morgan quickly scattered as well.
The street returned to silence.
---
A few minutes later, inside the royal palace of Camelot.
After wandering around without much enthusiasm, Morgan and Ian returned.
But as they stepped up the palace stairs, Morgan flicked Ian on the head.
"You... do you even know what you did wrong?"
"Nope."
Ian didn't react to the flick at all.
His body was dozens—maybe hundreds—of times stronger than an average person.
"But since you said that, I guess I must've done something wrong."
"..."
Morgan sighed in exasperation, then carefully began explaining.
"Next time, don't just lash out like that."
"You want to be a knight, right? If you act like this all the time, people won't accept you. It'll cause problems."
"But you really hated what they said, didn't you?"
Ian looked her straight in the eye.
"That's why I had to act."
"I didn't hate it..." Morgan turned her face away.
"You did."
"And you hated it a lot."
"Your Highness—you clenched your fist just now, didn't you?"
"..."
Only then did Morgan realize her hand was still tightly held in Ian's.
He had sensed her body's reaction instantly.
Being seen through like that left her unsettled.
And then came her rebuttal.
"I'm used to it. It's always been like this."
"So just because it's always been that way... that makes it right?"
"Just because someone's used to being bullied, does that mean it's okay to treat them like garbage?"
"Just because someone's used to being alone, does that mean mocking them is fine?"
"I don't accept that."
"I'll never accept that."
Ian's palm grew slightly warmer.
And for a moment, even the sunlight around them seemed to heat up.
"That's why I'll fight."
"If anyone talks like that about you again, I'll kill them."
Cruel.
Brutal.
Reckless.
All kinds of words ran through Morgan's mind to describe Ian.
But in the end, just one remained:
Heart-throbbing.
There were plenty of people who mocked and sneered at her.
But no one had ever stood up for her like this.
"You idiot... you're such an—"
Morgan, carrying some bread she had just bought from a surprised shopkeeper, turned to shout at Ian.
She looked like she was angry, but her eyes sparkled with happiness.
"Open your mouth."
"I said, open your mouth!"
"Ahh—"
"Like that, okay?"
"..."
Ian looked confused, but still followed her lead and opened his mouth.
What he didn't expect—
Was that instead of feeding him by hand, Morgan grabbed the bread with her own lips.
And before Ian could react, she lunged forward and pinned him against a stone pillar.
In that moment, the bread was split between them—half in each mouth—and then swallowed.
And then, their lips naturally came together.
But even as she seductively kissed him, Morgan wasn't entirely happy.
She noticed Ian seemed too calm.
The princess of Camelot glared at him.
She was a little annoyed.
After all, she'd gone this far... and he was still this composed?
When it came to feeding, he always acted like a starving beast.
Greedy idiot...
Today, you're going to learn your lesson.
With that, Morgan cupped Ian's cheeks, ready to show him just how serious she was.
She hadn't realized it yet—but when she thought about Ian now, she no longer thought about revenge against Artoria.
What mattered more now—
Was the knight in front of her, the one who kept trying to bite her chest.
The bread had fallen to the ground, rolling forward until it came to a stop... at someone's feet.
"What exactly are you two doing?"
Artoria stood there, having just witnessed the whole thing.
She asked again, her tone serious.