Arthur knew he couldn't defeat Aife.
He had already realized that she hadn't been fighting at full strength before. If she had been serious, he might not even be alive right now. Moreover, she likely knew about his precognitive ability; otherwise, she wouldn't have been aware of his connection to Morgan.
In any case, the most important thing right now was Nessa. He needed to get her out of here as quickly as possible.
Arthur burst into Nessa's room, threw the door open with a bang, and shouted, "Nessa, we need to leave this place right now!"
Nessa looked up, confusion written all over her face. "What happened? Why are you suddenly so nervous? And where did you go? I couldn't find you anywhere."
As she finished speaking, a flicker of doubt appeared in her eyes.
Without wasting time on explanations, Arthur stepped forward and grabbed Nessa's hand. "There's no time to explain—let's get out of here first."
"Why?" Nessa was startled. "You want to run away with me? There's no need for that… Mother has already agreed to our engagement, so we don't need to elope—"
Bang!
Before she could finish, the door was kicked open.
"Boy, you're the first person who's ever dared to deceive me like this. Don't worry—I'll treat you very well later."
As she spoke, a captivating smile appeared on Aife's face. However, that smile filled Arthur with an intense sense of danger.
There was no doubt about it—the "affection" Aife was talking about was not a good thing.
"Nessa?!"
The moment Aife kicked the door open, she saw the girl standing in front of her. She froze for a moment, then her anger quickly transformed into a smile. "So this is your room?"
"What are you doing here?!" Nessa glared coldly at the woman before her.
"I'm here to teach that boy a lesson—"
"Get out!" Nessa shouted furiously. "This is my room."
"I see…" Aife paused. "Then I'll just get rid of him—"
"You get out!" Nessa said again, her eyes blazing with anger as she stared at Aife. "If you hurt my Arthur… I'll never speak to you again!"
Aife stood there in a daze for a moment before turning around and leaving the room.
The queen of the kingdom of Alba sat by the doorway, watching the rain outside. Her high ponytail swayed gently, and her back looked strangely lonely—like that of an abandoned wife.
Arthur was completely bewildered.
What is going on here?
"Arthur, are you okay?" Nessa adjusted the collar of Arthur's shirt, her eyes full of concern. She looked at him and said, "That woman didn't hurt you, did she? If you're injured anywhere, I won't let her get away with it."
Hearing this, Aife—who was sitting near the door—felt her shoulders tremble slightly, as if she had heard something extremely serious.
"It's nothing…" Arthur glanced oddly at the ponytailed woman by the door and asked in a low voice, "Who is she to you?"
Although Arthur had long heard that Scáthach had a sister named Aife and that their relationship was terrible, he never imagined that Aife would be so close to Scáthach's daughter.
No—this went beyond closeness. Aife's attitude toward Nessa was… overly affectionate.
"When I was little, I was naïve and met my aunt while playing in the forest. I played with her for a while after that," Nessa said, glancing again at the woman sitting by the door. "Later, I found out that she and my mother had a bad relationship, that she founded her own kingdom, and that she always wanted my mother to submit to her."
Arthur thought to himself, This woman seems to have a niece complex… What would happen if Master found out that her daughter and her sister were this close?
As he was thinking, Arthur suddenly felt a gaze fixed on him. He looked over and saw Aife staring at him. At that moment, her cold eyes locked onto his. Her lips parted slightly, and although no sound came out, Arthur understood exactly what she meant.
There was no doubt about it—what Aife was saying was: Try saying what you were just thinking.
That oppressive aura and those icy eyes made it clear she wasn't joking. If Nessa were to truly ignore her in the future because of him, Aife would definitely not let him off easily.
Arthur nodded, signaling I understand.
"By the way, Arthur," Nessa suddenly asked, "you were in such a hurry to take me away earlier—were you being bullied by that woman?"
Aife's eyes instantly became much more tense, and she shot Arthur another glance, this time tinged with pleading.
It's always better to leave room for maneuver. Arthur was the kind of person who responded better to kindness than to force. Faced with Aife's look, his heart softened, and he shook his head. "I was just sparring with Lady Aife… I went to find you just to scare you a bit. I didn't expect you to know her."
It had to be said—the contrast between this woman's cold exterior and her pleading gaze was incredibly striking.
Besides, Aife hadn't actually been trying to kill him just now. If she really wanted him dead, he wouldn't have been able to resist at all.
Nessa nodded slightly and murmured, "I see." Then she looked at Aife by the door and said, "You should go back first. I'm very tired after training all day. Come back tomorrow."
Hearing this, Aife simply nodded, then stood up and looked at Arthur in the room. "Brat—"
Noticing Nessa's disapproving gaze, Aife coughed lightly. "Arthur, right? You have quite promising talent. Could you guide me? I'm a bit lost."
How did you even get into the palace if you don't know the way?
Despite his hesitation, Arthur nodded and said, "Alright."
He wasn't like Nessa—he couldn't be that stubborn.
"Are you sure it's okay? If you don't want to, you can just refuse," Nessa said gently, holding his hand.
"It's fine. I'm doing this of my own free will…"
Seeing this, Nessa simply nodded. "Then I'll wait for you to come back."
---xXx---
"You did very well back there." Aife looked quite pleased. "I owe you one."
As they walked through the corridors of Dun Scaith, Aife seemed very satisfied with Arthur's performance. The hostility she had initially felt toward him for being Scáthach's apprentice had also diminished considerably.
"Although your strength isn't that great, at least you know how to behave. That alone is already much better than that old woman."
Arthur rolled his eyes, too lazy to say anything, and simply walked silently beside Aife.
No wonder she didn't get along with Scáthach. This woman's tongue was far too sharp. Given Scáthach's temper, if she heard her sister call her an "old woman," she'd probably break her legs on the spot.
"I mean… Lady Aife, what exactly did you come to Dun Scaith for?" After a moment, Arthur suddenly asked.
"I came to teach Scáthach's apprentices a lesson," Aife replied calmly.
"But you didn't just go to the training grounds, did you? And it didn't seem like you were coming specifically for me…"
Aife looked a little awkward. "Well… if I had to say, I was planning to visit Nessa, since I was already here."
"While my master is away?" Arthur asked with a strange expression.
You can't defeat your older sister, so you plan to steal her daughter instead?
(End of Chapter)