A Villainess pulled out the Sword instead of the Hero.

 

The world spun dizzily, and then Morgana’s body went limp.

 

Morgana’s consciousness faded.

 

The bite-sized scone in her hand fell with a thud. It rolled to the floor.

 

Levira stood still and watched it all unfold.

 

After watching for a while, and only when she was sure she wasn’t moving anymore, Levira put her hand under Morgana’s unconscious nose.

 

When she was sure she was breathing, she muttered in a small voice.

 “I was afraid you’d die for acting like a normal person, but now that you are still alive, I’ll get my deposit.” 

It was a lethal dose for a normal person. A normal person would have died long ago.

 

That was the end of the proof that she had the power of the Fay.

 

Now she must move quickly before she heals herself and wakes up.

 

Levira scooped Morgana into her arms in a familiar gesture.

  

Unbeknownst to Morgana, Arthur doesn’t leave her side until around 9:00 am.

 

He was supposed to return at 6:00 a.m., as promised, but as she sleeps soundly with her eyes closed, he loses track of time.

 

Often, he would wake up to a crisp blue morning and the sound of nameless birds, and realize it was daybreak.

 

Her silver hair was dazzling in the early morning moonlight.

 

Sometimes he would stare at her, unmoving and unreal, as she slept, and he would take a step closer.

 

He had never been a morning person.

 

He’d always risked his life to go about his mercenary duties, and every morning he’d checked on Lord Ector to make sure he was still breathing.

 

But lately, he’d found himself realizing that mornings weren’t so bad after all.

 

Dressed in the white top Morgana had complimented him on as handsome, Arthur brushed a lock of hair from his face and looked in the mirror.

 

‘She likes it this way.’

 

If I looked a little more to her liking, I wondered if I’d still be around after I received Carnwennan.

 

With that thought, he adjusted his attire once more.

 

‘I don’t really see the need for an escort.’

 

Her daily routine was quite ordinary, and she didn’t feel threatened by anything.

 

It was surprising that she had hired a maid for a month, but given how much time she spent alone, perhaps she had intended to keep him until she could find one.

 

He seemed unusually happy when she came in.

 

It was almost as if she didn’t need him anymore.

 

An escort was supposed to be a partridge, a shadow.

 

Arthur had no questions by nature. He didn’t want to know about other people, and he’d gotten into the habit of asking questions in conversation.

 

But about Morgana, he had more and more questions.

 

Where did she get the money to live like a dog?

 

Why does she live alone with no one around?

 

What was the story behind the mansion, which was obviously brand new?

 

Lord Ector had always told him he shouldn’t be greedy.

 

Uther Pendragon had become such an unspeakable name for treason because he was so conspicuous, he said, and he taught him to always be a shadow.

 

As long as King Vortigern lives, he said, the same thing might happen again.

 

These were not the thoughts that a shadow should have, at least not now.

 

Arthur braced himself and made his way to her chambers.

 

But as usual, he felt no sign of her.

 

He was suddenly uneasy. His continued calm seemed somehow to be a precursor to this uneasiness.

 

He quickened his pace and opened the door.

 

Somehow, his ominous prediction was not wrong.

 “Miss.” 

Arthur’s voice echoed in the empty room.

 

There was no resonance where there was no one.

 

Morgana would not disappear so suddenly.

 

Not, after all, he’d seen her for over three weeks. His blue eyes were deeply sunken.

 

Against the shadows of his impassive face, his eyes glazed over.

 

Morgana was gone. Taken by someone.

  “Looks like he’s put in a request to the Guild.” 

Raves handed over the papers with an attitude of one who really doesn’t want to talk about it, but grudgingly recites it because it is what he has been told to do.

 

He was all too aware of how pathetic he looked, and that this smug demeanor would come across as patronizing to someone.

 

Of course, the person he was reporting to was not in that category.

 

Raves lifted his head in disgust and glared at Kellive, who sat before him.

 

Gawain and Raves were the only two people in the kingdom who could show him this kind of attitude. Just the two of them.

 

In truth, Kellive wasn’t really paying attention to what Raves was saying.

 

But he’d only been a counselor for a day or two.

 

Whether he listened or not, he had to do his job.

 “The Duke of Fay’s chamberlain found the guild, and shortly thereafter, some of them headed to Britain.” 

Cupping his chin in one hand, Kellive traced his forefinger across his jawline.

 

Then his fingers suddenly stopped.

 

Still staring off into space, he turned to Raves and asked.

 “I don’t get the impression I’ll be forgotten so easily.” “What?” “That there could be anyone in Avalon who doesn’t know me. What do you think, Raves?” 

Raves swallowed down his nausea.

 

As if he didn’t have enough on his plate with the new king, he’s been rushing the handover.

 

Now he’s demanding an investigation into Fay, and I seriously wonder if he’s going to be weaving a coffin sooner or later.

 

Raves replied, smiling as beautifully as ever.

 “Either she has bad eyes, or she doesn’t care much for faces.” “Bad eyes.” 

Coming to his conclusion, Kellive leaned back against the chair’s backrest casually.

 “So. The guild member sent by the Fay. Why did you stop talking?” “You were going to tell me first.” “Are you saying you won’t report to me now?” 

The smile was friendly, but there was a subtle threat in it.

 

It was enough to send a chill down the spine of the faint-hearted.

 

But Raves was a man with no tomorrow. He was always on the move, never knowing when he’d be laid off, like a fish out of water.

 

For him, it was a toss-up between being killed by Kellive now or at the whim of someone with more magic.

 

Oddly enough, he seems to like it.

 “Just, you know. One of the guys is pretty good with poison, and the rest of them look like they’ve gotten a little too strong for their own good.” 

Not needing to see the rest, Raves puts the papers back on his desk.

 

Kellive’s gaze naturally traveled to the front of the document.

 

The familiar flag-like crest was crossed with an island and a spear.

 

It was a well-known guild in Avalon’s underworld, one that specialized in darker things like assassination and poisoning.

 

They had been ordered to bring her back alive, but the sender had been unusually cautious.

 

Kellive thumbed through the papers, starting at the bottom of the page.

 “Gawain,”

he said, rising from his seat.

 “It’s night, he’ll be sleeping somewhere, why?” “Tell him I’m going to Britain early in the morning.” 

Raves’s face flushed at the suddenness of his announcement.

 

No way would he take the sickly man with him.

 

A day without a boss was like freedom to him. But he had to be polite. He had to write a report.

 “What are you going to do?” “Score points.” “Are you going to bet on the horses? I don’t want to gamble with the public treasury. I don’t pay taxes for that.” “No.” 

Kellive’s mouth stretched into a long smile. His charming smile was mesmerizing.

 

His golden eyes sparkled with confidence.

 “Try what the Duke of Fay laid out for you, called trespassing.” 

Kellive said, gathering the teleportation gem that only Avalon’s direct bloodline could use.

 “After all, helping out in times of danger is always memorable.”  

It was cold and I was starving.

 

Like a beggar. Morgana woke up with a sense of poverty she hadn’t felt in a long time.

 

She felt heavy, like she’d just woken up from a long night’s sleep.

 

The loud conversations around her made her feel a little dizzy.

 “When does this wake up, are we on the right track, Levira?” “Don’t ask me the obvious.” “Sheesh, the carriage isn’t moving fast enough.” 

There was a thud, the sound of someone kicking against a wood.

 

Morgana jolted out of her daze.

 

‘Where am I?’

 

She remembered eating the last of the tasteless scones and talking to Levira about being a normal person.

 

She tried to move, but something held her tightly in place.

 

It was then that Morgana realized she had been kidnapped.

 

‘Limbs, are my limbs intact?’