Chapter 5: 5. The Knight's Actions Should Be Decided by the Princess
[Your intuition is correct.]
[Morgan indeed has something for you to do.]
[This is another turning point in your fate.]
"Ian."
Morgan slowly moved her foot, her toes sliding from Ian's forehead down to his nose, brushing his lips, and finally touching his chin.
As she had previously stated, Morgan didn't care about Ian in front of her, even though they had been physically entangled before. It didn't matter to her.
She slightly raised her toes, lifting Ian's chin, causing his head to tilt upwards.
From this angle, Ian, the loyal knight, could see the beautiful legs hidden under the princess's dress.
But Ian knew that what awaited him would not be something simple.
"Answer me, Ian. Do you recognize this sword?"
Morgan was referring to the longsword embedded in the ground beside them.
Ian nodded and replied, "This is your sword, Princess, though it seems you don't use it very often."
When Ian mentioned "not using it very often," a fleeting hint of displeasure flashed in Morgan's eyes.
But she quickly continued:
"Ian, pick it up."
Knowing Morgan disliked being defied, Ian directly pulled out the longsword engraved with Morgan's name. For someone who trained regularly, this was not a difficult task.
[Morgan seems to have cast some kind of magic on the sword.]
[Talent Acquired: Executor of Names—You have been given Morgan's name. At some point in the future, someone may mistake you for her.]
[Talent Acquired: Life-for-Life—While holding Morgan's sword, you can perform beyond your body's limits, but in exchange, your life will become as fragile as a flickering candle.]
[Morgan believes you know nothing about magic, so she has not bothered to hide the magical aura on the longsword.]
[This realization makes you feel somewhat sad.]
"What's wrong?"
Morgan pressed her toes against Ian's chin.
"Does touching my sword displease you?"
"No, I would never dare to be displeased with you, Princess," Ian replied. "I just don't understand why you are giving this to me."
"Ian, I believe I've made it clear that I have no intention of explaining things you don't need to know. You're not qualified to ask, are you?"
"I'm sorry, Princess."
"Never mind," Morgan changed her tone. "I don't want to argue with you about this. There are more important matters to attend to now."
After saying this, the cold-hearted princess gently lifted your chin, commanding as if she were giving orders:
"Ian, stand up and please me."
[Following Morgan's instructions, you can only do what she allows you to do.]
[At the same time, she does not permit you to act recklessly as you did the first time. Everything must be under her control.]
[Your freedom of movement is controlled by her authority as a princess; the tide rises only to fall.]
[This is only the beginning.]
[In the coming month, she will summon you to her side multiple times, repeatedly exerting control over your mind and body.]
[Her actions grow bolder, and even once, when you pushed open the door, you saw her as bare as the day of your oath.]
[But you do not feel that Morgan is seducing you, nor do you think she is promiscuous.]
[You can sense the coldness in her gaze each time and realize you have never heard her voice say she liked you; as she said before, this princess never liked you.]
[It was all just part of her plan that she didn't want you to know.]
[You do not know how long this will last, but you endure, becoming the knight she can control with her body at any time.]
[But at this point, events begin to take a new turn.]
In the prison, Ian, who had been imprisoned for years, gasped, breathing in the familiar scent of old decay.
He had been confined like this by Morgan for over three years.
Every day, Ian would see Morgan visiting him alone, never speaking, but silently cutting her finger to let Ian kneel and lick the blood.
Occasionally, she would let Ian hold her finger in his mouth, lightly moving it around his mouth.
The cold-hearted princess still didn't take Ian seriously at all.
[You disappeared, but no one cared.]
[Because the British royal family welcomed the birth of a new child, the whole kingdom cheered and rejoiced. By comparison, a missing knight was nothing.]
[Moreover, Morgan herself made no effort to find you, so naturally, no one else would mention it.]
[All traces of your existence seemed to be wiped clean, leaving Morgan as the only record of your existence in this world.]
[For some reason, after the birth of the new child named Arthur, Morgan began visiting you more frequently, and the occasions of her having you lick her blood increased.]
[Talent Enhanced: Energized to Energized+—Morgan's blood flows within you, keeping you perpetually energized, able to fight tirelessly.]
[Talent Enhanced: Executor to Executor+—In the future, you will be mistaken for Morgan, and no one will doubt it.]
[During this time, Morgan finally started speaking to you.]
[From her, you learned about the existence of King Vortigern the Usurper, whose presence had shaken the foundations of Britain even earlier than you thought.]
[A few days later, you learned from Morgan that King Uther had long noticed Vortigern and was preparing to march against the heretic who brought calamity, something Morgan had already known.]
[The night before the expedition, Morgan came to see you again.]
Click.
The prison that had confined Ian for years was opened, and Morgan stood there, holding a cup of aromatic wine.
"Come, Ian."
Ian didn't hesitate. He still, as he had many years ago, served as Morgan's most loyal knight, obeying her orders.
"Princess."
Ian respectfully knelt before her.
Morgan looked at Ian with a complex expression.
"After all these years, I didn't expect you to still be like this... Ian, I allow you to hate me now."
"But I will never allow myself to hate you," Ian replied.
"You are the one I swore allegiance to. Everything I am is at your command, Princess. Even if you imprison me until death, it is the fate I am meant to accept."
"You..."
Morgan hesitated.
She changed the subject, bringing up something else: "Since that's the case, Ian, do you still remember how to use a longsword?"
"A knight must never forget his etiquette." Ian quickly responded.
"Then—"
Morgan looked down at her knight, who was kneeling before her, and said word by word:
"Ian, it's time to depart."
"I order you to kill Vortigern, my father's enemy, for me."