Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

And so, with the passing of King Vortigern, the week-long downpour ceased and the dark clouds dispersed.

The long-awaited sunshine finally shone on the land of Britain, and Gawain recovered to three times his former strength.

"Enemy general, ask for it!"

Shirou raised the holy sword high and declared victory amidst the cheers of the knights.

Thus, the long-standing internal strife in Britain finally came to an end.

The Picts have submitted to the Fairy Queen.

Having lost their king, the Saxons gradually retreated back to the mainland.

It's about time... It's time to announce my true relationship with Morgan.

Recently, Shirou has become dissatisfied with his monthly secret rendezvous with Morgan.

Although having a secret rendezvous behind everyone's back is exciting, he would rather openly show off his lovely wife to others.

Just as Shirou was pondering how to explain this to everyone, Merlin appeared with a young woman.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Guinevere."

Oh no... I forgot about that.

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Volume 1, Chapter 103: A Confession of Love

Guinevere, daughter of the Duke of Camelot.

It is said that this young lady was already a fan of his ten years ago—when Shirou was still just an apprentice knight.

Over the years, he has always silently admired Shirou.

In other words, this meeting was what is known as a blind date.

After Vortigern's death, the internal strife in Britain temporarily came to an end.

In the next decade, war will no longer be the main theme; recuperation and restoration will be the focus of the kingdom's revival.

As the King of Britain, who has been recognized by everyone, Shirou should set an example for the people, so his marriage was put on the agenda.

"Merlin, is this marriage really necessary?"

After the blind date, Shirou stopped the court magician and pressed him for an answer.

"Arthur, is there something you dislike about Guinevere?" Merlin asked, frowning.

"No... I don't have any complaints about her personally." Shirou shook his head.

Guinevere is a gentle, kind, dignified, and composed princess. She is perfect in appearance, character, and status, making her the best candidate for a queen.

Although Guinevere had an emotional affair with Lancelot in the original story, it was understandable, and Shirou did not have any aversion to her.

But—Shirou already has Morgan in his heart.

Guinevere may have admired him for ten years, but Morgan had also secretly supported him for ten years.

Shirou cannot betray Morgan; his queen can only be Morgan—no one else can do it.

Merlin gave Shirou a deep look, then said in an extremely rational tone:

“Arthur, I think you should know... the purpose of this marriage is to gain the support of Duke Camelot.”

“If you marry Guinevere, her father will hand over the city of Camelot to us.”

"This is just my personal suggestion; the final decision rests with the King."

Shirou: "…………"

Although Shirou could understand that Merlin was thinking of himself and the Round Table, he couldn't listen to anything right now.

He couldn't imagine what Morgan's expression would be when she learned that he had ultimately married another woman at the end of the ten years she had waited so happily for him.

Seeing Shirou's troubled expression, a shadow crossed the face of the Flower Magician.

"...Shirou."

Shirou looked up in surprise; it had been many years since his teacher had called him by that name.

Merlin came to Shirou's side and took his hand tightly.

"You know that I have the ability to predict the future, right?

Because I have seen through everything in the present moment, I am able to accurately predict what is about to happen—I already knew the island's fate of destruction.

Knowing this, I still assisted Uther's plan, helping him create a non-human king to save the island—even though I knew it would be a doomed attempt.

There was no particular reason; I simply longed for the ending of the story.

Whether it's eternal happiness or a magnificent destruction, it's all beautiful to me.

The female magician spoke with a beautiful smile, looking like a sinner confessing to evil deeds.

"But I eventually abandoned that plan and gave up the idea of ​​creating a non-human king."

"The person who made me make this decision is you—Shirou."

"Because of your appearance, my predictions of the future have become inaccurate."

What was once a flat, two-dimensional world, like a painting, has now become a real and unpredictable world.

I began to have a new dream—to witness your journey, to know your unpredictable, unobservable future.

Merlin's smile was no longer the fake one he used to wear, but a genuine smile of joy.

"At first, I was just training you with a carefree attitude, but I never expected that you would actually grow into the king I had always dreamed of."

Over the past decade, Shirou has always managed to respond to my excessive demands while simultaneously accomplishing feats that exceeded my expectations.

Ah, just thinking about it moves me, even now—you've even defeated Vortigern.

When I saw the people with the knights, men and women, the old and the children...

When everyone cheers for you, my heart races with excitement, and I can't contain myself.

Shirou, I think I've fallen in love with you.

By the time I realized it, I was already deeply and hopelessly infatuated with you.

Shirou gaped in surprise: "Merlin...Sensei...?"

The next instant, the mesmerizing smile on the female magician's beautiful face vanished.

She said in a cold tone, "Therefore, I absolutely cannot allow anyone to interfere with 'My Arthur'."

Shirou has worked so hard and given so much; he deserves the most perfect and happiest ending.

It has to be a good ending—

A bleak future, a hopeless future—I absolutely refuse to accept such an ending.

Merlin released Shirou's hand and slowly stood up.

"Um... I think I've lost my composure a bit, how embarrassing."

"Then, Your Majesty, please reconsider your marriage to Princess Guinevere. I await your 'correct' reply."

After saying this, her figure transformed into a cluster of fluttering flowers and disappeared from Shirou's sight.

That evening, a guest arrived at the Queen's bedroom in Orkney.

……

……

"I still can't betray Morgan."

"Most importantly, I cannot betray my own conscience."

After a brief period of deliberation, Shirou made a decision: he declined the marriage proposal to Guinevere.

"I already have a woman I deeply love."

When Shirou told Guinevere this, she offered her blessings with a slightly sad expression.

"To be so admired by you, Arthur, she must be an exceptional woman."

Shirou nodded and replied, "Ah... she's the best woman in the world."

After that, Shirou gathered all the members of the Round Table and confessed to them his unknown ten-year relationship with Morgan.

The air was heavy between the round tables.

The shocking fact that the wicked and promiscuous fairy queen Morgan was actually the king's secret lover left even Arthur's most loyal knights speechless.

Lancelot, Percival, Bedivere, Tristan… each of them wore a solemn expression and remained silent.

Morgan's children all turned pale, and Agnes Crawford screamed and fainted on the spot.

Only Shirou's sworn brother, Kai-kei, gently patted him on the back and said with a smile, "You're really something."

Shirou did not regret it.

He has never felt more relaxed or at ease than he does now.

It took Shirou a very long time to finally convince everyone that Morgan was not inherently evil, but that she actually had a kind side, and that Shirou's success was also due to Morgan's secret support.

Apart from the political officer Agravan, most of the Knights of the Round Table accepted the facts, and Gareth began to ponder how he should address the king, his mother's lover, from now on.

Having overcome the internal resistance, Shirou can now formally prepare for his marriage to Morgan.

In any case, let's go and share the good news with Morgan first.

That night, as usual, he sneaked into the Fairy Consort's palace.

In the years since he parted ways with Morgan, he had entered this luxurious palace dozens of times and was already very familiar with it.

"Morgan? What are you doing? Put me down right now!"

When Shirou sneaked into Morgan's boudoir, several chains suddenly shot out from the surrounding void and bound his hands and feet.

Then, the beautiful figure that the boy had been longing for emerged from the moonlight.

"You rude wretch! Why are you in my bedchamber?"

Morgan glared coldly at Shirou and shouted sharply.

Shirou blinked. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Heh...who do we have here? Isn't this my beloved younger brother, the famous King Arthur?"

Morgan gave a sly, seductive smile: "To actually break into a married woman's room in the dead of night."

If this scandal were to get out, the reputation the Round Table has worked so hard to build would plummet.

No, no, no, because of Lancelot and the others, the Round Table didn't have a good reputation in this regard to begin with.

"Morgan, stop fooling around, put me down. I actually have something important to tell you tonight... *cooing*!"

Shirou looked down and saw a short sword piercing his abdomen.

Although only two centimeters of the knife tip pierced the skin, blood still inevitably flowed out.

"...I have nothing to say to you."

Morgan gripped the hilt of the knife with one hand and replied in a particularly cold tone.

It was only then that Shirou finally realized something was wrong; Morgan was behaving very strangely tonight.

"Considering that we are not related by blood, you are still my nominal younger brother, so I will spare your life tonight."

Morgan drew his dagger and said in a tone that was not at all joking:

"Don't ever appear before me again. Next time, it won't just be a knife I use on you, King Arthur."

Shirou stared into her eyes, frowned, and asked, "...Did Merlin-sensei say something to you?"

Morgan paused for a moment.

Although she quickly regained her composure, Shirou still noticed her momentary panic.

Shirou pressed further, "Is it about 'cutting out the situation'?"

Morgan's subsequent reaction proved Shirow's conjecture to be correct.