"A reward…"
Hearing Morgan's voice and gazing into those captivating eyes, Arthur pondered for a moment, then extended his left hand and gently patted her head. "Thank you for your hard work."
"That kind of superficial approach is not something a king should do," Morgan said, narrowing her eyes and speaking in a slightly hostile tone.
"What else can I give you as a reward besides that?" Arthur replied helplessly.
Although he was now king, Britain was, in truth, in a state of "civil war," and only a few people held real power. Only after uniting all of Britannia would his authority truly grow.
Even so… he couldn't think of anything suitable to give Morgan.
As a goddess, it was unlikely she desired anything worldly. Even if she suddenly asked for a reward, Arthur wouldn't be able to come up with anything appropriate.
"In truth, there's nothing I particularly want." Morgan nodded seriously.
"Enough." Arthur rolled his eyes and tried to shift to escape the "pressure" Morgan was applying against his back, but he couldn't move at all—she was hugging him from behind.
Morgan whispered into Arthur's ear, "Although I don't really want anything, I'd be happy if you offered yourself to me as a reward."
Arthur: "…"
Why does this woman enjoy flirting with him so much?
Seeing Arthur suddenly fall silent, Morgan let out a soft laugh. She took the golden crown from his head and placed it on her own, then set the blue crown on Arthur's head. "Now I am the king."
At the end, her tone carried a hint of sarcasm.
"If you want that title so badly, I'll give it to you right now." Arthur shrugged, indicating he didn't care.
"Really?" Morgan smiled, placing her hands on Arthur's shoulders and leaning slightly forward, pressing herself against his back.
"You said it yourself, didn't you?"
"Morgan, can you stop teasing me, please? I'm tired today." After her repeated provocations, Arthur finally reached his limit.
"You're very tired today… does that mean we can continue tomorrow?" Morgan asked.
"… "
After a brief silence, Arthur sighed. "That's enough, Morgan. I am the king—show a little respect—"
Morgan's smile faded slightly. "You've really grown. You didn't used to speak to me like that. Has becoming king truly changed your mindset?"
"Disobedient children have no reason to exist…"
Arthur sighed as if giving up and fell silent.
That was why he never truly rebelled against Morgan.
This woman seemed easy to talk to, but she changed her mind faster than anyone. She claimed to like him, but she probably just enjoyed teasing him.
If he were to truly fall for Morgan, she would likely lose interest in him very quickly.
Perhaps sensing Arthur's frustration, Morgan let out a cheerful laugh and turned to look at his profile. "Are you angry?"
Arthur shook his head. "You are the Goddess of Death. How could I possibly be angry at you?"
He spoke in a rather dejected tone.
Morgan stared at him for a few seconds, then seemed to realize she had gone too far and smiled. "Don't be angry, I'll give you a reward."
As she finished speaking, she suddenly leaned forward and gently brushed Arthur's cheek with her lips.
Arthur raised his hand to wipe it off when he heard Morgan's voice: "Don't move."
Arthur stopped what he was doing.
Despite his irritation, he remained rational and didn't let something so trivial escalate into a serious conflict with Morgan. After all, she hadn't done anything wrong—she simply had a habit of teasing him.
"Alright, enough playing around. Let's get to the important matters." Morgan placed the golden crown back on Arthur's head.
"We should have been discussing serious matters a long time ago." Arthur shot her an annoyed look.
Morgan smiled. "We'll be receiving news from the tribal kings across the land in the coming days. So prepare yourself mentally."
"Remember, do not show fear in front of those kings," she added more seriously. "They are extremely proud. If you show fear, no one will pity you. They will only despise you."
Arthur nodded slightly. "I understand."
"There's one more thing," Morgan Lefebvre continued. "They may agree to a temporary alliance, but they won't necessarily obey you. The Knights of the Round Table will support you, but you must also have the ability to inspire respect."
"What should I do?" Arthur asked instinctively.
"You should know better than I do," Morgan said, tilting her head casually as her hair cascaded over her shoulder, revealing her neck.
"After all, you already did it once today—using the boldness and authority of a king to subdue them. That alone is enough."
"Today…" Arthur murmured to himself.
To be honest, he had simply gone with the flow earlier; the main reason was Merlin's manipulation behind the scenes, which had angered him. He didn't believe he could replicate the same effect—or at least not to the same degree—when meeting the kings in the coming days.
That said… could that schemer have planned from the beginning to portray him as the king, which is why he provoked him like that?
Arthur suddenly considered that possibility.
Thinking about it, given Merlin's personality, it was entirely plausible.
Still, there was no point dwelling on it now. One step at a time. The most important thing was to prepare mentally, since he would face those kings in just a few days.
With that in mind, Arthur fell into thought. "By the way, Morgan, when do you plan on letting me go?"
"Oh my, you don't like this?" Morgan tilted her head. "I always thought you liked me, since you tend to secretly stare at me like you're lost."
"That's just because you dress well," Arthur retorted.
"So, you liked it?" Morgan asked.
Arthur paused for a moment, then said, "I did."
Morgan seemed to think for a moment, as if she wanted to say something.
Knock, knock.
But at that moment, Artoria's voice came from outside:
"Please get some rest. There is new training waiting for you tomorrow, Arthur."
She had been standing guard at the door the entire time and could vaguely hear the conversation inside. From those exchanges, she had more or less deduced what they were doing.
"Tch, Lily's sense of smell is really sharp." Morgan clicked her tongue.
It seemed escaping unnoticed wasn't a realistic option right now.
It would be better to wait until Lily rested before coming again.
With that in mind, Morgan released Arthur and whispered, "Get some rest. Until tomorrow."
After saying that, she disappeared from the spot—or rather, transformed into a crow and flew away.
---
(End of Chapter)