A night breeze drifted through the open window. Beneath the silver moonlight, the silhouette of a crow seemed to silently observe the room from outside. Slowly, dark clouds advanced across the sky, accompanied by a cold wind that concealed the moon, and the bird vanished once more into the darkness of the night.
"Until you find an answer, let's maintain a master-disciple relationship."
Inside the room, Scáthach watched Arthur, who still seemed lost in thought. Her fingers gently brushed across his face as she spoke with her usual calmness.
"Until I find the answer."
"Let's maintain a master-disciple relationship..." Arthur murmured softly, reflecting on those words before raising his gaze. "...and a lovers' relationship?"
"Hm?"
Scáthach's crimson eyes immediately narrowed as she stared at him intently.
"Let me ask you something. You're not simply enchanted by the immoral thrill of secretly getting involved with your own master while hiding it from your fiancée, are you?"
Arthur felt his world shake for a moment.
So this was the kind of question an apparently serious master asked?
His flawless image of Scáthach took an unexpected hit, and he quickly shook his head.
"I really do like my master, but that has nothing to do with the fact that we're master and disciple."
"What do you mean it has nothing to do with it?" Scáthach asked casually, crossing her legs.
Arthur reflected for a few seconds before answering with all the sincerity he could gather.
"If I have to put it into words, I'd say it's love."
He raised his gaze and continued:
"I love my master, and I love Scáthach. I love both as the same person, regardless of what kind of relationship exists between us."
Scáthach's expression froze for a brief moment.
She slowly uncrossed her legs and remained staring at Arthur. The young man's direct and sincere gaze seemed to pierce through all the barriers that normally protected her.
"What a troublesome disciple..." she murmured to herself.
For an instant, a dangerous smile appeared on her lips. It was the same smile she usually wore when facing enemies or when she encountered something that awakened her crueler side.
"Master?" Arthur asked in surprise.
Realizing her own reaction, Scáthach immediately regained her composure.
I almost lost control.
In Arthur's eyes, she had always been a dependable figure. Someone severe when necessary, ruthless toward enemies, yet gentle with those she considered important.
However, faced with such a direct confession and a gaze filled with emotion, even someone as rational as her found it difficult to maintain her usual calm.
Taking a deep breath, Scáthach finally extended her arms.
Before Arthur could react, she pulled him close and embraced him against her chest.
Her hand gently slid through his hair as she held him close.
The familiar scent immediately enveloped Arthur.
For a brief moment, his mind went completely blank.
What's happening?
I didn't even answer her question.
Then why did Master suddenly do this?
Instinctively, Arthur tried to move to find a more comfortable position, but Scáthach's quiet voice interrupted him.
"Don't move."
Her tone was gentle, but firm.
"Stay like this for now."
Having no choice, Arthur remained still.
Scáthach lowered her gaze to the young man in her arms.
An unusual light shone in her crimson eyes.
It seems there truly is no way to scold my disciple...
After hearing that confession, what she felt was not anger, discomfort, or indignation.
Quite the opposite.
The intensity of those words had awakened emotions she herself never expected to feel.
Part of her simply wanted to pull him closer and keep him there.
Should I be happy about this... or condemn myself for it?
While Arthur merely enjoyed the warmth of the embrace, Scáthach fought a silent battle against her own feelings.
Time passed slowly, and neither of them said anything.
Eventually, Scáthach let out a small sigh and loosened her embrace.
Arthur felt the warmth fade away, and a strange sense of emptiness immediately appeared in his chest.
He suppressed it as quickly as possible.
Then he looked up.
"Master... is it really okay to wait until I find my own answer?"
"Of course."
Scáthach nodded.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"In fact, it's better this way."
Now that Arthur's feelings had been put into words, pretending not to understand was no longer an option.
She needed to face them directly.
And Arthur did as well.
Besides, there were too many issues to ignore.
She was the Queen of the Land of Shadows.
If a relationship between her and her disciple became public, especially while he had not yet even reached adulthood, it would be a monumental scandal.
Therefore, even if Arthur found an answer immediately, it still was not the proper time to make anything public.
And that wasn't even mentioning the problem involving Ushaha's son.
Thinking about that, Scáthach pressed her fingers against her temples.
A rare headache surfaced.
Honestly, facing an entire army seemed simpler than dealing with that situation.
Even so...
She couldn't say she regretted it.
Arthur had taken the initiative.
If she, as his master, continued running away and refusing to face her own feelings, she would not be worthy of the role she had played in his life.
Besides, if she kept postponing everything for too long, there was a very real chance Morgan le Fay would gain an advantage before they even returned to the Land of Shadows.
The mere image of Arthur one day returning to the kingdom accompanied by Morgan, pregnant, while the woman called her "mother-in-law"...
Just imagining it was absurd.
Her gaze fell upon the mark on Arthur's neck.
Then she spoke, seemingly without any ulterior motive:
"When I'm not around, you need to learn how to protect yourself. Understood?"
"With Morgan here and the Knights of the Round Table nearby, there won't be any problems."
Arthur smiled.
"You don't need to worry, Master."
It was precisely because of Morgan that Scáthach was worried.
But she didn't reveal that thought.
She merely shook her head.
"You should go back now."
Arthur blinked in surprise.
"Already?"
He still wanted to talk.
There were still so many things he wanted to say.
And there was also the matter that had been troubling his thoughts ever since he had pulled the sword from the stone.
When Morgan le Fay had guided him to that moment, she had established two conditions.
The first was to pull the sword from the stone.
The second was to marry Lily.
The first condition had already been fulfilled.
The second still remained unresolved.
Arthur honestly didn't know what to do.
Should he talk to Lily?
Marry her just to fulfill the promise and then find a way to undo it afterward?
Or was there some deeper meaning behind that demand?
As he stood there lost in thought, Scáthach spoke again.
"What is it?"
She observed him silently.
"After confessing to your master, have you become so eager to obtain her body?"
As she said that, she crossed her legs once more and placed her hands on the bed.
Arthur nearly choked.
"Are you really thinking about that?"
Scáthach's eyes acquired a dangerous gleam.
A gleam similar to that of a predator observing its prey.
"Let's make one thing clear."
She held his gaze.
"If you don't leave now, I don't know what might end up happening afterward. Understood?"
"Sorry! I'm leaving right now!"
Arthur practically jumped off the bed.
Scáthach watched his reaction with amusement.
However, when he reached the door, he stopped again.
"By the way, Master."
"What?"
Scáthach remained seated on the edge of the bed.
"Good night."
For a brief moment, she remained silent.
Then a gentle smile appeared on her lips.
"Go."
After hearing her answer, Arthur finally left the room.
The door closed.
Scáthach remained seated for a few moments before letting out a quiet laugh.
"I really am a coward."
Even so, from that moment onward, everything had changed.
There was no longer any point in continuing to play only the role of the strict and distant master.
For all those years, she had maintained that posture because she believed it was the most appropriate for the relationship between the two of them.
But now...
Even seeing only that side of her, Arthur had still fallen in love.
In that case, hiding parts of herself no longer held any meaning.
Scáthach turned her gaze toward the window.
She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
Hearing those feelings directly from his mouth created an entirely different sensation than simply knowing about them.
It was... interesting.
But there was an even more complicated issue.
How exactly was she supposed to explain all of this to Nessa?
Scáthach rubbed her temples once again.
Perhaps she could say:
"I don't think your marriage to Arthur is a good idea. How about we cancel it?"
No.
That was impossible.
No matter how she looked at the situation, nothing would be simple.
Closing her eyes, she continued reflecting.
She had asked Arthur to find an answer.
But deep down, she herself didn't know what the correct answer was.
Perhaps she simply wanted him to choose his own path.
---
Arthur left Scáthach's room feeling much lighter than before.
The problems still existed.
But for the first time, he was certain of his master's feelings.
His confession had been accepted.
Remembering the kiss they had shared moments earlier, an involuntary smile appeared on his face.
His heart overflowed with genuine happiness.
Thus, he entered his room.
The instant the door closed behind him, two figures emerged from the shadows.
"You really don't seem jealous at all."
Morgan sighed as she brushed a strand of golden hair away from her shoulders.
"Aren't you engaged? Wasn't that engagement arranged by Scáthach herself?"
She glanced toward Nessa.
"If that's the case, then what was the point of me bringing you here to watch such an interesting spectacle?"
"Why would I be jealous?"
Nessa tilted her head, clearly confused.
"I found all of this quite stimulating..."
She coughed twice before correcting herself.
"I mean... quite entertaining."
"Huh?"
Morgan's smile froze.
She blinked several times.
Then looked at Nessa as though she had just witnessed something absurd.
What did this child just say?
Nessa didn't answer.
She simply walked to the window and looked out into the night.
While humming a cheerful melody, she seemed genuinely happy.
Her fiancé was in love with her mother and had just confessed to her.
It was simply fascinating.
Nessa's face lit up with an increasingly bright smile.
Finally, she turned her head toward Morgan le Fay.
Under the moonlight, her long purple hair seemed even more beautiful.
"Don't you think this is incredibly interesting, Morgan...?"
(End of Chapter)