Chapter 26
Chapter 61: Morgan is Determined to Win Over Lia
How should I describe Morgan? She is actually quite similar to figures like Empress Lü Zhi. Her abilities are truly outstanding, but she just hasn't had the opportunity to display them. So, if utilized properly, she would be an excellent, capable assistant, perhaps helping me immensely.
In Lia's view, Morgan becoming a figure similar to Empress Lü Zhi was likely due to being forced into it. In the early stages, she provided Artoria with significant help.
She gave her the stone in sword and the Oath of Victory Sword, going further and further down the path of helping Artoria. Even "Kay" commented that Morgan was a good woman in the beginning, so why did she become so terrifying later on?
This shows that Kay didn't know what exactly happened between Morgan and Artoria in the later period that led to Morgan's blackening.
It is estimated that this must have something to do with Artoria. After all, her original personality was single-minded, so it wouldn't be strange for her to completely offend Morgan.
One must know that Morgan initially had the aspect of Vivian, the Lady of the Lake, meaning she was fundamentally kind. Most likely, King Arthur's refusal to acknowledge her later on led to Morgan's blackening.
How similar is this to Empress Lü Zhi? She helped Liu Bang so much in the early stages, yet in the end, Liu Bang almost deposed the Crown Prince, Lü Zhi's son. If she hadn't relied on certain methods, Empress Lü Zhi herself might have suffered misfortune.
However, Lia is currently short on manpower. Morgan would be perfect for handling internal affairs. If Lia lets her follow and learn, and teaches her how to manage things, perhaps she can become a qualified capable assistant. Then, Lia can feel at ease when deploying troops to attack other regions.
Her own older sister is much more trustworthy than an outsider, right?
After all, Lia is starting from scratch here, without even a single relative. She truly needs help from someone with strong connections, and Morgan is perfectly suited.
"Then give birth to it."
Lia's words were undoubtedly an affirmation that she was willing to take responsibility and acknowledge their relationship. Hearing this, Morgan immediately smiled.
It wasn't easy for her to come find Lia while heavily pregnant. If Lia had refused her and driven her away, she might genuinely have sought trouble with Lia later on.
"I knew my dear little sister wouldn't refuse me. After all, we're blood sisters~" Saying this, Morgan pressed Lia's head into her massive chest.
"If we're blood sisters, why do you treat me like this?" Lia, pressed into Morgan's chest, smelled the faint milky fragrance and couldn't help but mutter internally.
Fortunately, her Royal Sister didn't press her onto the floor and pose her like a doll this time, as she did previously. This allowed Lia to breathe a sigh of relief.
"S-sister, how long have you been pregnant?" Lia asked, feeling a little uncomfortable.
"About a month after that time we had sex, I conceived."
Morgan released Lia, walked over to a wooden table in the Council Hall, swept the items on it aside, and sat down directly, crossing her legs.
Gazing at those fair, long legs, Lia unconsciously swallowed. Her sister was truly a Vixen; her looks were undeniably flawless.
Whether it was her figure or her face, she was essentially a magnified version of Lia herself.
Lia calculated the time and said, surprised, "Doesn't that mean you're about to give birth?"
They say pregnancy lasts ten months. She ran away right after being 'pushed' by her Royal Sister.
She spent about six months traveling to Huaxia, and she has been in Huaxia for four months now, right?
Calculating from the time she was 'pushed,' ten months have passed now. By that calculation, hasn't her Royal Sister been pregnant for over nine months?
"It should be around this time," Morgan said. She wasn't entirely sure, as this was her first pregnancy and she lacked experience. Perhaps she was the only one who would run all the way from Britain while heavily pregnant.
Lia was speechless. Her sister was truly carefree.
"I'll arrange a room for you, and then have someone find a Midwife to check on you," Lia said after thinking for a moment.
"Can't I just have your room?" Morgan immediately pouted, showing a displeased expression.
"Well... I heard that babies need a quiet environment, so you should temporarily stay next door to me."
Even if her sister wanted to bond with her, her intentions were too obvious. Lia still felt a bit uncomfortable.
"Fine," Morgan considered it for a moment, decided it was acceptable, and nodded.
"Then please dispel the magic. Otherwise, no one else will know what's going on with us right now," Lia said.
Although the two were currently in the main hall, the area had actually been turned into something like a Barrier, and ordinary people had no idea what was happening inside.
"Little sister, hasn't it been a long time since we did that?" Hearing this, Morgan didn't dispel the magic. Instead, she moved closer to Lia, speaking in a slightly seductive voice.
Lia's face instantly flushed crimson, and she said angrily and shamefully, "Shut up! If you mention that again, get out and go back to your Britain!"
Lia said, utterly enraged and embarrassed.
This Morgan was simply taking an inch and demanding a mile!
She actually wanted to do that with Lia in broad daylight, and while she was heavily pregnant!
Was Lia that kind of person?!
"Fine." Seeing the look of shame and anger on Lia's face, Morgan knew she couldn't rush this matter and had to back off for now. However, she wouldn't give up on getting closer to her sister. Just because it didn't work now didn't mean it wouldn't work after some persistent coaxing.
Morgan immediately dispelled the Barrier, and the sounds of the outside world returned to Lia's ears.
Lia quickly summoned Ninger.
"Miss, how may I help you?" Ninger asked Lia after arriving in the hall and pausing in surprise upon seeing Morgan.
"Ninger, go tidy up the room next to mine. This is my sister. She will be staying there from now on. Also, please find a Midwife to check on her," Lia said after thinking for a moment.
"Oh, so it's the Eldest Miss." Hearing Lia's words, Ninger immediately knew who the mature-looking young woman, who resembled Lia, was.
But what did finding a Midwife mean? And for the Eldest Miss? Was she pregnant? Ninger dared not speak or ask, so she just nodded and left.
Watching Lia make arrangements for her, Morgan was very satisfied. Her remaining task was figuring out how to improve her relationship with Lia.
"Little sister, I just arrived and I'm unfamiliar with this place. Why don't you take me out for a walk?" Morgan suggested after thinking.
Lia thought about it. This wasn't an excessive request. "Alright, I don't have anything pressing right now. Why don't I take you to see the populace under my rule?"
Since Morgan wasn't showing any malice towards her right now, Lia saw no need to do anything that would make Morgan resentful. She decided to try to satisfy her sister regarding small requests.
Chapter 62: Where Did Merlin Go?
"Speaking of which, little sister, are you the only one in this Royal Residence? Where is that fellow Merlin?" Morgan looked around but found no trace of Merlin.
There was no disgust or unapproachability that Lia had imagined. On the contrary, Morgan carried a rather pleasant scent. It was rare for the two of them to be able to approach each other so peacefully.
As long as Morgan didn't act out in front of her, there wouldn't be any major issues.
"That fellow Merlin... I don't know where he ran off to. He probably went to flirt with some woman," Lia sighed when talking about Merlin.
That guy disappeared somewhere. If he were here, she wouldn't feel so passive.
"Men like that really aren't helpful at all, wouldn't you agree?" Morgan raised an eyebrow.
Lia: "..."
Lia didn't know how to describe Merlin; he had the ability, but he was just too despicable.
Seeing Lia remain silent, Morgan continued, "That fellow Merlin is an aggregation of trouble. Anyone associated with him will face endless problems and terrible memories. I suggest you find someone to lock him up! The important thing is that you mustn't go near him again, lest you be deceived by his nonsense!"
It seems Morgan has a deep prejudice against Merlin. Lia didn't want to discuss Merlin with Morgan, so she said, "I'm going to change my clothes first."
"Change clothes? Aren't these quite nice? Why do you need to change?"
Morgan scrutinized Lia from head to toe. The dress tightly wrapped her whole body; aside from her hands and neck, she wasn't revealing an inch of skin.
"Common People here are too familiar with me. It's not suitable to go out dressed like this, or we won't be able to stroll around later." Lia knew there was nothing wrong with her current attire, but if she went out like that, she would immediately be surrounded by people.
"Alright then." Morgan nodded, looking at Lia's clothes.
Lia left the main hall and returned to her room intending to change, but she didn't expect Morgan to follow her. Judging by the situation, Morgan intended to stick right by her side.
Lia didn't know what to say, and they walked back to Lia's room in silence. Seeing Morgan examining her room, Lia spoke with some helplessness.
"Um... Sister, could you step out for a moment? I need to change."
"Are you shy? It's nothing. I looked over every inch of your body carefully that night, and I still remember it clearly," Morgan said when Lia hesitated to change.
...
Hearing her older sister speak so bluntly, Lia felt her face instantly flush hot. Her sister's words were too embarrassing.
Seeing Lia look shy, Morgan approached, wrapped her arms directly around Lia's waist, and whispered seductively into Lia's ear, "Or perhaps, little sister, you want me to help you change personally? Hmm?"
Seeing Lia's bashful appearance, Morgan actually wanted to try, though she doubted her little sister would agree. She probably wouldn't.
"No, there's no need."
As expected, Lia's face merely turned red before she refused Morgan. She broke free from Morgan's arms, hesitated for a moment, and then took off her clothes, revealing her smooth back as she turned away from her sister to change.
"Speaking of which, what was your life like before, little sister?" Morgan asked, gazing at Lia's smooth back.
"My life before—" Recalling the events of the past few years, Lia was momentarily at a loss for words.
"My apologies, I brought up bad memories for you, little sister." Noticing Lia frowning, Morgan immediately apologized.
"No, it's my own business. You don't need to blame yourself, Sister." Lia shook her head. Her affairs were too complicated to explain quickly, and she had no intention of sharing them with Morgan right now.
To be honest, Lia still hadn't figured out how to get along with her sister.
She only hoped Morgan wouldn't pull any crazy stunts in the future. Otherwise, faced with the villainous image she remembered, she would have no choice but to give her the cold shoulder, just like Artoria did in the original work.
While the two were talking, Lia had already finished changing. She glanced at Morgan, who kept sweeping her gaze over Lia now that she was dressed, making Lia feel as if she were still naked in front of her.
After finishing her appraisal, Morgan asked, "Are you planning to go out disguised in men's clothes?"
"Yes." Lia nodded. At this moment, she looked like a handsome, refined young master, only missing a folding fan in her hand.
"You look very dashing," Morgan praised.
"Let's go, Sister." Saying this, Lia led Morgan toward the exit of the Prince's Estate.
When some servants saw Lia, they quickly greeted her. Perhaps Common People were unfamiliar with Lia's male attire, but the servants had seen it long ago.
After leaving the Prince's Estate, the two walked along the street, listening to the cries of vendors and watching pedestrians come and go. Lia was very pleased.
This was the result of her rule. Initially, there weren't so many people here. Most of Common People were dressed in rags, spending all day in the fields, working for the Aristocratic Families just to earn a bite to eat.
Now, Lia had divided the land among them. As long as they finished cultivating their allotted fields, they didn't have to work extra hours. They could use the remaining time for rest or other odd jobs to supplement their household income.
Naturally, this led to more people on the streets, as everyone now had some spare cash, which allowed them to buy other goods.
"It's so lively here, much livelier than Camelot." Morgan looked at the surrounding streets and the crowds coming and going. There were farmers, merchants, and artisans working on construction, presenting a prosperous scene.
"Of course. Although the number of people under my rule is currently small, they are definitely the happiest group of people in the world today," Lia said, raising her chin proudly.
How could they not be? To ensure that every one of Common People had land, she had killed too many people. Currently, those Aristocratic Families were terrified of her, fearing she might strike at them next.
If Lia hadn't arranged for them to resell several small items recently, those Aristocratic Families would probably have fled here for Northern Wei or the Liu Song Dynasty.
"What are these things?" Morgan stopped in front of a stall. She saw many young women gathered there, and out of curiosity, Morgan stepped forward to take a look.
Lia walked over and glanced at the stall, realizing it was just selling rouge and powder.
"They're just things used for whitening the skin." Lia looked once and withdrew her gaze. She wasn't very interested in painting her face.
"Oh?" Hearing this, Morgan's eyes lit up immediately.
It is said that women will sacrifice anything for beauty, and Morgan was no exception.
Chapter 63: Miss Morgan's Dog
Morgan said with some surprise, "This kind of thing is very rare in Europe. Only royal members usually have it. I didn't expect an ordinary vendor here to be selling it."
Lia thought for a moment and replied, "That's because the culture in Europe isn't preserved very well. Today you destroy me, tomorrow I destroy you. This constant conflict causes the inheritance of many technical inventions to be broken. That's why many things common here in Huaxia are considered precious items over there."
The reason Huaxia was known as one of the Four Great Ancient Civilizations in modern times, with an unbroken cultural heritage, is inseparable from the preservation of its cultural knowledge.
Because the inheritance was consistently maintained, Huaxia's dynasties led the world up until the Ming Dynasty. It only began to decline after the Qing Dynasty implemented its isolationist policy.
Seeing that Morgan seemed to like them, Lia asked the vendor for two rouge compacts, paid the money, and placed them in Morgan's hands.
Looking at the two compacts of rouge and powder in her hands, and realizing Lia had bought them for her, the smile on Morgan's face never ceased, though others couldn't see it since she was wearing a black mask.
As they walked, the two stopped again in front of another stall.
Morgan watched several puppies huddled in a basket. Seeing their fluffy, adorable appearance, she couldn't resist reaching out to stroke them. The puppies stuck out their tongues and licked Morgan's fingertips.
Seeing how much Morgan liked them, the vendor spoke up, "Young Masters, Miss. These puppies are all of good quality. Why not buy one to take home?"
"How much are they?" Lia asked.
"Not expensive, just ten wen." The vendor smiled.
Ten *wen*. That's ten *kuai*.
Generally speaking, in this era, only wealthy households could afford pets like dogs. That's why dog owners were called 'dog magnates'!