"Tea...cher?"
"Yeah. Sorry, but this is almost certainly my teacher's doing. She's an expert in illusions, and she always carries that floral scent with her."
Artorius turned his head away, not daring to look at Guinevere.
On one hand, since her body was mostly submerged in the water, he hadn't actually seen anything yet; they could still pretend nothing had happened. On the other hand, he had no idea what his teacher had mixed into that floral fragrance. He had a feeling that if he took even one look now, he might just explode!
"Do you want to leave first, or should I?"
Silence fell over the bathroom once more, broken only by the sound of their breathing, which was growing heavier and more ragged as the scent filled the air.
This couldn't go on!
Just as Artorius moved to climb out of the tub, a sudden splash echoed in front of him. He immediately sat back down, aborting his exit.
Good, she's leaving.
Artorius felt a wave of relief wash over him, and the heat in his gut seemed to subside slightly. But then, he realized something was wrong.
Why did the splashing sound like it was coming closer?
"Princess...?"
Before Artorius could finish his sentence, a soft, voluptuous body collapsed against him. He turned his head and was met with Guinevere's flushed face.
This was the first time Artorius had looked at her face so closely.
Even at this distance, he couldn't find a single flaw. Her features, her proportions—even every individual eyelash and the fine down on her skin—were beautiful to the point of perfection.
"I... I feel so strange. It hurts," Guinevere murmured, her voice laced with a sob.
Their eyes met. Looking into her watery gaze—filled with a mix of pain, longing, and desperate pleading—Artorius felt his resolve waver for a moment.
Maybe I should just give in?
In the next instant, he snapped back to reality. He bit down hard on the tip of his tongue, and the metallic tang of blood instantly flooded his mouth. With a shred of regained sanity, Artorius grabbed Guinevere's small hand just as she was reaching out to "grasp her future."
"Princess, please, calm down. We're both being influenced by that floral scent."
"But I love you so much. Even without this scent, I wanted to be your woman."
The mist in Guinevere's eyes thickened, now carrying a deep sense of sorrow. "Do you not love me at all?"
"I don't," Artorius said firmly.
Guinevere's delicate frame shuddered. The moisture in her eyes finally coalesced into tears that rolled down her cheeks and fell into the water with a soft drip.
Seeing such a beauty in tears tugged at Artorius's heart, but he ruthlessly crushed the sentiment.
Aphrodisiacs, a beautiful woman, a bath...
He couldn't afford a single moment of hesitation or pity. If he gave in now, Ector would be a grandfather by this time next year!
"Am I not beautiful?"
"You are very beautiful."
"Have I done anything to make you loathe me?"
"No. In fact, from the moment we met until now—aside from that one time you interrupted my confession to Sister Vee—I've actually been quite grateful for everything you've done."
"Then why—"
"There's no time to explain, Princess. We can't stay in here."
Artorius steeled his heart and gave her a forceful shove, pushing Guinevere back into the water before vaulting out of the tub.
He reached the door and breathed a sigh of relief, but then he realized there was no sound behind him. He spun around and saw that Guinevere hadn't surfaced!
Only her long white hair was visible on the water's edge.
Startled, the fog in Artorius's head cleared instantly. He rushed back to the tub and hauled the drowning Guinevere out of the water.
"Cough! Cough, cough..."
"Are you crazy?!"
Guinevere spat out a mouthful of water and looked up at Artorius with a tragic, beautiful smile.
"Just let me die."
"Just because I don't love you?"
"..."
Looking at the increasingly radiant yet pitiful Guinevere, Artorius took a deep breath, feeling like he was about to lose his mind. He really didn't want to be the next Lancelot! Lancelot had a King for a father to back him up; what did he have?
Oh, right. A teacher who loved to screw him over!
"Princess, it's not that I don't want to be with you, it's that I can't. If we do this, I would have to take responsibility for you. But I can't pull that sword, and I don't have the strength to fight a new King or Vortigern. I can't even beat mages who are far weaker than the Lady of the Lake, let alone the Saxon champions."
Artorius bit his tongue again to stay focused. He looked into Guinevere's eyes with sincere helplessness and a bitter smile. "If it were just me, I'd risk my life for a woman as stunning as you. But I have a responsibility to my family."
"You... you really believe you won't pull the sword?"
"I do."
"But I believe in you! I believe you are the one who will draw that sword! I believe in you as much as I love you—unconditionally!"
"Well, I don't believe in myself!"
Guinevere was stunned into silence. Her grip on his hand slowly loosened as she stared at him, speechless.
Seeing that she was finally no longer suicidal, Artorius gently pushed her away. He went to the bathroom door, grabbed the handle, and gave it a hard twist and a push.
No movement.
He tried several more times, but the door wouldn't budge.
"Damn it!"
Growing increasingly agitated by the floral scent, Artorius cursed and threw his shoulder into the door, but it remained as solid as a mountain.
"It's no use, little 'Torius~"
Suddenly, Mery's sweet, ethereal voice rang through the bathroom. It sounded as if it were coming from every direction at once, as if she were speaking from a higher dimension.
"This is a 'Locked Chamber You Can't Leave Unless You Climax'~"
"Who are you?!"
Guinevere gritted her teeth, her voice trembling. She was in even worse shape than Artorius, slumped on the floor in a "duck sit," clutching her stomach just to maintain a shred of sanity.
"Let... let us out this instant, or I'll kill you!"
"Even if I let you out, with your personality, you'd probably try to kill me anyway, wouldn't you?" Mery's voice was full of flippant amusement. "So, I've decided to follow the rules. Remember: this is a 'Locked Chamber You Can't Leave Unless You Climax'~"
With that, her voice vanished as if it had never existed.
Guinevere tried to gather her mana, but the constant influx of the floral scent made it impossible. After several failed attempts, she only succeeded in making herself more of a mess. She lay flat on the floor, using the tiles—which were at least slightly cooler than the air—to keep her head above water.
Artorius tried the door a few more times before giving up. He punched the door once in frustration, then sighed and sat down with his back against the wall, watching Guinevere struggle for breath on the floor.
"Princess... have you ever... pleasured yourself?"
"Pleasured... myself?"
"Yeah. My teacher is a terrible person, but she never lies about the rules of her spells. If we both... take care of ourselves once, we should be able to get out."
Guinevere was silent for a long moment. Just as Artorius's guard was reaching its peak and his sanity was about to snap, she suddenly broke into a radiant smile.
"I'll do whatever you say."
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