Bridge of Communication

Guinevere was feeling a bit uneasy. 

The man named Kay was sitting beside her, eating and staring at her without blinking.

'It's creepy! What's up with this guy?!'

Guinevere moved her seat next to Arkhan. At least compared to that weirdo, this violent mage could provide a sense of security.

Arkhan looked at the trembling Guinevere beside him and sighed.

"For fuck's sake, Kay, she's a guest. Can't you stop giving her that creepy look, like some kind of stalker?"

 "I'm just keeping an eye on her." Kay frowned at Arkhan.

"Keeping an eye on what? As I told you, she's not Morgan."

"Who knows if it's true or not? Morgan is second only to Merlin in magecraft, and she's cunning and full of tricks. This might just be her disguise."

Arkhan rolled his eyes at Kay. Knights were all one-track-minded.

"Fine, I order you to focus on eating your meal. Otherwise, next time I'll give you double the homework."

Under Arkhan's threat, Kay reluctantly lowered his head and took a big bite of his steak, accidentally biting into a hard bone that sent a shiver through his brain.

'That's karma for you.' Arkhan thought, smirking internally as he watched the miserable Kay. He then turned to Guinevere and said, "It's alright now."

"Um..." Guinevere softly nodded, her pale golden eyes showing a hint of curiosity. 'So... this is what it feels like to be protected by someone.'

"I'm back." Artoria, dressed in men's clothing, walked in with a tired expression. When she saw the food on the table, her gaze instantly sharpened.

"Welcome back." Arkhan smiled.

"Ah, Teacher, you're back alrea—" Artoria turned her head to Arkhan but suddenly froze.

Guinevere, still munching on her unfinished bread, also stared at Artoria, equally bewildered.

They locked eyes as if time had stopped at that moment.

Arkhan kept his calm smile on his face, but inside, he was rolling on the floor with laughter.

'Finally! These baffled and confused faces are what I want to see!'

Artoria was the first to snap out of it, her expression both peculiar and embarrassed.

"Teacher, what's going on here?"

Guinevere was still a bit confused. Why did this young man in front of her look so much like her?

Arkhan didn't keep them guessing and revealed Guinevere's identity.

"Her name is Guinevere, Morgan le Fay's sister. If we're talking about blood relations, she's your sister, Lily."

'Morgan's sister, my... sister?' Artoria was dumbfounded while pointing at herself.

She had heard Merlin mention her long-lost sister named Morgan le Fay, a witch who possessed the 'Power of the Island'. Morgan was also her greatest enemy on her path to becoming a king. But she had never heard of another sister named Guinevere.

Guinevere was even more bewildered. The person in front of her was clearly a man, so why was Arkhan saying that they were sisters?

So, Arkhan explained Artoria's true identity to Guinevere.

"Future... King Arthur?"

Guinevere covered her mouth in surprise, looking at Artoria.

Kay suddenly stood up, dragging Arkhan out with a puzzled expression.

Arkhan didn't resist and allowed Kay to take him outside.

"Dude! Do you even know what you're doing?" Kay said with a grim expression as he glared at Arkhan. "That's Morgan le Fay's sister, and you just casually revealed Lily's identity to her!? Have you gone mad?!"

"Is there a problem?" Arkhan smiled.

Kay's face twitched for some reason. Looking at Arkhan's behavior, he suddenly felt like he was facing Merlin—that feeling of wanting to punch someone in the face.

"Morgan le Fay is the successor to the 'Power of the Island'!" Kay growled. "By rights, she should be the one who ascends to the throne. But now Lily is fated to become King Arthur, and their relationship is like water and fire. Morgan will do everything to stop Lily from taking the throne. And you, you idiot, willingly revealed Lily's identity to someone close to her. Are you trying to get Lily killed?"

*Thud!*

A heavy punch landed on Kay's head.

"Fuck! That hurts..." Kay cursed while touching his head.

Arkhan shook his hand. "I just told you, you should show respect to your teacher and not act all disrespectful."

Kay looked at Arkhan, a bit resentful. "I'm almost the same age as you."

"I am your father's hired teacher, which makes me your senior. Got a problem with that?" Arkhan said coldly.

"At least, don't keep hitting me on the head. It'll make me dumb dammit..." Kay complained.

"If you can't grasp something this simple, your intelligence is beyond hope." Arkhan chuckled.

Seeing Kay's puzzled look, Arkhan continued, "Do you really think Morgan wouldn't know about Lily's existence?"

"Lily was hidden away with the help of the former king and Merlin. There's no way Morgan could know." Kay replied confidently.

"If it were someone else, it might be possible to keep it a secret, but Morgan is Uther's biological daughter, the successor to the Power of the Island, and one of the most powerful mages in all of Britain, second only to Merlin. Do you really think, with her abilities, she couldn't find a trace of Lily in over a decade? If that were the case, I think Camelot should just fall now."

Kay had nothing to say in response.

"Let's take a step back, even if Morgan truly doesn't know about Lily's existence, won't she find out someday? And when that happens, will she spare Lily?" Arkhan continued.

"At least, we can hide Lily for a while..." 

"But now, with the day of the king selection approaching, Lily will step into the limelight. If she can't even face this challenge from Morgan, how can she bear the weight of a country?" Arkhan said with a serious tone.

"..." Kay was at a loss for words.

Arkhan sighed. "Actually, I've always thought that Morgan shouldn't be Lily's enemy. They are both children of the former king, sisters, and the future pillars of Camelot. If they can support each other, this country can go much further."

"I advise you not to indulge in such daydreams..." Kay said, rolling his eyes. "My father said Morgan is extremely competitive and has a strong sense of jealousy. Anything that belongs to her, she won't let anyone else have it. If she willingly gives up the throne, I'll personally hand my head over to you as a chamber pot!"

"No matter how difficult something is, you'll only know if you can succeed if you try. If you don't even have the courage to attempt it, what's the difference between you and a coward?" Arkhan patted Kay's shoulder. "Moreover, right now, don't we have a perfect opportunity?"

Kay raised an eyebrow and caught the meaning.

"Guinevere?"

"That's right." Arkhan smiled. "Using Guinevere as a bridge to connect Lily and Morgan. Don't you think this plan is quite possible?"