C449

A Glimpse of Reality (Part 2)

In the dead of night, Guinevere squinted at the paperwork under the dim lamplight, her brows furrowing as she read through it.

Cough... cough...

A harsh cough racked her body, and she couldn't help but cough up a bit of blood, her strength waning. She slumped against the table, her face draining of color, and her awareness began to slip away.

"My king... I mustn't... not yet... I..."

She trailed off, the words catching in her throat as she fought to stay conscious.

Mordred stood there, observing the situation, her mind working rapidly as she recognized the perfect moment.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she pushed open the door to the study and walked in with calculated steps.

"Who...?" Guinevere's voice wavered as her consciousness faltered.

"Hmph." Mordred let out a scoff, her demeanor following the content of the book of wisdom she had studied. Hours spent poring over the writings had given her an insight into the former king's way of speaking.

In her mind, she envisioned how the king might react in this situation – with an initial, disdainful snort. So, she mirrored that action then, her lips curling with an air of confidence on the border of arrogance.

Guinevere lifted her head, her vision blurred as she focused on the figure before her.

In an instant, her mind cleared, recognition dawning.

"You... you are..." Guinevere's voice quivered.

Mordred let out a chuckle, her words dripping with a mocking tone. "To not even recognize this king, what a disgrace..."

However, her sentence was abruptly cut short as Guinevere rushed towards her, wrapping her arms tightly around her and pressing her head to Mordred's chest. Tears flowed freely as she sobbed, "My king... my king...!!!"

No... this wasn't part of the plan!

Mordred panicked, not knowing what to do.

"My king... sob sob sob... my king...!!!" Guinevere's cries echoed through the room, her emotions overwhelming her.

Mordred hesitated for a moment before scolding, "Release this king, you insolent fool!"

"I won't let go... I can't let go... I know this is a dream. If I release you, you'll vanish again, my king..." Guinevere sobbed, her eyes fixed on Mordred's face.

"My king... do you... do you know what happened after you left? So many things happened. Morgan... she ran away!" Guinevere's voice cracked as she poured out her heart.

While Mordred was aware of these things, she found herself at a loss at what to do. All she managed to say was, "Well... yes, this king is aware... what I wanted to say was... um...!!!"

Her sentence was abruptly cut short as Guinevere pushed her down onto the floor.

With surprising strength, she straddled her body.

"Wha... What are you doing?" Mordred stammered, her voice shaking.

Guinevere clung to Mordred, coughing twice, her expression one of pure contentment. "Please pull my hair again, teach me like before, please scold me again... my king... my king..."

"Well..."

"Please, pull my hair!"

"Alright...!" Mordred complied, her hand reaching for Guinevere's hair, even as her own small frame trembled with a mixture of unease and fear. This version of Guinevere was a far cry from what she had known and made her a little scared.

"My king... my king... it's the king's aura, no doubt about it..." Guinevere hugged Mordred and revealed a happy expression.

After a moment of hesitation, Mordred managed to regain her focus. She recalled the purpose of her visit and spoke cautiously, "Guin... Guinevere, you should return to the Inner Sea of the Planet. Don't push yourself too hard."

"No! I can't do that!" Guinevere protested vehemently. "The threat from Attila is still looming... I can't just walk away. Even if it means sacrificing my life here, I can't leave. I can't bear the thought of letting you down, betraying the trust you've placed in me... I..."

Mordred gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on Guinevere's hair.

"It hurts... it hurts... this familiar pain..."

"Just how much trouble do you want to cause everyone? You're such a mess," Mordred chastised, her tone stern.

Guinevere's voice quivered, "But... but..."

"No room for 'buts.' With your feeble body, what can you even achieve? Besides causing worry, what purpose do you serve? Haven't you seen it? Bedivere is worried about you, Aggrawain is worried about you, and I'm worried about you as well!"

Guinevere stammered, "But... but Attila's threat..."

"And what would happen to Artoria and her troops if they knew about your condition? Have you thought about that? You want to burden her on the battlefield, is that it?"

Through gritted teeth, Guinevere said, "Shut up! Shut up! Who do you think you are? You're nothing more than an illusion of the one I admire, a dream beyond my reach, you're just..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Mordred's grip on Guinevere's hair tightened, causing her to wince as her head was forced back.

"It hurts... it hurts..." she cried.

"Is this still some kind of illusion? Head back to the Inner Sea of the Planet and give yourself time to heal up properly. Only come back when you're completely back in shape!" Mordred reprimanded, giving Guinevere a slight push before turning around and walking away. "Make sure you stop causing this king any more trouble, you insolent fool!"

"My king... my king... wu wu wu... my king...!!" Guinevere lay on the ground, tears streaming down her face.

Mordred, her clothes all messed up, dashed out of the palace in a rush. Leaning against the wall, she patted her chest in a state of panic.

That had been seriously terrifying for her just now.

She hadn't expected to see this side of her teacher. However, she had spoken her mind, and now everything depended on how Guinevere would react. The fact that she hadn't been caught yet was quite impressive...

"Mordred?" A soft, pleasantly surprised male voice broke in.

Mordred's expression froze, and she shifted her gaze to find Galahad standing there, looking at her.

"Why did you pretend to be the former king?" Galahad asked curiously.

Mordred absentmindedly touched her face, puzzled. Galahad shouldn't have realized that it was her since the enchantment hadn't faded yet. How had he managed to figure it out?

"You might want to change back soon. Even if it's all in good fun, and even if you are a descendant of the king, people might start talking," Galahad advised in a gentle tone.

"I'm not... just playing around," she responded, her irritation evident.

Galahad accompanied her back to her room.

She posed a question, "I was pretending to be the former king. Don't you have anything to say about it?"

Galahad quirked an eyebrow. "Why would I need to say anything?"

"Because I'm impersonating the former king!"

Galahad smiled gently. "You must have your reasons for doing this. After all, you want to become a king, don't you?"

"Of course!" she said proudly, hands on her hips.

"By the way, why do you want to become a king?" He asked.

Mordred fired back with her own question, "My mother is the king, and it's only natural that I'd follow in her footsteps, right?"

"I'm asking about something beyond bloodline succession," Galahad responded with gentleness.

She hesitated for a moment and said, "If I'm telling you, you can't make fun of me, okay?"

He nodded reassuringly.

With a shy grin, she admitted, "Becoming king means my mother can't scold me anymore, even if I accidentally wet the bed."

"Huh?" Galahad was clearly taken aback by this unexpected confession.

"Don't... don't tell anyone, okay? You promised me!" she blushed.

He nodded and said gently, "Although it's a bit... um, anyway, I won't tell anyone."

Mordred's smile brightened.

He walked Mordred back to her room.

"Galahad!" she called out.

"What's the matter?" He turned to look at her.

She made a funny face at him, then turned and left.

With a satisfied grin, she closed the door behind her.

"Why do I want to become a king... because if I become king, I can protect my mother!"

"Yes! I want to become a king!"

Mordred's smile grew, her eyes brimming with resolve.

In the days that followed, Guinevere stepped down from her position.

She managed to smoothly pass on her responsibilities and then made preparations to depart from Camelot, heading back to the Inner Sea of Planet for recovery. Her escort was none other than her adopted son from her days as a fairy, Lancelot.

As she readied herself to leave, knights and officials gathered to bid her farewell.

"I know I caused quite a bit of trouble, and I'm genuinely sorry, everyone," Guinevere offered her apology with a heartfelt expression.

The knights and officials quickly waved off her concerns, reassuring her.

Guinevere exchanged a few words with Bedivere and Agravain, her trusted confidants, and then turned to Bedivere, requesting, "Bedivere, could you give us a moment? I'd like to speak with Agravain."

Bedivere nodded and left.

She turned her gaze towards Agravain and began, "There was a remark the former king made before he departed, and I believe it's time for me to offer my own perspective on you."

Agravain displayed a hint of surprise before he nodded, saying, "Of course, Lady Guinevere. Please, share your thoughts."

"The former king said that you and Bedivere should not be separated. Once you're apart, your darkness will get the better of you. I'm not concerned about Bedivere, but I am worried about you. Your abilities are undeniable, but your mindset..."

He interjected with reassurance, saying, "Please don't worry, Lady Guinevere. My whole life is dedicated to the welfare of the kingdom. If my darkness is no longer needed, I'll disappear on my own."

Guinevere's lips curled into a thoughtful frown.

She paused briefly before adding, "I didn't mean it like that. What I'm trying to say is, maybe you could try being a little more gentle. I won't be away forever. It might just be a year or two, or perhaps at the most, seven or eight years. But I will come back. I'll make sure our kingdom lasts forever!"

"We'll be here, eagerly awaiting your return, Lady Guinevere," Agravain replied, and even his usually tense expression softened into a smile.

Guinevere's gaze shifted to Mordred, motioning her to come closer. She spoke, "Come here."

"Huh?" Mordred's brows furrowed briefly in confusion, but she walked over and asked, "Do you need something, Teacher?"

Guinevere crouched down, gently ruffling her hair and said, "While I'm away, you'll need to study on your own. I'll come back to check on your progress!"

"Yes, yes!" she nodded.

"Oh, and there's one more thing," Guinevere added with a smile.

Mordred asked, "What is it?"

With a gentle pat on her head, Guinevere leaned in, whispering softly into her ear, "Avoid showing off your magic tricks in front of fairies from now on. They can see through them quite easily."

"Ah—!?"

Mordred was caught off guard.

"Some things are meant to be our little secrets, okay?" Guinevere's smile remained as she turned, stepping into the carriage and remarking, "Lancelot, let's head out."

"Yes—!"

Lancelot nodded to them, then climbed onto the carriage and steered it away from Camelot.

So it turns out, the teacher knew all along.

Mordred touched the back of her head, feeling a bit embarrassed. She had thought her teacher wouldn't be able to tell.

However, would this good news bring some comfort to her mother?

Agravain's voice broke her thought, "Mordred, let's get moving!"

"Yes!"

She turned on her heels.

Raising her gaze, she looked up at the imposing statue of the King. In the depths of her heart, she whispered silently.

You might not be familiar with me, and that's okay.

I will rise to become the King.

Be it the kingdom itself or its people, I'll carry that weight on my shoulders.

And for my beloved mother, I'll stand as her shield!

With newfound resolve, Mordred took a determined step forward...

...

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