"Is it possible that the correct sequence of events is that Tristan attacked you first, and then you attacked Morgan?"
Aurora tried to struggle, but even as she spoke, she found she couldn't believe her own words. Fairy Tristan had no reason to attack Woodworth. While she was neurotic, she wasn't foolish enough to strike her own mother's most capable general, was she?
That's actually exactly what happened, Jiang You thought to himself. That Fairy Tristan was too obedient to Beryl, never stopping to consider that Morgan still needed Woodworth as a key part of her forces.
Now that Aurora's impending betrayal was confirmed, Woodworth had no intention of listening to her excuses.
"Stop trying to sow discord here! Tell me, why did you do it? Are you dissatisfied with Her Majesty the Queen in some way?!"
"Dissatisfied?"
Aurora smoothed the wrinkles on her skirt and walked to the center of the stage. Since she had already been exposed, there was no longer any need to hide. Maintaining her elegance, she stood openly in opposition to Morgan.
Aurora had originally planned to make this move when Morgan was in a weakened state, but now she had no choice. "I'd like to ask you all: are you satisfied with this Tyrant Majesty? You all know, don't you? She is different from us. She is not a Fairy from the Six Great Clans, but a Fairy from another world. Her goal has always been singular: domination!"
As a Paradise Fairy, Morgan was naturally different from the descendants of the six original Fairy clans. Most Fairies knew Morgan didn't belong to any clan, but they had never given it much thought. Now that Aurora had brought it up, all the Fairies realized the truth: Morgan was not one of them.
However, Morgan was not currently weakened. The Fairies who now harbored rebellious thoughts dared not voice their agreement, but everyone could feel the unusual tension in the air.
"Why are you silent? Is it because you fear tyranny and dare not resist?"
Aurora attempted to cast herself as a long-suffering resistor, enduring hardship to bide her time. This would serve as a sufficient pledge of allegiance when she defected to the Northern Fairies, and her public image wouldn't completely shatter. She could still be that radiant, beautiful Fairy. She needed to stall for time until Melusine arrived with reinforcements.
"She is indeed resolving the Calamities, that's true," Aurora continued, "but have you ever considered why the Calamities appear, and when they began?"
The Calamities were the self-destruct mechanism of this twisted Britain. Morgan sought to avert Britain's destruction, so the Calamities would never cease. No matter how many she resolved, new ones would always emerge. But under Aurora's deliberate manipulation, it seemed as if the Calamities had arrived with Morgan herself.
"Could it be...?"
One Fairy, prompted by Aurora's words, seemed to connect the dots. But his more clear-headed companion immediately punched him, forcing him to swallow the rest of his sentence.
"You're right to think so."
Aurora wouldn't let him off the hook. "It is precisely because of her existence that we have continuously suffered so many disasters, that the Fairies are constantly on the brink of apocalypse! In fact, the 'Great Calamity' was created by her!"
Jiang You nudged Morgan with his elbow. She was furious but hadn't lashed out. "Aren't you going to say anything? You're just going to stand here and listen to her fabricate facts?"
Morgan gazed at the clustered Fairy Nobles, her face etched with disappointment. "This is a good opportunity to see what these worthless fools truly think of me. She's already a talking corpse. What does it matter if I let her finish?"
"I see you don't care about your public image at all, do you?"
Jiang You was speechless. Did she really not manage her reputation at all? "I bet even Fairy Tristan is better at this than you are..."
"Witch Morgan orchestrated that event, nearly wiping out all the Fairies in Britain!" Aurora's voice rang out. "Then, she selfishly drained the magical power from our most precious Irminsul to resurrect us, all so she could brand us with 'Command Spells' and exploit our magical power for all eternity!"
Morgan's magical power tax was actually meant to sustain the Lostbelt's existence. But under Aurora's deliberate misinterpretation, it had been twisted into this monstrous narrative.
"And another thing!" Aurora shouted, her voice filled with dramatic fervor. "Over 2000 years ago, on the very day of his coronation as King of Britain, the human king Uther was poisoned and died on the spot! This is the ultimate proof that she sought to dominate all of Britain for her own selfish desires!"
"Who benefited from Uther's failure to become king? That's right—only her! The false Savior, Aesc! The Witch, Morgan!"
If Jiang You hadn't known the truth, he might have actually believed her.
"And today, she's trying to mold her cruel Princess into another so-called Savior! Are you all just going to stand by and watch? I admit I spread Mors' Curse, but I did it to tear away her hypocritical mask! Because the source of the curse—"
Aurora pointed again toward the underground workshop. "—is right here!"
"Hold on."
Jiang You stepped forward on Morgan's behalf. He had spotted a fatal weakness in Aurora's argument—a single attack that would shatter all her lies. Morgan clearly didn't know about it; if she had, Aurora wouldn't have survived this long.
"You're saying Morgan was responsible for Uther's death, right?"
"Naturally."
Aurora watched Jiang You, a dangerous feeling emanating from this human. But for now, all she could do was offer an explanation. "Whoever benefits is naturally the prime suspect. Uther's existence threatened Morgan's rule."
"But you were the one who prepared the poisoned wine, weren't you? It's a traditional art of your kind of Fairy. How could a Paradise Fairy from outside this world possibly have learned it?"
"She did it?!"
Morgan's emotions surged violently. She shot to her feet, the weight of two millennia crashing down on her. Her entire reign had been built on the tragedy of Uther's death, a loss that had convinced her never to entrust Britain's future to anyone else.
"How is that possible?"
Alarm bells screamed in Aurora's mind. The human's unwavering certainty terrified her. How could a mere human know what happened two thousand years ago? Still, she had to maintain her elegant facade. "I had no reason to do such a thing. I have no desire for the throne. Having someone capable of ruling Britain would have allowed the Wind Clan to develop in peace."
Jiang You pressed Morgan back into her seat, signaling for her to calm down.
"Because back then, he shone brighter than you. All of Britain's glory was his crown. You couldn't accept it, so you acted. Aren't Fairies just like that? Willing to do anything, regardless of the consequences, to fulfill your purpose."
This human knows me too well, Aurora thought, a chill of fear creeping up her spine. Even better than Melusine. "That accusation is baseless..."
"That's not for you to decide. Have you forgotten? A person's—or a Fairy's—Deck is generated based on their life experiences. Since you refuse to admit it, prove your innocence with the cards that represent your past! Don't hold anything back. Show us every single card!" Jiang You tilted his chin toward Fairy Tristan, who understood immediately and produced an invitation.
"Come now, Lady Aurora," Fairy Tristan said. "Let's settle this with a Duel."
Jiang You pressed his advantage. "What's wrong? Won't you accept? Are you afraid?"
He shoved the envelope into Aurora's face. "Take it, Aurora! Take it!"