The wind swept through the council chamber, lifting Shiomi's robes and the veil beneath Morgan's crown. It revealed lips brushed with pale blue lipstick and eyes faintly curved in a smile. The breeze was weak yet lingering, as if carrying the weight of two thousand years.
"As I wrote in my letter, I've come to see you," Shiomi said, a smile rising on his face. "A great enemy stands before you, yet you're not even holding a weapon. Isn't that a bit careless?"
"You're unarmed as well," Morgan replied.
"Mm." Shiomi's smile grew warmer.
No hidden meanings. No complicated thoughts. Just the simplest greeting and small talk.
He slowly ascended the jade steps, stopped before the throne, and looked down at Morgan. Morgan, forced to tilt her head upward from her seated position, met his gaze in silence. Then he gently pulled her into his arms. A warmth and scent long forgotten—so distant it felt like a previous life—wrapped around her again.
She said nothing, only opened her arms and held him around the waist.
"These two thousand years must have been hard on you," Shiomi asked softly as he brushed a hand through her hair.
"Because I knew you were suffering as much as I was, I could endure it," Morgan murmured. "Even separated by worlds, I understood I wasn't alone."
"...Mm." Shiomi nodded and slowly released her. "Do you know why I suddenly declared war this time?"
"The fairies, growing restless even in this brief peace," Morgan said with a faint, resigned smile. "You came to remind me to withdraw from Camelot, and you intend to purge the clans whose loyalty has wavered."
Her being here was simply so she could see him properly before leaving—assuming that was truly his plan. Seventeen years of unexplainable peace, ended just as abruptly. Morgan felt she was owed an answer.
"No. The reason I started this war and marched into the palace alone is actually very simple." Shiomi glanced at her, then added, "Can I sit down? I'm tired of standing."
"Of course." Morgan blinked, then happily shifted aside, making space for him beside her.
It was what she had always wished for—not to sit alone on the throne, but to have the person she loved most sitting beside her.
"Hmm… still a bit tired. May I rest my head on your lap?" Shiomi wondered aloud.
"We are in the middle of a war…" Morgan sighed at his casualness, yet she did not refuse.
When Shiomi lay down and rested his head on her lap, Morgan finally found the chance to ask, "You've kept your eyes closed this whole time. Are you so exhausted you can't even open them?"
"Let's go back to what we were talking about," Shiomi replied, shifting the subject abruptly as he held the hand she used to caress his cheek. "I came here today to return Britannia to you."
"Return it to me?"
"After this battle, the God King of Londinium falls to the Queen of Camelot. Though Londinium's army manages to breach the city, they lose their God King. Pressured by the Queen's might, they retreat back to Londinium," Shiomi said softly.
Morgan looked slightly taken aback. "So you intend to concede to me?"
"Something like that," Shiomi answered with a faint smile. "But the southern clans have been watching. When they see the tide turn, they will surely act, perhaps even fight for control of Londinium."
"Do you have any advice?" Morgan asked.
"Let them fight. Let them struggle. Force them to swear loyalty to you for their own survival. You must know how to use them, how to suppress them. As for Londinium, I heard Melusine has yet to be granted a fief. If you trust her, you can give Londinium to her. That way, we can still uphold the ideals we once had."
It was only then, sensing a subtle shift in the tone of his words, that a quiet unease rose within Morgan's heart.
"Why won't you stay and rule Britannia with me? Where are you going?"
"I'm not going anywhere. I'll remain right here," Shiomi said with a shake of his head. "I simply underestimated a few things. The curse left behind by the Beast God Cernunnos for tens of thousands of years—though I can devour it and suppress it, I must pay a price."
"So… so that's it…" Morgan's pupils shrank sharply. "Back in the 400th year of my reign, when Camelot fell and I returned here, I felt something missing beneath the Great Hollow..."
But she hadn't had the tools she once had to examine the Hollow, and with only Habetrot in Camelot beside her, she couldn't confirm anything.
It turned out that Shiomi had used that moment to enter the Great Hollow alone, devouring Cernunnos's remains and sealing them within his own body, completely severing the source of the continuous calamities.
"At first, it was still manageable. But seventeen years ago, I reached the limit. I couldn't continue sealing the curse while also maintaining this war. My eyes were destroyed then—burned by the curse that overflowed." Only when her hand touched his eyelids did Shiomi explain in a low voice.
"What was the point… of doing all this?" Morgan choked out.
"You already know… Britannia hasn't suffered a single calamity since," Shiomi answered, lifting a hand to wipe the tears spilling from her eyes. "Both the disasters and Britannia's destined destruction—I sealed them all away for you. All you need to do is keep ruling this Britannia, and keep the fairies under control."
"…Will you… die?" Morgan lowered her gaze to his face, her voice trembling with helplessness.
"I won't die. I'm just going to sleep. A very, very long sleep," Shiomi said with a gentle smile. "So I won't go anywhere. I'll be here. Right at your side. As the eternal seal, I'll help you maintain this Britannia."
If he remained awake, the calamity would eventually spill out from the seal, rendering everything he'd done meaningless. As long as Shiomi—the one maintaining the seal—continued to act, the curse within Cernunnos's remains would remain active. Thus, the only solution was the opposite: for the host to fall into a deep, permanent sleep.
"That kind of thing…" Morgan grasped his hand tightly, but he no longer returned her strength.
"Speaking of which… there's something I forgot to ask… My children and students… they're here, right…?" His voice was fading rapidly.
"They're all in the Back Garden. My avatar is protecting them," Morgan whispered into his ear.
"Then I'm relieved…" Shiomi lifted a trembling hand to caress Morgan's cheek, offering comfort with what little breath he had left. "Don't cry… The Queen of Winter mustn't let her subjects see her tears… It'll weaken your authority…"
"…"
Morgan wept uncontrollably, her voice breaking. Tears fell onto his cheek and slid down.
A faint smile settled on his face as his hand slowly dropped. He slipped into a quiet sleep in her arms.
Only his long, gentle breathing remained.