`After advising King Uther to take it easy, Sir Kay once again comforted Gwen, stabilizing her emotions. After all, everyone present had no doubt that King Uther had been moments away from ordering the guards to execute Gwen.
Only once Gwen was finally convinced that King Uther wouldn't harm her did the questioning continue.
"Is there anything special about this flower?" Kay asked, pointing to the bouquet of lilies.
Most young women liked flowers, and Morgana was no exception, so Kay wasn't surprised to see a freshly cut bouquet in her room and hadn't thought twice about it initially. Now that Gwen had mentioned the flowers specifically, Kay knew there must be a story there; otherwise, Gwen wouldn't have singled them out.
"Th-They... they were given to the Princess by someone!" Gwen said hesitantly, giving Kay a cautious glance.
"Flowers from someone? What's so strange about that?" At that moment, Arthur, perhaps having given in to Merlin's insistence, came over with the servant in tow. King Uther frowned with displeasure at the sight of Merlin, feeling that this was no place for a manservant. But before he could say anything, Arthur quickly spoke up to distract him. "Doesn't Morgana get flowers delivered every day? What's the big deal about these?"
Sure enough, Uther's attention was immediately diverted. He was focused on his daughter right now and didn't care about anything else, least of all a minor figure like Merlin.
Kay looked over as well. While he didn't know that Morgana received flowers daily, he still didn't find it strange. For one, Morgana was incredibly beautiful; her stunning looks were famous across all the Celtic kingdoms, and she was often called the most beautiful woman in the land. Secondly, she was King Uther's beloved daughter, and Camelot's wealth and power were equally famous.
To marry Morgana would be a jackpot, acquiring both a lovely wife and great fortune—that "twenty years of struggle saved" line wasn't a joke. So, it wasn't strange that Morgana had many admirers; it would be strange if she didn't. Though Kay found it a little annoying, he wasn't petty enough to blame Morgana. After all, having beauty and a powerful father wasn't her fault.
Gwen glanced at Kay again before clarifying, "Since Sir Kay came back, no one has sent her flowers anymore. Because, well, everyone knows about Sir Kay and the Princess's relationship."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Kay, and King Uther nodded in satisfaction. He thought this was excellent. While he didn't mind his daughter receiving gifts—it only showed how exceptional she was—now that Kay and Morgana's relationship was official, it was better to avoid such things. He genuinely and deeply supported their union and sincerely hoped they would be happy, so anyone trying to interfere needed to disappear quickly.
Kay hadn't paid much attention to this before. He only knew that Morgana's room got new flowers every so often; he never bothered to ask where they came from.
"If that's the case, what's the deal with this bouquet?" Although Gwen hadn't said it outright, Kay guessed that the reason no one had sent flowers recently was partly because of his return and partly because of Morgana's own wishes.
Regardless, there were always people in the world who thought they were special. Besides, Kay hadn't married Morgana yet, so they naturally thought they still had a chance. Even if they were married, it wouldn't necessarily stop everyone. This was a wild, medieval-era England, ; attitudes toward marriage weren't quite so sacred or serious. Even in later centuries, the little games between noblewomen and knights were quite common.
Understanding this, Kay said nothing, but he felt a little smug inside. What man wouldn't like it if his girl only had eyes for him and completely dismissed all other admirers?
"This... this is also what I thought was weird. When I came to the palace yesterday morning, a man asked me to give this bouquet to the Princess, and so I did. I completely forgot how I agreed to do it, and I don't even remember what the man looked like. In fact, until just now, if I hadn't seen Sir Kay notice the flowers, I would have totally forgotten they were sent by someone else!"
At this, the mood among everyone darkened. Only Merlin looked confused, unsure what was going on.
King Uther was the first to react. His face contorted with rage, and he spoke in a vicious voice, "Sorcery! It's sorcery! Those damnable witches and wizards still want to destroy Camelot! These vile, cursed rats are now targeting my daughter! Damn it! Damn it!"
As he spoke, King Uther could no longer contain his fury. He drew his sword and roared, "Guards! Guards! Guards!"
It was only then that Merlin finally realized what was happening: Morgana's condition was caused by magic. Everyone here wasn't stupid; Gwen's words had revealed enough information.
Princess Morgana had been refusing flowers from outsiders for a month, and Gwen would know this better than anyone. There was no way flowers would be delivered directly to the Princess herself. Even though the princesses of the Celtic kingdoms weren't as sheltered , she was still a royal, and people couldn't just approach her. Anyone wanting to send flowers had to go through Gwen.
Yet, Gwen, knowing Morgana's refusal, had mysteriously agreed to deliver the flowers. Afterward, she not only didn't remember it but felt no sense of impropriety. The implications of this were deeply troubling. Coupled with Morgana's strange illness, it wasn't a stretch to conclude that a sorcerer was involved.
The realization made Merlin's face turn pale, because it meant King Uther was about to go on a rampage!
Uther's hatred of magic and sorcery was well known throughout Camelot; his policy was always to "kill first and ask questions later." Who knew how many people would be slaughtered now? Merlin wanted to intervene, but he was immediately stopped by a look from Gaius.
Merlin was kind-hearted, but like all young people, he was often impulsive and reckless—in short, a bit naive. Merlin stop Uther? On what grounds? Just because he thought he was right?
This was not a fantasy paradise; this was reality. A servant trying to stop a king from giving an order was ludicrous! If Merlin actually tried that, the most likely outcome was that he would be the first one killed today!
"Wait!" But before Merlin could step forward, another person did, stopping the King. "My King, please wait!"
If anyone else had tried to stop King Uther in his rage, that person would have been in serious trouble. But if it was Kay, it was a different story.
"Kay? Are you out of your mind? Why are you stopping me? Don't you want to save Morgana?" Uther couldn't understand Kay's action. By all accounts, the person who should least try to stop him in this room was Kay! Morgana was his fiancée!
"No! On the contrary, I am doing this precisely to save Morgana! My King, please calm down. We must figure out exactly what happened before we decide on the next step! Have you forgotten? It was you who taught me never to be rash, but to think clearly before taking action. I am simply following your teaching now!"
It's easy to preach wisdom to others; it only takes a few words. But it's another thing entirely when the wisdom is applied to oneself. Uther's reaction was proof of this.
"Figure it out? Isn't it obvious? That damned sorcerer harmed my Morgana! He must be hanged! No! I'll have him chopped into pieces and fed to the dogs!" In Uther's mind, everything was crystal clear and no further investigation was needed.
"Then please give me a few minutes. Just a few minutes, that's all I need! I beg you! You know better than anyone that no one wants to save Morgana more than I do." Kay did not allow himself to be swept away by Uther's emotions, speaking calmly and with unusual composure.
Perhaps it was Kay's plea, or his steady demeanor, that made Uther suppress the fury boiling in his chest. He stood there, scowling, but remained silent.
Seeing Uther's reaction, Kay knew he had tacitly agreed. Kay wasted no time and immediately addressed Gwen: "I need you to tell me a few things. Don't rush, speak calmly, slowly, and clearly. Don't leave out any details, no matter how small. Understood?"
In his previous life, Kay had been a police officer and a good one, so conducting an investigation was second nature to him. He knew that any information provided by witnesses was crucial; a single word or detail could affect the entire case. This is why, when conducting an interview, Kay would always help the person calm down first, preventing panic, which ensured he received more detailed and complete clues.
In this regard, Uther's outburst had been counterproductive. Gwen was just a maid, not some hardened veteran, and being threatened by the King naturally terrified her. But there was no helping it; he was the King. To calm Gwen down, Kay had to resort to a small trick.
Kay used his mental strength to help stabilize Gwen's emotions. This wasn't magic, but a simple application of psychological suggestion learned in his past life, combined with his strong mental focus—in itself, not a complex ability. But the effect was immediate and profound.
Under Kay's gentle reassurance, Gwen slowly felt herself calm down from the intense panic she had been experiencing.