The room was filled with mist. Arthur looked at the vaguely visible figure before him and unconsciously swallowed.
It seems she still hasn't realized it's me…
It would be better to leave now.
"Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and hand me the towel." Morgan's voice came once again from the other side of the bath.
Arthur snapped out of his daze, and upon hearing Morgan's call, he grew even more confused.
Logically, this shouldn't be happening… Morgan le Fay should have noticed his presence the very moment he entered the palace.
Or maybe Morgan's signal is bad in this bathroom… Just kidding.
"Could it be one of the dolls…?" Morgan's murmur came again from the other side, finally confirming Arthur's suspicions.
It seems that… Morgan really hadn't realized it was him?
Although he didn't know the reason, it would be better to leave now. One of those puppets would probably come in later and deliver the towel to Morgan.
"Arthur, bring me a towel." As if sensing that Arthur was about to leave, Morgan finally stopped hiding and called out to him directly.
Arthur came to an abrupt halt.
Morgan hadn't been unaware of the situation at all; she had clearly just wanted to tease him from the very beginning!
Didn't you hear me?
When Morgan's voice sounded again, Arthur composed himself, picked up the towel hanging beside him, and walked toward the bathtub.
Either way, I have nothing to lose.
With the conviction that he truly had nothing to lose, Arthur walked toward Morgan.
Before Arthur fully realized it, he saw the woman clearly. Morgan had her back to him. Her hair was tied up, with a few loose strands falling over her pale back. She slightly tilted her head and cast a casual glance at Arthur.
"Give it to me."
Arthur stole a furtive glance at Morgan's back, handed her the towel, and turned around to leave.
"Are you really that afraid of me, Arthur?" Morgan's gentle voice echoed, carrying a strange allure.
"It's not that I'm afraid, Morgan," Arthur said. "I'm just a little worried that I might not be able to control myself."
"You really know how to tell the truth," Morgan le Fay chuckled. "Do you want to come down and bathe with me?"
"I really can?" Arthur asked.
"Of course not." Morgan's smile widened even more when she heard his answer. "A normal person would panic and run away, wouldn't they? You're quite surprising."
"I think normal men usually wouldn't run away…" Arthur muttered, glancing at Morgan once more.
Unless he's one of those Japanese romance protagonists, he added silently.
Even through the thin mist, he could see that beautiful body.
Morgan let out an amused laugh. "Do you think anyone would dare watch a witch bathing without fearing her wrath?"
"Me?" Arthur said.
"Hm, I suppose I've been too kind to you, which made you this reckless," Morgan pondered for a moment. "In that case, I'll give you a little lesson."
"A little lesson…?"
Just as Arthur finished speaking, he saw Morgan raise her hand, and before he could react, she grabbed him.
Whoosh!
"Aaaaaah!!!"
Accompanied by Arthur's scream and Morgan's cheerful laughter, Arthur was sent flying uncontrollably into the bathtub.
---xXx---
In the main hall.
"I think a man shouldn't be so petty," Morgan said with a laugh. "I was only teasing you. If someone else had barged into my bathroom, the situation would have been very different."
"You're the one who told me to go in!" Arthur retorted irritably.
He was wearing a silver suit of armor that had been temporarily brought up from the basement, since his clothes were completely soaked after he fell into the bathtub.
It had to be said that the armor normally worn by the knights patrolling Morgan's castle was quite stylish, but when Arthur put it on, he had only one thought in mind: It's way too big!
"If you hadn't entered the bath first, would I have suddenly thought of inviting you in?" Morgan smiled as she looked Arthur up and down several times. The boy stood in the middle of the hall, his body slightly stiff.
Clearly, supporting that armor was proving to be a challenge. He had trained with Scáthach before, and the journey itself had taken a toll on his stamina. On top of that, the mental torment he had just endured left him thoroughly exhausted.
Morgan sighed. "All right, take off your armor. I won't blame you for anything, don't worry."
Noticing Arthur's questioning gaze, Morgan stepped down from the throne, approached him, removed his helmet, and pointed at the white-silver armor he was wearing. "It's fine to be informal here. Take off the upper part of that armor."
"But…" Arthur hesitated.
"It's fine, I don't mind. After all, this matter is, in a way, related to me," Morgan said.
"It's not just a little—it's entirely your problem, Morgan," Arthur couldn't help but say.
He wouldn't have gotten soaked if Morgan hadn't thrown him into the bath.
"Hey, hey, hey—" Arthur had barely finished speaking when Morgan pinched his cheek. "Didn't your teacher teach you to respect your elders?"
"No… but Nessa said we should respect the elderly and take care of the young—"
Arthur suddenly fell silent when he noticed the cold gleam in Morgan's eyes.
"That's why I think I don't need to be so respectful toward you, Morgan… After all, you're a young woman, not an old lady, so why should I be that respectful?" Arthur quickly added.
Morgan continued to stare at Arthur coldly. After a moment, a sweet smile appeared on her face. "You really are good with words. I'll let you off this time."
It's like walking on thin ice… Arthur secretly let out a sigh of relief.
It seemed he couldn't be too arrogant. Normally, Morgan was easy to talk to, but her temperament was unpredictable, which made her somewhat dangerous.
Still, he had gone a bit too far. Saying things like that… even Scáthach would probably give him a harsh lesson.
"All right, take off the upper part of the armor," Morgan said again.
Seeing that Arthur still hadn't moved, Morgan looked him up and down a few more times and then said, "Don't worry, are you afraid I'll touch you? I don't like children."
She would take care of him for at least a few more years.
"What are you waiting for? Do I have to do it for you?" Morgan said, sounding slightly uncomfortable at the end. "If I do it myself and someone sees, there'll be a misunderstanding. So it's better if you do it yourself."
Despite Morgan's gentle smile, Arthur still removed the upper part of his armor.
The weight pressing down on him finally lessened.
Seeing the relieved expression on Arthur's face, Morgan sighed softly and said with some concern, "Even after taking all that, why is your strength still so weak? Could it be that one day you'll try to pull the sword from the stone and fail because you don't have enough strength…?"
"Why would I pull the sword from the stone?" Arthur's ahoge seemed to spring up suddenly, as if on alert.
"Ah… um, it's nothing, it's nothing…" Morgan shook her head, casually dismissing the topic. "By the way, you're here to pick up this week's potion, right? Sit here for a bit—I've already sent someone to fetch it."
Arthur, however, remained uneasy, staring at Morgan with suspicion.
Something strange is going on…
(End of Chapter)