The night was still and deep.
Looking at Ian, who had fallen asleep beside her, Morgan felt a joy she couldn't put into words.
Yes.
He was going to marry Artoria.
So what?
Did that stop her from sleeping with him whenever she wanted?
A loyal knight?
She would take him all the same.
The corners of Morgan's mouth turned up slightly.
She was completely unaware that when she looked at Ian, her eyes held a love so plain it was impossible to hide.
Never mind.
She would come back to look at him later.
The night was still so long.
She could look at him however she wanted, for as long as she wanted.
But for now...
Morgan stroked her lower abdomen.
She had to think of a plan.
Barghest was not a child who would listen to her.
Therefore, she needed a "backup plan."
With this thought, Morgan gently lifted the covers, intending to get to work.
However—
Just as she was about to get out of bed, her hand was caught.
It was Ian's, of course.
In the darkness, the dragon looked at the woman beside his pillow and asked softly:
"Where are you going?"
"..."
Morgan's heart skipped a beat.
Although it was true that she could sleep with him whenever she wanted, to this day, he still didn't actually know that she had been secretly researching everything about him.
Since his mother was an existence capable of influencing Camelot, and even Britain, across time and space, then he himself could not possibly be weak.
"I'm not going anywhere—"
"No."
Ian sat up.
He leaned in to her neck and sniffed gently.
"You don't have that fragrance anymore."
"..."
"What are you talking about."
Morgan turned her face away.
"What do you mean I don't have that fragrance anymore... Didn't you just say I was delicious?"
"I don't know how to explain it clearly."
Ian shook his head.
He wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"But—"
"I don't want you to become so... dull."
"When you are so beautiful."
"..."
"You really are a strange one."
Morgan replied to him in a small voice.
"You clearly don't know how to sweet-talk people, yet you insist on trying."
"Artoria, my foolish little sister, she must get angry with you about this all the time, right?"
"Not even once. Artoria never gets angry with me."
"Is that s—"
"I want to take you somewhere."
"Hey, wait a—"
Before Morgan could agree or refuse, Ian had already pulled her by the hand.
"Let me put my clothes on first!"
"It's fine. No one will know where we're going."
As Ian spoke, his eyes were already stained blood-red.
Morgan only felt her vision tremble, and by the time she came to her senses, she found herself in a strange place.
Wait a minute...
It looked a little familiar.
That's right!
This was the place where Tiamat had met with her before!
That strange space called the Sea of Life!
However—
Tiamat didn't seem to be here.
As the most outstanding and talented magus in all of Britain, Morgan quickly figured it out.
This was an ability Ian had inherited from Tiamat.
He could also create a simulated space, similar to this Sea of Life.
"What is this..."
"The place where I was born looked like this—"
Standing in the sea, Ian spoke softly to Morgan.
"Is this where human children are born, too?"
"..."
"So you were actually listening to what I said?"
Morgan looked at the sea before her, her expression complicated.
"I thought you only liked to eat and vent your desires on me."
"I was. I always have."
"..."
"No."
Morgan was silent for a moment, then shook her head.
"Human children are not born in a place like this. Whether it's a boy or a girl, they are nurtured inside their mother's body, and after receiving enough care, they come into this world."
"In that case, every child must be happy, right?"
"..."
"Hah."
Morgan let out a bitter laugh.
"Not at all. I think, if they could choose, some children would rather not have come into this world."
"Why is that?"
"Because it's painful."
Morgan looked at her own hands.
"Even though none of the pain and hardship is their own fault, they must spend their entire lives paying for those debts and regrets."
"...Is Barghest like that too?"
Ian suddenly asked.
"What?"
Morgan felt her head buzz.
"I said—"
As if afraid Morgan hadn't heard, Ian spoke again:
"Does Barghest also feel pain because of her birth?"
"She is... our child, isn't she?"
"When did you find out—"
"You said it, and I felt it."
Ian took Morgan's hand.
"Barghest is a lot like me."
"..."
"Are you not angry?" Morgan asked cautiously. "To suddenly have a daughter and all, without me ever telling you."
"I'm not angry."
"Because—"
"You were actually looking forward to her arrival, weren't you?"
Ian looked at Morgan.
"I... completely accept it."
It was all surprisingly simple.
The furious outburst she had imagined never came. Instead, there was only affirmation.
"Then, you wouldn't mind a second child, would you?"
Just as Morgan said this, she was suddenly lifted into his arms.
The next moment, she felt herself plunging into the sea before them with him.
Gurgle, gurgle—
Bubbles rose in the ocean.
The Princess of Britain was held tightly, like a beautiful fish.
So hot—
So exciting—
The Sea of Life... it was all flooding in.
If creating Barghest had been filled with a pale sense of revenge, then this was the feeling of nurturing a new life.
Is this...
The second child he wanted?
Looking at Ian, who had already transformed into a dragon and was pressing her down completely, Morgan's heart began to twist.
Barghest was a failed work;
This child, now, was the true fruit of their love.
It was a testament born without any deception, the one he needed.
Morgan's body also began to radiate magical energy, sparkling in this Sea of Life inhabited only by the two of them.
This was her other side, that of the Fairy of the Lake, wanting this child to completely inherit her love.
What should I name her?
As Morgan, now completely lost in a daze and sinking towards the bottom of the sea, pondered this question, she suddenly heard an answer.
It was a reply that belonged to neither her nor him.
The overly dense magic seemed to have awakened this new life to consciousness prematurely.
"Mother."
"Call me Baobhan Sith."
"I... will love Father just as much as you do~"