"..."
The shock Morgan felt at this moment was no less than when she had heard Artoria and Ian announce their marriage.
He said...
...he wanted to marry her?
Morgan's first reaction, naturally, was that the man before her was deceiving her.
All for the sake of this moment's pleasure.
"If you just want to enjoy yourself, you don't need to make up such a big lie."
"I know what you want to do—"
"There's no need..."
"...to be so hypocritical."
After saying this, Morgan closed her eyes.
He's already inside anyway.
Then...
I might as well let him have his way for now.
However.
When Morgan acted in this self-abandoning way, what she felt was not his brutish instinct to do as he pleased.
But rather...
A gentle kiss.
Morgan opened her eyes once again.
This time, what she saw was Ian's unwavering gaze.
He wasn't joking.
Almost instantly, Morgan sensed it.
The dragon's strength was immense.
Morgan felt as if all the air had been sucked out of her before Ian finally released her body.
"What..."
"What do you really want..."
Morgan looked at the man before her.
She found she could no longer understand at all what was going on inside this dragon's head.
She felt that sometimes he was so close to her, yet at other times, so distant.
"Marriage."
"To marry you, just like I married Artoria."
Ian emphasized this once again.
"..."
Morgan's eyes were still full of suspicion.
"Ian, do you know what you're saying?"
"I know."
"I know."
"I understand now, Morgan."
Ian's hands caressed Morgan's bare shoulders.
"It's something that can make the other person happy."
"The kind of happiness that is very great."
"You..."
Morgan really wanted to correct Ian's phrasing.
But she quickly realized she was completely incapable of doing so.
That's right.
If I could have a wedding just like Artoria's, what would be so bad about giving up my life for it?
To stand in the sight of all those people, to feel all the blessings she could receive.
And then, to hold his hand and enter the room together.
"That kind of thing is impossible, isn't it—"
Morgan said this, her hand already moving uncontrollably to caress Ian's cheek.
"It's impossible."
"I..."
"I'm not meant to have such happiness."
"As long as Artoria is unwilling, I will never have such happiness in my life."
"Then why not make her willing?"
Ian met Morgan's gaze and gave an answer she could never have imagined.
"If she is willing, then you can be happy, right?"
She had to admit it.
Hearing Ian say this, Morgan's heart was deeply moved.
She even saw a scene of herself and Ian holding hands.
But—
Almost at the instant she saw that scene, Morgan felt it shatter.
"How could something like that ever happen, Ian?"
Morgan's voice was filled with pain.
"She married you precisely to cut off any possibility between us."
"You may not know it, but how could I not?"
Morgan's fingers slid across Ian's cheek.
"Don't say such things anymore."
"..."
"..."
The atmosphere in the room instantly became much quieter.
Morgan looked at Ian, her eyes holding extremely complex emotions.
On the one hand, she felt a rage like betrayal that he had taken her chastity and then married Artoria.
But on the other hand, she felt an unprecedented excitement because Ian had come to find her now.
I am in his heart.
And it was the kind of excitement that came from knowing he would still seek her out, even knowing full well that Artoria would be angry.
"In that case—"
Morgan wrapped her arms around Ian's neck.
She gently licked his neck, leaving a mark that belonged to her.
"How about eloping with me?"
"Elope?"
"Mhm."
Morgan nodded.
"To completely leave Camelot."
"To not care about anything anymore."
"That way—"
"We can truly get married."
"How about it?"
No matter how she thought about it, it was a very irresponsible act, especially at a time when she had been appointed to the position of "Court Magus."
But—
If such a radical act could allow her to obtain that kind of happiness, it might not be out of the question.
To forget everything and elope.
Like...
Revenge for the past actions of her father, King Uther.
No one could blame her, could they?
Surely not!
As Morgan thought this, she heard words that broke her heart.
"No."
"We can't do that, Morgan."
All hope was shattered at the moment Ian spoke those words.
But for some reason, Morgan was not surprised at all.
After all—
It had always been like this for her, since the very beginning.
No matter what she asked for, it would always be refused in the end, and she would get nothing.
Why did I even dare to dream?
Morgan gave a bitter laugh, but in the next moment, she heard something unexpected.
"We're not going anywhere."
"We'll stay in Camelot and get married."
"You..."
Now Morgan was completely bewildered.
If—
Refusing to elope with her was for Artoria's sake...
...then why was he now stubbornly insisting on marrying her? What was it for?
"It can't be done."
"It can."
"I will definitely make it happen."
Ian looked at Morgan before him, his hands, as they had in the past, taking hold of his wonderfully-tasting reserve rations.
"You're in pain, aren't you?"
"But—"
"Artoria is in pain, too."
"And your pain... it isn't really her fault, is it?"
"..."
Morgan fell silent.
How could she not know the truth of what Ian was saying?
A king made by human hands... even if it wasn't Artoria, someone else would have taken her place.
But—
She needed a reason to live.
The father she should have hated, King Uther, was already in the ground, and that Merlin, who had done this with him, had vanished without a trace after Ian arrived in Camelot.
Then...
The only one left to hate was Artoria, wasn't it?
"No," Morgan clutched her forehead.
"It is her."
"As long as she exists, I can never be happy."
"Artoria is the cause of all of this."
"What if—"
"What if you did obtain it?"
"I'll go tell Artoria that you want to get married too. That way, you'll feel happy, right?"
"..."
Morgan's eyes widened.
She could never have imagined that the Ian before her would say such two-timing words.
But...
Was he serious?
Just as Morgan was about to answer, a loud noise came from the other side of the sky.
A large number of White Dragons had appeared.