March 7th, 507 AD, Clear skies.
Great Britain, in the territory of King Leodegrance, a beautiful young girl was practicing her swordsmanship in the courtyard of the Royal Castle.
Her name was Guinevere, the daughter of King Leodegrance, an unfortunate transmigrator who had died in a car accident.
She had now reached her eighteenth year.
"Your Highness, Princess Guinevere, it's time to prepare. The King requires your presence at the banquet honoring the King of Knights today."
With long, silver-gray hair, practical trousers, and a short tunic, Princess Guinevere possessed a pair of emerald-green eyes that shone like jade. Yet, beneath their serene surface lurked an undeniable... amusement?
When she first transmigrated, Miss Guinevere had assumed she'd landed in medieval Europe. She was content with her status as a princess, knowing she wouldn't starve to death.
But as she grew older—around one or two years—she learned that King Uther had recently died of illness in London. Only then did she realize the era she'd been thrust into and remember the tragic fate awaiting her namesake, Guinevere.
Now, the King of Knights had not only drawn the Sword in the Stone but also quelled the rebellion of the Twelve Kings, effectively pacifying all of Great Britain.
Her presence at this banquet was also due to the King of Knights' intervention. After King Rience declared war on King Leodegrance, the King of Knights personally led her knights to assist, securing victory for King Leodegrance.
"Understood. I'll prepare immediately."
Setting down her sword, she took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Back in her chambers, Guinevere allowed her maids to dress her in the magnificent gown specially prepared for the occasion.
As a transmigrator, Guinevere had spent a long time getting used to the cumbersome dresses of this era. But she refused to become a sheltered flower. She was a knight, and no one in King Leodegrance's entire realm could match her in combat. In the war against King Rience, she had personally slain numerous enemies on the battlefield.
In her view, even if the King of Knights hadn't arrived, she could have led King Leodegrance's knights to victory.
Yet the King of Knights did come, just as she remembered from the legends.
Only...
"It's not the male Knight King from history, but the golden-haired Saber I know so well. In that case, marrying her wouldn't be so bad after all."
Playing coy despite getting what she wanted? Of course she was.
Soon, as night fell, the banquet commenced in the great hall of King Leodegrance's castle. Guinevere, gritting her teeth against the discomfort of her tightly laced corset, walked hand-in-hand with King Leodegrance, descending the grand staircase into the hall. The banquet hall was filled with far more burly knights than noble ladies.
Despite being the center of attention, Guinevere's gaze found the King of Knights in the dining area, dining with graceful elegance.
Small yet dignified, her golden hair shimmered under the light of hundreds of candles.
At this time, only a few knew that the King of Knights was a girl, but Guinevere was one of them.
Ignoring the fawning attentions of the many knights and disregarding her Father's prepared introductions, Guinevere gracefully lifted her cumbersome, cake-like gown and stood steadily before the King of Knights.
"Yahoo! Long time no see!"
Guinevere grinned, her emerald eyes sparkling with unreserved amusement. After her greeting, she scrutinized the King of Knights, who was dressed in formal men's attire, from bottom to top, her smile blooming even brighter.
At this bold greeting, King Leodegrance and the local knights groaned inwardly, clutching their foreheads. They knew Princess Guinevere's beauty was legendary, but they also knew her notorious temperament was equally unmatched within the kingdom.
From Guinevere's greeting and movements, they knew their princess had set her sights on the King of Knights.
"Hello?"
For years, ever since the King of Knights had drawn the Sword in the Stone outside London Cathedral, her appearance had remained virtually unchanged. Some claimed this agelessness stemmed not from the Sword in the Stone itself, but from the Sword of Promised Victory and its scabbard, which she later obtained from the Lady of the Lake.
Regardless of the cause, the result was that the King of Knights, though chronologically older than Guinevere, looked noticeably younger.
At this moment, the King of Knights, suddenly stopped, was trying to recall where she had seen this beautiful "Big Sister" before. It wasn't until the young woman's smile faded and she spoke again that the memory clicked:
"Thank you for your rescue yesterday, but it was only a dozen or so riders. I could have handled them myself. King of Knights, after the banquet, would you accept my challenge?"
"It's you?"
Her expression remained blank, but she reluctantly set down her plate. She now remembered who Guinevere was—the lone rider who had relentlessly pursued and cut down over a dozen enemy horsemen, leading King Leodegrance's knights to shatter King Rience's battle lines. How could she forget such a ferociously wild knight on the battlefield?
"I accept your challenge."
The King of Knights never backed down. In fact, she felt a surge of anticipation. She might not always understand what others were thinking, but she knew her own mind. Since drawing the Sword in the Stone, Guinevere was the first powerful female knight she had ever encountered. She instinctively felt a sense of affinity and treated her with unconscious generosity.
With the King of Knights' swift acceptance, many of her own knights, who had been about to speak, could only swallow their words.
"Then, before we cross swords, may I have this dance?"
In her past life, Guinevere had been an ordinary otaku. She loved the Type-Moon stories and, during her chuunii phase, had spammed comments like "Where My King's Sword Points" on a certain video-sharing site.
Now, she had transmigrated, become Guinevere, and was seeing the King of Knights she had admired in her past life with her own eyes...
Guinevere's current state perfectly matched the diplomatic pleasantries her father had spoken earlier—that his daughter had long admired the King of Knights and envied the King's invincibility on the battlefield.
As the music began, the knights from both kingdoms collectively cleared the dance floor. They watched as the petite King of Knights frowned, struggling to lead the dance, while Princess Guinevere, gritting her teeth, fought to take the man's part.
But the King of Knights could not lose, and Guinevere knew it. Halfway through the dance, after gaining a slight advantage, the more skilled dancer of the two deliberately changed her steps, allowing the King of Knights' hand to rest on her waist.
"If it were just the two of us, I wouldn't lose."
Leaning slightly closer to the King of Knights, Guinevere whispered the words into her ear.
As their bodies touched, the King of Knights sensed that Guinevere must have noticed something. She turned her unchanging, stern face toward Guinevere and saw from her expression that she had no intention of using this discovery to cause trouble.
As the dance ended to thunderous applause, the two rested briefly on the dance floor. It was the King of Knights who spoke first: "They all say I should have a Queen. Guinevere, will you be my Queen?"
As her words faded, the King of Knights felt a flicker of apology. She wasn't sure if Guinevere, who must have realized her true gender, would accept the proposal.
But within seconds, she had her answer. She watched as Guinevere stepped forward, gently took her hand, and pressed a long kiss to her fingertips.
The answer was unspoken but clear.
The banquet hall erupted in a roar that threatened to shake the very foundations, though a few individuals harbored hidden unease.
Their King would have a Queen! The Kingdom of Cameliard, with its formidable military might, would now become their ally.
With this, the King of Knights took a giant leap forward in her quest to completely unify Great Britain.