"So you really just arrived in Dun Scaith?"
As they walked through the rather quiet palace, Arthur felt that the atmosphere was a bit strange, so he took the initiative to ask.
Aife paused for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Mm… more or less."
"I thought you were deliberately waiting for me… you know, to provoke my Master or something," Arthur muttered. He had just returned to Dun Scaith when he ran into Aife, and she had attacked him immediately. Even if she probably knew he possessed premonition magic, if he hadn't dodged, he would have died.
"Waiting for you? You're overestimating yourself, brat." Aife glanced at Arthur, then muttered softly while looking away. "If I hadn't gotten lost, I probably wouldn't have run into you at all…"
"What?"
"It's fine!" Aife shook her head. "Besides, you're wrong about one thing. Even if my sister were in the Land of Shadows, I'm not afraid of her. I just don't want to see her."
"After I defeat her one day, I'll take possession of everything in the Land of Shadows."
"You probably won't manage that in your lifetime."
With Scáthach's current strength, there were very few people in the world capable of defeating her.
"Are you underestimating me?" Aife stared coldly at Arthur. "Do you really think I won't kill you?"
"You won't," Arthur said firmly. "If you can't even keep such a basic promise, then you're not worthy of being the Queen of Alba."
As soon as he finished speaking, Arthur felt a little guilty and cast a furtive glance at Aife, afraid she might get strange ideas—like, I hate it when people talk to me so confidently. Since you think I won't kill you, I'll kill you to prove you wrong.
If she really thought that way, he'd have no one to turn to for help.
No strategy works against a brute. Imagine a tactician confidently explaining to a Berserker why the Berserker won't kill them—only to be crushed anyway. A tragic thought.
Fortunately, Aife didn't make a move. She simply kept looking forward.
Judging by her current behavior… she doesn't seem as vicious as I imagined, Arthur couldn't help thinking.
In the Land of Shadows, the guards had spoken of Aife as a cruel and evil woman. But now, it seemed that was nothing more than a rumor.
"What are you thinking about?" Noticing Arthur's gaze, Aife showed a disdainful smile. "If you have any doubts, I'll answer as best I can—since you didn't tell Nessa the 'truth.'"
"My Master seems to think you're extremely hostile, and even before, everyone believed your only purpose was to invade the Land of Shadows… but your behavior today is completely different."
"Maybe not everything that woman says is true," Aife scoffed. "She only cares about her martial arts."
"And her rune magic," Arthur added.
Aife looked at him and said, "Mind your own life."
"So that's why you want to defeat her… to make her look at you…" Arthur tried to ask.
Aife snorted coldly. Though she didn't answer, her attitude clearly conveyed her meaning.
"Is there a problem?" Noticing Arthur's strange look, she stared at him coldly.
"No…" Arthur shook his head, thinking to himself: Why do I get the feeling Aife is a tsundere? Founding her own kingdom and wanting to defeat Scáthach—her real goal is just to get her sister's attention and prove her strength…
Hm… when you think about it, that's kind of cute.
"That's enough." Aife stopped at the city gate. "Boy, I'm going to give you a piece of advice."
She turned around, her smile completely gone, replaced by a cold, serious expression. "I don't care what your relationship with Morgan le Fay is, but if you dare bully Nessa—even with Scáthach's protection—I'll make you regret ever being born."
Her voice was cold, yet her tone was calm, as if she were stating something trivial.
Only then did Aife truly embody the aura of a queen, exuding an overwhelming sense of power.
Arthur, however, remained calm and simply nodded. "Lady Aife, you've misunderstood something."
"What?" she asked.
"It's always Nessa who bullies me," he said.
Aife: "…"
Seeing Arthur's sorrowful expression, she nodded slightly. "I think so too."
---
After parting with Aife, Arthur returned to his room. Nessa was already there. As soon as he entered, she stood up and asked anxiously, "Are you really okay, Arthur? Did you get hurt anywhere?"
Her eyes were filled with concern as she placed her right hand on his chest, carefully checking for any injuries.
"I'm fine… Lady Aife held back," Arthur said, shaking his head.
"I'm glad you're okay." Nessa sighed in relief, then seemed to remember something. "By the way, don't tell Mom about my aunt."
"Mm… I know," Arthur nodded. "But if she's already found out, I'll have no choice but to tell her."
Within his limits, Arthur could help cover things up, but if Scáthach noticed, he'd have no choice but to tell the truth.
"I see." Nessa nodded, then stretched out on the bed, fixing her eyes on Arthur. "Now let's talk about you. Where did you go today?"
Arthur, who had just sat down to rest, suddenly stiffened. "Uh… I went to a nearby village and played with the children there."
Nessa raised her left leg, her foot tracing along Arthur's back before lightly poking him with her toes, her gaze full of suspicion. "Really?"
Arthur lightly tapped her toes aside and nodded seriously. "Really. Everyone in the village was very hospitable. I took some kids to grill fish, then helped a girl reunite with her sister whom she hadn't seen in a long time. Since we played until late, I walked her back and explained things to her brother."
Arthur spoke sincerely. After staring at him for a while, Nessa nodded slightly. "Hmm… You don't seem to be lying."
"Take me with you next time," Nessa continued. "It was so boring being alone in Dun Scaith today."
Arthur nodded. "Of course, of course…"
"Oh, right—there's something I wanted to ask you to help with." Arthur suddenly remembered something and took a small bottle out of his pocket.
"Do you know what this is?"
Morgan had given this to Arthur earlier. The bottle contained an absurd amount of power. Nessa might not be very experienced, but perhaps she could find some clues.
Nessa sat up, took the bottle, stared at the liquid inside, gently shook it—and suddenly let go.
Arthur's pupils shrank slightly as he reached out, but it was too late. The bottle fell to the floor, though fortunately it didn't break.
"Nessa, what are you doing all of a sudden?!" After letting out a sigh of relief, Arthur looked at her irritably.
Nessa blinked. "This bottle seemed very special—it doesn't look like ordinary glass, so I did an experiment."
"And if it broke…?"
Nessa placed her index finger on her lips, tilted her head, and thought for a moment. "The three-second rule?"
"Why would this thing follow the three-second rule?! Do you expect me to lick it off the floor?"
"That's not impossible, right?" Nessa pondered for a moment, then looked up. "I could pretend I didn't see anything."
"…Or would you prefer to lick my feet?" She deliberately lifted her feet and waved them in front of Arthur. "If it's you, I don't mind."
"Who would want to lick that?!" Arthur turned his head away in disgust and reached out. "Give me the bottle."
"Do you really think I don't know what you're thinking?" Nessa sighed. "You're always staring at my legs or Mom's, and your attention is almost always on our feet. I've concluded you probably have a foot fetish. The reason you're resisting psychologically is just because you don't want to admit you're a pervert."
"But it's fine. Whether you're a pervert or not, I'll never abandon you." As she finished speaking, Nessa hugged Arthur, rested her chin on his right shoulder, and gently blew into his ear.
"If you want, I don't mind."
Arthur turned his head, looking at her beautiful face and the mischievous glint in her eyes. He leaned in, blew into her ear, and whispered, "Really? Then are you prepared?"
Nessa: "…"
Arthur simply looked at her with a charming smile.
Then, after three seconds, Nessa's face turned red as a tomato. She quickly retreated, hugging the blanket and curling up in a corner. "I—I was just joking. You didn't take that seriously, right?"
Arthur immediately cast an amused look at her.
(End of Chapter)