10. Arthur and Morgan
"That is..."
Arthur, seeing Morgan’s voice rise in shock, was acting more cocky than usual. She had always called him the foolish prince in their past life, so seeing her surprised was oddly satisfying. Indeed, Arthur was a man with a very small sense of pride.
"...It seems you're at least thinking a little. Now, what do you think you can do without using your healing ability?"
"Well... I'm the second prince, and I have the healing ability. I don’t have to do anything myself. I could use the nobles who come to me, trying to curry favor to get my attention, for my own purposes. For example, I could make them use their excessive wealth for the people. Unfortunately, this kingdom has all sorts of problems. If I make it seem like I'm interested in those issues, and subtly ask for help, someone will surely assist me."
At Arthur’s words, Morgan’s previously cold gaze slowly began to heat up.
"Hmm... then, Prince Arthur, do you understand the problems that the kingdom is facing right now?"
It was the first time she had called him "Prince Arthur" since their first meeting. And Arthur didn’t miss the faint trace of admiration that appeared in her eyes.
Oh man, this feels great!!
Seeing the respect in her eyes, a look he’d never seen before, Arthur couldn’t help but continue talking.
"Of course I do. There are countless issues, but the biggest one is the disparity between the common people and the nobles. The size of the knights’ privileges, the food shortage, and... the monopoly on healing magic. And to solve these problems..."
Of course, this wasn’t Arthur’s own idea. It was something Morgan had once passionately argued about, trying to improve the kingdom, suggesting it to him and other nobles.
"You noticed all that? You're even more specific than I am..."
Morgan let out a sigh of admiration, but it wasn’t particularly surprising. Arthur, who knew the future thanks to the "Good Deeds Notebook" he’d read through countless times, was simply parroting what he’d learned. He wasn’t coming up with these ideas himself.
This was cheating. It was like holding the test paper and the answers in one hand, pointing out what would be on the test. And, in present-day Britain, talking about it like this would have been laughed off as absurd.
"I see... So, as a first step in solving the issue of the disparity between the common people and the nobility, you made a commoner your personal maid... And now you’ve come to me because you're ready to take the next step toward reform, is that it?"
Morgan muttered to herself as she pieced things together, her thoughts quickly falling into place. She was a genius. It was no wonder she had a vague premonition that the issues Arthur mentioned were about to come to pass, and she now admired him for having a more concrete plan.
"So you were pretending to be subservient to the nobles in order to catch them off guard… I apologize for my previous rudeness, Prince Arthur... It seems I was so full of myself, thinking that I alone was concerned about the future of this country..."
Morgan looked at him with eyes full of respect, an expression so unlike her previous attitude, and Arthur found himself awakening to a rather unsettling feeling. After all, this was the woman who had always looked down on him, now gazing at him with such reverence. It felt too good.
If Kei hadn't been outside the door, he might have loudly boasted, "Hahaha, kneel before me!" But that feeling lasted only until she spoke again.
"I understand your thoughts. However, even though you are the second prince and possess healing abilities, it's uncertain what will happen in the future. Right now, you’re merely a successor to the throne, and I don't believe you have the authority to push reforms on your own. To gain that kind of power, you need to attract attention from both the nobles and the common people, and increase your influence, don't you? So, you came to me, opening up your true intentions, asking for my help with my… 'Avalon' network and manpower, to help someone and gain more allies to build your power, right?"
"...??"
Morgan smiled slyly, thinking she had grasped Arthur's intentions. From Arthur’s point of view, it felt more like "What is she laughing about?" but she was convinced that she had finally found someone who understood her. Her words came pouring out without hesitation.
"I have some ideas for what should be done to gain the influence needed to solve the problems you mentioned for the future... But I’d like to hear your opinion. How do you, Prince Arthur, plan to increase your influence? I’ll offer whatever assistance I can."
Arthur, overwhelmed by her smile filled with respect and the soft emotions of joy from gaining an ally, was left speechless.
—Oh no, I totally forgot!!
What she had said about the future issues in their past life was actually about what would happen after Arthur had won the succession, not before.
Right now, he was just the second prince, with the right to inherit the throne, but not yet the confirmed successor, so no matter what ideas he came up with, he didn’t have the influence to put them into action.
Of course, Arthur just wanted to show off to Morgan, not thinking through the details. The reason he’d even taken action was to earn good deeds points and get some benefit, not because he was thinking about the future of Britain. So, of course, he didn’t have any real plan.
But could he get away with saying, "Actually, I haven’t thought about anything, please forgive me!" and still be forgiven?
"...What’s wrong?"
Morgan’s eyes shifted momentarily, reflecting a hint of suspicion as she looked at him in silence.
—What would happen if I admitted that I just stole Morgan’s opinion from the future? Heh-heh, oops, Arthur thought. That would probably set her off and make her angry.
She’s scary when she’s mad...
He suddenly recalled the time she had deliberately shown him a book titled Encyclopedia of Torture, and a chill ran down his spine.
Also... she had always been the one to tell him to act more like royalty.
And it was only her. Even when the country was on the brink of collapse, Morgan was the only one who had tried to help him restore Britain. Though they were technically engaged, Arthur didn’t think there was any love between them. Still, Morgan was the only one who had consistently scolded and encouraged him, and even after their engagement was broken off due to certain circumstances, she had stayed by his side as a noble.
Those days had honestly been hell. There were many times when people who had previously flattered him turned cold, refusing to listen to him and mocking him instead.
You kept pushing forward even in those situations, didn’t you...?
Perhaps it was a sense of self-satisfaction, but at that moment, Arthur didn’t want to disappoint her. That’s why he started thinking. What had she once told him to do?
"Orphanages..."
It was something Morgan had once said, a request about doing something with the orphanages. What exactly had she said? As Arthur desperately tried to recall, Morgan’s eyes lit up.
"I see, revitalizing those orphanages is definitely a good idea!! As expected of you, Prince Arthur. I’ll make arrangements right away."
"Yeah... Please, I’ll leave it to you. Thank you."
Arthur couldn’t help but smile as he noticed Morgan’s beaming expression. Despite the cold sweat running down his face and his brain still in a state of confusion, he hid it with a smile. But for some reason, Morgan hesitated, blushing slightly before speaking.
"No, I should be the one thanking you. You’ve helped me a lot. After just taking over Avalon, I had the network and manpower, but I lacked the authority to get things done, and I was at a loss. But now... if you can gain power, you’ll be able to change this country. Also..."
She paused, her lips twisting slightly.
"Thank you for trusting me over personal gain earlier. It made me happy."
With those words, Morgan’s face turned red. Arthur thought to himself, What is this? This is kind of scary... but he couldn’t help thinking it was a little rude.
What will happen to Arthur, who bluffed his way through...?
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