A Villainess pulled out the Sword instead of the Hero.

 

‘This Mellowart is out of his mind! Kidnapping is bad enough, but cloning? He should learn to accept when people say no!’

 

When Guinevere continued to refuse his advances, he seemed to join hands with the others.

 

A classic case of

‘if I can’t have it, I’ll break it.’ 

 

‘If I could kidnap her and pull the sword, all my sins would be forgiven. I’ll be master of the continent.’

 

I dismissed it as a rumor. Some take it seriously.

 

The maid, Lily, seemed to be cursed as well, so someone must have paid someone to do it.

 

Although the young lady, Countess Marleau, has been frequently visiting the palace, her visits have always ended badly, so she could hardly be an accomplice.

 

‘This is too big for Mellowart to do alone.’ 

 

In the original story, when he attempted to kidnap Guinevere, assassins swarmed both the main palace and the Princess’s palace.

 

If the chaos was a plan, it meant that there were at least a few people inside the palace working with Mellowart.

 

‘Who could it be, even the guards who refused to believe it wasn’t Sobella?’

 

 

For now, the watch had been stolen, so he hadn’t exactly gathered all four items.

 

There was still time.

 

Swallowing hard, she shook her captive arm, urging him on.

 “All right, Confucius. Stay calm and listen to what I’m about to say.” “Morgana, your arm is trembling?” 

He gestured curiously at Morgana’s arm, which was being held in place.

 

Neatly ignoring his comment, she spoke quickly.

 “I need you to ask the wizard for a charm that will make the mirror unbreakable.” 

There were two mirrors in Guinevere’s room.

 

One was the mirror on her dressing table, and the other was a huge full-length mirror in her closet.

 

In the original novel, the full-length mirror suddenly shattered and was taken when Guinevere threw it away.

 

‘I checked the dressing table, and it’s connected to the drawers, so it’s not easy to move.’

 

There was no choice but to aim for the full-length mirror.

 

Kellive, who was always quick to respond, was unusually quiet.

 

After a long time, his gentle voice spoke,

“Do you really have to go into the palace? We don’t know who we’re dealing with, and it’s too dangerous.” 

Outwardly, he was smiling, so I couldn’t tell, but when I took a step away from his words, I could sense his concern.

 “You’re worried about me?” 

Morgana’s question was answered with a very short pause.

 “Of course I am. How could I not be worried when I came all the way out here to find you?” 

Morgana was a little touched, even if it was only because he thought she was the one being cloned.

 

Clearing her throat, Morgana quietly let him in on a little secret.

 “There’s someone who’s been doing it.” “Can you tell me who it is, if I can help…” “Could it be the new king of Avalon?” “No.” 

He replied sharply, afraid to finish the sentence.

 

Morgana narrowed her eyes, searching his face.

 “Why are you so upset, Confucius?” “I think you’ve misunderstood. Avalon is still here, and with its future mortgaged, it won’t move easily.” 

Ha, here’s a naive Confucius. I’m reading too much into the darkness of the novel.

 

In the original story, he even instructed Morgana to infiltrate the royal palace in Britain.

 

‘I have read with my own eyes that he attempted to assassinate Guinevere like a steady stream of firewood.’

 

Confucius’s smile turned to a grimace as he realized that Guinevere was at the center of all this.

 

He seemed to have some affection for his native country, but he was in shock.

 

It pains me to shatter his illusions, but it was the way it was.

 

Morgana shook her head and patted him on the shoulder.

 “Think about it.” “I’ve thought about it, but if I were to go after him, wouldn’t you rather go after a sword than a man?” “No. Look at the times, look at the situation. You can see the forest through the trees.” “Can I give you a sword?” “What?

”

 

Kellive’s head snapped up abruptly, and he asked flatly.

 “You’re going back into the palace even if I stop you.” “That’s right.” 

Morgana nodded hesitantly, and he smiled, brighter than ever.

 “The case is fine, but please, by all means, catch the perpetrator, what else do you need?” “Just some magic tools…” “No, no. Morgana could be in danger, so a defense gem is a must, and you’ll need a protection spell and a traveling gem for when you’re in a pinch. I’ll leave that to Raon as soon as you’re ready.” 

‘Why is he so eager all of a sudden?’ 

 

Taking a step back, she scanned him, but all she saw was Kellive rattling off a list of tools.

 

It was she who was going to catch the thief, and for some reason, he seemed determined.

  

Morgana felt empowered.

 

The bracelet on her right hand was a protective gem that could be triggered in an emergency.

 

The ring on the finger of her left hand used a portal to connect to her purse, and the ribbon that lightly tied her wavy silver hair was embedded with a physical attack nullification gem.

 

As if that weren’t enough, the tapestries that held the mirror securely in place were rolled up and tucked at Morgana’s sides.

 

‘I feel like I’m getting a full set of equipment from an old man, giving it to a newbie.’ 

 

Although she knew the wizard was capable, she was still impressed by the speed with which he made his tools and by his ideas.

 

The tapestry, in particular, didn’t look like a tool at all.

 “Where’s the gemstone in this?” 

There must be a gemstone on it, but I couldn’t see it, even after rubbing my eyes and looking for it.

 

But he wasn’t lying again. His determination to catch the thief was so great that, in a way, I trusted him.

 

Hanging the tapestry like a decoration on the wall behind the full-length mirror and dressing table, Morgana placed her hands on her hips in pride as she admired the sight.

 

It wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing of paintings, with ferns, threads, and other things she couldn’t quite make out.

 

But hey, a man was never meant to be a jack-of-all-trades.

 “I guess the wizard doesn’t have much of an aesthetic sense.” 

Finished, Morgana grabbed Moonwort’s bottle pendant and left the room.

 

Glancing up at the knight standing guard at the doorway, she asked cautiously.

 “Excuse me, where is the Princess, I’ve been on an errand and have been unable to deliver the goods.” “His Majesty has summoned her to attend the jousting tournament, so she must be in the main palace.” 

Morgana thanked him for the stiff but kind response.

 

The jousting tournament was the day Guinevere would be kidnapped.

 

‘The way they mentioned the tournament, it must be soon.’

 

 

Perhaps it was better to head to the main palace and wait.

 

The Moonwort was basically a charm that needed to be worn and touched by the wearer to be effective.

 

And the sooner it’s delivered, the more things it touches.

 

To maximize its effectiveness, there was no reason for it to appear unsightly.

 

Morgana carried the Moonwort through the corridors of the Princess Palace.

 

‘It’s not far from the main palace, anyway.’

 

Normally, a royal palace would be centered around the main palace, with its banquet halls and offices.

 

But the Princess’s Palace was unlike any other, almost attached to the main palace and centrally located.

 

‘As soon as she was born, an oracle was given to her…’

 

Even the prince, who was quite a bit older than Guinevere, was never this close to the main palace.

 

The extent of her stature in Britain was suddenly apparent.

 

As she ran down the hall, Morgana caught a glimpse of a huge picture frame. She stopped in her tracks, turned around, and stood in front of it again.

 

The frame, taller than she was, depicted a girl in a flowing white and gold patterned dress.

 “Oh, this must be expensive.” 

The painting hangs in a royal palace, so it must be expensive.

 

They say the last piece of jewelry for the wealthy was a painting.

 

Morgana poked around the corners, looking for the artist’s signature, hoping to make a mark on the collection later.

 

Her gaze naturally shifted from the girl’s face to her feet.

 

There was something odd about the painting.

 “Why is she barefoot in a dress?” 

The way she held the hem of her dress with both hands and stuck one foot out, it looked like she was showing off her shoes.

 

In reality, the shoe was on the floor behind her, shaped like her foot, as if someone had worn it.