Heartache

Give Britain back to me?

What a joke!

"Britain is mine! I am the Lord of the Island!"

Morgan gritted her teeth. Her beautiful face twisted, her eyes nearly bulging from their sockets as she revealed the madness she had no longer bothered to hide.

Under Leon's direction, factories belched wastewater and black smoke everywhere. The Industrial Revolution brought by the steam engine had begun. The island's last True Ether had vanished, Mystery had declined further, and the echoes of the Age of Gods had ended for good.

Britain was no longer as picturesque as it had once been. Instead, wastewater flowed everywhere and gray smog blanketed the land. A foul stench filled the air, and every region was in a state of utter ruin. It was a living hell, unfit for human habitation.

Morgan refused to accept it!

She wanted the Britain of a few years ago... no, the Britain of the Age of Gods, where the air had brimmed with Aether, Mystery had flourished across the land, and beauty had bloomed everywhere.

Not this wasteland, ravaged beyond recognition.

As for talk of destroying the factories after defeating Rome, or returning Britain once the continent had been conquered... she wouldn't believe a single word her husband said.

Morgan saw things clearly now. Her husband had never loved her; he had used her from beginning to end.

He had used her royal status to pacify the country, indulged his lust with her, and even had her bear his child. Every promise he had made was a lie. The repeated delays before had only been because she was pregnant. Now that the child had been born, he had shown his true colors and kicked her aside.

Damn it!

What did all she had given him over the years mean? What about the disdain and misunderstandings she had endured, the years of painstakingly keeping up appearances, and the love that had been real?

Was it all a joke?

Damn him!

"I'll take Britain back, by my own means."

She would make her husband pay for every last bit of pain she had suffered.

When Morgan met with her two powerful sons, she poured out everything she had in mind. She had thought they would side with her and support her plans, but instead, they vehemently opposed her on the spot.

The air was heavy with tension.

After a brief silence, Agravain spoke in a low voice. "Mother, I can't agree with what you're planning. We face a powerful enemy, and creating unrest now would plunge Britain into unprecedented turmoil."

Seeing their mother's face turn ashen, Gawain hurried to reason with her. "Mother, Father loves you. He won't break his promise to you, either. We only need to wait a little longer. We can gradually restore Britain's environment then... There's no need to take such extreme measures."

Gawain loved his mother. He didn't want to see her, now that she had changed for the better, return to the twisted and violent woman she had once been.

"You've betrayed me too?" Morgan stared at her two sons in disbelief. Her voice was hoarse, shrill, and terrifying. "You're my sons, and yet you've sided with Leon?"

Gawain immediately stepped forward and knelt before Morgan. "No, Mother. I love and respect you, and I sincerely hope you can be happy... I just don't want to see you destroy the happiness you have now with your own hands."

"What do you mean, 'no'? This is betrayal! I raised you both, and now you dare treat me like this... You two—how can you do this to me?"

Agravain rose to comfort her as well. "Mother, please calm down. Gawain and I haven't betrayed you. We both want you to be happy. Father does too, so please trust him."

"I've seen him lie to me again and again! I won't trust him anymore!"

"Mother, please take a moment to think this through. Things aren't nearly as bad as you think..."

Gawain tried to say more, but Agravain pulled him to his feet.

Seeing that their mother had become hysterical, Agravain shook his head at Gawain. She was consumed by madness now; no one could reason with her.

"Mother, please take some time to calm down and think. Gawain and I will take our leave."

Gawain glanced at Morgan, who was tormenting herself, and felt his heart ache. He sighed helplessly and left with Agravain.

Watching her two sons abandon her and leave just like that, Morgan stood frozen, her face drained of color. Disappointment and disillusionment clouded her face.

"Agravain, Gawain, you really have betrayed me... betrayed your own mother."

Once they were out of the bedchamber, Agravain's expression remained unchanged. His words jolted Gawain out of his anguish.

"Gawain, is this the mother you said had changed?" Wasn't she exactly the same as before?

Gawain lowered his brows even further. "Mother really had gotten better over the past two years. Everyone could see it. Father's love had made her happy, but today..."

Agravain had spent the past two years away and had never been around his mother, Morgan. His memories of her were still of the woman she had once been.

But Gawain lived here. He could see his mother all the time. He had watched their father treat her well over the past two years, consistently and without fail. His mother had been happy, and her terrible temper had gradually improved.

Who could have expected this...

Sigh~

"Father did nothing wrong," Agravain said firmly. "You saw it yourself. These are only malicious suspicions born of Mother's own imagination. Even if things come to blows one day, it will be her fault."

"But she is still our mother."

Gawain agreed with Agravain's firm judgment, but the bond between a mother and her sons was not so easy to sever.

Agravain had no answer to Gawain's sentimentality.

After leaving the inner palace, they saw the Adeptus Custodes on duty in the front hall. Agravain suddenly strode ahead and stopped behind the guards.

Gawain looked at him in confusion. Agravain rested a hand on the hilt of the Black Iron Sword at his waist, his gaze icy.

"Gawain, let me make absolutely sure. You agree that Father is in the right, don't you?"

Gawain froze, unable to understand where Agravain's murderous intent toward him had come from.

But seeing Agravain's expression, he could only say, "Yes. I agree that Mother is in the wrong, but..."

"No 'buts'! Come with me to see Father and tell him Mother intends to rebel."

"...All right."

Gawain understood what Agravain meant. He parted his lips to say something, but no words came. In the end, he could only nod helplessly.

"Agravain, you're still as cautious as ever."

"This is too important to take any chances." Seeing that Gawain agreed, Agravain quietly breathed a sigh of relief, his tone softening. "After this is over, I'll apologize to you. You can do whatever you like to me then."

Agravain didn't want to make things so ugly, but for Britain's sake, he would do anything, no matter how dirty or shameless, without hesitation.

Perhaps because their mother was the Lord of the Island, she had raised him to cherish Britain. Her lessons had taken root: he loved this land and this country with all his heart.

He would wholeheartedly serve anyone who could lead Britain to prosperity, whoever they were. The Lion King, Artoria, or even his mother...

To him, they were all the same.

Under the Lion King's leadership, Britain was on the verge of reaching unprecedented heights. Anyone who tried to cause trouble or destroy Britain now was his enemy. He would never let them go.

Not even his mother!

"You two really did betray me!"

Watching her sons walk away, Morgan's sorrow gave way to a blazing fury.

"Damn it! I gave birth to you and raised you both!"

Back in her Magecraft workshop, with no one else around, Morgan could no longer suppress her emotions. Her eyes were bloodshot, her expression twisted and terrifying.

She swung her massive black-and-blue staff, smashing the bottles and jars in the laboratory to pieces in one furious sweep. She vented her anger without restraint.

"Damn it! Damn you!"

Along with her rage, a flood of grievances surged through her. Morgan felt her nose sting, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

Her father, Uther, had betrayed her when she was young, wanting her sister to take her place. Merlin had ignored her, and Artoria had wanted to take what was hers.

And now her beloved husband had deceived and used her, while the two sons she had raised with such care had chosen to betray her!

Everyone had betrayed her!

"Y-you're going to betray me too, aren't you?"

Morgan, her face streaked with tears, smashed everything in sight. Only a gigantic cultivation tank remained standing in the center. A blue speck of light glowed inside it. This was her and her husband's third child. The embryo had just been repaired a few days ago, and was about to be placed in her womb.

But now, was she supposed to give birth to another traitor?

Crash!

Her furious blow smashed the tank to pieces, and cultivation fluid flooded across the floor.

Once her tears had dried and she realized what she had done, she staggered and fell to her knees. She reached out, searching for her third child, who had vanished somewhere, but she couldn't find that blue speck of light.

Her tears came pouring out again. She bit her lower lip and let out a low, broken cry.

"Wuwuwu, my baby..."

When Agravain and Gawain found Leon, he was exchanging pleasantries with Kay, who had just returned from Ireland. He listened as Kay described how Ireland had changed over the past two years, and discussed the coming war with him.

The time he had spent defending his territory had made Kay, who had once seemed somewhat frivolous, appear much more mature. His long tenure in a high position had also given him an air of authority.

When the two brothers arrived together, Kay excused himself and left.

After hearing what the two had to say, Leon recalled his earlier argument with Morgan and immediately furrowed his brow.

He nodded to Gawain and Agravain. "You did well. We're at war with Rome, and I won't allow any unrest at home."

Leon hadn't expected his two stepsons to choose him over their mother, Morgan, when faced with this matter.

It seemed he had done a pretty good job as their father.

"You two can leave for now. I'll handle this."

They were Morgan's sons, after all. Leon was cold, but not so utterly ruthless as to send her sons to deal with their own mother.

Besides, he didn't believe they would truly oppose Morgan wholeheartedly.

After the two brothers left, Leon went to find Merlin, then Scathach. Those were the only two people around him whose Magecraft was strong enough to face Morgan without being outmatched.

He told them to wait outside the bedchamber, then went in. He saw Morgan holding Artorius, her eyes full of a mother's tenderness for her child.

"Morgan..."

He called her softly. Morgan looked up, and a hint of concern showed on Leon's face as he carefully studied his wife.

Her expression was calm, and she didn't seem as deranged as Agravain had described. Her eyes were slightly red, and she had no blue makeup on her lips as usual, so she had probably just been crying. The hem of her skirt was wrinkled, suggesting she had knelt on the floor...

At a glance, Leon could tell that his wife had knelt and cried, but had calmed down after letting it all out.

"Morgan, are you all right?"

Hearing her husband's concern, Morgan's eyes welled up again, but she managed not to burst into tears.

"Wuwu, Leon, our third child... It's all my fault. I got carried away and..."

At the sound of Morgan's sobs, Leon understood what she had done. She had let off steam in the Magecraft workshop and smashed the embryo in the laboratory.

Leon regretted the loss, but wasn't especially heartbroken. It was only a fertilized egg. He and his wife were both still here, and the materials were practically limitless. They could make another one later.

"It's all right, it's all right. We can make another one later. It's nothing serious." Leon took Artorius from Morgan and moved away from her, gently rubbing her back with one hand to comfort her.

"Leon, I was wrong. I shouldn't have incited Gawain and Agravain, but when my emotions got the better of me, I couldn't hold back. I was wrong..."

After venting in the laboratory, Morgan gradually regained her usual composure.

Thinking back on what she had just done, she had spoken without restraint and even tried to incite her two sons to rebel. She had also destroyed the third child who was about to be placed in her womb...

Once she had calmed down and reflected, she realized she had lost control and gone to extremes.

But once her emotions took hold, she couldn't rein them in. She had only wanted to vent.

At least she hadn't caused any major trouble.

"It's all right. They both know what matters and won't do anything foolish. They refused because they had your best interests at heart. Morgan, please don't blame them, okay?"

Leon hadn't even asked her about it, but Morgan had confessed on her own and apologized right away. Her attitude made him feel much better.

"Mm-hm."

Seeing how considerate her husband was, Morgan nodded. Thinking of the promise he had made earlier, she felt she should trust him.

After all, Leon had never let her down.

Thinking back on what she had said earlier, she realized she had gone too far. To pressure her husband to destroy the ships and trains immediately, right before a war, was utterly unreasonable.

Leaning against Leon's chest, Morgan's thoughts turned over and over. She secretly made up her mind to trust her husband, at least this once.

"Leon, I agree about what you said earlier regarding Britain."

"Don't worry, Morgan. Once we've conquered Europa, I'll give Britain back to you." Leon promised her. At worst, they could develop the internal combustion engine later and move factories, trains, and the like to the continent. It wouldn't take much effort.

"Mm. I believe you."

Once she had Britain back, Morgan would have her own ways of restoring Mystery and bringing Aether back to the island.

She would rely on the Spirit Tomb Albion beneath their feet.

A hundred years? Five hundred? A thousand? It would only take a little longer. She had all the time in the world.

Leon held his wife. After she had let out her emotions and calmed down, she looked tired and sleepy. He laid her on the bed, covered her with a blanket, and said softly, "Morgan, get some rest. I'll come see you again when I'm done."

"Mm-hm."

Watching her husband leave with their child, Morgan's expression softened, her eyes full of love.

She drifted off to sleep. When she woke again, it was already evening. Looking around the empty bedchamber, Morgan felt a wave of loneliness wash over her, and panic and dejection seized her.

Ignoring the maidservants' advice, Morgan set out to find her husband and child.

But when she walked out the main entrance of the palace, she ran into a barrier.

A transparent barrier enclosed the entire palace complex. A faint floral scent wafted into her nose, and the Rune Script carved across the outside glimmered in the dim light.

Morgan reached out and touched the barrier blocking her way. Her expression dimmed as she stared blankly ahead.

She thought she ought to be angry, but all she felt now was overwhelming sorrow.

She had loved and trusted him so much, and let him deceive and placate her time and time again. Even so, she had chosen to believe him.

She had chosen to trust her husband, but what had she gotten in the end? Her husband's wariness and suspicion, his betrayal and distance all over again.

What was he afraid of? Did he distrust her so much that he had to imprison her?

There was no greater sorrow than a heart that had died. All that remained was a bitter laugh.

"Heh."