"Your Majesty King Arthur, the traitorous knight Lancelot has been slain. All the other rebels he led in raiding the execution grounds have been apprehended and await your judgment."
In the great hall, Barghest stepped forward and reported the outcome to Artoria.
By the time she arrived with her soldiers, Gawain had already killed Lancelot, so Sovell had ordered her to pursue those who had carried Guinevere away.
At the foot of the royal dais, Guinevere was as beautiful as ever, but the light had left her eyes. She seemed to have faded, leaving only a faint trace of relief.
"Guinevere..."
Artoria softly spoke her name. Whether the emotion in her voice was sorrow or regret was hard to tell.
"I will say no more than necessary. Return to the Kerimud Royal Palace. I will have a courtyard built for you there, where you will spend the rest of your life.
Whether you repent your sins or reminisce about the past is of no consequence. But you must never set so much as a foot outside that courtyard. This is your punishment, Guinevere."
King Arthur delivered her final judgment, and no one dared speak against her command.
"I obey... Your Majesty's command. Our great King of Knights, may your future be free of shadows, and may glory always attend you."
Guinevere gracefully gave Artoria one last curtsy before the guards escorted her out of the hall.
She would return to the home she had left so long ago. Only this time, it would not feel like home...
It would be more like a prison.
But a prison was precisely what Guinevere needed in her heart-a prison that could shelter her from turmoil and restore her peace.
As for the knights who had chosen to follow Lancelot and betray King Arthur,