[?] The Witch and the Apprentice Knight
I am Morgan Le Fey.
Living in the majestic Tintage, a beautiful and pleasant land on the British Isles.
As the morning sun rises from the horizon, its golden rays spread across the boundless plains, imbuing the distant breeze with a warm glow.
Born into nobility, my upbringing was naturally different from that of commoners. In the vast castle, there were many obsequious servants. From the moment I opened my eyes in the morning until the moment I closed them at night, I spent my time being served by them. In addition, since no one disciplined my behavior, there were few things that could be called troublesome.
I possess a unique talent... well, how should I describe it? The world appears to me differently than others. While others notice the rolling of water droplets, I have already traversed a long river; while others search for direction in the fog, I already know how to weave clouds.
The boundaries between the planet's surface and the interior are as transparent to me as spider silk.
At the same time, the true nature of human nature is becoming increasingly clear.
Whether out of respect or fear, whether I was seen as a god or a monster, it is an undeniable fact that I gradually became estranged from people.
However, what I find interesting is that the court etiquette courses solidified my way of being as a "human being," which was then reinforced through my identity as a "British princess."
—It made me feel that I had a certain "responsibility", so I kept watching the people around me.
Occasionally, I would wake up by the lake, my long dress clinging to my skin, soaked by the lake water, my feet stiff and cold as I walked among the water plants.
It seems that Vivian has been using this body, and she has been using it more frequently lately.
By examining her memories, I learned that she had adopted a boy named Lancelot du Lac.
Generally speaking, Vivian and I don't share memories. We have to consciously look through each other's experiences (like reading a book) to know what we went through.
Besides Vivian, there is another personality in my body—the embodiment of the British Isles, Morgan le Fay, who is also the original personality of this body. Vivian, the fairy of the lake, is arranged as the second, while I, symbolizing the princess of Britain, am the last to appear.
We haven't told anyone about having three personalities, not even our mother.
It's not that I'm being wary of the other party, but rather that I feel there's no need to mention it.
Perhaps because of the fairy blood in my body, I don't feel family affection very deeply. Even though I know what the interaction between mother and daughter should be like (by observing human life), my mother has never asked me to be a "well-behaved daughter" and it has never affected her love for me.
We are just independent individuals bound by blood, engaging in dialogue or communication out of mutual affection. This way of getting along makes me feel more comfortable.
Even if we rarely meet, it's enough to know that the other person is doing well.
The tacit understanding between my mother and me is to not actively interfere in each other's lives, but to provide timely support when needed.
Therefore, the news of my mother's remarriage and the addition of a blood relative to me were both sent to my magic workshop by letter.
Oh, I have to mention my "secret base" here.
To escape the fearful or prying gazes from the castle and to study magic more freely, I constructed a passageway connecting to a forest thousands of miles away and built a low house on a small plot of land.
It has spaces such as halls, bedrooms, studies, warehouses, and underground laboratories. Except for food, which requires some effort, one can live there.
Since I spend most of my time here, I've decorated the magic workshop to be very cozy.
After all, I am still an innocent and romantic young girl! Plus, I come from a noble family, so of course I have to live a more refined life, and a sense of ritual is essential!
Entering through the door, one finds a bright and spacious hall. On the left-hand fireplace, a shelf displays several carved wooden animals and rounded crystals. The long table in the central space is covered with a whole sheet of pure white fur, and several untrimmed flower branches lie quietly beside the candlesticks. Several brightly colored rope knots hang from the wooden frame of the window across the table. In addition, there are countless other ingenious touches on the furniture.
Not far from this lush forest is a village. The villagers are simple and straightforward. Although they are wary of the "Witch of the Forest," they are not averse to trading with her and sometimes even approach me for help when I enter the village.
In the beginning, I was treated as an orphan living alone. After nightfall, there were always suspicious figures loitering around the workshop, and those uninvited guests would all scramble away from the forest two days later in the morning.
After that, I lived a peaceful life for a while.
Living alone makes it easier to clean up the lake water that got on my body after I gave it to Vivian. On weekdays, I collect magic materials to explore more uses, or go to villages to exchange supplies and meet the minimum social needs. I will only return to the castle when Tintajer needs the British princess to appear.
Life moves at a slow and simple pace.
As for the loneliness that occasionally welled up in his heart, it was dispelled by the visit of "that knight".
—That apprentice knight who would give me flowers.
-
"Hello, may I ask if you would like to accept this bouquet of flowers?"
The hand encased in silver armor held a bunch of violets, and the brilliant golden hair shimmered like stars in the sunlight, complementing the knight's handsome face and his green eyes, which were filled with dappled light.
The boy exuded a vibrant and energetic aura, much like every noble knight.
I had foreseen his arrival.
The blurry image in my dream only outlined the knight's armor and his silhouette standing outside my magic workshop. Although I didn't know his name, I was very curious about his purpose.
The reason I knew the other party was a novice knight was because his armor had no family crest or any token to identify his lord. If he were a full-fledged knight, he would have clues to identify him, since it was a matter of honor and loyalty to the lord he served.
Looking out the window at the apprentice knight three steps away, I took in his youthful face and the nervous look on it. I couldn't help but feel mischievous and said threateningly, "Aren't you afraid of me? I'm a witch, you know. You have three sentences to explain your purpose, or I'll turn you into a wild boar."
"Uh...actually, when I practiced divination the night before, the result I got was that if I went southeast and offered flowers to the first lady I met, I would have good luck!"
"Then you really need to practice more."
"is that so?"
Of course, otherwise how would you have met me?
The blond knight looked puzzled, but still smiled brightly and asked me again, "Would you like to accept this flower, beautiful lady?"
Those clear eyes were like a babbling brook that could be seen to its bottom. The word "witch" did not change the brilliance they reflected—there was no suspicion or fear, as if in his eyes, a vicious witch was no different from an ordinary woman.
I couldn't help but smile, my eyebrows curving upwards, and said under his wide green eyes, "If I just accept it like this, wouldn't it make your luck seem too easy to come by? Besides, when you ask someone for a favor, you should at least give their name, right?"
"Ah, my apologies." Realizing his rudeness, the knight quickly apologized, the purple flower in his hand trembling slightly. His wandering gaze swept across my face and landed on the grass at my feet.
His flushed cheeks vividly displayed his arrogance, and finally, as if he had made a decision, he uttered the words from his slightly parted lips: "Please call me Al."
Judging from the blond knight's barely concealed guilty expression, it might not be his real name, but that doesn't really matter.
Boys' self-esteem is as fragile and transparent as crystal, especially when they are young and full of vigor. They always follow behind the adults they admire, wanting to gain recognition. It is only natural for them to hide their real names before becoming official knights.
Seeing the cautious probing look on the boy's face, I couldn't help but smile. Then, abandoning my teasing intentions, I replied reassuringly, "Al, I'm Morgan."
The boy called Al repeated in a daze, "Morgan." His clear voice was reminiscent of a warm breeze blowing across a hillside, carrying the gentle scent of grass. "It's a beautiful name, very fitting for you."
Judging from Al's expression, he probably didn't know my identity as a human, and I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief that I didn't have to maintain the etiquette of an aristocrat.
So I chuckled and teased, "Heh, you'll need a lot of practice if you want to win a girl's heart. Do you know the meaning of this name, Al?"
"Even if I don't know, it doesn't stop me from thinking 'Morgan' is beautiful, especially since it sounds comforting!"
"My name wasn't chosen for you to pronounce."
"Um... I apologize for my abruptness, Morgan."
"Alright, righteous knight, how long are you going to keep clutching that bouquet of flowers?"
"Would you like to accept it? That would be wonderful!"
I reached out and took the bouquet from Al. My fingertips brushed against the inside of his palm, and I wondered if it was because he had held my hand for so long, but the stems of the flowers seemed to still retain the warmth of the apprentice knight's hand.
"It's a violet—you picked it from the nearby fields, didn't you?" I leaned closer and gently sniffed the delicate purple petals; the faint fragrance that lingered around my nose was delightful.
Al nodded, blinking his lake-green eyes as he asked, "Morgan, do you live here alone?"
"What's wrong? Your fortune-telling teacher probably said not to approach or get close to a witch's workshop without permission. You should be more concerned about the safety of intruders than about women living alone."
"If an intruder approaches with malicious intent, then receiving retaliation is simply deserved." Al's pragmatic answer pleased me, but his next sentence caught me off guard:
"But wouldn't you feel lonely living alone in the forest?"
Judging from the fact that Al asked this question so naturally, he probably hadn't thought about it much. Perhaps he grew up surrounded by family and couldn't imagine what it would be like to live in seclusion.
But what am I really thinking?
When I failed to answer Al's question for a long time, he seemed to automatically interpret my silence, and then he would come rain or shine, just to present me with a bouquet of flowers, or simply to see me and talk to me.
—Based on this purity and sincerity, I find him very endearing.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
