As the three of them conversed pleasantly, the King of Scotland naturally began to talk about his proud daughter.
Logically speaking, since the Prince of Scotland was attending this banquet, there was no reason for Princess Guinevere to choose to be absent.
This was indeed a very strange matter.
But in truth, Artoria did not particularly want to see Guinevere.
Familiar as she was with the Arthurian legends, her feelings toward this person were far too complex.
However, since the King of Scotland had brought up Guinevere, she followed suit and asked:
“I have long heard that Her Highness Guinevere is the jewel of Scotland and is deeply loved by her people.
Why is she not to be seen today…?”
Hearing Artoria’s question, Prince Howard gave a somewhat helpless smile.
“Respected King Arthur, please forgive my sister’s rudeness.
After learning that you were coming, Guinevere has been looking forward to it for a long time.
She placed even more importance on tonight’s banquet, so she has spent quite a long time dressing up.
I hope you can understand a young girl’s heart.”
There was certainly nothing to be angry about regarding that.
Artoria lowered her eyelashes, her gaze as clear as water.
“Whether as a knight or as a king, waiting for a beautiful lady is my honor.”
Howard and the King of Scotland looked at each other upon hearing this, and then both chuckled at the same time.
“You truly are a noble king.”
Just then, an attendant came in and whispered in the King of Scotland’s ear for a moment.
It was unknown what was said, but it caused a gentle smile to appear in the eyes of the King of Scotland.
After the attendant withdrew, he turned to Artoria and said:
“It seems our little princess is ready.”
Before his voice had even faded, there was a sudden creak, and the closed doors were opened once again.
Artoria looked toward the sound, and a stunningly beautiful young woman entered her sight.
The girl was dressed in a magnificent light blue gown, appearing as if she were in a mist or haze.
Her silk-like black hair fluttered as she walked, her slender eyes like stars and the bright moon.
An exquisite nose, faintly blushing cheeks, and crimson lips like a dripping cherry; her flawless face carried a hint of shy affection.
Her smooth, snowy skin was exceptionally beautiful, her figure light and graceful, and her aura refined and elegant.
Even knowing that this person was the Guinevere who would lead to the downfall of Britain, Artoria couldn’t help but be momentarily dazed by her beauty.
She watched as Guinevere walked up to her and performed a curtsy.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, respected King Arthur.”
Having spoken, the girl raised her eyes and looked over.
Artoria’s emerald green eyes and those deep blue ones met in a direct gaze.
A beautiful voice, snow-white skin, and even the smile on her face seemed to be filled with brilliance.
At least in this moment, Artoria could not find any other word to describe the young girl before her, other than “beautiful.”
Thus, she also revealed a gentle smile to Guinevere.
Artoria walked up to her, took Guinevere’s right hand in hers, bowed her head, and with slightly pursed lips, symbolically kissed the back of her hand.
“I am also very pleased to meet you, beautiful Princess Guinevere.” This story is hosted at novelping.com.
King Arthur’s eyes were like glazed glass, and a faint smile played upon her face.
And that smile was softer than the light of dawn.
The brilliant lights, the soft music, and the hands touching between her and King Arthur.
The young girl’s eyes were like a clear mirror, reflecting the smile of the person before her.
As if bewitched by something, Guinevere, like a reflection in a mirror, curled her lips into a faint smile at the person before her.
A hearty voice suddenly rang in their ears, interrupting the somewhat peculiar atmosphere between the two.
“It seems my dear sister and King Arthur have hit it off right away.”
The teasing and banter in that tone caused a blush to rise on Guinevere’s cheeks as she came back to her senses.
“Brother~!”
She walked up to her brother, somewhat shy and annoyed, and shot Howard a fierce glare with her beautiful eyes.
However, her actions did not yield the expected result, as Howard shook his head and ignored the weak protest his sister directed at him.
Just like facing a cute kitten, who wouldn’t want to tease it a little?
Thus, he and the King of Scotland exchanged a smile once more, and then he proposed:
“It is truly a great pity that we have not yet seen King Arthur dance at this banquet.
I wonder if you would be willing to share a dance with my sister?”
“…”
Artoria felt somewhat helpless in her heart; she didn’t actually want to get too involved with Guinevere right now.
But since the Prince of Scotland had already spoken, it would really ruin the atmosphere if she were to refuse.
“That is indeed a good suggestion.”
As she spoke, she walked up to Guinevere.
Artoria bowed politely, and softly asked the somewhat shy Scottish princess: “May I have the honor of a dance with you?”
“Of…
of course you may.”
Meeting Artoria’s smiling face, the young girl lowered her eyes in embarrassment, the tips of her ears peeking out from her temples tinged with a faint blush.
The girl’s shy and timid appearance left her with mixed feelings.
It was undeniable that from the very first moment Artoria saw the girl, she had been deeply attracted by her beauty.
In the seventeen years since arriving in this world, this was the first time she had felt her heart stir.
However…
However, in this life, she was a woman, and what made her feel even more conflicted…
Was that the person she had fallen in love with at first sight was none other than Guinevere.
The emotions involved truly left Artoria with a thousand thoughts, unsure of what to do.
While lost in thought, she took Guinevere’s hand and slowly entered the dance floor with the music.
She felt how slender the waist in her hand was; as she half-embraced Guinevere, she could clearly smell the delicate fragrance on the girl.
It was simply too close…
Artoria felt her throat go dry, and consequently, a faint blush appeared on her face as well.
After all, the girl in her arms was so heart-stirring that it was truly beyond the scope of someone like her, who hadn’t had any romantic experience in two lifetimes. This story is hosted at NovelPing.
She hadn’t expected it to be this difficult before agreeing to dance.
Guinevere sensed that Artoria’s body was a bit stiff, which allowed her own nervous mood to relax slightly.
“So it turns out I’m not the only one who is nervous.”
Thinking of this, Guinevere couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
She looked up at Artoria and was surprised to find that King Arthur’s ears were actually red.
“Is she shy?”
King Arthur, who had always appeared elegant and noble since they first met, actually had such a side to her.
As if she had discovered something interesting, Guinevere smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.
This King Arthur was rather cute.
Being gazed at intently by those beautiful eyes, even Artoria felt she couldn’t quite handle it.
She coughed lightly and started a conversation, trying to divert Guinevere’s attention.
“I wonder, Princess, what do you usually do in your spare time?”
As soon as she said it, Artoria regretted it; this was a truly terrible topic to bring up.
It really wasn’t up to the standards of a cool guy.
Perhaps seeing the annoyance on her face, the Scottish princess considerately went along with the topic.
“I love flowers very much.
The tulips in the garden are in full bloom right now, so I always like to go to the garden to relax in my spare time.”
Grateful for Guinevere’s kindness, Artoria silently breathed a sigh of relief.
“So you like flowers, Princess.
This time of year is indeed the season for flowers to bloom, which reminds me of the beautiful roses blooming in the gardens of Britain.”
Speaking of this, Artoria couldn’t help but feel a bit regretful.
Because of that letter from the King of Scotland, she had become increasingly busy and simply hadn’t had the time to admire the flowers in the garden.
“So it’s roses that are planted in the gardens of the British palace; it really is different from Scotland.”
“Not just roses; there are other beautiful flowers there as well.”
As if thinking of something that made her happy, Artoria’s voice carried a hint of relaxation, and she smiled and promised Guinevere:
“If you ever have the chance to visit Britain as a guest, Princess, I will definitely take you for a walk in the garden.”
As they conversed back and forth, the atmosphere between them became increasingly harmonious.
As they were nearing the end of the dance, Guinevere suddenly asked such a question.
“Do you…
like Scotland?”
It was cautious, carrying the lightness unique to a young girl, and a probe that was not unpleasant.
Artoria gazed into Guinevere’s beautiful, ocean-like eyes, as if seeing stars that had fallen into the depths of the sea.
Beautiful and enchanting.
Thus, her smile was as bright as sunshine, and as the dance music came to an end, she took Guinevere’s hands and answered softly.
“Of course, I like Scotland.”