"..."
Mingling in the crowd, Morgan watched what Baobhan Sith was doing in disbelief.
If—
If the so-called "illegitimate daughter" rumor was an attempt to chip away at Artoria's status,
Then what Baobhan Sith was doing was a far more direct threat, building upon that foundation.
She... was more ruthless than Morgan herself!
"..."
A rare look of astonishment appeared in Artoria's eyes.
She had never expected that after dealing with Barghest and Mélusine, she would encounter a third person at a time like this.
And—
It was a "daughter" who had never shown her face before, whose appearance she had not anticipated in the slightest!
"..."
Artoria's silence made Baobhan Sith even more triumphant.
She knew that her entrance this time was nothing short of perfect.
Since her mother detested this wedding so much...
As her daughter;
As the daughter who shared an equal love for their father;
It was only natural that she should come and ruin this wedding, wasn't it?
Thinking of this, Baobhan Sith revealed a strange smile.
She dragged a finger across her lips.
In the next moment, wings that were somewhat similar to Ian's, yet almost completely different in their overall form, unfurled behind Baobhan Sith.
No one would doubt the father-daughter relationship between her and Ian.
Because those were not wings that any ordinary creature could possess.
"Father, I am so happy to see you."
The originally noisy scene suddenly fell completely silent.
The citizens began to whisper amongst themselves.
The flame of the "illeglegitimate daughter" rumor, at that moment, as if touched by a fierce wind, was rekindled from the ashes.
"..."
Realizing that if this continued, her wedding would absolutely fall apart, Artoria glared at the Baobhan Sith before her.
"What kind of joke are you playing?"
"This is my wedding with Ian. Are you trying to cause trouble by coming up here and saying such things?"
Artoria's gaze instantly sharpened.
It was an expression of immense authority.
No one doubted that Artoria, in this state, would not hesitate to kill Baobhan Sith on the spot.
However, Baobhan Sith showed no fear at all.
On the contrary, she seemed even happier.
The more Artoria showed this resistant attitude, the closer she felt to her goal.
"My King, I have no intention of causing trouble."
"I am simply—"
Baobhan Sith embraced Ian, burying herself in his arms.
"Stating a fact."
"I am Baobhan Sith, daughter of Ian, and a descendant of the dragon."
"..."
Artoria, naturally, could not possibly believe Baobhan Sith's nonsense.
But she soon discovered something else that surprised her:
Ian was not denying Baobhan Sith's words.
On the contrary, he was looking at her with a scrutinizing gaze.
That's right.
He hesitated!
Artoria's pupils widened in that instant.
She hadn't expected that her meticulously laid plans would still encounter an accident at a time like this.
....
"No, who is that!"
Watching Baobhan Sith unfurl her wings on the stage, Barghest, who was watching from below, was even more anxious than Artoria.
"I'll go drag her down!"
Saying this, Barghest prepared to display her brute strength, leap over the crowd, and pull Baobhan Sith down from the castle balcony.
But Mélusine stopped her at that moment.
"Don't move, you blockhead."
"What do you mean, don't move!"
Barghest looked at her colleague who was holding her back.
"If this goes on, the wedding will definitely be ruined!"
"And what problem will you solve by rushing up there?"
Mélusine said with exceptional calm.
"Everyone has already been misled by this person's words. If you go up and cover her mouth, wouldn't that just be confirming her story?"
"This..."
Barghest understood.
"But we can't just do nothing, can we?"
"Doing nothing is exactly what we must do."
Mélusine took a deep breath.
"Trust Artoria."
"She must have a way."
"..."
Although she felt this was a bit too risky, Barghest, unable to think of a better idea, could only hold her temper.
....
Back with Artoria.
After quickly confirming that there was definitely an unusual connection between Baobhan Sith and Ian, Artoria, the protagonist of the wedding, quickly calmed down.
"Is that so?"
"So, you are also a dragon."
"..."
The way Artoria calmed down almost instantly made Baobhan Sith feel as if some of the fun had been lost.
Her opponent was a much more formidable existence than she had imagined.
But it didn't matter.
She still had a trick up her sleeve.
Baobhan Sith nodded and continued to speak.
"My King, please allow me to say a few more words at this time. May I?"
"..."
Artoria watched Baobhan Sith cautiously.
But in the end, she still nodded.
Just as Mélusine had said, not letting Baobhan Sith continue to speak now would only cause the rumor to evolve into something even more terrifying.
And having received Artoria's consent.
Baobhan Sith walked to the very front of the castle balcony.
Facing those thousands of gazes.
Baobhan Sith showed no fear. On the contrary, she seemed to be enjoying it.
"Everyone, as you can see—"
"My father, Ian, and I have the same wings."
"I believe you all know what this means."
"That's right."
Baobhan Sith took Ian's other hand.
"I am the 'illegitimate daughter' you have all been searching for."
"..."
The crowd was in an uproar.
They looked at each other, face to face.
No one dared to confirm such a thing, but at the same time, they dared not doubt it.
After all—
Everything Baobhan Sith had shown already perfectly fit the concept of an "illegitimate daughter."
But for Baobhan Sith, this atmosphere of suspicion was exactly what she needed.
Next, as long as she revealed her mother Morgan's identity, she could turn this wedding into a complete joke.
However—
Before Baobhan Sith could say anything more, Artoria's next reaction completely exceeded her predictions.
Not only was she not angered by Baobhan Sith's words, but she spoke first:
"It seems there is no other way."
"I had originally intended to hold a separate celebration banquet for my sister."
"It seems now I can only let everyone know ahead of time."
Artoria almost instantly locked onto Morgan, who was hidden in the crowd.
"Sister."
"I have always known about your research."
"It must have been so difficult, silently cultivating a Knight of the Round Table for Camelot."
"This child, I will grant her the name 'Tristan'."
"Come—"
Artoria extended a hand towards where Morgan was standing.
"Come up and tell everyone."
"Tell them how you cultivated such a powerful knight for us."
"Otherwise..."
Artoria smiled faintly.
"We wouldn't want people to think you were having a secret affair or something. That would be unfortunate."
"I would hate to 'accidentally' kill someone as devoted to Camelot as you."