"Hooray! The King and Queen have announced they'll distribute ten kilograms of grain to every citizen!"
"Hooray! The King and Queen have announced a one-month tax exemption for all free citizens!"
"Hooray! The King and Queen have announced the establishment of a Knight Academy! All free citizens of the Kingdom can apply, and graduates will become noble knights!"
-
Three days later, the wedding of the King of Knights and Guinevere proceeded as planned. Accompanying the ceremony were the new regulations they had formulated through casual conversation, further refined by the King of Knights and Agravain in subsequent discussions.
The wedding ceremony was held in Camelot City's most opulent cathedral, located within the Inner City.
In this era, faith in that particular deity had become deeply ingrained. Holding the wedding in a cathedral, witnessed by a Church Bishop, served as a testament to the couple's power and status.
For Guinevere, reborn into the Fate worldview, the deity of the Church might truly ascend to godhood. Should fate align, she might even be able to summon Him as a servant.
After careful consideration, Guinevere ultimately approved of the wedding's form, refraining from dismissing the deity as mere superstition incapable of bestowing blessings.
Thus, standing at the cathedral's forefront, gazing at the statue that differed slightly from her memories, Guinevere offered a silent prayer, seeking a stroke of good fortune from Him.
Hey, we might be colleagues someday. Wish me luck so I can successfully alter the fate that binds me and the King of Knights!
As she murmured these thoughts inwardly, the Archbishop's ritualistic pronouncements filled the air.
Following the Archbishop's recitation, Guinevere, adorned in an elaborate gown, extended her hand. The King of Knights, dressed in regal male attire and slightly shorter than her, slipped the ring onto her finger.
According to Merlin, who delivered the rings, this pair of wedding bands had been crafted by the Lady of the Lake. They were enchanted to allow the wearers to sense each other's presence within a certain radius, fulfilling Guinevere's specific request.
"King of Knights, do you solemnly swear that you earnestly desire your Queen's happiness and that you will love her for all eternity?"
"Yes, I do."
Their hands clasped, the King of Knights' heartbeat remained steady, and her voice unwavering. Yet, her words resonated with an unwavering resolve that left no doubt of his sincerity.
But Guinevere knew this was merely a formality. To make the King of Knights truly understand the weight of this vow, she first needed her to comprehend the emotion known as 'love'.
After questioning the King of Knights, the Bishop turned to Guinevere...
Torn between apprehension, introspection, and self-doubt, Guinevere realized that her love for the King of Knights was still largely rooted in her affection for the paper-thin character from her previous life. The two strands of love remained separate, yet to intertwine.
But...
I will unite these two loves as soon as possible.
"I swear, I will always love the King of Knights (Artoria)."
Guinevere's response was equally resolute, brimming with genuine sincerity, but the subtle difference remained hidden, known only to herself. The name "Artoria" was uttered only in her heart.
After the ring exchange and vows, the next step was...
"Now, King of Knights, you may crown your bride under God's blessing."
There was no public kiss; the King of Knights had deemed it insufficiently dignified and canceled it.
As the King of Knights personally placed the crown upon Guinevere's head, the church, packed with onlookers, erupted in applause, marking the completion of the ceremony that united the two as one.
Next came the procession through the streets, where the King and Queen rode in a flower-bedecked carriage, basking in the cheers of the populace. Having just announced a series of policies beneficial to the people, they were indeed met with enthusiastic acclaim.
The crowd marveled at the King of Knights' majesty, while Guinevere's partially veiled beauty left them mesmerized.
As twilight descended on yet another day, the grandest ball of the era was held within the Royal Palace. Simultaneously, the King of Knights and Guinevere, weary from the day's events, could now legally and legitimately share a chamber.
"Guinevere, do you want to kiss me?"
Her hand was held, her waist embraced, her body frozen...
In a room adorned with festive decorations, why had Guinevere gone this far with the King of Knights?
After locking the door, the King of Knights changed into the White Lily Dress she wore during her pilgrimage, as promised...
When Guinevere was allowed to turn and witness the King of Knights' maidenly attire firsthand, the thread of her reason nearly snapped.
For a moment, only the King of Knights' figure remained in her vision.
The strapless, backless little dress, with a hem that was slightly too short, revealed two anachronistic black stockings beneath the skirt—obviously woven with magic.
After a moment of dazed shock, Guinevere pulled the King of Knights close, pressed her onto the velvet-covered wedding bed, and imprinted the sight before her onto the King of Knights' eyes.
When embraced, the King of Knights instinctively struggled, but she couldn't break free; Guinevere's strength surpassed her own.
Seeing her own reflection in Guinevere's eyes, she finally believed that Guinevere truly liked girls.
"Guinevere, are you going to kiss me?"
For the second time, beneath the White Lily Dress, the King of Knights, her regal presence undiminished, asked the question. She was no longer the naive girl who had first drawn the Sword in the Stone. With those words, the King of Knights in Guinevere's eyes ceased to be merely an innocent maiden.
A tremor ran through Guinevere's heart, snapping her out of her daze. She realized what she had just done, but the lingering sensation of the King of Knights' waist beneath her hands made her reluctant to let go.
"No, let's wait until you truly fall in love with me," Guinevere murmured.
Despite her reluctance, Guinevere released Artoria and rose to her feet. Yet even as she stood, she continued to gaze down at the reclining King of Knights, etching her current pose into her memory.
"Lia, you don't feel guilty towards me anymore, do you? You believe I genuinely like girls now, right? So... you won't despise me anymore, will you?"
The blush gradually faded from the King of Knights' earlobes. It took considerable effort for her to maintain a solemn expression, but she wouldn't have minded if Guinevere had kissed her. She believed Guinevere deserved it.
Moreover, as a King who had ridden across countless battlefields, she understood perfectly well what marriage entailed. She couldn't give Guinevere the happiness she deserved, including the traditional pleasures of the bed.
"I don't despise you. This suits me perfectly."
Witnessing Guinevere's desire and realizing her genuine attraction to women had dispelled much of the King of Knights' guilt, allowing her to speak these words with newfound ease.
Even as she changed out of the White Lily Dress, Guinevere remained turned away, yet the King of Knights sensed something was amiss.
"Guinevere, logically speaking, we'll need to sleep together tonight and for a long time to come, right?"
A newly married King and Queen couldn't possibly separate into separate chambers immediately after the wedding; such a move would only incite discontent among their respective knights.
As she spoke and pondered, the King of Knights didn't wait for Guinevere's response. She turned and stepped forward, gently twisting Guinevere's body around. "Guinevere, come help me change. It's your duty as Queen."
The King of Knights had considered the matter. If this too was a necessary part of fulfilling her role as the Fated King, she would suppress her own feelings and choose to accept it.
But she hadn't anticipated that while she had come to terms with it, Guinevere, upon seeing her dress half-removed, would widen her eyes and faint.
At that moment, the King of Knights recalled Morgan's pre-marriage assessment of Guinevere:
"She's just a clueless novice, all talk and no action. She says she likes girls, but she can't even bear to look at my skin."
With that thought, the King of Knights laid the unconscious Guinevere back on the bed and, for the first time, let out an unrestrained laugh.
"How did you ever dare to attack me in the past, acting like that?"