Dathrohan relayed Faust's unfiltered, vulgar words in the gentlest way possible.
"Those were his words, My Lady."
The grail knight finished his recital and bowed his head, waiting for the Lady of the Lake's reaction.
But he waited and waited, yet the expected response did not come.
"Sob..."
Suddenly, he heard the faint sound of sobbing.
Dathrohan couldn't help but look up, only to see that the Azure Maiden had returned to the center of the lake at some point, wiping her reddened eyes with her hand.
The Lady of the Lake's beautiful face was filled only with sorrow and grievance, and her clear eyes were brimming with mist.
She looked like a pear blossom bathed in rain, a sight that would move anyone to pity.
Seeing this, Dathrohan's brain stalled on the spot. An irrepressible protective instinct surged in his heart, causing him to stand up involuntarily.
"My Lady!"
"This is too much..."
The Azure Maiden's voice came, heartbreaking to hear as she choked back sobs. "Saying I'm a depraved bitch, that I'm intentionally stringing along my pursuers... I never even thought of such things."
The golden-brown-haired Lady of the Lake looked at Dathrohan and asked, "Do you think so too? Do you think I'm intentionally playing with your feelings, tricking you out of your wealth and power to use for my own ends?"
"Impossible! My Lady, please believe me, I have never harbored such doubts!"
Dathrohan hurriedly defended himself, thumping his chest. "If it weren't for your guidance and help, how could I be where I am today?! No matter how many treasures and victories I offer, they could not express even a ten-thousandth of my gratitude!"
Whether the Azure Maiden believed him or not, her brilliant, beautiful eyes dimmed as she brushed back a lock of hair. "I'm just... I'm just a bit of a slow burner. The lives of you mortals are so short; it takes so much time just to get to know one another."
"Over all these years, I have been waiting for a truly devoted and steadfast knight, but there has never been someone who truly moved me."
"If I were really as wicked and wanton as Faust said, how could I still be a virgin? Never mind my virginity, even my first kiss is still here!"
The grail knight's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
That was right! How could the ice-pure and jade-clean Lady Azure Maiden be associated with the word 'bitch'?
It didn't make any sense logically!
Dathrohan felt as if he had grasped a life-saving straw and immediately agreed, "Indeed! Even among all the ladies of the lake, your chastity and reserve are among the very best. That damnable Faust, to use such filthy language to slander a flower on a high peak!"
Dathrohan beat his chest in a mix of regret and fury. "To think I lost because of such instigation! My Lady! Please give me another chance. I will surely bring you the head of the one who disrespected you!"
"No, don't do that!"
The Azure Maiden quickly stopped him, her fingers interlaced against her high, full chest.
"Please bring him here unharmed to confront me. I think those malicious words might not have come from his heart."
"Prince Faust's crime does not warrant death. I will try to reform him with a motherly, loving heart."
"How kind and merciful... Yes, I shall obey your will!"
Dathrohan was moved to tears by the goddess-like Azure Maiden. After bowing to the Lady of the Lake, he took his leave.
Watching the grail knight's excited retreating figure, the Azure Maiden's charming and beautiful face gradually turned cold. She bit her finger. "Goddammit!"
Fine, fine, this brat actually dared to insult me like that!
That was a close one; I almost let my simps wake up. But with a bit of acting, it passed easily. Just a small matter.
However... compared to other humans, this Prince of Qingxi does indeed act like a man.
The Azure Maiden raised an eyebrow, constantly replaying the 'vulgar words' Faust had spoken.
Words like bitch, sow, slut, whore—things the Azure Maiden had almost never heard. It was truly... exciting for her.
The ladies of the lake did indeed favor human heroes and had a penchant for copulating with them.
The reason the Azure Maiden remained chaste was naturally not because she was a 'good girl,' but simply because her standards were too high compared to her peers.
Ordinary grail knights were like dogs she kept in her eyes; things she could order around at will. How could they be viewed as males? At best, they were pets; most were purely tools.
Copulate with such things? What a joke! It wasn't even certain if they were worthy of smelling the air around her feet.
Perhaps it was precisely because of her extremely high standards that she looked down on the human heroes who were as common as crucian carp in a river, for no matter how much they stood out among men, they were only fit to be played with in the palm of her hand.
The man she favored could not be a boring fool. He had to be a male among males, someone who could completely tear through her disguise and conquer her entirely!
That man named Faust seemed to have the potential, but it wasn't enough yet.
The Azure Maiden licked her lips. Since Faust dared to spread rumors about her, she would make those things come true on him—except, the roles of attacker and defender would have to be swapped.
Using that unbelievably handsome prince as the partner for her first experience wouldn't be a loss.
What? You say she's a slow burner?
That's just to tease the simps! Truly.
....
After Dathrohan returned to the knight order's station, he found that the prime minister of the Midwinter Kingdom had visited earlier.
"Lord Dathrohan is resting in private. If you have something to say, come back tomorrow morning."
The knights looked at Arcturus with unfriendly gazes, blocking him.
There was no need to wonder why Arcturus was here at this time—it was surely to ask about the recent defeat. As followers of a grail knight, how could they allow their master to be shamed?
Thus, the Midwinter prime minister waited on the spot until the grail knight returned.
"Prime Minister, what is your business?"
Arcturus said calmly, "My Lord, I am here to convey Her Majesty the Queen's meaning after this defeat."
"Do you still want to fight? Can you still fight? How do you plan to fight?"
"Are you all looking down on me?"
Dathrohan had just spoken with the Azure Maiden and stabilized his resolve. He couldn't stand hearing this right now. He waved his hand and said, "It was merely a temporary setback. I will continue the assault until victory is achieved! You Midwinter people, it doesn't matter if you want to fight or retreat!"
"Is that so?"
Arcturus didn't say much upon hearing this. He nodded calmly and turned to leave.
The prime minister returned to the Midwinter Kingdom's camp. At this moment, in the center of the camp, a mobile palace had risen from the ground like a castle cast in ink. It was the 【spell workshop】 unique to high warlocks, capable of being deployed anywhere.
The appearance of the mobile palace here meant that the Queen of the Midwinter Kingdom had personally arrived at the front lines of the battlefield.
The Midwinter prime minister entered the palace, knelt in the audience chamber, and reported to the mature and charming figure behind the curtain, "Your Majesty, that grail knight has not lost his will to fight and still intends to continue the battle. However, judging by their state today, whether the grail knight order alone can crush the frost-walkers requires a large question mark."
"In the end, Your Majesty's intervention may still be required."
"...I see."
"Yes, then I shall take my leave."
Arcturus immediately withdrew from the silent palace.
When the Queen was the only one left in the audience chamber, she murmured softly, "The curse, the curse... how to end this hateful curse..."
Behind the curtain, the Queen murmured something unknown. A pair of jade hands wrapped in black silk gently stroked an object—it seemed to be... a vibrant red apple.
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