Arthur could not find the words to express what he wanted to say, as the heartbroken woman sat there in silence. She awaited his words as if they would save her from a sea of tornt. Although he had spent countless years inside the ti prison, he never learned how to nd a broken heart.
In the end, Arthur decided to tell her the truth.
"I did love you back then, although I didn't know it. I cared about you more than I cared about myself. I wanted to keep you safe and save you from the clutches of the Yalen King. And then I changed."
"You changed?"
"I beca a slave, used and broken. I fought to survive in a world of cruelty, and I t soone who understood in that darkness. At that ti, I couldn't think about my love for you. I could only think about the person in front of ."
"You are telling that it was fate or destiny that separated us?" asked Emma with a shaking fra. "How could I accept this answer?"
"This is the truth you want. Accepting this or not will take ti regardless, but I admit that I have caused you great suffering. You waited for a man that was waiting for soone else."
Emma was silent and shaking, and then she stopped. A heavy atmosphere filled with silence descended on the room. Arthur could not offer her anything other than the truth.
"Do you…" she began, although she seed hesitant and choking on her words, "still have feelings for ?"
"My heart belongs to Diana, but I will always love you as a dear friend," Arthur said after a short pause. "I can only—"
Emma interrupted him as she rose from her seat. Her expression was cold and unfamiliar as she looked at him. Arthur stared into her eyes as she stared down at his. Her eyes contained a dying love and a budding hatred.
"I will never forgive you."
Emma spoke in a hoarse voice before she left the room. Arthur remained seated in place and sighed. He stared at his own hand and found it rather unfamiliar. A lot had changed, but it did, and there was no going back.
Diana was the love of his life. She understood him and supported him. Inside her ice prison, she waited for one hundred and fifty years just to et him again. Arthur lived in a constant reminder that he was lucky to have soone like her.
Emma also waited for him and kept searching for him after his death. She was his companion in Jerano and friend in two identities. Her love for him was also vast, but Arthur couldn't feel the sa about her. Instead, he just felt guilty.
A knock ca on his door, and Arthur allowed them inside. It was Koby, his spellcaster and researcher at the mont. Koby was the reason that spells were created from runes, and his help was trendous.
"I need to ask you sothing, Koby," Arthur began before the mage could even sit down. He adjusted his glasses in confusion. "Have you ever been in love?"
"I have, teacher," Koby said with a frown as he sat down. "What is this about? I heard you wanted my report on the spells."
"That can wait another ti. I need your help with sothing else," Arthur said as he massaged his temples. "I have hurt a woman. My actions seem to have made her fall in love with , but I'm with Diana now."
"Oh, that's an easy subject, sir," Koby said while patting his shoulder. "I had the sa issue before. I just married them both."
"…what?" Arthur was confused. "What do you an?"
"I courted two won back in my world, and I had to marry them both. I believe they are still living there with my children," Koby said while adjusting his glasses. "Is there sothing wrong?"
"I forgot that you were from a different world," Arthur said with a sigh as he stared at the one-ard mage. "Here in my world, most people would find it insulting to be a second wife or husband."
"It would never be a husband in my world. n can marry multiple won, but not the other way around. It makes it hard to know who is the parent in case the woman gets pregnant."
"…it was just an example, but that oddly makes sense," Arthur said with a frown. "But why would it be okay to marry more than one person?"
"In worlds where monsters are common, n lose their lives at a very young age. This has resulted in the female population rising against the male population. In order to keep humanity going, n had to have multiple wives."
"…is it mandatory?" asked Arthur as he had the strange feeling that it was.
"If you marry for two years without remarrying soone, you need to pay a monthly fine that would support other households with multiple wives and children."
Arthur was surprised by the strange rules but understood that each world had its circumstances. Unlike most n, he did not have the fantasies of having multiple wives.
"Thank you for sharing, Koby. But that's not going to work," Arthur said as he rubbed his temple. "I just wish there was a way to solve this without hurting, um, the other woman."
"I doubt Princess Diana would have anything against it," Koby said while tilting his head. "People of Alka are very similar to my world. Polygamy is the common practice for them, and especially so for nobles."
"…that's not the issue here," Arthur said with a smile. "Thank you for helping. There is a different matter that I want to discuss with you now. The alliance is assembling a team to explore the Blind Zones. I want you to be on that team as our representative."
"?" Koby asked with surprise, his glasses jumping in surprise. "I think there are stronger candidates who would be a better fit than I am. There is—"
"I don't want the strongest, but the most versatile. You have been working hard to increase your arsenal of spells, and that would make you the best team mber to handle unexpected dangers. How about it?"
The mage looked at him for a short second before rising from his chair and kneeling in front of Arthur. His amber hair shone in the light as his blue eyes stared at Arthur with gratitude. "I will not fail you, teacher!"
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