Chapter 88: Let’s Make a Grand Bet — The Wager Is King Arthur’s Life (2.9K words)
"You're betting that I'll stop you...?"
When she heard this, Morgan was visibly stunned, staring at Alvin in disbelief.
She remained silent for a long time before shaking her head and chuckling in amusement. "Alvin, do you really think I'd stop you from handing a poison to Lily?"
That would qualify as the joke of the year in all of Britain.
Back then, if it hadn't been for Merlin secretly meddling, the poison she had prepared would have already been consumed by Artoria, and none of the events that followed would have happened.
Who knows? Maybe the throne of Britain would have changed hands by now.
She had already delivered poison to her sister once and Alvin still believed she deeply loved her?
Alvin lowered his gaze, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Morgan's pale, flawless calves beneath her skirt.
He thought for a moment, then said, "I still believe your feelings for her outweigh your hatred."
"So? Want to take the bet?"
To be honest, if it were some other world without him...Alvin wouldn't be so sure, after all, in such reality Morgan really hated Artoria, and would probably want to kill her at every point.
After all, she didn't get the throne, she didn't get any love from anyone and even the children she made to destroy Artoria ended up joining Knights of the Round Table.
Such a fate...
But it didn't happen, after all, he was here.
He met this woman when her hatred towards Artoria wasn't that much and gave her the love, she'd been desperately starving for.
Under such conditions, the hatred in her heart was obviously not high, coupled with the fact that Artoria was indeed the first..and it was she, who seduced her husband, he didn't think she would want to kill Lily.
After all, no matter what, they were both sisters in the end.
As he spoke the final words, Alvin raised his head and gazed into Morgan le Fay's beautiful face. "If you lose, then from now on you'll stay by Lily's side with me, until the divine age of Britain truly comes to an end."
Morgan's smile faded slightly as she narrowed her eyes and scrutinized the boy before her for a long moment.
Soon after, she gently reached out and stroked the boy's cheek, saying, "And if I win, you'll leave the royal palace with me from now on. How about it?"
"Alright." Alvin shrugged as he spoke. "If Lily really dies after drinking your potion, then there's no point in me staying in the palace anyway, right?"
"Alvin, sometimes I think you're very clever, and sometimes I really think you're a fool."
Morgan covered her lips with a soft laugh, unable to hide the seductive charm between her brows.
Though they called it a gamble, she didn't truly believe Alvin would ever hand such a deadly potion to Artoria himself.
After all, a few years ago, despite all her schemes, she had barely managed to get Alvin to take a potion to her.
And even then, the one who ultimately drank that potion… had been Alvin himself.
So while this might be a bet in name, Morgan suspected Alvin would simply switch the potions along the way and then turn it into a dramatic little duel between them again.
Morgan walked over to the potion-laden table and picked up a half-transparent glass vial.
"Fated Death. It's one of the greatest masterpieces I've ever created.
After taking it, your life will be locked into the fate of 'death' — no one will be able to alter that destiny."
"Go on. Take it to Lily."
She extended the vial in her hand toward Alvin.
As the boy reached for it, Morgan mischievously placed the potion against her chest and smiled charmingly. "Hold on a moment."
"You're not seriously going to make me reach in and take it from there, are you?" Alvin glanced at her tall, soft, prominent chest and muttered.
Morgan blinked her beautiful eyes, her voice laced with seductive sweetness: "There's no need for that. If you really wanted, even without this potion, you could do anything you want to me, any time."
She leaned close to the boy's ear, her voice like that of a lover's whisper: "Whatever dirty things you want to do to this lowly body of mine... I wouldn't stop you~"

For a moment, Alvin's heart raced wildly.
Sometimes, she was shy like a young girl.
Other times, she seemed just like a seductive witch toying with people's hearts… Alvin often wondered whether Morgan's body harbored multiple personalities, each with their own consciousness.
Feeling the stiffness in the boy's body, Morgan broke into a peal of laughter, her body shaking with mirth. "Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you."
"Since this is a wager, to make sure neither of us tampers with things secretly, I'll come with you to see my sister.
How about that?"
Alvin gave her a speechless look. "Seems like you still don't trust me."
"I do trust you. And precisely because I trust you, I know you won't really let Lily drink the 'Fated Death'."
"That's not certain... Maybe I've grown tired of all this love and hate tied to Britain, and now I just want to end everything," Alvin said quietly.
"Is that so?"
Morgan sat atop the table, playfully swinging her snow-white legs beneath her skirt.
Tapping her rosy lips with a fingertip, she gave Alvin a glance, then suddenly said sweetly, "That doesn't sound too bad. Once King Arthur dies, we can leave the palace… and stay together forever~"
"Hmm… Thinking about it, your odds of winning are looking really low. How about we raise the stakes a bit? If you win, I'll grant you the privilege of cleaning my feet."
Alvin slowly formed a question mark in the air.
"If I win, I still have to… clean your feet?"
Morgan blinked playfully, like a teasing older sister, and giggled, "That's a reward. And I didn't say how you'd have to clean them, did I?"
"You can even make them dirty first and then clean them later.."
Hearing her words, Alvin remained silent.
Go on and laugh... but in a while, you won't be able to laugh anymore.
Alvin reached out and took the potion from the table.
"Alright. The bet is on."
...
Hall of the King.
At that moment, Artoria had just finished the paperwork in front of her and was flipping through her next task.
For most people, the kind of repetitive, dull, and never-ending political work she handled daily would grow unbearable after a while.
But Artoria had carried on for years without a trace of weariness or complaint.
It wasn't just the power of the Red Dragon's core that gave her limitless stamina, a large part of it came from her own nature.
She was like a precision timepiece ,never deviating, never slowing down.
That's why, even the Knights of the Round Table often couldn't understand how their King possessed such patience.
To them, she was like an untiring machine.
"I wonder if there's any news from the flying vessel yet."
As she looked down at the document in her hand, Artoria suddenly recalled what Merlin had said earlier.
A powerful being from the Moon… although their true purpose was still unclear, no matter how one looked at it, they definitely didn't come with good intentions.
And right now, the enemy was in the shadows while they were exposed.
On top of that, it seemed like certain nobles had started to make some moves in recent days...
Just thinking about it made Artoria unconsciously rub her brow.
At that moment, the sound of footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the hall.
Artoria instinctively looked up, and a flicker of surprise flashed through her saintly emerald eyes.
At the far end of the hall, a boy was walking toward her with a woman at his side.
The former wore a deep black robe, while the latter was a naturally seductive beauty.
She had already changed into an exquisite and luxurious court gown.
Her platinum-blonde hair flowed naturally down her back, and her face was covered by a mysterious and alluring veil.
Her skin was fair and delicate, her eyes cool and clear.
Beneath the veil, a hint of vibrant red lips could be seen, outlining an enticingly curvaceous figure.
Though the sisters looked quite alike in appearance, their temperaments and dress styles were completely different.
Artoria was the noble, valiant queen type.
Morgan le Fay, however, exuded a bewitching and seductive air.
At first glance, one might think she was cold and untouchable, but that mature figure of hers gave off a burning allure...she was the ideal of a perfect lover.
Why is he coming here with my royal sister?
Artoria looked at Alvin without changing her expression, her gaze carrying a hint of questioning.
"I just managed to coax some intel out of Merlin and was on my way to report to you. I happened to run into my royal sister on the way," Alvin explained.
At the same time, he placed the cup of pre-prepared black tea in front of Artoria.
"So Merlin was hiding something from me?"
Artoria looked at the steaming black tea on the table and asked softly, "What did he tell you?"
Although she was surprised to see Morgan, she also knew that with Alvin present, it was unlikely they'd end up in another confrontation.
Besides, at this moment, she didn't have the heart to fight Morgan either.
"Some conversations between the former king and Merlin," Alvin replied.
At these words, a subtle change flickered across Morgan's face beneath her veil.
From the moment she was born, Morgan had always believed that she would be the one to inherit the will of the previous king, to be Uther's successor.
But in the end, that succession had been intercepted by Artoria.
To this day, Morgan still held deeply complicated feelings toward her father.
There was resentment and hatred.
Now, hearing news of King Uther again from Alvin's mouth, even her long-calm heart stirred slightly.
"What did Merlin say?" Artoria asked.
"He said he hopes you can become the true King Arthur," Alvin replied.
Artoria's expression remained neutral as she said softly, "So he thinks I'm still not a true king?"
"Exactly."
Alvin smiled. "At the end of the Age of the Gods, King Arthur was meant to bear the burden of a collapsing Britain.
You were born as the 'Red Dragon' destined to shoulder that fate."
"Merlin believes you haven't fully severed your emotions, that you haven't become the cold machine needed to govern Britain."
In the years Alvin was gone, Artoria had indeed begun to become a true "king".
She wrapped herself in the shell of Arthur and hardened her heart.
Had nothing changed, she might have continued down that path until her responsibilities as King Arthur came to an end.
But ever since Alvin returned, the hard shell around her heart had begun to soften.
If not for Merlin's "reminder" today, perhaps even Artoria herself wouldn't have noticed the changes in her own heart.
"Let's put that aside for now. Have some tea and relax."
As he spoke, Alvin picked up the cup of black tea from the table and handed it to Artoria.
Feeling Morgan's unwavering gaze on him from the side, his face remained calm.
Morgan le Fay… do you truly want to be king?
Or is it that… you simply couldn't accept the fact that Uther didn't acknowledge or trust you, something your pride couldn't bear?
No… it's probably more than that.
The true beginning of Morgan's descent into darkness happened when Artoria pulled that sword and began to rule the country.
Watching the once pure, beautiful girl close off her heart and be called the "King who does not understand human feelings"... that in itself was something Morgan couldn't accept, was it?
If Morgan once wanted to become King Arthur to prove herself… then later, when she wanted to destroy Britain, part of it was revenge, but another part might have been hatred toward the Britain that turned her sister into what she was now.
This really was a gamble.
A gamble on how much Artoria still meant to Morgan.
Come on, Morgan… let me see what you'll really do.
Without revealing anything, Alvin stepped forward and handed the black tea directly to Artoria.
During this whole process, Morgan's expression remained eerily calm.
She had seen Alvin brew the tea with her own eyes, and watched as he added "Fated Death" into the cup.
This meant that once Artoria drank the tea… her fate would be locked to "death".
At that point... the position of King Arthur might very well change hands.
No matter what, it would only benefit her, not harm her in any way.
Why would Alvin think she would step forward to stop it?
Besides, even putting her own feelings aside, would Alvin really be able to bear watching Lily die?
'How boring... I really want to see how you plan to end this.'
As Morgan thought this, she watched as Artoria slowly lifted the cup of black tea.
She instinctively glanced at Alvin, but saw that his expression showed no change.
However, seeing this, a faint smile began to appear on Morgan's face.
Interesting… so this is maximum pressure?
Let's see how long you can keep up this calm—
Just as that thought crossed her mind, she saw Artoria raise the teacup to her lips....and drain it in one go.
"..."
For a split second, Morgan's pupils shrank ever so slightly.
Her face froze. Every hair on her body stood on end. A wave of disbelief exploded inside her chest.
If she hadn't just witnessed it with her own eyes, she would've suspected that Alvin had somehow switched the potion.
But she had been with Alvin the whole time, there was absolutely no chance he could've swapped it.
…Did she really drink that potion?
As she thought so, in disbelief, Morgan instinctively looked toward Artoria.
As the "Isle Sovereign," she could clearly sense her sister's mana beginning to grow unstable.
Could sense...that somewhere beyond sight, a quiet, creeping aura of death was approaching.
It was like the Gungnir of myth — the Spear of Destiny.
Once it left the hand, it would forever bind you… and guide you to the underworld.
Clatter!
The teacup shattered on the floor.
As the "Fated Death" potion took effect, Artoria instinctively looked up, staring at Alvin in disbelief.
Morgan finally reacted, the charm and allure on her face vanished completely, replaced by shock before she cried out,
"Alvin, are you insane?!"
Impossible… he actually handed the poison to Lily with his own hands and let her drink it?
Morgan was filled with utter astonishment.
Then, a surge of indescribable emotion rushed through her chest.
She couldn't even tell what it was, only that her heart was twitching faintly.
That was King Arthur!
The one she had schemed against for years and still failed to defeat, and now Alvin had taken her down effortlessly?
"You… do you even realize what you've just done?"
"I do."
Alvin's expression was a bit complicated as he sighed bitterly,
"It was my mistake… Ever since you came back, I've been naively hoping the two of you could reconcile.
Because I knew, I knew, that deep down, you and Lily still love each other."
"But thinking about it now… yeah, I really was too naive."
"But maybe this is for the best...
After all, in history, King Arthur dies in the end anyway."
Alvin stepped forward, gently took Artoria's small hand, and looked up toward the sky, his face filled with sorrow and loneliness.
"After this, I'll bring her to Avalon to rest forever. From this day forward... you will be the true King Arthur."
After speaking, he lifted Artoria into his arms and turned, step by step, walking toward the exit of the Hall of the King.
Morgan opened her mouth slightly.
She could clearly sense that the "Fated Death" had fully locked onto her sister's life force.
At this moment, Artoria had already fallen into eternal slumber.
And yet, even so, Morgan still felt a sense of unreality.
Did she… actually win?
After all those countless past attempts to kill King Arthur, all of which had ended in failure… and now, she had so easily succeeded in killing her, achieving the dream she had longed for day and night.
Then why…why couldn't she feel any joy at all?
Was it because she no longer cared for the throne?
But even if that were true, now she didn't have to sneak around to have an affair with Alvin..
She didn't have to share him with anyone.
Now, with her sister gone, she could now justifiably be with Alvin…
What was there not to be happy about?
For some reason, an unexplainable frustration welled up in Morgan's chest.
Just as Alvin was about to carry the woman out of the Hall of the King, she suddenly called out to him.
"Wait!"
Alvin halted his steps but didn't look back.
"What is it?"
Morgan stared at his back, at the woman in his arms. After a long silence, she finally said,
"Put her down."
"...I want to talk to her alone."
.
.
P.S: TBH I'm feeling quite frustrated now. I've written a lot of NSFW chapters for various fanfics (this one and the Villain in Greece) and tried really hard to seamlessly merge them with the actual story, but I can't even post them on Patreon.
Because as soon as I upload the chapter, it just gets hidden, with a message..'that I've violated their guidelines. Like really?
You can post porn videos but can't write it..
Now tell me, where should I post them, Literotica?