If You Take the Enemy Prince as Your Knight

The man who had just finished changing in the adjoining room returned to the parlor. Thanks to the mad emperor’s influence, who valued only beauty, even the Empire’s knight uniforms were designed with a focus on aesthetics.

The coat, cut just above the thighs, was black with gold accents. Epaulets, shoulder straps, finely stitched bias lines, and exquisitely crafted buttons enhanced its elegance. A leather belt cinched tightly at the waist, emphasizing his physique. At the same time, the fitted trousers and knee-high boots highlighted the sculpted lines of his legs. Among the predominantly black ensemble, the deep navy-blue tie around his neck stood out—the color of the Empire’s emblem.

“It suits you well, Sir Regen.”

Hamel’s praise was counterproductive in this situation.

“Leave us.”

Now, it was just Regen and me. He neither sat down nor met my gaze, standing motionless like a statue. It felt as if he were sinking—not just to the floor, but into the abyss. I couldn’t let him get lost in his dark thoughts.

“Sir Regen.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“That’s not what you should call me.”

“…Sasha.”

Considering this as a roleplay, I felt a sudden urge to push his boundaries a little. Using my imagination, I conjured an idealized older brother and little sister in my mind.

I stepped closer until I stood directly before him. Smoothing his collar and adjusting the gold trim, I finally reached his tie, carefully straightening it—only to notice his Adam’s apple bob heavily as he swallowed. It made me instinctively pull my hands away.

“…”

“…”

A sudden awkwardness settled between us. I needed to say something to diffuse the tension.

“That, um, do you want to take a walk together?”

I regretted it instantly. Why would he want to be seen in his new uniform? Yet, his response was unexpected.

“Are you sure?”

“Huh?”

“I thought you preferred me staying out of sight and confined to the chambers.”

I never imprisoned him, though.

“I’d like to hear why you think that.”

“Since giving me a room, you’ve only summoned me for meals and treatments. Even when we crossed paths, you seemed uninterested in my presence.”

“…”

I was just trying not to overwhelm him with attention. Still, now I looked like some indifferent woman who left him neglected out of annoyance.

“That’s a misunderstanding. I only…”

His golden eyes, gleaming like the sunlit ocean at dawn, studied me intently. My heart raced for no reason.

“Please go on. I’m listening.”

“…I thought you needed time alone to sort through your thoughts.”

“…”

His eyes widened, just briefly, as if taken aback.

“I didn’t realize I was being given consideration. My apologies.”

“I’m glad the misunderstanding is cleared up.” After a moment of contemplation, I carefully asked, “Are you feeling better now?”

“Well enough to survive this hell.”

“That’s enough.”

We only needed to endure and lean on each other in this wretched place.

Suppressing the selfish desire to keep him close, I returned to my seat. That was when he turned to me.

“I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“When will you begin the treatment for my mana core?”

“Hmm…”

It was a difficult question. As my silence stretched, suspicion and anxiety flickered across his face.

“Didn’t you say you could treat it? Like the mad emperor?”

“I can do it. Just not in the same way as the mad emperor. There’s a bit of an issue, or rather, a penalty involved, so I need to prepare myself mentally.”

“Prepare yourself mentally?”

“Yes. Something like that. Anyway, just know that we need to get a bit closer to each other for the process to go smoothly.”

“I see.”

I thought he was about to accept that explanation. Instead, he stepped forward until he was directly in front of my chair.

“Then, let’s get close by tonight.”

What? I never expected such a proactive statement from him.

He even extended his hand toward me. “You did say you wanted to take a walk, didn’t you?’

“Ah.” My hand, which had been reaching for my teacup, instead found its way to his.

“I will escort you, Sasha.”

✦

At the heart of the Empire lies the palace where the emperor resided, officially named Helios Palace. Though Regen had said he would escort me, there was no way he knew the layout or structure of the imperial palace. Naturally, the walk turned into me guiding him.

The most important buildings in Helios Palace were threefold. The main palace, where the emperor and noble officials reside; the eastern annex, home of the officially recognized princesses; and the western harem palace, where a thousand concubines lived. Beyond those, the palace grounds housed numerous gardens, mazes, greenhouses, lakes, orchards, and medicinal herb gardens—each sectioned off. Hundreds of statues and fountains adorned the landscape.

“This is more extravagant than any palace I’ve seen.”

“Of course it is. This palace was built to showcase the mad… I mean His Majesty’s magnificence.”

I was about to call it the mad emperor’s vanity but corrected myself in time. Outside my chambers, I had to be careful with my words.

Though it had snowed the previous night, the tree-lined path connecting the annex to the main palace had been cleared, making it easy to walk.

“I like this tree-lined path best in the winter.”

“Don’t most people prefer it when the greenery is lush? Right now, all that remains are bare branches.”

“That’s exactly why I like it. It suits the desolate imperial palace.”

“I see.”

We continued walking, exchanging lighthearted, meaningless words.

“Sasha, excuse me.”

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over me, followed by the soft thud of falling snow. He had raised his arm to shield me from the snow slipping off the branches. His seamless reaction surprised me.

“It’s like you saw the future.”

“I simply sensed it.”

“That’s impressive.”

“It’s normal.”

We resumed walking. As if making an effort to grow closer, he initiated the next conversation.

“I heard the emperor intends to have the princesses compete, using their personal knights to fight in their stead. Are you not curious about my combat abilities, Your Highness?”

“Not really.”

It was hard to respond since I already knew well enough.

Perhaps dissatisfied with my lukewarm reaction, he added, “I can catch an arrow mid-flight if it comes at me right now.”

“I see.” I even nodded in agreement, yet he still wasn’t satisfied.

“When I regain my strength.” He stopped, increasing the distance between us slightly. “If you stay within three steps of my right side, I can protect you, no matter who the opponent is.”

“Got it. We’re getting closer already.”

So pushy.

I already knew his strength. Even in the Magnarod Empire, where knights of unparalleled strength existed, a knight capable of single-handedly destroying a nation was rare across history. Thus, the people of the Empire spared no praise when referring to that knight, calling him ‘the strongest knight in history.’ Yet Regenhart Lohengrin was praised as more than that. He was called ‘the strongest knight since the age of myths. What more explanation could possibly be needed beyond that one phrase?

Just then, Regen scrutinized me as if trying to gauge something. His well-shaped eyes seemed to hide his golden irises for a moment before revealing them again.

“You’re not interested.”

It felt like I was about to be accused of being indifferent again.

“I’m interested. A lot. I just don’t show it.”

“I see.”

His plain response was infuriating. Truly, he was an indifferent man. He had no idea how much effort I had put into saying that.

“Oh my, isn’t that Sasha?”

A deliberately high-pitched voice grated against my ears. Two princesses stood before us in the secluded garden.

“Finally decided to step out of your chambers? It’s been so hard to see you these days.”

The one flaunting her curled, lemon-colored hair while fanning herself with an air of arrogance was Lilliana.

“And this must be the knight you’ve been coddling for the past week?”

The woman with deep green hair cascading over one shoulder, her chin lifted in arrogant scrutiny, was Sehera. These two were the thirtieth and thirty-first princesses, respectively, and they were a year older than me. To be honest, we didn’t get along well.

“So you actually managed to keep that half-dead corpse alive. Let’s see if he’s even remotely presentable—”

As their eyes traveled upward from Regen’s chest to his face, they froze.

“T-This… is the same half-dead corpse from back then…?”

“He definitely didn’t look like this before…”