If You Take the Enemy Prince as Your Knight Chapter 100

As soon as I said that, Nanaen’s expression turned serious. “Huh? Is it something important?”

 

“Yeah. It’s about your personal knight.” I couldn’t be the only one who knew Kilieon’s nickname.

 

“Uuh, about Kilieon? D-Don’t tell me that wildcat caused trouble again?”

 

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing like that.”

 

“Alright…”

 

I comforted the ever-worried Nanaen while suppressing a laugh inside. The steps toward the Golden Deer Room felt light and enjoyable.

 

✦

“Her Highness is in the Golden Deer Room. I was told she’ll be bringing her dinner there as well.”

 

That was the news Demia delivered when Regen returned to the Silver Bird Room after finishing his training. From early this morning until now, the time spent training in the training grounds meant he hadn’t seen the princess all day. Normally, he would have felt a pang of regret, but today was a little different.

 

Regen put down the towel he had been using to dry his damp hair and spoke. “Then I’ll continue training until Her Highness returns.”

 

“Pardon? You’re going back to the training grounds? You just finished washing up!”

 

“Yes.”

 

“But Her Highness will probably be back within an hour.”

 

“An hour is enough time to accomplish a lot.”

 

“Re-Really? Uh, um, alright then.” Because of Regen’s usual image as a loyal knight, Demia let it slide without much thought.

 

Regen immediately left the Silver Bird Room. He didn’t go to the training grounds. Instead, his steps led him to the underground hallway of the annex, where the memorial altar of the princess and princes was located.

 

The candles were almost extinguished, as if no more visitors were expected. Regen picked up one of the candles. For someone with sharp night vision like him, this faint light was more than enough.

 

No wonder Her Highness speaks of ghost stories. The memorial altar set up underground was eerie. Walking straight down the hallway, it felt as though the gazes of the figures in the portraits were following him.

 

Regen examined the portraits one by one. He passed by the princes’ portraits as if they didn’t interest him at all, but he lingered much longer in front of the princesses’ portraits than he would when admiring a masterpiece. His gaze seemed to go beyond mere observation, as if comparing them to a face he already knew.

 

Not here. His steps reached the end of the hallway. He had checked all the princesses’ portraits, but he hadn’t found what he was looking for. Instead, he found something unexpected.

 

“Regen.” The name he murmured was his own, yet not his own. It was the name written beneath the portrait of one of the princes. A faint chuckle escaped the lips of the handsome man. “The older brother one.”

 

Regen had seen enough of the portraits. He returned the candle he was holding to its original place. If it’s not here, it must be somewhere else.

 

Regen ascended to the surface. His next destination was the main palace. The summer days were long. The garden was still as bright as midday when he crossed it and arrived at the grand and magnificent main palace. Aware that his actions were somewhat improper, he tried to avoid drawing attention to himself as much as possible. However, Regen’s plan went awry the moment he set foot in the main palace’s wings.

 

“You must be a knight directly serving Princess Silver Bird. What brings you here alone?” The chief chamberlain, mad emperor’s lackey, feigned a friendly smile as he greeted Regen with courtesy.

 

Regen, unfazed, responded with polite decorum. “I have a task to complete, so I’m looking for the childhood portraits of the princess.”

 

“Oh, a task, you say? How intriguing. Did Princess Silver Bird assign it to you?”

 

“In a way, yes. Would it be possible to ask for your assistance, Chief Chamberlain?”

 

“Of course. Allow me to guide you.”

 

Perhaps because he had nothing better to do or found it amusing, the chief chamberlain willingly accommodated Regen’s request. Though in the process, Regen had to endure a slight affront to his sensibilities.

 

“His Majesty cherishes the princesses as if they were works of art. He greatly enjoyed observing the process of their budding beauty blossoming into full bloom, to the point that he often summoned artists to paint their portraits. Although most of the princesses have passed away, their doll-like beauty has been immortalized in these paintings. Isn’t that a blessing in its own way?”

 

How was this any different from a serial killer collecting the belongings of their victims? Regen suppressed his contempt and murderous intent.

 

The chief chamberlain led him to the upper hallway of the eastern wing. It was a place Regen had never set foot in, as it was separate from the central hall. As soon as they entered the hallway, familiar faces came into view. The portraits of eight princesses were displayed, depicting them in relatively recent appearances.

 

“Tsk, we’ll have to take down Lady Sehera and Lady Gwendellin’s portraits soon. Though they survived, they’ve lost their titles, so they no longer deserve a place here.”

 

Ignoring the chief chamberlain’s words, Regen found himself captivated by Sasha’s portrait. Her hair was half-tied high, adorned with cameos and pearls, exuding beauty. The princess, slightly younger and with a much colder expression than now, felt both unfamiliar and fascinating. Yet, her breathtaking beauty remained unchanged. He was startled by the intense desire rising within him to possess this painting.

 

“This is one of His Majesty’s prized possessions. He is always pleased whenever he sees it, as it resembles him so closely.”

 

“…”

 

The chief chamberlain simply wouldn’t let Regen focus on his emotions.

 

Regen decided to stay true to the purpose of his visit. “Can I see portraits of the princesses when they were younger?”

 

“Of course. There are family portraits. This way.”

 

There were three consecutive portraits of the princesses as children, each featuring eight of them together. Regen carefully took in the young girls’ lifeless expressions, then suddenly stopped in his tracks. Among the more than twenty girls, there was just one. One who instantly captured his gaze. His golden eyes widened.

 

“Chief Chamberlain.” His eyes were still fixed on one girl in the painting, unable to look away. He clenched his jaw tightly to keep any tremor from seeping into his voice as he asked. “The one with the blue ribbon… Who is that princess?”

 

“Hahaha.” The chief chamberlain let out a hearty laugh. “As expected of a knight bound by the imprint. You recognize your master right away.”

 

“…Are you saying that’s Princess Silver Bird?”

 

“That’s correct.”

 

“…”

 

Regen took a deep breath. Even after circulating the air in his lungs, the overwhelming sensation filling his body refused to subside. He stared at the girl in the painting, forgetting even to blink.

 

The girl in the painting tied her platinum blonde hair on both sides with a thin blue ribbon, staring straight ahead with a pretty yet expressionless face. A young girl pretending to be mature. It felt as if the girl in the painting was speaking to him.

 

“I have an oath to uphold.”

 

The trembling in his heart didn’t subside. Instead, it spread all the way to his fingertips.

 

“Thank you, Chief Chamberlain. Thanks to you, I was able to finish my task as well.”

 

“Think nothing of it.”

 

As Regen politely bowed to take his leave, the chief chamberlain made a playful remark. “Now, you’ll have to present your task to Princess Silver Bird. I hope you receive good results.” He had no idea how much his words had caught Regen off guard.

 

Regen stifled a laugh. There was no need for a lengthy response. “Yes.”

 

✦

By the time I returned to my quarters after having dinner with Nanaen, the sun was setting, casting a warm glow over the horizon. Considering how long summer days were, I must have stayed quite a while.

 

It had been surprisingly fun to subtly interrogate Kilieon and extract bits of information. Thanks to that, I had learned a lot about Regen. And I managed to uncover quite a bit about the traitor too. Feeling pleased with the valuable outcome, I opened the Silver Bird Room door.

 

“Your Highness, welcome back!”

 

Demia and Sione, who were resting in the parlor, greeted me warmly as soon as they saw me. Since I had gone out with Hamel, it meant only one person was missing.

 

“Where is Sir Regen?”

 

“Right here.”

 

A deep, resonant voice came from behind me. Just as I was about to wonder why he had returned home later than I, something unexpected filled my vision.