If You Take the Enemy Prince as Your Knight Chapter 101

“Oh my, flowers!”

 

It was only after hearing the maids’ exclamations beside me that I understood the situation. Regen was holding out a bouquet of lush orange roses to me.

 

Dazed, I asked. “Are those for me?”

 

“Yes. I stopped by the greenhouse and brought them for you.”

 

“All of a sudden…?”

 

Were gifts always this heart-fluttering? Did I actually like receiving presents this much?

 

While I was lost in confusion, Demia chirped playfully. “They say the meaning of orange roses is confession!”

 

As I flinched for no reason, Regen responded calmly. “Is that so? Would yellow roses have been better than?”

 

“No, those mean jealousy!”

 

“How complicated. In any case, there’s no ulterior motive, so please don’t mind the flower meanings.”

 

It was a perfectly reasonable response, so why did I feel a little disappointed? Judging by the absurd expectations I had, it seemed my judgment was slipping. I quickly spoke, planning to escape to my bedroom. “Thank you. I’ll decorate my room with them. You should rest too, Regen.”

 

“Alright. I’ll see you later.”

 

“…”

Was it just my imagination, or did that sound as though he would follow me soon? Even though his voice didn’t have any physical presence, it felt like my wrist was being firmly held. But I quickly realized how ridiculous that thought was. Regen and I had long ago scheduled nightly sessions to heal his mana core. There was no reason to suddenly be conscious of it.

 

I nodded, letting go of my unnecessary wariness. “Got it.”

 

✦

To prepare properly, I took a clean shower and changed into a thin chemise dress. I was standing in front of the vanity, debating whether or not to undo my loosely braided hair, when I heard a knock at the door.

 

“Come in.”

 

The person I had been waiting for all evening opened the door and stepped inside. As always, the moment the handsome man with white hair entered my space, a flutter of excitement spread through my chest. Seeing me rise from the stool, he spoke first.

 

“Shall we move to the couch?”

 

“Sure.”

 

The purpose of this late-night meeting between him and me is to treat his mana core. I thought we would sit side by side on the long couch due to the nature of the treatment, but Regen took a seat across from me instead. Now that I noticed, he had brought a tray with simple drinks and snacks. He placed the tray next to the vase holding orange roses.

 

“It’s non-alcoholic. If you don’t mind, would you care to have a little chat with me?”

 

“I don’t mind, but… all of a sudden?”

 

Did he have something to say? As I looked at Regen curiously, he smiled.

 

“I regret that I was unable to attend to Sasha today.”

 

This is bad. It sounded like he was saying he missed me. It wasn’t my fault. It had to be his charming smile and the deep, resonant tone of his voice. I barely managed to gather the crumbling rationality within me and tried to attach a reasonable explanation to his kindness.

 

“I know. You’re just being considerate because of the memorial rite. You don’t need to act as my brother’s stand-in.”

 

“That’s not it. Since you allowed the conversation earlier, please accept the drink.”

 

A translucent liquid filled the crystal glass. Taking a sip, it tasted like an apple. It was so good that I drank more than half, and Regan refilled the glass again.

 

“How did you spend your time while I was away?”

 

“Nothing special. I went to the memorial altar to offer flowers, then had dinner in the Golden Deer Room.”

 

“Nothing out of the ordinary happened?”

 

“No. Nothing particular… Ah.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“I told Nana about Sir Kilieon’s nickname. She absolutely loved it. Though Sir Kilieon turned red and looked absolutely mortified.”

 

“…”

 

Regan ran a dry hand down his face. He must have been imagining Kilieon storming over later to complain to him, the source of the information.

 

“…As long as Sasha enjoyed yourself, that’s all that matters.”

 

“If Sir Kilieon gives you trouble, let me know. I’ll stop him for you.”

 

“I can handle it on my own, so it’s fine.”

 

“How reliable.” I smiled and reached for the snacks. As I crunched on the nuts, I could feel Regan’s gaze lingering steadily on my lips.

 

From the beginning, I was aware that our nighttime meetings were for healing through physical contact. Thinking it might be time for a kiss, I quietly set down the cashew nut I was eating. I was trying to suppress the excitement bubbling up from my chest, pretending to be calm, as I waited patiently.

 

Regen pushed a plate of snacks toward me. “Please, have some more. There are dried fruits as well.”

 

“…Were you just watching me eat?”

 

Once again, I felt like I was the only one filled with improper expectations. Every time Regen acted so composed, I couldn’t help but feel a bit resentful. Maybe a hint of it showed in my voice, because Regen spoke up.

 

“My apologies. I was reminded of something from the past without realizing it.”

 

“Something from the past?”

 

“Yes. Do you remember when I mentioned meeting one of the empire’s princesses before? It reminded me of that time.”

 

“…”

 

The tips of my fingers, which had been reaching for the dried fruits, flinched. He was looking at me and thinking of someone else. That realization sent an unnecessary flutter through my heart. I wanted to hear more. So I replied, feigning indifference.

 

“That scruffy little chick?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“…”

 

So his opinion hadn’t changed. I felt a little hurt. I should’ve asked in a different way.

 

As I glared at the plate of snacks and aggressively chewed on a piece of dried fruit, Regen’s voice, tinged with laughter, echoed through the bedroom.

 

“Would you like to hear the story?”

 

“…Do as you please.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

He let his gaze drift into the void. It was the look of someone recalling a distant past.

 

“She was a princess my older brother had captured as a prisoner. She had come to the border on a diplomatic trip, but unfortunately, she ended up stepping too close to enemy territory. My brother tried to negotiate a truce in exchange for returning her, but it didn’t go well, and he was furious. For three days, he gave her no food at all and left her unattended.”

 

No matter how calmly the story was told in that deep, resonant voice, it wasn’t exactly a pleasant memory for the person involved. My gaze sank to the depths, as if weighed down by my thoughts. “That must have been terrifying and miserable. You should’ve stopped your brother, Regen.”

 

“I apologize. I was away on a reconnaissance mission at the time.”

 

“I see.” As I replied, I realized my mistake. Without meaning to, I had expressed resentment toward him and even received an apology. That should’ve been the job of the scrappy little chick who was actually involved.

 

Regen didn’t seem to mind and continued his story. “There was an order to leave her to die, but I couldn’t do that. So I saved part of my meals and secretly brought them to her at night.”

 

“…”

 

“She seemed barely conscious, so I poured water down her throat and tore the bread into small pieces to feed her. To be honest, there were some difficulties at first when I tried to feed her the bread.”

 

“Difficulties? What kind of difficulties?”

 

“She kept biting my fingers.”

 

“…”

 

What? What did he just say? I did that?

 

“B-Bit you? For real?”

 

“Yes. It hurt a bit.”

 

“Did it bleed?”

 

“Not to that extent, but it did leave a mark for a moment. Here, around this spot.”

 

He showed me his perfectly smooth right thumb, and my face burned with embarrassment. An apology rose to my throat, but I barely swallowed it back.

 

At that moment, our eyes met, and Regen smiled. “It’s fine.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“You looked like you were about to apologize.”

 

“…”

 

A strange sense of deja vu washed over me. Just as he had accepted my apology earlier as if it were natural, now he was accepting an unspoken apology as if it were his due. Was it just my imagination?

 

Regen’s voice continued. “After she came to her senses, she accepted the food without biting me again.”

 

“That’s a relief.”

 

“What do you think I did with the princess after that?”

 

“You secretly let her go, of course. Sir Regen, you’re the knight of all knights.” The ending was already obvious.

 

“Yes. I released her and regretted it.”

 

“…”

 

Regret?

 

“Because I thought I should have taken her to the kingdom.”

 

“…And what would you have done if you had taken her?”

 

“I would have taken good care of her. So she wouldn’t have to live in fear under the mad emperor.”

 

“…”

 

“I was in a position to do at least that much in the Lohengrin Kingdom.”

 

The possibility of another life that might have unfolded for me was unbearably sweet. I hurriedly shook off the lingering attachment. “In the end, you didn’t take her.”

 

“Because she refused, saying she had an oath to keep.”

 

“…”

 

Is that so? Was it me who refused?

 

A brief silence passed. I fiddled with the crystal glass before cautiously opening my mouth. “Um, you know, Regen.”

 

“Yes, Sasha.”

 

“There’s something I’m curious about.” Even as I began to speak, hesitation gripped the root of my tongue. This question was like pulling out the heavy guilt that had weighed on my heart for so many years.