If You Take the Enemy Prince as Your Knight Chapter 110

“…”

 

No answer came back from the close friend who had a sack pulled over his face. That meant there was no longer any excuse to delay.

 

With a pained heart, Emilio swung the axe wide. He remembered every sensation of that moment without missing a single detail. The savage sound of cutting. The cruel feeling was traveling up his screaming arm muscles. The bright red blood splashes into the air. And reflected upon the smooth blade of the axe was his own face.

 

“…Haha.”

 

He was smiling.

 

Reinhardt Lohengrin. The beloved prince cherished by the entire world. Everything about him, and himself, who was nothing more than the creeping, damp shadow beside Reinhardt, had become unbearably tiresome for Emilio. His death made Emilio’s chest ache. Because his heart had pounded so fiercely it hurt. The day Lohengrin’s subjugation ended was also the day Emilio Hwibrik was freed.

 

Breaking out of his thoughts, Emilio set down his teacup and smiled rather refreshingly. “My loyalty lay solely in offering his head to Your Majesty. I held no personal feelings in carrying out what was necessary.”

 

“A boring answer.” Such an utterly inhuman reply bored the mad emperor.

 

As someone who needed to prove his loyalty, Emilio decided to entertain the mad emperor a little. “May I explain why I was able to act without hesitation and do my utmost?”

 

“I permit it.”

 

“Your Majesty, I have no interest in the world after my death.”

 

“…”

 

“Whether my decision is praised as the best or condemned as the worst, does it not only matter if I am alive to hear it? By my standards, the world exists only when I exist within it.”

 

“A thoroughly self-centered way of thinking.”

 

“Isn’t Your Majesty the same?”

 

“What did you say?” The mad emperor’s eyebrow rose.

 

An ordinary person would have chosen their words carefully to avoid offending the mad emperor, but Emilio’s tongue only grew bolder. “I have heard that Your Majesty seeks an elixir of immortality. Only five imperial princesses now remain in the imperial palace. Though a succession competition is publicly underway, is it not true that Your Majesty has no intention of passing on the throne?”

 

The air around the table grew heavy. Yet Emilio behaved as though he possessed several lives.

 

“Your Majesty does not think about the future. If I may dare to speculate, this is not merely indifference toward how the Empire will fare after Your Majesty disappears. It goes beyond that.”

 

“Beyond that, you say?”

 

“Does Your Majesty not believe that when you disappear, this world itself ought to disappear as well?”

 

“…”

 

Even the chief chamberlain holding the teapot flinched at the extremity of the statement. It was practically a form of psychological geocentrism.

 

“This is… rather interesting.” The stiff line of the mad emperor’s mouth curled upward. It was a practical affirmation. “What a bold young man. To wag your tongue so freely even before me.”

 

Emilio bowed his head as if apologetic.

 

The conversation ended there. The mad emperor’s brief interest quickly scattered. Peering into his own inhuman abyss was far less entertaining than watching another person’s human hell.

 

At that moment, the chief chamberlain, who had briefly stepped outside the greenhouse, returned with welcome news. “Your Majesty.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Princess Silver Bird requests an audience.”

 

“Hoo, the timing is good. Marquis Hwibrik, I shall introduce you to my daughter.”

 

“I am honored, Your Majesty.”

 

The mad emperor laughed with satisfaction. A perfectly suitable person had walked in on their own to take over the troublesome duty of entertaining a guest. Besides, watching Dominic come running from the training grounds the moment he heard Rosasia’s name would surely be amusing.

 

“Let her enter.”

 

For such casual and careless reasons, the mad emperor permitted Sasha’s entrance. But what followed exceeded his expectations.

 

“Endless glory to the reign of the great emperor. Rosasia of the Silver Bird greets Your Majesty.”

 

“…!”

 

The mad emperor did not miss Emilio’s eyes widening in surprise.

 

“That person.”

 

The cold-blooded strategist, who seemed to possess no weaknesses, failed to hide his agitation. His gaze would not leave the beautiful princess.

 

The shock plainly revealed was unmistakably human. And the mad emperor’s favorite pastime was observing humanity. A smile crept onto the mad emperor’s lips. It felt as though an amusing spectacle was about to unfold.

 

✦

Flowers blooming in every direction, tempted both sight and smell. It was far too beautiful a place to introduce someone to Regen’s enemy.

 

While I politely gathered the hem of my dress and performed my greeting, I had Regen stand slightly behind me, suppressing his presence. I had carefully arranged his position and angle, hidden from the mad emperor’s view, yet clearly visible from Marquis Hwibrik’s.

 

Raising my head, I examined Emilio Hwibrik. His faded, ash-gray eyes were fixed on me as if entranced. Anyone seeing him now would think he had encountered his destined partner. And in truth, Emilio Hwibrik was experiencing a fateful meeting. Not with me, but with Regen. I smiled brightly like a flower, so that the mad emperor would misunderstand and believe Emilio’s attention belonged entirely to me.

 

“Hahaha! Marquis Hwibrik, you cannot take your eyes off the Princess Silver Bird.”

 

Yes, just like that.

 

“…”

 

Emilio came to his senses a moment late but remained silent. He must have judged that accepting the misunderstanding was better than correcting it.

 

Now, it begins. I, acting with all my strength, to draw out the mad emperor’s misunderstanding. A traitor forced to accept an uncomfortable misconception to conceal past mistakes. It was time for us to perform this farce together in harmony.

 

“Sasha, come closer and exchange greetings with Marquis Emilio Hwibrik.”

 

Imitating the women of the harem, I walked lightly and stopped before Emilio. Smiling with curved eyes, I deliberately extended the back of my hand more gently and slowly. This, too, was a gesture embodied from watching the harem women.

 

“I am Rosasia Trinite Magnarod, the third princess of the Magnarod Empire.”

 

“I, Emilio Hwibrik, greet Your Highness the Princess Silver Bird.” His etiquette was at least worthy of the respectable shell he wore. His lips briefly touched the back of my hand in a flawless kiss before withdrawing. But for some reason…

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

After the hand-kiss ended and we faced each other properly, he stared at me for an uncomfortably long time.

 

Why now of all times? But thinking about it, it wasn’t strange. Until now, his attention had been entirely on Regen. This was likely the first time Emilio had truly looked at my face.

 

“Marquis Hwibrik?”

 

“…Ah, my apologies. Your Highness is simply too beautiful.” He quickly returned to his indifferent demeanor.

 

Was that an act? If he was deliberately strengthening the mad emperor’s misunderstanding that he was interested in me, then it was impressive. Even I had nearly been fooled.

 

“You flatter me,” I replied with a faint smile before glancing at the mad emperor. The mad emperor was surely growing bored with the conversation by now, so I moved like the tongue within his mouth, perfectly attuned. “Your Majesty, I came because I was very curious about the hero of the Eastern Front. If you permit it, I would like to personally show Marquis Hwibrik around the imperial palace.”

 

“Hoo.” Naturally, the mad emperor was more cooperative than ever. “What do you think, Marquis Hwibrik?”

 

“It would be my honor.”

 

“There you have it. Sasha, treat our distinguished guest well.” Having granted permission, the mad emperor rose from his chair. As he prepared to leave first, he deliberately mentioned his destination. “I must head to the training grounds. It is time to feed the new dog I recently acquired.” It seemed he had developed yet another unpleasant hobby.

 

Holding my dress, I bowed and saw the mad emperor off. Soon, he disappeared from sight, but his eyes and ears, the imperial guard knights, remained scattered everywhere, so Emilio and I continued our performance.

 

Wearing a gentle mask, Emilio turned toward me with a smile. “I look forward to your guidance, Your Highness. And—” His ash-gray eyes rolled slightly, shifting just past me. “Your personal knight.”