If You Take the Enemy Prince as Your Knight Chapter 120

The moment we exchanged that secretive-looking promise, the fingertips of my hand Emilio was holding began to hurt slightly.

 

“Come along, Your Highness.”

 

It was exactly the sort of reaction one would have when irritated by the false signal I had staged. I swallowed my sneer. You were the one who let me know you shared the same tastes, Emilio. Did you never imagine it could be used as a weapon against you as well?

 

Walking shoulder to shoulder with the complacent traitor, I moved farther away from Regen. At the end of the long hallway, a spiral staircase led to the spectator seats. The place Emilio and I had to go was the special viewing section prepared on the north side. Naturally, the highest seat there belonged to the emperor, while the surrounding seats were for the princesses, high-ranking nobles, and honored guests.

 

“Then I hope you enjoy yourself.”

 

Only after deliberately kissing the back of my hand did Emilio withdraw. His showy behavior caused a slight stir around us. My sisters, seated nearby, were the same.

 

‘What was that?’

 

‘You brought something strange with you, didn’t you?’

 

The gazes of Sister Orlette and Nanaen seemed to interrogate me.

 

Even Lilliana, seated right beside me, asked outright. “That man is Marquis Hwibrik, right? You said you were interested in him. Were you serious?”

 

“…”

 

Even Shumel, who had been sniffling over worrying about Ciel and had paid me no attention, turned to look at me.

 

I ignored them all. More importantly, there was something eye-catching in the special viewing section. It was the mad emperor’s seat, the highest place of honor, occupying a wide space like a raised platform. With the mad emperor seated at the center of a lavish chair, two knights stood rigidly at his left and right like steadfast walls. On one side, as always, was Dominic Mizekal, called the mad emperor’s sword. But the other side was unfamiliar. At first glance, I had thought it was merely a decoration.

 

The knight, clad from head to toe in glossy black armor, exposed not a single part of his body. Even the eyeholes in the helmet were hidden in shadow. The moment I realized there was, in fact, a living person inside that armor, one piece of information I already had connected to the figure. So that’s him. The dog the mad emperor recently took in. Even merely standing motionless, he radiated intimidation, drawing the attention of many besides me.

 

“Judging by how he stands opposite Sir Dominic, he must be a very strong knight.”

 

“Shu-Shushu somehow finds that knight unsettling.”

 

Nanaen and Shumel whispered in lowered voices.

 

Sister Orlette let out a troubled murmur. “I can definitely feel powerful mana from him. Does that mean His Majesty still retains enough domination power to imprint a knight on Dominic’s level…?”

 

This was the kind of moment that made one feel the goddess’s indifference.

 

Lilliana muttered in a taut voice. “Is he entering the match too?” Compared to the previous two competitions, she was visibly more anxious about today’s extra match, where the princesses’ safety was guaranteed.

 

No one answered Lilliana. All the princesses’ minds were filled with anxiety. If only negative words were certain to come out, it was better not to open one’s mouth at all.

 

Then Lilliana turned to me, seated beside her, and changed the subject. “Sir Dominic…”

 

“…”

 

“He’ll challenge your knight, won’t he? Because he’d want to serve you.”

 

Here we go again. I could not help but furrow my brow. I thought Lilliana had not given up her greed for Dominic and was picking a fight with me again. As I opened my mouth to snap back, a vacant voice came first.

 

“I hope so.”

 

…What?

 

“I hope he doesn’t go to Yulis.”

 

“…”

 

Separate from how rude the remark was, all my will to argue vanished. I had never imagined Lilliana, who had obsessed over Dominic, would worry about Yulis like this. It made me wonder if she had matured a little.

 

Sister Orlette, who had been listening, admonished her. “Lilli, I know you’re anxious, but show some consideration for Sasha. It’s not only your personal knight who is precious.”

 

“…Ah.” Lilliana flinched and dropped her gaze to the floor.

 

There was no clear apology, but my expectations of Lilliana were low to begin with. Even merely looking as though she was reflecting inwardly, like now, was enough.

 

“It’s fine. My personal knight won’t be changing.”

 

When I forgave her coldly, Shumel stopped sniffling and looked surprised.

 

“Sister Sasha doesn’t seem worried or nervous at all. Shushu wishes Shushu could be as calm and thick-nerved as you.”

 

Well, that was because I had made a promise with Regen. To believe in him without wavering.

 

Even without saying it aloud, Shumel seemed to read the answer on her own. “S-Shushu is jealous. Shushu should trust Ciel too. Hic, hngg…” Tears welled in her green eyes. The match hadn’t even started yet, but Shumel had been on the verge of tears nonstop from the moment I first saw her in the stands until now.

 

“Hey, youngest one. At this rate, you’ll collapse from exhaustion.”

 

“D-Don’t talk to me. Today, Shushu really doesn’t feel like talking to a deer.”

 

Nanaen, letting out a deep sigh, turned her head toward me from the opposite side. “Sister Sasha, switch seats with me. She’s so noisy.”

 

“Sure.”

 

Though brusque, Nanaen’s true nature was kind. It was surely her own way of caring for the youngest, who claimed she had a deer allergy and recoiled from her.

 

Just then, the sound of a horn rang out long and loud. The disorderly murmur overflowing in the stands transformed in an instant into cheers full of anticipation. It’s starting.

 

With the announcements, the personal knights entered from five directions of the arena. When they gathered at the center, Marquis Osbond, standing atop the platform, shouted. “From this moment, I will explain the contest in which Their Highnesses’ personal knight positions are at stake. The Knight Wheel Battle!”

 

Waaaaah—!

 

Are you all enjoying yourselves? Why are you enjoying this? I felt as though the crowd’s frenzy would make me sick.

 

“The rules are identical to those previously announced. The personal knights will duel ten imperial guard knights in sequence. A defeated personal knight will be dismissed from his current post, and the imperial guard knight who wins during that turn shall be appointed as the princess’s new personal knight.”

 

“A battle! It’s a battle!”

 

“Fight with your lives to become the princess’s knight!”

 

“Honor and romance! This is it!”

 

From the subjects shouting noble values, nothing could be found except violence and barbarity.

 

“I want to tear their mouths apart.” Sister Orlette voiced the feelings of all her sisters.

 

“To preserve the glory of serving the princess, the personal knights shall fight until the final moment when their lives and mana are exhausted. But that alone would not be enough reward. So we have prepared something.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“What? What did you prepare?”

 

The information Emilio had brought was finally revealed.

 

“A personal knight who achieves victory in all ten rounds may request one wish from His Majesty! Any wish, so long as it falls within what the emperor of the empire permits, shall be granted! A truly unprecedented reward! More than worth staking one’s life for!”

 

Right on cue, the mad emperor ostentatiously waved one hand.

 

“Waaaaah! Long live Your Majesty!”

 

“May the reign of the Great Emperor last forever!”

 

A sudden flood of flattery crashed in from all directions like a tidal wave. This was beyond dizziness now. I felt like I might suffocate.

 

“We shall now determine the order in which the Wheel Battle proceeds. Personal knights, please come up one by one and roll the dice. The lower the number, the earlier the turn. The higher the number, the later the turn!”

 

The results were decided. Kilieon, Noah, Yulis, Ciel, and Regen.

 

Regen is last. That such an advantageous order for the plan had come out could not possibly be a coincidence.

 

I turned my head and cast Emilio a sidelong glance. As expected, he wore a meaningful smile, subtly flaunting his behind-the-scenes manipulation.

 

“Then let us begin the ‘Knight Wheel Battle’. May today be remembered by all of you as the greatest festival.”

 

Waaaaah—! The mad cheers of those eager to see the knights’ blood tore through the air.