If You Take the Enemy Prince as Your Knight Chapter 139

The young girl who had been formally invested and entered the detached palace immediately captured the boy’s attention at first sight. With purple ribbons tied on either side of her rippling platinum-blonde hair and a white dress covered in layers of frills, the young girl was exceedingly pretty. Conscious of other people’s eyes, she was trying to put on a stern and dignified expression, walking with determination in her eyes, yet she alone seemed unaware that her left hand and left foot were moving forward at the same time because of her nervousness.

 

Dominic became so absentmindedly absorbed in watching her awkward movements that he lost track of time. The young boy refused to admit that he had become captivated by the tyrant’s daughter. Only after fiercely denying himself and steadying his heart did a ‘proper’ emotion finally wash over him.

 

The girl who had seized all of his attention in an instant irritated him terribly. An inexplicable sense of rejection surged within him, impossible to suppress. More than any imperial family members he had ever seen, he wanted to torment her, break her, and remove her from before his eyes. The feeling was so unfamiliar even to ill-tempered Dominic that he fled from the scene. But strangely enough, when she was no longer in sight, that made him angry too.

 

Even during walks, Dominic deliberately chose routes that passed by the detached palace. When heading to the training grounds, he intentionally took the long way around the palace grounds. As he kept making himself noticed like that, an opportunity to speak with her eventually arose.

 

“Excuse me, I see you around often… Are you a prince? Should I call you brother?”

 

“…”

 

Those light-sky blue eyes, sparkling as though they had gathered light itself, blinked at him. Her clear, bell-like voice rang in his ears from close by.

 

Caught in a situation he had encountered without any mental preparation, Dominic was bewildered. He felt those feelings he had always harbored, the ones wanting to torment her, break her, and make her disappear from before him, taking on concrete form. If she cried in front of him after he bullied her, he wanted to comfort her. He wanted to lightly grasp her with his own hands to see if he could break her. And he wanted to hide her somewhere no one else would ever notice, preferably outside the imperial palace.

 

Suppressing those chaotic urges with great difficulty, Dominic let out a derisive snort.

 

“Brother?”

 

“A-Am I mistaken?”

 

“Please don’t say something unpleasant. Do I look like I’d have blood mixed with someone like you? You’re just the emperor’s daughter.”

 

“…!”

 

Just as he expected. Seeing the hurt expression on her face made him feel so good that his heart throbbed painfully.

 

That night, Dominic could hardly sleep because the princess’s expression kept returning to his mind.

 

After that, Rosasia avoided Dominic more actively than she avoided any other imperial family members. Thanks to that, the boy and girl no longer encountered each other directly, and there was no friction between them.

 

For some reason, Dominic became unsettled. His mind regarded it as a good thing, but his heart was not particularly pleased. He did not know why.

 

Thus, seasons repeated and time accumulated. The princess who had once been nothing but a child gradually grew up. Beginning to resemble a young lady, she received praise from the maids of the detached palace and imitated the manners of a proper lady. Every time he saw her pretending to be elegant; hooking a finger around a teacup handle; lifting the hem of her skirt slightly and walking delicately; or stubbornly forcing herself to read difficult books despite nodding off, He felt as though he would go mad because that tiny thing was ridiculous, laughable, and irritating.

 

That day as well, Dominic was heading toward the training grounds. As usual, he deliberately took the route through the detached palace when he heard the voices of the princess and one of her maids from around a corner.

 

“Your Highness, the banquet is only two days away. Are you sure you don’t need a partner?”

 

“Mmm. I’ll just stay quiet and leave. I’m not even going to dance.”

 

“But it’s your first banquet.”

 

“Think about it, Demia. What if I make some embarrassing mistake while dancing in front of His Majesty? I might receive severe punishment, so it’s better to simply stay still.”

 

“Ah…”

 

Having unintentionally overheard the conversation, Dominic felt his heart beating for no reason. The princess’s first banquet. And her partner’s position was vacant. Dominic himself would also be attending. Driven by an impulse he couldn’t understand, he moved to approach the princess. But the loyal young maid spotted him first and quickly guided the princess away.

 

“Your Highness, let’s take another path today.”

 

“Is there somewhere you want to go?”

 

“Let’s go to the hydrangea garden!”

 

“Very well, let’s do that.”

 

Watching Rosasia turn her back on him and walk away, Dominic felt deeply displeased. Just as he had finally approached her with good intentions, he had been obstructed. It felt as though he had been coldly rejected. All the emotions that had drifted vaguely within him until now gathered together and solidified into anger. Clearly defined emotions made him feel comfortable. He even thought that anger suited him best.

 

Faithful to his feelings, Dominic decided to act however he pleased. Thus, that afternoon, he immediately found fault with the maid named Demia and began tormenting her.

 

“Eat this.”

 

“S-Sir Dominic. Please forgive me.”

 

It happened to be spring. A butterfly resting on a flower had caught Dominic’s eye and was captured for that crime alone. Pinching the fluttering butterfly’s wings between his index and middle fingers, he thrust it toward the little maid.

 

“Mmm. I said I’d forgive you if you eat it.”

 

“S-Sir Dominic.”

 

Demia, who had collided with him by accident, or rather, exactly as Dominic intended, slumped to the ground begging for forgiveness. When Dominic ignored her completely, she tearfully reached her trembling hand toward the butterfly.

 

“What? Can’t eat it because it’s alive? Shall I kill it for you?”

 

It was at that very moment, just as Demia burst into tears.

 

“Stop it!”

 

That shrill cry focused Dominic’s entire attention in an instant. The platinum-blonde-haired girl approached him with an angry expression. For the first time in a long while, he found himself face-to-face with Rosasia. His heart grew restless.

 

A face he wanted to see. No, a face he hated seeing. He was happy. No, he wasn’t. He shouldn’t be. Dominic didn’t know whether to frown or smile. So he frowned first. He felt the existence of emotions within himself that had become hopelessly tangled together, hardened into a thick knot. It seemed that the only way to untangle something so impossible to unravel was to cut it apart with a blade and throw it away.

 

“Let Demia go.”

 

“So this time you’re speaking informally.”

 

“You’re not my brother, so why should I speak politely?”

 

That was right. He was no brother of hers. The filthy blood of the mad emperor did not run through him, and he certainly did not share some disgusting sibling relationship with the princess before him. Oddly enough, merely having that insignificant fact confirmed made him feel better.

 

“This maid carelessly bumped into me and injured me. Do you see this wound near my mouth?”

 

It was a lie. He had inflicted the wound on himself.

 

“I’m already letting such a grave offense pass with only a small punishment, so Your Highness should refrain from interfering.”

 

“As her mistress, I’ll apologize in her place.”

 

“How? Will you eat it instead?”

When the princess calmly held out her hand, Dominic handed over the butterfly with mixed feelings. Rosasia immediately released it and let it fly away.

 

“Tell me another demand.”

 

Her face, entirely devoid of fear, displeased him. Surely in the past she had looked hurt enough to cry at a single harsh word from him. He had loved seeing that expression.

 

Remembering those sleepless nights, Dominic finally realized exactly what he wanted from the princess. He wanted her to cry. Seeing her cry would make his heart beat pleasantly enough to hurt, just like back then. But the princess standing proudly before him did not seem like someone who would cry even if ordered to. It seemed he would have to make her cry himself. That somehow sounded even more enjoyable. Dominic easily came up with a method.

 

Shing. At the sound of the dagger sliding free from its sheath, the spectators around them screamed. Surely the tiny girl would cry at the sight of the gleaming blade. Yet even with the dagger held right before her eyes, the princess merely swallowed once. Her posture and demeanor remained straight. He would have to frighten her more. So Dominic aimed the sharp tip beneath her chin.

 

“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, right?”

 

Come on, cry already. His heart was already pounding in anticipation, and countless thoughts crossed his mind. If she cried and clung to him, he would watch for a moment before pretending he had no choice but to forgive her. Then she would smile in relief. Dominic had never seen her smiling brightly before, but he thought it would suit her. And then, acting reluctant, he planned to offer to be her partner at the ball…

 

At that moment, his hand holding the dagger was suddenly seized.

 

“Y-Your Highness! Kyaaa!”

 

Dominic hastily threw the dagger away, but it was already too late. Directly before him stood the princess, glaring at him with tears brimming in her eyes. A thin red line was drawn across one of her cheeks.