If You Take the Enemy Prince as Your Knight Chapter 39

Soon, Dominic turned his back with a sharp motion. “Rest well, Princess Rosasia.”

 

Dominic withdrew. I exhaled like someone who had been holding their breath for too long, unwilling to inhale the stench. My chest rose and fell shallowly. A bitter smile lingered on my lips.

 

The garden path was now empty, leaving only Regen and me. Knowing no one else was watching reassured me, allowing me to let my guard down. I buried my face in my palms. The day had been too exhausting. Pretending to be fine had reached its limit. Dominic’s mockery had pushed me past my breaking point.

 

“In the end, my situation is no different from Sister Sehera’s. The real enemy lies elsewhere.”

 

“…”

 

Raindrops began to fall. It was a bitterly cold winter rain.

 

Regen raised his arm to shield my head. “I’ll escort you back to your chambers.”

 

“…”

 

“You’ll get soaked.”

 

“…”

 

Get soaked. Then does that mean something else is already drenched? Like, perhaps, my heart.

 

The closeness between us fed into my weakened heart. I impulsively talk to him. “Comfort me.”

 

“…”

 

“Comfort me, please.”

 

There was no need for any further request. Regen, who had been looking down at me for a moment, pulled me into his arms.

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

I took a small breath. Despite being the one to ask, I stupidly tensed, my shoulders stiffening.  I worried that Regen might interpret it as a gesture of rejection and politely step back, but instead, he held me even tighter.

 

“You can call me brother if you’d like.”

 

“…”

 

I didn’t want to call him that.

 

“Regen.”

 

“…”

 

I didn’t care if it was selfish or cowardly. But for now, I just wanted to be comforted by my first love.

 

Chapter 5. Tame or Covet

 As expected, Archbishop Gremol was executed within a week. The execution site was right in the middle of the slums where the poor of the capital gathered. Originally, the execution was supposed to be a burning at the stake, with a pile of firewood stacked like a tower. Ironically, however, the archbishop froze to death after half a day.

 

Hamel explained the details to me. “The archbishop prayed and cried out to the goddess until the very end. When it was time for the executioner to light the firewood, something remarkable happened. The commoners who came to watch began removing the firewood stacked beneath him one by one.”

 

“Archbishop Gremol must have been deeply moved.”

 

“Yes. He probably thought the goddess was saving him through the hands of the poor. But in reality…”

 

“They just needed firewood, didn’t they?”

 

With the silent approval of the executioners, the poor took all the firewood meant for the burning. Archbishop Gremol, far from being burned, was left to freeze to death without even a small fire to warm himself.

 

“They say he was burned only after he died.”

 

Apparently, someone who arrived late and couldn’t get any firewood settled for using low-quality kindling.

 

“Poetic justice, isn’t it? After embezzling all those donations.”

 

Though it hardly made up for his sins, at least he provided some relief in the end, so perhaps a small part of his guilt was absolved. Archbishop Gremol didn’t just generously give away firewood. His execution served as an offering to the goddess, significantly increasing my power of dominion.

 

I asked about something else. “It’s been ten days since the dowry auctions. How are my sisters doing?”

 

Ever since witnessing the fate of the princess who was eliminated from the competition, the atmosphere in the detached palace had been as gloomy as the rainy season.

 

“Aside from the two of them, it seems everyone else has mostly recovered.”

 

“You mean Sister Vivian and Sister Gwendellin, right?”

 

“Yes, Your Highness,” Hamel reported in detail. “Princess Blue Wave hasn’t stepped out of her room at all. The maids are quite concerned.”

 

“Sister Vivi has always struggled with anxiety. Bring her medicine to help ease it, and make sure it doesn’t cause any rumors.”

 

“Understood.”

 

“What about Sister Gwen?”

 

“Princess New Moon visits His Majesty every day. It seems she’s trying to win his favor.”

 

“There’s no cure for that. Such a foolish thing to do.”

 

“What should we do?”

 

The fate of those who willingly become the mad emperor’s playthings is never a good one.

 

“She won’t listen even if we try to stop her.”

 

Rather than interfering and making things worse, I could only hope she’d realize it herself soon and step away from the path of ruin.

 

“Besides, I don’t have the time to worry about anything else right now.”

 

I let out a small sigh into my teacup. There was a pressing issue I had to deal with.

 

✦

Regen’s mental realm had changed significantly compared to before. When I first stepped in, it felt eerie, like I had entered a wasteland cursed by a demon. But now, it had transformed into something more like a mystical forest shrouded in a light mist.

 

As the oak tree regained its vitality, the surrounding environment seemed to change, becoming more hospitable to living beings. Perhaps one day, the gloomy clouds in the sky would clear, and sunlight would shine through.  The countless buds sprouting on the branches had all blossomed into young leaves. As small, pale green leaves with tips tinged in red adorned the branches, the oak tree boasted an impressive vigor.

 

I couldn’t help but look forward to seeing how these young leaves would grow. If all the leaves grew into large, vibrant green ones, the tree alone would surely rival the grandeur of a mountain.

 

“If it grows even more…” I let out a soft sigh and brushed my hand along a branch that stretched out magnificently at my eye level. As if responding to me, the young leaves swayed gently in a place where there wasn’t even a hint of wind.

 

I withdrew my hand and closed my eyes. Responding to my will to return, Regen’s mental realm opened a door connecting me back to reality. My consciousness was gently drawn into the doorway.

 

“…”

 

I opened my eyes naturally, without any sense of disconnection. The first thing I saw was Regen’s face, his eyelids slowly lifting in sync with mine. Since my visit had been brief this time, I had woken up while still seated rather than lying down.

 

Regen and I both leaned back slightly to separate our foreheads, which had been pressed together. It was time to deliver some unfortunate news.

 

“Your core recovery has completely stagnated.” The young leaves I had seen in the mental realm had stopped growing for weeks.

 

“…I see.” Regen responded in a subdued voice, as if he had already sensed it.

 

I looked out the window. Silver Bird’s room was on the second floor. The branches outside the window were adorned with the vibrant green of spring.

 

“The leaves stopped growing at exactly that stage. Spring is a beautiful season, but I worry it might last forever.” I absentmindedly touched my lips, lost in thought. “What should I do to break out of this stagnation? If I just sit around waiting for summer to come to Sir Regen’s heart, I’d feel ashamed.”

 

“You’re already doing more than enough.”

 

“Effort alone isn’t enough. I need to try harder. Sir Regen is serious about becoming stronger, aren’t you? You even endured the imprinting for it.”

 

“…”

 

“I’ll make sure to restore your strength. Fixing your core—that was the first promise we made to each other.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Maybe it was just my imagination, but Regen’s response felt lackluster. Wanting to draw a bit more cooperation from him, I spoke up again.

 

“You need to get stronger. That way, even if Dominic tries to harm you, I won’t have to worry.”

 

“That kind of worry…”

 

I thought I heard a faint chuckle in his voice, so I turned to look at him. But it must have been my imagination. Regen’s face was as serious and expressionless as ever.

 

“We need to find a way to break out of this stagnation. Isn’t there any material in the imperial library that might be useful?”

 

“Mana core restoration is a fifth-level dominion authority. It’s the highest level that opens up starting from the mad emperor, so it’s unlikely there are any records from the past.”

 

“Aah, I see.”

 

But there was no need to feel regretful about it.

 

I got up from the couch. “Looks like it’s time for a head-on confrontation to gather some information.”

 

“Surely you don’t mean…”

 

The method is simple.

 

“I just need to ask the mad emperor directly.”