If You Take the Enemy Prince as Your Knight Chapter 40

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Since it was a situation where I had to go out of my way to please the mad emperor, I needed to prepare. The maids were fully mobilized to dress me up from head to toe. For my outfit, I chose a halter-neck style dress made of vintage green satin. From the upper chest to the neck, black lace embroidered with elaborate climbing roses was layered, creating a design where the elegance of the green and the alluring charm of the black lace harmonized beautifully. My hair was tied up in a ponytail and carefully curled with rollers.

 

I was satisfied, thinking this should be enough, when I noticed Regen staring at me without blinking.

 

“Is it strange?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

What the? As my eyes narrowed, he seemed to come to his senses belatedly.

 

“No, you look beautiful.”

 

“…”

 

“Truly.”

 

There was sincerity in his correction. It seemed his earlier words had slipped out by mistake.

 

I relaxed my gaze, but Demia’s eyes flared up.

 

“To think you’d be lost in other thoughts in front of Her Highness, who’s nothing short of a masterpiece crafted by a master artisan. Be careful, Sir Regen, or you may lose her favor!”

 

“Demia.”

 

When I sternly called her out, Demia clammed up, feigning innocence. Just then, Sione let out a small laugh. The two maids whispered to each other loud enough for me to hear.

 

“Why are you laughing, Sione?”

 

“I was just thinking, if Your Highness is a masterpiece, then are we the artisans?”

 

“Of course. All the maids of the princess’s palace take great pride in their work. And among them, it’s an honor to serve the most beautiful Princess Silver Bird.”

 

“It’s definitely an honor.”

 

Perhaps because they were the same age, Demia and Sione got along quite well. It seems like Demia’s cheerful nature is helping Sione overcome her gloomy past. Of course, there must still be wounds left inside, but if you keep pretending to be okay, sometimes you actually become okay—that’s how people are.

 

I looked at Demia with gentle eyes. “Demia, you’re becoming more and more adept at flattery. I’ll have to punish you.”

 

“What? N-No, You’re your Highness!”

 

“You must eat all the tarts on the table.”

 

“That’s too cru… huh? Ah, yes! I’ll gladly accept my punishment.”

 

“Hamel and Sione must share your punishment too. Eat together.”

 

“Yes, Your Highness.”

 

After finishing our little game of tyrant and maid, I stood up from my seat. As if waiting, Hamel approached, holding an elegant box before me. After carefully handing it to Regen, I explained what was inside.

 

“It’s an ancient magic book. I’m planning to offer it as a gift to win the mad emperor’s favor before extracting information.”

 

“But magic like this has already been lost to time and can’t even be deciphered. Is it of any use?”

 

“Of course not. I’m going to exaggerate its value, saying it contains magic for immortality.” The mad emperor, true to his reputation as a lunatic tyrant, dreamed of ruling the world eternally and reigning like a god.

 

As I openly revealed my scam plan without batting an eye, Regen didn’t criticize my morals but worried about my safety instead.

 

“Will this be okay? If, by any chance, the contents are deciphered later, the mad emperor might accuse you of fraud.”

 

“Let’s just hope the coup succeeds before that happens.”

 

“…”

 

“I’m joking. I’ve already confirmed it’s just an old cookbook. There’s enough plausible deniability to avoid responsibility, so don’t worry.”

 

Regen and I set out for the main palace. Since I had already sent word ahead, the servant was waiting for us even before we arrived. Following the servant, we reached a waiting room in front of the audience chamber. But I wasn’t the only one there.

 

“Hello, Sister Gwen.”

 

“Ah.”

 

My third sister, Gwendellin, who wore her black hair in a thick, voluminous braid, was already using the waiting room. Next to her stood Heinz, a knight with reddish-brown hair.

 

There were plenty of couches, so I sat far away from her. If we’d just ignored each other, things could have been peaceful, but it seemed Gwendellin couldn’t stand my presence. Clutching the instrument she’d brought, she snapped, “Why are you here?”

 

“I have something to ask His Majesty.”

 

“Why did you have to come at this time? You did it on purpose, didn’t you? To make me feel small.”

 

“…”

 

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. If we’re both waiting, His Majesty will call you first, even if I arrive earlier. You came at this time just to show off, didn’t you?”

 

She seemed completely consumed by her victim complex. From experience, I knew responding, whether agreeing or denying, would only give her more ammunition.

 

“Having a hard time earning His Majesty’s favor, are you? Judging by how you’re taking it out on me.”

 

“…!”

 

“Flowers the day before yesterday, desserts yesterday, and now an instrument. But it’s no use. You can’t earn His Majesty’s favor just by sincerity.”

 

“You…”

 

I couldn’t avoid her picking a fight, so I pushed back as well. Seeing her at a loss for words, I wondered if I’d gone too far, so I decided to offer a little advice to make up for it.

 

“If His Majesty asks you for a favor, never accept. It.” I meant it as the best advice I could give, but the result was far from good.

 

“You wouldn’t understand, being the favored one!”

 

Sincerity and conversation only work for people ready to receive them, and Gwendellin wasn’t one of them.

 

“If I don’t at least try this, I can’t stand it! I’ve finally mustered up a bit of courage to try something, so why do you keep undermining my will and belittling my efforts? It’s not like I ever did you any harm. It’s not like I can ever be your match anyway. You don’t even see me as a competitor because you can surpass me so easily!”

 

Suddenly, Gwendellin rose up and stormed out of the waiting room. Sir Heinz left a polite bow and hurriedly followed after her. I realized something for sure then.

 

“As expected, my interference only makes things worse.”

 

Regen tried to console me. “Some lessons can only be learned through personal experience. Everyone needs their own time to understand things.”

 

“That’s right.”

 

I just hoped the cost of her lesson wouldn’t be too high.

 

At that moment, the door to the audience chamber opened, and a middle-aged man stepped out. “What’s all this commotion? Is something wrong?”

 

“Chamberlain.”

 

A middle-aged man with gray hair slicked back immaculately, with a patch of white hair that looked deliberately dyed. He’s Count Ignarun Gildren, the chamberlain and one of the close confidants of the mad emperor.

 

I smiled with my eyes. “Nothing happened. You don’t need to concern yourself.”

 

“I don’t see Princess New Moon here.”

 

“My sister went to fix her makeup.”

 

Not only did the chamberlain avoid forming factions with other nobles, but he’d never even started a family of his own. He’d secured his position simply by serving the mad emperor faithfully for a very long time.

 

On the surface, he seemed like a wise man with no worldly desires, the very image of a loyal servant devoted only to the emperor. But in reality, the chamberlain had desires of his own. His desires are more abnormal and twisted than anyone else’s.

 

He lived for the self-satisfaction of believing he could manipulate the mad emperor to his will—a control freak. That’s why he subtly sowed suspicion and discord in the mad emperor’s daily life. Most of the chaos in the imperial family was also his doing.

 

I was certain that making Gwendellin and me share a waiting room was also part of his plot to plant seeds of discord. But I had no intention of giving him any excuse.

 

“Would you accept this gift first? I brought it for His Majesty.”

 

“This is…”

 

“It’s a magic book believed to relate to immortality.”

 

The chamberlain adjusted his monocle, pretending to examine the ancient magic book. It was really just a cookbook he couldn’t even interpret.

 

“These days, Princess New Moon is so earnest, but when it comes to gifts, one must always consider the recipient’s tastes and needs. In that sense, Princess Silver Bird is truly refined.”

 

“My refinement and taste have only been honed thanks to your passing words of wisdom, Chamberlain.”

 

He seemed pleased at my words, which gave him a sense of efficacy. The chamberlain flung open the doors to the audience chamber.