If You Take the Enemy Prince as Your Knight Chapter 41

“His Majesty has summoned you. Please, come in.”

 

At last, the time had come. I took a quiet, deep breath and stepped into the audience chamber. A red carpet, as if symbolizing a path of blood, stretched before me. At its end stood the grand imperial throne, crafted from pure gold and encrusted with jewels.

 

The mad emperor, sitting with his legs crossed and exuding arrogance, still flaunted a youthful appearance that belied his true age. He brushed aside his deliberately loosened bangs with his hand as he greeted me. “My daughter, what brings you here today?”

 

“Endless glory upon the Great Emperor’s reign. Rosasia of Silver Bird greets His Majesty, the great emperor of the Magnarod Empire.” I curtsied gracefully, lowering my dress with a sense of decorum, as if paying homage to the throne rather than the monster wearing a human mask.

 

“Rise, my daughter.”

 

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

 

I had prepared myself to smile sweetly, like a flower. However, the moment I straightened up and lifted my head, I nearly lost my composure. It was because a tall figure emerged from behind the throne. That figure is Dominic Mizekal, the golden-haired knight who’s considered the finest among the mad emperor’s hounds.

 

“Sir Dominic has been eagerly awaiting your audience. Why don’t you exchange greetings?”

 

I had no choice but to offer the back of my hand to Dominic, who approached with a sly, pretentious smile.

 

“Dominic Mizekal greets the beautiful Princess Rosasia.”

 

“I heard you were heading to the southern front.”

 

“It got postponed.”

 

“That’s rather…”

 

“Disappointing, isn’t it?”

 

“…”

 

“If only a certain lady had given me a handkerchief, I would have left without hesitation.”

 

Since he was talking to himself, I saw no need to reply. I simply curved my lips into a polite smile and withdrew my hand.

 

Dominic returned to his place, standing motionless as one of the knights flanking the mad emperor, like a living screen. In the meantime, the chamberlain handed my gift to the mad emperor. After hearing the explanation, the mad emperor’s eyes sparkled as if he found it quite impressive.

 

“Hoo, a secret manual of immortality.”

 

“I’m glad to demonstrate, not only in words but in actions, my wish for Your Majesty’s eternal reign. Please accept this humble gift favorably, even if it’s lacking.”

 

“Since it is a gift from my daughter, of course, I shall.”

 

Once I had won the mad emperor’s favor, everything proceeded smoothly.

 

“Sasha, I doubt you have come here simply to seek more affection. What brings you before me?”

 

“I have something to ask, Your Majesty. It’s a matter Your Majesty can answer for me.”

 

“Speak.”

 

Though I was accustomed to concealing information from the mad emperor, the urgency of the situation left no room for that, so I told him the plain truth.

 

“Your Majesty, your daughter’s inadequacy has left Sir Regen’s mana core treatment to hit a wall. I wish to know how to break through this stagnation.”

 

The mad emperor, the chamberlain, and Dominic all turned their gazes to Regen. Though their gazes weren’t friendly, Regen, who had maintained perfect posture with his head bowed, left no fault to find. Even in that posture of submission, that man looked so handsome.

 

The mad emperor’s indifferent voice broke the silence. “For a spoil of war you picked up, his mana is quite extraordinary. Are you sure you’re not mistaking him for being fully healed?”

 

“In my judgment, it doesn’t seem like his mana core has completely recovered yet.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

Could it be that even the mad emperor didn’t know the answer either? I endured facing this monster for the sake of results. If I left empty-handed, it would be a bitter waste.

 

At that moment, the mad emperor stretched his lips into a sly smile. Normally, that unique smile would provoke discomfort and unease, but just for this moment, I welcomed it. It was clear that he knew the answer.

 

I quickly paid my respects. “Please grant your ignorant daughter your guidance, Your Majesty.”

 

“Very well. I’m in a good mood today.”

 

His consent came much more readily than I expected.

 

The mad emperor propped his chin on one hand and posed a question to me. “First, recite the five stages of the dominion.”

 

“In order: charm, control, imprint, enhancement, and restoration.”

 

“What stages have you used on your direct knight so far?”

 

“The third stage, imprint, and the fifth stage, restoration.”

 

“That’s the reason.”

 

“…”

 

His answer was too vague.

 

“Forgive me, but this daughter is too dull to understand.”

 

“From the third stage, the order becomes important. But you skipped the fourth stage and jumped to the fifth. That’s why your knight is stuck and unable to fully accept the power.”

 

“So that means…”

 

“Use the fourth stage, the enhancement, on your knight. That will solve everything.” It was a clear and straightforward answer.

 

“Thank you immensely for your guidance, Your Majesty.”

 

For the first time in a while, I was able to speak in a genuinely joyful tone without any effort. But when I respectfully raised my head again, what I saw was unsettling.

 

The mad emperor, propping his chin at an angle, was smiling with gleaming eyes. Dominic, standing beside him like a statue, wore an uncharacteristically sour expression. It would have been better if both had been smiling, but the discordant look on Dominic’s face only made me more nervous.

 

It was then that the mad emperor, who had seemed unusually forthcoming, revealed his true colors. “Come to think of it, my daughter. Do you know how to enhance your knight’s mana?”

 

“…”

 

Normally, matters relating to power were personally passed down by the emperor to his heir. Since the mad emperor never fulfilled his role properly as either father or emperor, all my knowledge was self-taught. So I recited what I knew.

 

“I understand it as granting increased mana in exchange for the knight’s loyalty and devotion.”

 

“Loyal and devotion aren’t material things, so how do you receive them?”

 

“By giving the knight opportunities to prove those things…”

 

“Did you read that in a book?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“That’s just a theory.”

 

I was the one feeling regretful. If I could just heal Regen’s Core, I would bow my head toward the imperial throne as many times as it took.

 

“Your Majesty, this humble daughter seeks your guidance.”

 

“It just so happens there’s a knight here who has mastered through real experience.”

 

Following the direction of his gaze, I saw Dominic.

 

“Sir Dominic is the finest knight, personally trained by me since his youth.”

 

“…You flatter me, Your Majesty.”

 

Dominic’s lips curved into a faint smile. But his eyes, as if staring into empty space, showed no trace of amusement, and his voice trembled subtly along with the corners of his mouth. It was the first time I had seen Dominic so unsettled.

 

The mad emperor savored this moment of unease with a playful air before turning to me. “Sasha, I’ll teach you how to have your knight prove his loyalty and devotion. There are two methods. First, loyalty is about taming.” He moved his scepter and lifted Dominic’s chin in a degrading manner. “Train them like a dog. If they submit meekly to their master even after harsh treatment and never resist, that’s proof of loyalty.”

 

“…”

 

Dominic’s lips trembled even more. His eyes were wide open, filled with tension, yet strangely unfocused. Anyone with half a brain could tell the words were laced with an implication of violence.

 

I hurriedly tried to escape from the harsh topic. “And the other method… what is it?”

 

“Devotion is about desire. Make the knight give you everything they have, without holding anything back, and take it all. The more exclusively and the more ‘first’ they offer themselves to you, the better the proof.”

 

The mad emperor even gave an example. His cold gaze turned toward Regen. “Even a knight who’s a spoil of war with nothing to his name still has a body. And since he’s got a fine shell, wouldn’t it be pleasurable to take it for yourself?”

 

“…”

 

It was the worst possible example.

 

As I couldn’t bring myself to lift my head, a sly voice slithered into my ears like poison. The devil was urging me to make a choice.

 

“Sasha, which method will you choose?”