If You Take the Enemy Prince as Your Knight Chapter 47

“W-What the…!”

 

A young man with red hair dressed in black suddenly appeared from behind. The timid young noblemen were startled as if confronted by a grim reaper, then, realizing the stranger was wearing a personal knight’s uniform, became twice as indignant.

 

“What did you just say? Know your place? How dare a mere personal knight insult a noble? Are you out of your mind?”

 

“And insulting the imperial family is perfectly sane?”

 

“W-When did we ever?”

 

“Alright, that’s enough.”

 

Raval stepped in, blocking the indignant young noblemen as if to mediate. At first glance, it seemed he was trying to calm things down, but his gaze, scanning the red-haired personal knight from head to toe, was filled with hostility.

 

“Sir Kilieon, was it? It seems Princess Golden Deer is away… Should a dog cause trouble while its master is away?”

 

“What? A dog?”

 

At the insulting remark, Kilieon’s eyes flared with anger. He had stepped in, unable to suppress his hot temper after Nanaen was unpleasantly mentioned, but Kilieon was never one skilled with words to begin with.

 

With his sharp tongue, Raval was having the time of his life. How thrilling it was to unilaterally insult a young man who seemed to advertise himself as an exemplary gentleman from head to toe. With Nanaen absent, it was the perfect time to toy with Kilieon.

 

“Oh, my apologies. Honestly, you’re worse than a dog. At least dogs are known to be sociable, but you don’t seem to be. Could it be that you missed out on socialization training?”

 

“You…!”

 

“You’d be better off returning to your master and starting your training all over again. With such poor social skills, it’s no wonder you barge into gentlemen’s conversations and ruin the mood.”

 

Low, mocking laughter echoed around Raval. Kilieon’s fists trembled with humiliation and rage.

 

“What an amusing conversation you’re having.”

 

“Gasp…!”

 

Sasha’s arrival shifted the atmosphere. With platinum hair like sand on a white beach, wearing a dress that exposed one shoulder and was adorned with a large corsage, she looked as beautiful as ever.

 

“Show your respects to Princess Silver Bird.”

 

The young noblemen, who had been gawking at her beauty, snapped out of their daze at Regen’s voice and hurriedly bowed. Their eyes, however, remained glued to Sasha’s face, leaving their postures awkward and ridiculous.

 

Sasha stepped forward, shielding Kilieon behind her as if to protect him from Raval. “It seems you were discussing social skills.”

 

“Y-Yes, Your Highness.”

 

Raval was both elated and proud that Sasha spoke to him. He was convinced that his prediction was correct—that the princess, desperate for marriage, would approach him.

 

Sasha gave a dry smile, raising only the corners of her lips. “Social skills often mean aligning oneself with the level of the group. So, when the group itself is low-class, having good social skills isn’t exactly a compliment, is it?”

 

“Pardon…?”

 

Raval, who had stupidly asked again, finally understood the meaning after a moment and felt his face flush with heat. He had just been called low-class to his face. Yet, he couldn’t utter a single word of protest. If the princess had overheard their unrestrained ‘men-only’ conversation earlier, he could even be charged with defamation. The thought made him dizzy.

 

“You’d better watch what you say, all of you.”

 

“Y-Yes…!”

 

At the stern warning devoid of any humor, the young noblemen scattered as if fleeing for their lives. Raval, perhaps out of pride, forced a smile and remained in place.

 

“Princess Silver Bird, I was merely humoring them for a moment…”

 

“Her Highness isn’t interested. Leave.”

 

Raval, flustered, quickly raised his head to look at Regen, but his spirit was immediately crushed. Just meeting Regen’s gaze felt as threatening as having a blade pressed against his throat. In the end, Raval broke into a cold sweat and fled as well.

 

On the neatly trimmed lawn, Sasha turned to look at Kilieon. He had his lips tightly sealed, sulking like a child.

 

“I believe I just helped you.”

 

“Are you expecting gratitude?”

 

“No.”

 

The crisp denial left Kilieon momentarily flustered.

 

“There’s Nanaen over there. Go ahead.”

 

“…”

 

Her indifferent gaze almost made it seem like she found Kilieon bothersome. Kilieon stepped back, looking dazed.

 

Sasha immediately grabbed the hem of her dress and turned toward Regen. “Sir Regen, shall we take a walk around the lake?”

 

Regen felt strange. Her gentle, kind tone now seemed a complete reversal from the cold way she had just dismissed the men. The contrast was so stark that Regen almost mistook her words earlier as sweet whispers meant for a lover.

 

“Do you not want to?”

 

“Of course not. I’d be honored to accompany you.”

 

Regen was always polite, but at this moment, he escorted Sasha as if to protect her from the entire world.

 

The earlier incident was still on his mind, so Regen spoke up. “Sasha. I apologize on behalf of Sir Kilieon for his rudeness.”

 

“Why should you, Sir Regen?”

 

“…”

 

Now that he thought about it, he had no real reason to explain it to Sasha. Regen couldn’t exactly reveal that they were cousins.

 

“Can’t even answer, can you?”

 

Sasha let out a small laugh and turned her head forward. Her willingness to let it go without pressing further left Regen confused. He began to wonder if the princess already knew everything about him.

 

Sasha glanced around briefly before finally looking at Regen. “Everyone’s staring at you, Regen. Maybe you stand out more now that you’ve taken off your eyepatch.”

 

“I’m not sure. I think they’re all looking at you, Sasha.”

 

“Really? If that’s the case, no one seems to be talking to me, though.”

 

“That’s because…”

 

Unlike the other princesses, Sasha always kept Regen, her personal knight, close by her side. All the princesses’ knights were outstanding men, even at a glance. In a setting where men were openly competing for attention, the young noblemen wouldn’t want to be seen standing next to a personal knight. It would only put them at a disadvantage. That’s why the other princesses made a point of keeping their knights at a distance during social activities. But Sasha did the exact opposite.

 

As soon as she entered the picnic grounds, Sasha was escorted exclusively by Regen, as if they were on a date. Even in unavoidable situations, she refused to be more than two steps away from him. With her attitude being so clear, it was only natural that any man who wasn’t particularly bold would give up on approaching her.

 

Regen, unwilling to provide an answer, kept his mouth shut but soon realized something. There was no way the intelligent princess didn’t understand the message her actions and demeanor conveyed to the men around her.

 

“Sasha.”

 

Suddenly, Regen was curious.

 

“Are you… not interested in men?’

 

Her response was straightforward.

 

“I’m not interested in marriage yet. I just don’t feel the need for it.”

 

“Need, huh.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Regen thought it was a very fitting answer for her. She was someone aiming for a coup. Acting based on necessity was only natural for her. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a bit bitter. If she were to choose based on necessity, Sasha’s partner would undoubtedly have to be a young noble from a powerful family who could bolster her political influence. Not a knight who was once a war prisoner without a name. His thoughts, along with his mood, grew heavy.

 

“Come to think of it, maybe I should start looking for a fiancé.”

 

“…What?”

 

“For assassination purposes. Who knows, maybe Dominic will take care of it for me?”

 

“…”

 

It took Regen a moment to realize she was joking. Humor had always been the hardest thing for him to adapt to when it came to Sasha, but today it was especially difficult.

 

“You don’t need to get engaged. Just ask me instead…”

 

“Hearing Sir Regen says that makes it sound serious.”

 

Regen was half-serious.

 

Though the conversation had been a bit of a shock to his heart, Regen managed to glean an important piece of information about Sasha. She didn’t have a fiancé yet. That fact brought Regen an honest sense of relief.