If You Take the Enemy Prince as Your Knight Chapter 71

“…”

 

There was no way he couldn’t understand the implication. Regen took a deep breath, his chest expanding greatly.

 

Sasha mistook it for a sigh. Feeling embarrassed, thinking she might have been too forward, she quickly let go of Regen’s sleeve and clutched the blanket tightly as if to hide herself beneath it at any moment.

 

“Ah, now that I think about it, we already did. Earlier in the day…”

 

At that moment, Sasha’s body was pulled into Regen’s arms. Her eyes widened to their limit, and the only thing she could see was Regen’s face. This handsome man, as if restraining himself, tightly shut his eyes, then swept through her mouth with his tongue before pulling away. When he opened his eyes again, his golden eyes were unfocused, swept away by impulse.

 

With a voice tinged with a bit of self-reproach, Regen spoke. “Why did you have to remind me of that?” Turning me into a shameless man who desires a sick person. He couldn’t bring himself to say the rest.

 

“Re— mmph.”

 

Regen closed Sasha’s eyes and once again captured her lips. While focusing on devouring every sound and breath she gave, he carefully observed her expression. If she showed even the slightest sign of exhaustion or discomfort, he was ready to let her go. But as soon as there was even the smallest gap between their lips, she spoke the words he longed to hear through her ragged breaths.

 

“It’s too short. Give me more.”

 

What a sweet request this was.

 

Holding Sasha, Regen lay down as if collapsing backward. Her soft weight pressing gently on top of him as she sank into the bedsheets felt sweet. He cradled Sasha’s head, pulling her closer as he delved into her through their joined mouths.

 

Even though Regen was indulging as much as he desired, it wasn’t enough. The craving to fill her completely with himself, and in turn, to be filled by her, only grew stronger.

 

8. Imperial Bedroom Education

Late at night, the last spring rain of the year fell. Despite its name, the spring rain was anything but gentle, pouring down as a thunderstorm accompanied by fierce winds swept across the entire imperial palace. The heavy rain soaked the garden’s plants and washed away the soil.

 

Gardeners, clad in raincoats, were busy even at midnight. They hurried to cover ornamental trees with tarps to prevent the flowers from falling and moved potted plants left outside into the greenhouse.

 

Lightning sliced thinly through the night sky. Among the gardeners moving in pairs, one suddenly jumped in fright.

 

“Eek! Hey, didn’t you hear something just now? Like the sound of an animal?”

 

“What sound?”

 

Huaaah— Through the sound of the storm, something resembling a ghostly wail was heard.

 

“You heard that just now, right? That sound!”

 

“Ah, that. It’s probably coming from the sewer.”

 

“What’s in the sewer?”

 

“Did you forget? The punishment from the last competition.”

 

“Punishment…? Ah, right! I almost forgot about that!”

 

The gardener, as if he had never been scared in the first place, started carrying flowerpots without a care. Rain continued to pour down on the spots where their boots had stepped. The muddy water pooled thickly in their footprints before overflowing and flowing along the ditch dug beside them, heading toward the corner of the garden. There, a drainage system had been built to handle the water carried by the various ditches. A massive drain with rusted iron bars crisscrossed like a lattice. It looked almost like an iron cage embedded in the ground.

 

“…”

 

Below, where the muddy water poured incessantly, there was, surprisingly, a person. A man, huddled like a sewer rat and covered in mud, sobbed like an animal.

 

✦

It had already been half a month since the second competition, the ‘Knight Derby,’ had taken place. The distribution of rewards and punishments based on the competition rankings had also been completed. The top-ranked knights, Regen, Kilieon, and Yulis, were awarded splendid ceremonial attire and medals, and the maintenance budgets for the Silver Bird Room, Golden Deer Room, and Orange Safflower Room were increased.

 

The knights who ranked at the bottom, excluding the deceased Heinz, were Ciel and Bellinger. However, Ciel was exempted from punishment due to the results of the final game in the previous competition, in which the princesses had participated.

 

“The knight of the princess who answers correctly will be granted immunity from the penalty in this competition.”

 

The only princess who correctly guessed the winner of the ‘Knight Derby’ was Rosasia. As promised, her knight, Regen, was granted the ‘right of immunity from the penalty,’ and surprisingly, this ‘right of immunity’ took a tangible form and was even transferable. After a brief deliberation, Regen decided to pass the indulgence to Ciel.

 

Bellinger left as the sole target of punishment, and he endured the penalty named ‘Garden Sewer Rat’ for ten days. Though it wasn’t a life-threatening punishment, it was extremely humiliating.

 

Bellinger’s demeanor changed significantly after serving his sentence. The cunningly sociable personality he once had vanished entirely, and he became so reticent that he would only give short answers even when his master, Vivian, spoke to him. Vivian, feeling a heavy sense of responsibility and guilt, tried to care for him, but his recovery did not seem easy.

 

There were no plans for the next competition following the Knight Derby. Now, as spring was bidding farewell and summer was just around the corner, the imperial palace was expected to remain peaceful for a while. It was a good time to catch one’s breath and enjoy the daily routine. However, Regen had a slight issue to deal with.

 

✦

It was in the deepest part of the Silver Bird room, the princess’s bedroom. In the dimly lit space, where the curtains blocked out the light, the sound of something wet echoed continuously without pause.

 

As summer approached, the bedding on the bed had grown thinner, and two figures were entwined together. The princess, sitting upright, and the knight perched on the edge of the bed were locked in a kiss. One was dressed in a single layer of sleepwear that seemed thinner than the bedding, while the other was fully clad in a knight’s uniform. Though the latter should have been the more restrained of the two, it was the knight who deepened the kiss. Their tongues intertwined deeply for a long moment, leaving traces behind as they parted. Their wet lips glistened under the light.

 

“Sasha…”

 

The princess’s eyelashes fluttered as she opened her eyes in response to the name he murmured. Regen gazed at the woman before him as if entranced. Her flushed cheeks, disheveled platinum blonde hair, and slightly dazed eyes, as if intoxicated by the sensations he had given her—there was nothing about her that wasn’t sensual, and it made Regen’s heart race. Unable to resist, he captured her lips again.

 

“Mmm…”

 

A thin moan escaped her, stroking his urges. Even as Regen pressed their lips together as tightly as he could, his body burned with the desire to be even closer to her.

 

With the warmer weather, the princess’s sleepwear had grown more daring. Lately, it barely covered her shoulders. As a result, her fair neck and the prominent lines of her collarbone were fully exposed, all of which were temptations Regen had to endure.

 

“Regen…”

 

The sound of her voice calling his name felt like it was melting his brain. He had to fight against countless urges. Regen wanted to grip her pale, rounded shoulders with his heated hands. He wanted to pull her waist, hidden beneath a single layer of thin fabric, into his arms and press her entire body against his without any space between them. But all of that would be too reckless, so he restrained himself, not letting even his fingertips touch her. Instead, he clenched his fists on the crumpled sheets.

 

Sasha, on the other hand, was not as patient as Regen. During their kiss, she reached out, compensating for Regen’s lack of contact. She wrapped her arms around his head, pulling him closer as if urging him to delve deeper. And that wasn’t the end of it.

 

When Sasha’s hand slid down and stroked his back, Regen’s spine shivered. Even through the layers of his uniform, her touch was unmistakably stimulating.

 

What started as a gentle caress grew more intense as time went on. Her hand, which had been caressing his back, slid up and traced the bare skin of his nape. Her fingers daringly slipped inside his collar, only to retreat and repeat the motion again.

 

Sasha, engrossed in the kiss, seemed completely unaware of what she was doing. It was clear that she was aroused by him. The moment Regen realized that fact, a shiver coursed through his entire body.