If You Take the Enemy Prince as Your Knight Chapter 73

“Apparently, he took some medicine that didn’t suit his age on their wedding night and died. Sehera ended up joining a convent after that.”

 

“A convent… Maybe that’s for the best…”

 

Shumel nodded as if relieved. Better to live as a servant of the goddess, preserving some shred of honor as a princess, than to be sold off as a sl*ve to a man. They were all about to wish for the same kind of fortune to come to Gwendellin, but Nanaen stopped them.

 

“I don’t think Sister Gwendellin would want that.”

 

“What? Why not?”

 

“How could someone who worships men possibly adapt to a place with only women? That type of person can only find happiness in a man’s arms. It doesn’t matter if he’s old and sick, or even violent.”

 

Even Sasha, who had been silent with a cold expression until now, chimed in. “Think about the convent’s position too. They wouldn’t want to take her in.”

 

“You’re speaking as if it’s your decision to make.”

 

“…”

 

At Orlette’s sharp remark, Sasha closed her mouth.

 

Vivian, who looked particularly unwell today, muttered gloomily. “Whatever it is… it’s miserable… I want to escape…”

 

As the atmosphere grew somber, the auction came to an end. The princesses, who had stayed to witness Gwendellin being handed over, left one by one with dark expressions. Orlette and Shumel supported Vivian, who looked as if she might collapse at any moment. Sasha watched them quietly for a while before finally being the last of the princesses to rise from her seat. She exited the opera house, escorted by Regen, who had been waiting nearby.

 

Sasha, her gaze lowered as if deep in thought, walked slowly. Regen adjusted his pace, ensuring she stayed closer to him as they walked.

 

“Sasha, is something troubling you?”

 

“There was someone backing Gwendellin.”

 

Sasha recalled the image of Gwendellin screaming on the stage.

 

“What about all the things you said back then? Now you’re going to pretend you don’t know me? How is that fair!”

 

At first glance, it seemed like she was venting her resentment at no one in particular. But Sasha thought differently.

 

“It felt like she was betrayed because some backdoor deal fell through. And above all, Gwendellin doesn’t have the means to obtain such a deadly poison herself.”

 

“Then who on earth…?”

 

“I don’t know who, but for now, I think it’s a man.”

 

Gwendellin listens well to men. For someone as timid as her to act so assertively, it must be a man, and not just any man, but a nobleman of marriageable age.

 

Sasha lowered her gaze coldly and continued. “The ultimate goal must have been to put me up for a dowry auction.”

 

“…”

 

At that moment, Regen’s gaze turned even colder than Sasha’s. Both Sasha and Regen had their own thoughts.

 

The one who dared to poison my knight.

 

The one who dared to try to auction off my princess.

 

Once I find out who it is…

 

I’ll make them pay thoroughly.

 

Whoever was behind Gwendellin had unknowingly made two dangerous enemies.

 

Sasha wiped the chill from her expression and turned to Regen. Though she was often described as the dry and cold Silver Princess, she could effortlessly act like a gentle spring breeze in front of her personal knight.

 

“Are you okay, Regen?”

 

“I’m not. Just thinking about how you almost ended up in a dowry auction.”

 

“Thank you. But that’s not what I meant.”

 

Regen caught on to what Sasha was referring to. It was clear she was worried about him because of the Lohengrin exploitation rights that had been the final item up for bid. He did feel as though he was sinking endlessly into the abyss, but he had no intention of voicing that to Sasha. When he silently opened and closed his lips, Sasha withdrew her question.

 

“It was thoughtless of me. Of course, you wouldn’t be okay. You don’t have to answer.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

At that moment, Sasha made an unexpected suggestion to Regen. “Should I comfort you?”

 

“…”

 

Though it didn’t show on the surface, Regen flinched inwardly. The memory of what happened right after the first dowry auction came to mind. When Sasha had asked him for comfort, he had embraced her. ‘Comfort’ from Sasha’s lips automatically made Regen think of physical comfort.

 

“Come here.”

 

Sasha grabbed Regen’s hand and led him somewhere. Unlike the time when he had lost control and taken Sasha deep into the garden, Sasha’s demeanor was calm this time. They passed through a tunnel made of rose vines and arrived at an open garden with a pond. On either side of the pond were stone bridges of considerable height. It was a place Regen was familiar with, having been there before.

 

“This is the Bridge of Oath. Isn’t it beautiful?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Regen swallowed a bitter smile. Setting aside his improper expectations, this place didn’t hold good memories for him. He decided not to mention that this was where he had closed Heinz’s eyes during the last competition.

 

“The scenery is beautiful.”

 

“Oh, the scenery. Is that so?” Sasha’s reaction was rather indifferent. It seemed she hadn’t brought him here to admire the view.

 

“Does this place have some special meaning?”

 

“It’s a location that’s a weakness for the imperial family. It’s a huge secret, but I’ll share it with you, Regen.”

 

“…You’re going to reveal a weakness to comfort me?”

 

“Yes. Doesn’t knowing someone else’s weakness make you feel better?”

 

“If the other person is an enemy, I suppose it would…”

 

“Well, the imperial family is a public enemy, so it fits perfectly.”

 

Regen decided not to argue further. After all, learning about Sasha’s weakness was necessary to prepare for any threats.

 

“I mentioned before that words like ‘oath’ or ‘promise’ are important to the imperial family.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“On the Oath Bridge, the imperial family cannot lie.”

 

“Is that true?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Sasha wasn’t the type to joke or lie about something like this. Sure enough, as she answered just now, the same markings appeared in her eyes as when she used her dominion authority.

 

“Sasha, your eyes just now—”

 

“You saw it, right? Just now, when you asked me that question, the compulsion to give a truthful answer was activated.”

 

“That’s fascinating. Is it some kind of magic?”

 

“It’s probably more influenced by the goddess. According to the founding myth, the first emperor swore an oath of good governance to the goddess here. For the imperial family, it’s like a sacred ground.”

 

“That sounds like a critical weakness… Are you sure it’s okay to tell me this? What if I use it to manipulate you?”

 

“That sounds fun. Want to give it a try?”

 

“…”

 

The permission was given far too easily.

 

Regen’s throat bobbed once as he swallowed. There was something that had been on his mind for a while, something he was curious about. This was the perfect chance to get an answer, disguised as a lighthearted joke.

 

✦

What kind of question would Regen ask? I was curious about his usual thoughts and feelings. Since he rarely talked about himself, I could learn a lot about him through the questions he chose to ask. Would he be curious about the imperial family’s scandals or secrets?

 

Depending on the content and intensity of his questions, I might even gauge the extent of his resentment. Determined to gather as much information about him as possible, I focused intently. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak.

 

“Your first love.”

 

The word he started with caught me off guard.

 

“Was he handsome?”

 

“…I didn’t expect that kind of question.”

 

“Judging by how you’re avoiding the answer, it seems you have the right to remain silent. That’s a relief.” Regen replied without a hint of change in his expression.

 

I understood then. It was clearly a calculated question, deliberately asked to see how a weakness might affect a member of the imperial family. “You’re right. But I don’t really plan on exercising my right to remain silent. I’ll answer.”

 

“…”

 

“Yes. He was handsome.”

 

Regen’s eyes narrowed slightly. He kept probing, as if there was still something he needed to confirm about how the weakness worked. “Do you still remember his face?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Do you think about him often?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Is there no other man who makes your heart flutter other than him?”

 

“…” I quickly closed my mouth as I was about to answer ‘yes’.