If You Take the Enemy Prince as Your Knight Chapter 78

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Even amidst the crowd, Regen found Sasha at a glance. Among the many people dressed up like blooming flowers, the princess’s beauty stood out as unparalleled. She wore a dress of gleaming white satin embroidered with deep blue patterns, her platinum blonde hair tied high with a matching blue ribbon. Perhaps it was the combination of snowy white and the lapis-lazuli blue. Today, Sasha looked like an exquisite porcelain art.

 

Worried that she might dislike it if he approached, Regen chose to watch her from a distance on the upper balcony. Holding a glass of wine in her hand, her flushed cheeks and slightly unfocused eyes suggested she was quite drunk. Taking advantage of her unusually lowered guard, something unimaginable under normal circumstances, men began to flock to her. It was a sight that burned Regen up inside.

 

And yet, there was something peculiar about Sasha today. Her languid gestures and drowsy gaze seemed excessively alluring. Though she clearly ignored and dismissed the men, to Regen, every movement of hers appeared to be an invitation.

 

“Ah.” Then, all of a sudden, he realized. It was never Sasha’s fault. It wasn’t that she was seducing anyone. Regen himself was helplessly drawn to every little thing about her.

 

“Ha…” A belated realization brought a sigh from him. This time, he didn’t even feel like blaming the imprint. The desire that had been consuming him lately was too insolent to be called loyalty and too sinister to be called reverence. No matter how much the imprint twisted his emotions to make him more susceptible to Sasha, the weight of his current feelings seemed to stem largely from himself. So, even if they were flawed, they were still his emotions.

 

As he ran a dry hand down his face, he saw Dominic approaching Sasha, trying to strike up a conversation. Regen couldn’t hold back any longer and moved toward where Sasha was. He had to go down a floor, circle around the corridor, and cross to the opposite side, so the path was long. Fortunately, Regen managed to run into Sasha before reaching his destination.

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

In the process of catching the staggering Sasha, he ended up holding her. The dazed look in her sky-blue eyes cleared, and a spark of color returned to them as she looked up at him.

 

Regen had braced himself to some extent. He was prepared for her to frown and push him away or show annoyance at the sight of him. But he hadn’t prepared enough for what actually happened.

 

“Ah, it’s Regen.”

 

“…”

 

“Why are you only coming now?”

 

Seeing her smiling so prettily, he nearly felt his heart burst through his ribs.

 

Sasha was drunk. When she’s defenseless like this, she smiles in a way that drives people crazy.

 

“Did you smile like that in front of Dominic too?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“…It’s nothing. Come here, Sasha.”

 

“Okay.”

 

After helping Sasha stand up properly, Regen took her hand and led her. He wanted to get her out of the gloomy, stifling banquet hall to breathe the clear night air of the garden. Guiding her to a quiet bench near the fount, he sat her down, then took a seat beside her. Sasha looked fine at first glance, but it was only on the surface.

 

“Regen.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Talk casually to me.”

 

“…I can’t do that.”

 

“You’re drunk. Isn’t now the only time you could do it?”

 

“You’re the one who’s drunk, Sasha.”

 

“I see.” She really seemed quite drunk. Even so, it was very much like Sasha to try to analyze herself objectively in the midst of it. “Why did I drink so much? I don’t usually drink like this.”

 

“Perhaps…”

 

“Perhaps?”

 

“Because you’re angry at me.”

 

“…Ah.” A low sound of realization escaped her lips, as if something had come to mind. But Sasha didn’t agree. “I don’t think that’s it.”

 

“Not angry, you say?”

 

“I’ve never been angry at Regen.”

 

“…”

 

“It wasn’t anger. I was just upset.”

 

“…”

 

Regen paused for a moment, holding his breath. He would have preferred if she had been angry. What right did he have to make the princess upset?

 

“It’s too noisy here. The music is irritating.” Sasha, complaining about the orchestral music coming from the banquet hall, tried to stand up from the bench but stumbled again. One of her shoe heels had completely snapped and was ruined.

 

Regen gently sat her back down and lowered himself. With careful hands, he removed her shoe and lightly examined her ankle as if massaging it. Looking down at him, Sasha’s cheeks flushed, and she took a small, sharp breath.

 

“Does it hurt?”

 

“I’m embarrassed.”

 

“…It doesn’t seem like you’re injured.”

 

“But I can’t walk.”

 

“Shall I carry you?”

 

“I suppose you’ll have to. Regen could bring me a new pair of shoes too. But if you leave me alone, I might cause some trouble.”

 

“…”

 

“It’s not a threat.”

 

“Understood.”

 

It felt oddly like things were slightly off-kilter, yet a reasonable and amicable agreement had been reached. As Regen turned his back, Sasha wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. Then, pressing her body close to him as if burying her face into a pillow, she rubbed her cheek against him.

 

“Where should we go?”

 

“Anywhere.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Regen began walking in the direction away from the main palace. Every time her soft, steady breaths brushed against his ear and the nape of his neck, he had to endure a mix of ticklishness and other sensations.

 

“Sasha.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Her response was gentle, her voice slightly languid as if she were half-asleep. With her drowsiness and the defenselessness brought on by her intoxication overlapping, now was the perfect time to ask her something.

 

“Why were you upset because of me?”

 

“…”

 

“I don’t understand what part of it upset you.”

 

“Good for you.”

 

“…”

 

“I hope you never find out.”

 

Regen didn’t give up. He adjusted her position, lifting her up onto his back, and asked her directly. “Am I really that lacking?”

 

“No. Regen, you’re amazing.”

 

“Then why does it upset Sasha when I ask to share a bed with you?”

 

“That’s…”

 

Sasha’s voice grew quieter and quieter. Regen focused all his attention on catching her words.

 

“Because it makes both of us miserable.”

 

He only half understood. It made sense for him, as her personal knight, to feel miserable out of pride. But why would his master feel the same?

 

“I get why I would. But why Sasha too?”

 

“That’s…” Sasha instinctively opened her mouth. A truthful answer was about to slip out, but she suddenly snapped back to her senses. “Ah, here…” She lifted her head and glanced around.

 

The sound of a fish splashing into the water, the rich fragrance of the flowers blooming by the riverside. They were on the Bridge of Oath. Realizing this was a place where lies couldn’t be told, Sasha squirmed on Regen’s back.

 

“Put me down.”

 

“Answer me first.”

 

“No. Put me down. If you don’t…”

 

“Are you going to order me?”

 

“I’ll hate you.”

 

“…”

 

Regen had never been struck by such an effective dagger before. Answers didn’t matter anymore. He immediately set her down and pulled her into his arms. The embrace wasn’t so much to comfort her as it was to keep her from running away.

 

“I was wrong for everything, so please don’t hate me.”

 

“I haven’t hated you yet.”

 

“Whether it’s now or later, you can’t.”

 

“Alright. I’ll try.”

 

The fact that she had to try left a lingering discomfort in Regen’s heart, but he released Sasha from his arms.

 

“I think I’ve sobered up a bit.” Sasha mercilessly broke the heel of her remaining shoe and walked forward with determination.

 

Regen realized two things at once. That she hadn’t needed his back from the start, and that she had still chosen to lean on it. The realization left him with a strange feeling. It wasn’t until they left the Bridge of Oath that she seemed to relax, slowing her pace as if relieved.

 

“Sasha.”

 

At Regen’s call, she turned around. Their gazes met directly. It felt like it had been ages since they’d looked at each other without avoiding eye contact.

 

Regen stepped closer to her. Pretending to fix her disheveled bangs, he carefully touched her face. When she didn’t reject his touch, he finally spoke. “I’m sorry. I was a coward.”