If You Take the Enemy Prince as Your Knight Chapter 79

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

 

“I said if you’re curious about men, I’m here.”

 

“…”

 

Sasha flinched. If she tried to avoid this uncomfortable topic, there would never be another chance.

 

Regen hurried to continue. “I should have said it properly.”

 

“…”

 

“It wasn’t about wanting to serve you or anything like that. I wanted to hold you.”

 

“…What?”

 

The impact of his confession was slow but surely engulfing Sasha. Her light sky-blue eyes widened to their limits, fully revealing their round shape. Her lips, which had been gently closed, parted slightly and trembled. Even though Regen’s eyes captured every single change, she couldn’t hide her agitation. She even went as far as touching the area around her ears with both hands, as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.

 

“Wait, hold on. Regen.”

 

“…”

 

“Could you, could you say that again? I didn’t hear it properly.”

 

Regen swallowed a bitter smile and replied, feigning composure. Using the words he had learned from her. “I don’t want to.”

 

“…”

 

One confession of unknightly rudeness was enough. Sasha, whom he thought would just let it slide, given her personality, reacted differently than he expected.

 

“Why? Tell me.”

 

“…”

 

“Just once. I feel like I must have misheard you.”

 

“…”

 

Her desperate plea, as if she were burning with frustration, was unfamiliar. When she grabbed Regen’s sleeve and gave it a slight shake, he almost wavered.

 

“I’ll listen carefully this time, so just say it one more time. I need to confirm if I heard it right.”

 

“So you did hear it.”

 

“But it doesn’t make sense. There’s no way Regen would say something like that.”

 

“What exactly did you hear?”

 

“…”

 

Sasha’s lips pressed tightly together as if sealed shut. Her frozen expression made him feel both bitter and affectionate, and he couldn’t help but reach out. Regen gently tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear.

 

“Forget it, Sasha.”

 

“…”

 

“It was nothing important.”

 

“…”

 

Only then did Sasha seem to give up. She let out a long sigh, and her shoulders slumped in defeat. “Right. There’s no way Regen would do that. I must still be pretty drunk.”

 

After resolving her internal conflict, she suddenly started walking ahead with determined strides. The direction was toward the main palace, but it was slightly off from the banquet hall.

 

“Are you planning to follow me?”

 

“Isn’t that obvious?”

 

“Do as you please.”

 

The place they arrived at was the first floor of the main palace’s wing. The doors of the rooms lining the hallway were all adorned with ribbons or ties on their handles. Sasha, finding an empty room, untied the ribbon from her hair without hesitation.

 

Regen was surprised first by the sight of her platinum blonde hair tumbling down like a waterfall, then again when she tied the ribbon to the doorknob and flung the door wide open. “Sasha…?”

 

While Regen stood there, bewildered, Sasha entered the room and began rummaging through the bedside table as if she were familiar with the place. Among the stocked medicines, she found a hangover remedy and downed it in one go. Then, she climbed into the bed and lay down flat on her back. Her next request completely betrayed Regen’s expectations, or perhaps his tension.

 

“Wake me up in two hours.”

 

“…”

 

His princess was remarkably diligent in self-care.

 

✦

When I woke up and opened my eyes, I found myself in an unfamiliar bed. It immediately came to mind that this was a place in the main palace, prepared for the affairs of men and women. I couldn’t help but think how well I had managed to sleep in such a place. Well, there wouldn’t be a naked man lying next to me anyway, so I turned over onto my side with ease. But I think I let my guard down too much.

 

“You’re awake.”

 

“…”

 

As soon as I turned my body, my eyes met with the handsome man sitting on the stool. Thinking about how he must have been watching me sleep, my face turned red. Without a word, I sat up, and Regen handed me a glass of water. The moment I took a sip, he asked a cruel question.

 

“Do you remember what happened last night?”

 

“…”

 

I wished I didn’t. Though my memory was a bit hazy, I could recall most of it. Mostly the parts where I made a fool of myself. I think I forced him to speak informally and even threatened him to carry me on his back.

 

Seriously, the dignity of me being Princess Silver Bird was in shambles. I felt so embarrassed to face Regen after showing such an uncharacteristic side of myself. While I was struggling just to keep a straight face and stay silent, Regen became even more merciless.

 

“If you don’t remember, I could recount it for you to refresh your memory…”

 

“No. That’s okay.” I declined his excessive kindness with a sigh. “I showed you such an embarrassing side of me.”

 

“It wasn’t particularly so.”

 

“Right. Because you’re a gentleman, Regen. The problem lies with me, who wasn’t acting like a proper lady.”

 

Come to think of it, I started to feel a bit resentful. Isn’t it a knight’s duty to protect a lady’s honor?

 

“If you could tell I was drunk, you should have stopped me from speaking.”

 

“How could I dare? That would’ve been rude.”

 

“In a way that’s not rude.”

 

“…”

 

It was practically a complaint. But Regen just stared at me silently. He seemed to be seriously contemplating something.

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

I felt like I was being drawn into his deep gaze. Over time, I had shared too many kisses with Regen. This familiarity was almost akin to being tamed. So, the fact that I was now expecting a kiss just from a light exchange of glances wasn’t my fault. It was entirely his fault…

 

“Ah.”

 

A soft sensation brushed against my lips and then withdrew. Startled, I quickly looked up.

 

“Like this?” Regen’s face came into view as he gently cupped my cheek, studying me. When I didn’t respond, he let out a bitter smile and continued. “If even this is rude, then I have no other way.”

 

“…”

 

I couldn’t help but laugh. What was this?

 

The coldness that had lingered in my heart for days melted away in an instant. Just the fact that he had kissed me of his own will was enough. The cold war we had been in seemed so trivial now, as if it could be blown away by a single fluttering kiss, like a bird pecking at fruit.

 

“You’re so silly. Really, you’re so silly.” Pretending to turn my head slightly, I pressed my cheek deeper into his palm and nuzzled against it.

 

“Have you gotten over being upset?”

 

A memory suddenly surfaced. The sound of my own slurred voice, drunk and unsteady, echoed in my head.

 

“It wasn’t anger. I was just upset.”

 

His words came to my mind as well.

 

“It wasn’t about wanting to serve you or anything like that.”

 

“I wanted…”

 

My face flushed red. “Regen, say what you said last night again.”

 

“It seems you’re no longer upset. That’s a relief.”

 

“…”

 

Judging by how blatantly he was dodging the question, it was clear he had no intention of repeating himself.

 

I fell into thought. Should I assert my authority as the princess here? Or should I just let it slide, maintaining my usual indifferent image? I knew the latter was the right choice, but I couldn’t help being tempted by the former.

 

This is why people shouldn’t get desperate. When you desperately want something, it clouds your judgment and leads to bad outcomes. In the end, reason won out. I decided to let it go.

 

“Sasha, sit here for a moment.”

 

Following his instructions, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and sat down. I was still pouting with a dissatisfied expression when, all of a sudden, Regen knelt on one knee on the floor. He took hold of my ankle and carefully slipped a new pair of shoes onto my feet. As he attended to me with such care, I found myself getting flustered for no reason. Did this man even realize what it meant to put shoes on a woman at a masquerade ball? Probably not. So, I decided to give him a little hint.

 

“You shouldn’t do this for just any woman.”

 

“I would never do that.”

 

Though it wasn’t my intention, the firmness in his voice somehow reassured me.

 

Regen fastened the strap around my ankle and spoke softly. “Sasha.”

 

“…”

 

“Only allow me to do this for you.”