If You Take the Enemy Prince as Your Knight

Regen recognized this smell well. It was the kind of stench you’d expect on a battlefield or a crematorium.

Why would such a smell be in the Imperial Palace?

The reason soon became clear.

“Sir Regen, step back. Do not interfere, no matter what.”

At Sasha’s command, Regen reluctantly lowered the handkerchief. He had expected her to gag at the stench, but she did not. Instead, she took shallow breaths, straightened her posture, and stood firm as the approaching nobleman came into view.

A man in his mid-thirties with dull blond hair tied back smiled sinisterly with his thin, almost vanishing eyes as he bowed.

“Zaken of Osbond greets Princess Silver Bird.”

Marquis Zaken Osbond. His infamy was as widespread as the mad emperor’s. He was the one responsible for entertaining and satisfying the emperor’s cruel whims, orchestrating spectacles of execution and torment. Most of his ‘entertainments’ involved the brutal slaughter of loyal subjects and the merciless humiliation of prisoners. A depraved, inhuman collaborator of the tyrant. Even as she stood before such a repulsive man, Sasha struggled to keep her emotions in check.

“Is Your Highness on your way to the Inner Palace?”

“Yes.”

“What a shame.” Marquis Osbond pushed up the glasses resting on his nose, the lenses flashing coldly in the light. “If only you had arrived a little earlier, Your Highness, you could have witnessed quite the spectacle in the central courtyard. I spent two whole weeks planning it.”

“What was it this time?”

“I oversaw the eradication of the Viscount Belpha’s family for their involvement in treason.”

“…”

The Belpha family was one of the few remaining loyalist families in the empire. As Sasha clenched her fists in secret, Marquis Osbond began recounting the ‘show’ she had missed.

“Treason must be punished in a way that sets an example, so I opted for a particularly memorable method—burning torture.”

Burning torture—a gruesome punishment involving red-hot iron.

“We set up a long iron bridge, heated it until it glowed, and had them cross it barefoot. His Majesty, in his boundless mercy, promised a pardon to anyone who made it across. Do you know what happened next?”

“…”

“The viscount took a single step and collapsed onto the burning metal. His wife then climbed atop his back and lay down. Their eldest daughter followed suit, then the second son, and then the third…”

Regen clenched his fists. More than anything, he wanted to shield Sasha’s ears from hearing another word.

“In the end, their youngest daughter crossed the bridge by stepping on the burned bodies of her own family. Wasn’t it touching?”

“…”

“Even His Majesty was moved. As you know, His Majesty has a great love for such humanistic scenes.”

“…”

“And so, the viscount’s daughter was pardoned. Though, I believe she has lost her mind.”

“…”

Marquis Osbond leaned in, his snake-like voice slithering into Sasha’s ears. “Are you afraid?”

“…”

“Don’t worry. His Majesty cherishes his princesses as much as he adores beautiful art pieces. A lovely daughter such as yourself need not fear suffering from a burn scar like that poor soul.”

As he finished speaking, Osbond’s gaze flickered toward Regen, who stood behind Sasha, radiating icy hostility. His next words were deliberately loud as if spoken for Regen’s ears.

“Of course, that doesn’t apply to slave knights.”

With that final sneer, Osbond stepped back. “There will be a banquet soon to celebrate the princesses’ new knights. Be prepared.” Then, the snake-like man passed by Sasha and walked away.

“He’s gone.”

The moment his presence disappeared, Sasha exhaled sharply as if releasing all the breath she had been holding. Her hand hovered uncertainly in the air, searching for something to hold onto.

Regen wasted no time. He stepped in and steadied her, letting her lean against him.

“The banquet,” Sasha repeated Osbond’s parting words, unable to conceal her unease. “The Imperial Palace is full of madness. And the banquets, they are never normal.” She whispered as if steeling herself. Then, without hesitation, she rested her head against Regen’s chest—the only place where she could escape the suffocating stench still lingering in the air.

3. The Favor Vote

As expected, an imperial decree was issued. A grand banquet would be held in one week to officially present the princesses’ knights. Attendance was mandatory for all central nobles residing in the capital. With their numbers alone reaching the hundreds, the scale of the event would be enormous.

One week was an incredibly short time to prepare. Demia, along with Hamel, was running around frantically, grumbling under her breath.

“The palace maids are all in distress! The princesses are the stars of this event, yet they only have a week to prepare!”

“You are all working hard. As for my dress, I had ones tailored last year. A little adjustment will suffice.”

“Your Highness…”

“Instead, focus on Sir Regen. Technically, the true main figures of the banquet are the knights, not the princesses.”

“Hing, fineeee.”

Having another person to dress up with the same number of hands meant that Hamel and Demia were even more burdened.

I set my teacup down and made a promise. “I will hire a new maid soon. Can you hold out until after this banquet?”

“Really?! You never hire new maids!”

“There’s a noble lady who caught my eye.”

“Wow, for her to pass Your Highness’s standards, that’s impressive. Who is she? What did Your Highness like about her?”

“Hmmm…”

I recalled the noble young lady I had seen retching in the smoky courtyard, sobbing in grief. The moment our eyes met was still vivid.

“I liked the venom in her eyes.”

“…”

Demia was momentarily speechless while Hamel quietly refilled my teacup.

“By the way, where is Sir Regen?”

“You called for me?”

A deep, resonant voice filled the air of the dressing room. Regen stepped inside, carrying Demia’s burdens with ease.

“Come closer.” I motioned him forward. Before he could kneel on one knee, I rose from my seat first. “Are you tending to your eye properly?”

“Yes.”

He had insisted on treating it himself, so I had given him a potion. Still, I worried that he might neglect it.

Realizing I wanted to check, Regen untied his eyepatch and covered his good eye instead.

“How is it?”

“Blurry, but it can distinguish colors and shapes.”

“I’m glad there’s some improvement.”

Since he was sensitive to light, I signaled for him to put the eyepatch back on.

Instead of dismissing him immediately, I reached out and lightly brushed my thumb over the fabric of his eyepatch. Regen flinched, and I quickly withdrew my hand.

“Does it hurt?”

“No.”

We were both caught off guard by the moment, making the atmosphere awkward. For some reason, Hamel and Demia, who had been working nearby, stopped what they were doing and stared at us intently. When I cleared my throat, those two straightened their posture and resumed their work.

I turned back to Regen. “For the banquet, wear a decorative eyepatch. The mad emperor will nitpick unless we make your injury look aesthetic.”

“Understood.”

The preparations moved swiftly. My dress was altered, Regen’s formal attire was tailored, and within a week, the day of the banquet arrived.

✦

The banquet was scheduled to run from the afternoon until late into the night. But preparations began at dawn.

Dressing someone from head to toe was not just an act of adornment—it was an art. For palace maids, ensuring their mistress looked impeccable was a point of pride. Thus, on the day of a grand event, the competition and tension among them reached its peak.

Regen’s dressing was completed hours earlier than Sasha’s, as his base outfit was his knight’s uniform. At the Magnarod Imperial Palace banquet, a knight’s formal attire consisted of an elaborately decorated formal uniform. He wore his ornate black uniform, draped with a silver-gray half-cape over one arm. Large square gemstones, arranged in a row, adorned his collar tips and belt, adding a dazzling touch. Embroidered onto the back of his cape and his eyepatch was the symbol of Sasha’s emblem—the Silver Bird. Each princess had a unique emblem and color, so just by looking at Regen’s silver-gray cape, nobles would instantly know whom he served.

With his hair styled to reveal only half of his attractive forehead, Regen sat in the parlor in the perfect posture, not moving an inch to keep his appearance impeccable.

The banquet is about to start. When will the princess finally come out?