If You Take the Enemy Prince as Your Knight

“M-My name is Noah. It’s an honor to meet Princess Silver Bird.” His voice was tense with nerves.

I nodded slightly to acknowledge his greeting and introduced him to Regen. “Sir Noah, this is Regen.”

“Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Regen.”

I had been worried when I heard that Sister Orlette’s knight had done nothing but cry in his quarters for some time after his appointment, thinking of him as a weakling. But it turned out to be an unnecessary concern. Despite his gentle appearance, I could feel a considerable amount of mana within him. It seemed my concern should have been directed elsewhere.

“Your Highness, I think the nobles over there keep glaring at me. It’s scary.”

“Stay close to me.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

This knight… somehow, it feels like he’s putting on an act in front of Sister Orlette.

“Oooh!”

A chorus of awed gasps rippled through the banquet hall. It seemed like something entertaining had caught everyone’s attention.

One of the knights was performing an impressive trick, twirling a wine glass across his hands as if it were a juggling ball. Every time his fingers moved as if playing piano keys, the glass rolled over the back of his hand like a ball or spun around its stem between his fingers. Of course, not a single drop of the liquid inside spilled.

The one performing the trick was a direct knight with light blue, medium-length hair. In stark contrast to the dynamic performance in his hands, the knight’s face was expressionless, like that of a doll. Beside him, a beautiful woman with golden hair coiled into two elaborate buns clapped excitedly. It was Lilliana.

“That knight’s name is Yulis, wasn’t it? He must have an incredibly delicate touch.” Orlette remarked casually.

Noah immediately jumped in. “I can do that too, Your Highness.”

“Really? That’s impressive.”

“Shall I do it now? I can even add juggling to make it more spectacular.”

I could sense his intent—he wanted to steal the attention back. Given that he had just clung to Sister Orlette in fear of the nobles’ gazes, I now doubted his sincerity.

“No need. You’re not a circus performer.”

Unfortunately, it seemed that Sister Orlette couldn’t recognize the pretense of an omnivore pretending to be a herbivore. She simply waved dismissively, reassuring him that she would never force him to do anything too difficult.

As Yulis concluded his performance, nobles flocked toward him and his master, Lilliana.

“Sir Yulis dexterity is truly remarkable!”

“Ah, this is nothing. My Sir Yulis is far more skilled with a sword. I’d love to show you, but since swords aren’t allowed in the banquet hall, I had to settle for giving you a taste with wine glasses.”

“Thanks to Your Highness, I had the pleasure of witnessing something wonderful. Congratulations on acquiring such an excellent knight.”

“Of course. This level of talent is only natural for my standards.”

“Does he have any other tricks?”

“Naturally. Sir Yulis knows how to entertain people. Ever since I took him in as my knight, I’ve never had a dull moment.”

“Oh my! Please, show us more, Sir Yulis!”

“Sir Yulis only listens to my commands though.”

Lilliana expertly diverted every bit of attention to herself. The atmosphere in the banquet hall made it clear that she was now the center of attention.

Sister Orlette showed her displeasure at the way Lilliana treated her knight like a jester. “With the Golden Deer absent, Lilliana is running wild. Where on earth is Nanaen, leaving me to witness this mess?”

“Why? If you observe her, there’s no one as entertaining as Sister Lilliana.”

“Are you serious?”

“Just watch.”

Yulis had been completely excluded, and Lilliana was basking in the undivided attention of the nobles. True to her self-centered nature as a power play, Lilliana dominated the conversation, filling it almost entirely with her own voice and stories.

“These days, I meet with the heir of duke regularly.”

“The count? He’s always been so kind to me. Though, sometimes his kindness is overwhelming.”

“Ah, this necklace? The marquis gave it to me.”

Just hearing her talk, it feels like every man in the world is in love with Lilliana.

I decided to share the truth with Sister Orlette. “Meeting once every six months is called ‘regularly’ now? I’d love to hear the heir of duke’s side of story too. As for the count, he only treats everyone in our family well because his sister is one of Sister Lilli’s maids. And the necklace she claims to have received from the marquis? The funniest part is, she didn’t get it as a gift since she bought it herself.”

“And yet she twists the story so shamelessly?”

“That’s why she only talks about people who aren’t present.”

“Hah.”

Lilliana’s eyes flicked towards our direction. The moment I felt her eyes meet mine, she raised her left hand dramatically and spoke as if she wanted everyone to hear. “You can tell how much His Majesty adores me just by looking at this ring. The ruby is twice the size of the one Rosasia received back in the day!”

Orlette stifled a laugh. “I see what you mean. She’s really entertaining to observe.”

“Not for me anymore.”

Her blatant and petty attempts at one-upmanship were enough to make anyone uncomfortable.

Regen suddenly turned to me and asked, “It seems Princess Red Safflower sees you as a rival. Why is that?”

“Because my residence is the third-best in the palace, and Sister Lilli is the fourth.”

The ranking of residences reflects the status of the princesses.

At that moment, Orlette chimed in with a mischievous grin. “It’s not just about the third and fourth rankings. There’s a more important reason, so why don’t you tell him that?”

Her cryptic remark made Regen look at me expectantly, waiting for an answer.

As if Lilliana was trying to show that seeing is believing, her clear voice rang through the banquet hall at just the right moment. “Huh? My goodness! Are there still people who believe that ridiculous rumor about Sir Dominic rejecting me? That’s absolutely not true. I assure you. If it weren’t for this banquet to introduce our personal knights, Sir Dominic would have been the one escorting me today. Ah, not that I have any complaints about Sir Yulis. He’s perfectly capable of standing by my side.”

“She really just said it outright.”

Sister Orlette didn’t even try to hold back her laughter anymore. Her giggles rang out, clear and melodious.

“Enjoy the rest of the banquet, Sister Lette.”

“Where are you going? It’s just getting interesting.”

“I’m feeling tired. I need to rest a bit.”

It took a while to slip away, as I had to exchange pleasantries with nobles before reaching the quiet corridors. But someone was waiting for us.

“Greetings to Your Highness Princess Silver Bird. My name is Kilieon.” His greeting was formal, but his rebellious streak was poorly concealed in his voice and expression.

The young man before me, who still had a boyish air about him, was also dressed in the same black uniform as Regen. This meant he was someone’s personal knight, and judging by his fiery red hair, it wasn’t hard to guess who his master was. But more striking than his hair were his golden eyes. If Regen’s eyes were a bright golden hue reminiscent of sunrise, Kilieon’s had a more reddish tint, evoking the image of a predator. He didn’t seem like he’d pair well with a deer.

Curious, I turned to glance at Regen’s expression. Regen?

For the briefest second, his eyes widened—then narrowed. I recognized that look immediately. It was the reaction of someone who had just encountered an unexpected person from their past.

Meanwhile, Kilieon pretended not to notice. It was clear he disapproved of Regen’s presence but was suppressing his feelings to avoid a confrontation in front of me.

Whatever their relationship is, it’s certain that Kilieon knows Regen’s true identity. The number of people I needed to keep an eye on was increasing.

Since both of them were pretending to be strangers, I decided to play along. To break the uncomfortable tension, I stepped forward. “It seems your master is looking for me. Lead the way.”

“Yes.”

The place I was guided to was the balcony on the third floor of the banquet hall. It was designed like a box seat in an opera theater, making it a perfect spot to relax while overlooking the entire banquet hall.

As I pulled back the velvet curtain and stepped inside, as expected, Nanaen was waiting for me. Her honey-like golden hair cascaded down in a dazzling display adorned with all sorts of floral jewels. She looked stunning. Combined with her light green eyes, reminiscent of fresh green apples, she seemed like a nymph from a lush forest.

“You’re growing a garden on your head.”

“It’s supposed to represent antlers.”

Instead of saying it looked like the antlers of a deer, I chose different words. “It’s really pretty. Suits you well.”