“Please become my sword.”
Sasha, the sixth imperial princess, was preparing for a coup against her tyrannical father. She encountered Regen, the prince of an enemy nation and her first love, who had been taken as a spoil of war. Then, she proposed a deal he couldn’t refuse.
In exchange for help in restoring his power, he must swear loyalty as my personal knight. And he must stand by my side in the deadly ‘Imperial Succession Contest’— a battle for survival against the mad tyrant who seeks to kill his own daughters.
“Sasha, you saved my life. I don’t know how I could ever repay you.”
“Repayment isn’t necessary.”
“Why not?”
Just stay alive and stay by my side. That alone is already a fierce battle.
But I couldn’t reveal my ongoing unrequited love, so I used one of my sixty-seven dead brothers as an excuse.
“Because… you resemble my deceased brother.”
* * *
“Shall I take it off for you?”
Come to think of it, it seemed like the right thing to do. Since it was about confirming my responsibility, shouldn’t I take care of it with my own hands?
“…Ha, Sasha.”
Regen let out a long sight—whether of resignation or frustration, I couldn’t tell. He stared at me silently before suddenly lifting my crystal glass from the table and placing his lips against it. His murmured words, tinged with curiosity, echoed in my ears.
“It’s definitely non-alcoholic.”
