TMHLBQ_C73_ARCHIVE_CHAPTER 73: The Knights Seeks Alcohol

 

Chapter 73: The Knight Seeks Alcohol (Sake)

As I chatted with the other knights, the royal family, including Princess Pryde, arrived.

 

I, along with the other knights around me, immediately silenced myself and respectfully bowed my head. Every time I did this, I was reminded that those three—whom I met every day as if it were normal—were truly out of my reach, existing far above me.

 

“Hey, Arthur! Princess Pryde is here. Aren’t you going to speak to her?”

 

Captain Alan, my senior knight, called out to me. When I replied, “No, I’m fine for now,” he seemed excited and happily poured more wine into my glass. While I wasn’t hiding the fact that I practiced swordsmanship with Stayle, I hadn’t told anyone around me about it. So, there was no way I could tell Captain Alan or anyone else here that I’d already met Princess Pryde today.

 

“Captain, Princess Pryde…”

 

“Alan. This is not an official event. If you want to speak to her, go ahead. Princess Pryde is not susceptible to such intrusions.

 

Captain Alan was quickly shut down by my father, but for some reason, he muttered, “No, but… as someone with no connection to her, I never expected…” His face turned red as the alcohol kicked in. One of the other senior knights, Captain Kalum, sighed and said, “Where did that boldness from the first time we met go?”

 

Captain Kalum had been an excellent leader for a long time, unlike Captain Alan, who had just been promoted last year. By the way, I had some unspoken respect for Kalum—there was something about him that made me feel like I couldn’t challenge him. As Alan spoke, Kalum also kept glancing toward Princess Pryde. After confirming that she was heading towards Marianne, Kalum sighed once again.

 

“Um, once the greeting between the captains is done, may I also greet Princess Pryde?”

 

Eric, who had been sitting next to me and hadn’t touched his glass, joined the conversation with a nervous tone. He had become a knight a year before me, and it seemed that he wanted to talk to Princess Pryde. I had heard that he was also present during the incident two years ago at the cliff, which might explain his desire to talk to her.

...Princess Pryde is incredibly popular among the knights.

 

It’s likely even higher than Stayle, Tiara, the Queen, and the King’s consort.

 

Apparently, it’s been like that since the cliff incident two years ago. Stayle provided significant assistance during that period, and although he maintained his popularity, Princess Pryde stood out significantly. This time, at Prime Minister Gilbert’s party, there was a slot for the Captain of the Knights, me as the top recruit, and two other captains, along with one knight. At first, I wasn’t too excited when Vice-Captain Clark mentioned the invitation, but once Princess Pryde’s name was mentioned, a flood of requests came in, and it quickly turned into chaos, even leading to a fight over the invitation.

 

The knights who didn’t know about the cliff incident or had joined after it, as well as the ones who had been away with the Queen on an expedition, had heard the story and began speaking of Princess Pryde almost like she was a legend. It was no surprise that every knight in the order admired her now.

 

...including me.

 

For me, that incident two years ago was undoubtedly a life-changing event, but it turned out that it was equally special for most of the knights here. Thinking about it, I started to feel a little frustrated. Perhaps what happened between Princess Pryde and me wasn’t so special after all. It felt like the distance between us was no different than the distance the other knights shared with her. Sometimes, I even envied Stayle and Tiara, who got to stay so close to her.

 

Prime Minister Gilbert came over to greet my father. The other knights were also concentrating on him, and as I raised my gaze, I unexpectedly sensed a presence from a different direction.

 

 When I looked, I saw Stayle and Tiara looking at me, while Marianne-san’s eyes widened in surprise. It appeared that they had just received the jar of jam. Earlier, I had greeted Marianne-san along with the rest of the knights, but now I nodded to her again. When Princess Pryde turned her gaze toward us, I quickly bowed my head to her as well, hoping the others wouldn’t notice.

 

To my surprise, Princess Pryde gave me a soft smile. Just that one gesture lifted my previously dark mood as if it had never existed.

 

As Princess Pryde returned to speaking with Marianne-san, I recalled the events of the day.

 

…I never thought Princess Pryde was so bad at cooking.

 

I had always thought she was capable of everything, so I figured she could make perfect food, even if it was her first time cooking. However, everything she touched resulted in either a soupy mess or a crisp burn. It was even worse than the disasters I caused when I was a kid.

 

And yet, she seemed genuinely shocked by it. Seeing Princess Pryde, who was always so poised and graceful, staring blankly at a single apple she couldn’t even peel properly… It was incredibly…

Cute.

She looked so much like an ordinary girl. I wondered why someone so skilled with a sword couldn’t manage something as simple as a knife. That thought alone made me want to laugh. Afterward, she was angry, on the verge of tears… It was so unlike the usual composed Princess Pryde, I almost wondered if she was the same person.

 

“...I-I have things I can’t do too, you know!?”

Princess Pryde, red-faced and tear-eyed.

In that moment, I realized she was human, and for some reason, it made me feel incredibly relieved.

For some reason, I wanted to be near her again, but this time, it felt different than before.

...My feelings for Princess Pryde might not be much different from the other knights here. The beginning, our distance as the first princess, and how I’m probably not all that special to her.

But for now, at least…

I’m the only knight who knows about her being unable to cook, and seeing her tearfully embarrassed because of it, I’m going to let myself feel a little proud of that.

I smiled at the thought of Princess Pryde, and before I knew it, Captain Alan had noticed and asked, “What’s up, Arthur?” I quickly downed the contents of my glass to cover up my feelings.

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Eun: Imagine a bunch of knights as Pryde's fanboys and Pryde, herself being their OSHI! That's just sooo incredibly cute. A horde of knights, both youngling and older knights are all huuuuge fans of Pryde to the point that her popularity is so immense, they like her more than the Queen 😂

CURRENT WN STATUS: 91/2123

Minimum daily chapter update: 1-2 chapters

I'll try to do 3 or more chapters per day since its summer break but well there are times I'm just so busy and tired I couldn't do any translations or I have no stockpiled chapters left.

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