Another Knight chimed in, his voice overly enthusiastic, as if trying to outdo the first. Their exaggerated responses seemed ridiculous, but it was enough to bring a flicker of curiosity – and perhaps even a hint of amusement – to Anelope’s tear-stained face. 

“That’s right! I was even caught by my mother when I was a child! Your Highness, I completely understand how you feel!” 

“If it’s too embarrassing for you, w-we could… show you ourselves to make it fair?” 

The knights spoke without thinking, blurting out whatever came to mind in their desperate attempts to comfort her. Amid the barrage of words, one particular suggestion caught Anelope’s attention. 

‘Show you yourselves?’ 

Her eyes widened in surprise and she turned her gaze to the knight who had spoken. He, now realising the gravity of his impulsive remark, looked completely flustered and at a loss as to what to do. 

“Y-you’d show me… the same thing?” Anelope repeated, her voice tinged with disbelief. 

At her question, the other knights froze, suddenly aware of the gravity of the situation. To show such a thing to royalty? The very suggestion was madness. A commoner exposing himself to a royal could easily warrant a trip to the guillotine. 

But to their astonishment – and perhaps horror – Anelope’s reaction wasn’t one of indignation. Instead, her golden eyes sparkled with unmistakable curiosity, her earlier tears forgotten as she leaned forward slightly. 

The knights exchanged panicked glances, now fully aware of the precarious position they found themselves in. 

“C-can you really show me?” 

“Pardon?” 

The knights exchanged nervous glances, clearly flustered. From the look on Anelope’s face, it seemed she meant business. Her golden eyes shone brightly, almost as if she were genuinely looking forward to this. 

In truth, her spirits had risen considerably since one of the knights had carelessly suggested they show her. Seeing them do the same would make them feel like equals, and she would feel less embarrassed about her earlier actions. Besides, they seemed to know more about such things than she did, and she thought she might be able to learn something from them. 

And if they happened to end up rolling around on a bed together, that would be a bonus. 

Anelope, now full of anticipation, continued shyly, her cheeks slightly flushed. 

“And, you know… since you’ve all done this more than I have… you probably know a lot, right?” 

The knights, completely dumbfounded, could only stare at her, their mouths opening and closing like fish out of water. 

“Well… I-I suppose… that could be true…?”

One of them stammered, unsure of how to handle the situation. 

Something about the situation was taking a bizarre turn. While their intention had been to comfort her, they hadn’t expected things to escalate this way.

Moments ago, the knights had been chattering away, but now they were all as silent as clams. Each of them had their mouths shut, looking around nervously, exchanging wide-eyed glances as if to say, “What do we do now?”

Completely oblivious to their inner turmoil, Anelope continued with innocent sincerity.

“Well, um…”

The knights, sensing the impending disaster, instinctively braced themselves. Whatever she was about to say would be a bombshell.

“Could you, um… show me how to do it?” 

And their instincts were right.

“Th-the thing is… I don’t really know how to do it right…” 

It was a statement that hit her like a thunderbolt. There had been surprises, but nothing like this.

Anelope’s statement sent the knights’ minds flying all the way to the Eastern Continent before they returned to the room. They coughed awkwardly, trying to make sense of the situation as their brains worked at lightning speed.

‘What does she mean by ‘show me’?’ 

‘Does she mean… release?’

All 15 knights were thinking the same thing. Finally, one knight, braver than the rest, cautiously raised his hand and asked hesitantly, 

“Excuse me, Your Highness. I’m having a bit of trouble understanding… When you say you don’t know how, could you clarify exactly what you mean?” 

Silence fell over the room like a heavy curtain. The other knights poked the questioning knight in the ribs, their expressions screaming, “Why on earth did you have to ask that?”

“S-sorry, that was out of line.”

The knight quickly apologised and bowed his head. 

Anelope, however, let out a long, sad sigh, as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders. One of the knights noticed her reaction and, unable to shake a feeling of unease, cautiously approached her. 

“Your Highness, forgive my rudeness, but are you referring to… the act of, um, self-pleasure? The one you perform alone?” 

Anelope nodded slightly, her head still bowed in embarrassment. A heavy silence fell over the room again.

‘She doesn’t know how…?’ 

‘How could anyone not know?’ 

‘Is that even possible?’ 

‘Was this something you had to learn at all?’

The knights were stunned, but none of them dared show it. Instead, they quickly came to a collective conclusion:

‘Well, of course! Our princess is pure and innocent! It makes sense that she doesn’t know!’

‘Poor Your Highness, at her age, not to know such pleasures.’ 

‘Being royal doesn’t mean you’re always happy.’ 

‘How frustrated she must have been to confess such a thing to people like us.’ 

Each Knight, now brimming with pity and determination, silently vowed to handle the situation with the utmost care for their beloved Princess. 

The knights, as commoners, were well aware of the expectations placed on noblewomen to suppress their desires, in stark contrast to their own lives. If noblewomen had to live like this, how much more repressed must the princess, a member of the royal family, have been?

Although Anelope’s lack of experience was due to simple ignorance rather than active repression, the knights drew their own conclusions.

“I… I have received some training on the subject…”

Anelope began, her voice small and shaky.

“But I’ve never really done it properly, and… not knowing how is just… frustrating sometimes.” 

Her small shoulders slumped, and the knights’ eyes softened further, filled with growing pity. 

“I don’t have anyone I can trust enough to ask… so I thought, since I’m caught anyway, I might as well ask if you could teach me.” 

Despite knowing how crazy the situation was, the knights were overcome with a mixture of sympathy and loyalty. One of them, emboldened by these feelings, spoke up. 

“If we, as your humble servants, can be of any assistance to Your Highness, we’ll be glad to help!” 

And so began a deeply unethical relationship.