3. Enoch Walter 1

Enoch’s life was not smooth. Even when he had just joined the knight order and received his new knight uniform, it was the same.

“Our knight order has received a deployment order.”

His luck was absolutely terrible. Right after he joined, a deployment order came down from the imperial family. Since it was an unwilling request for support from the imperial family, they must have been hesitant to send an elite knight order.

So they ended up giving the order to a lower knight order full of low-ranking knights.

“They say it’s not a difficult task, so don’t be too nervous, everyone.”

The place they went to was Bert Kingdom.

When he was first dragged into deployment, Enoch lamented his situation, thinking he was completely unlucky.

“Damn, what the hell is this about.”

“I’m saying, if they’re going to send anyone, shouldn’t they send an elite knight order?”

“Well, what can we do…… Sigh, do we have a choice?”

His fellow knights felt the same way. Throughout the journey to Bert Kingdom, the knight order members’ complaints and grievances continued.

But contrary to their worries, the situation in Bert Kingdom was quite favorable.

Unlike the Empire where disputes frequently broke out in border regions, the kingdom’s border region was barren northern land, so it wasn’t an environment where large-scale battles could occur.

Thanks to this, even a unit mostly composed of new knights could easily handle the situation.

Since Bert had been struggling with military power far inferior to the Empire, they received lavish treatment from the kingdom upon their victory.

The king at the time, Luciella’s father, even held a grand banquet for the imperial knight order.

“Wow, sh*t. I think we did well coming here.”

“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to come?”

“Ah, that was just something I said without knowing. Did you know we’d get hero treatment like this?”

The knight order members who had been grumbling also fell completely into the victory celebration and the banquet held at the royal palace.

Luxurious food was served to them daily, and they could drink expensive liquors to their heart’s content.

Enoch also attended his first victory banquet with joy. And there he first encountered Luciella.

“I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to you all once again.”

A small girl standing next to the king of Bert who came out to give formal greetings.

She was shining alone even in the splendid banquet hall, like the moon from heaven had descended to earth.

Her sparkling silver hair and eyes that seemed sprinkled with finely ground jewels. And her clear skin too. Even though he had only seen her briefly from afar, Enoch was instantly captivated by Luciella.

‘Beautiful……’

He initially doubted whether she was really human like him.

She shone alone even among countless crowds, so he wondered if he might be seeing an illusion. But vitality overflowed from her expression when she conversed with her brother beside her and smiled gently.

Enoch stared at Luciella for a long time like he was bewitched.

But Enoch knew his place all too well.

He was a new knight who had just barely managed to join the knight order, and she, standing far away, was a noble-born royal.

Thinking he couldn’t even dare to brush sleeves with her, Enoch tried to give up quickly.

But fate seemed to mock Enoch’s heart.

* * *

Enoch had no chance to sober up from the banquets that continued for several days. That day too, he had come out of the banquet hall to get some air after getting thoroughly drunk.

The cold wind made him feel like his tipsy state was clearing up a bit.

“Ah, I can live……”

He thought that while continuing to walk through the royal palace garden outside the banquet hall. He was thinking of taking a simple stroll. Was it that moment?

“Hic, huh!”

Suddenly a short woman’s scream came from somewhere. Then splashing sounds mixed in between.

Enoch, who had been continuing his walk in a daze, was startled by the sudden commotion and immediately hurried toward the source.

“What’s wrong!”

Where he rushed to, there was Luciella struggling after falling into a pond.

“Eopu, peup, puha, he-help! Please help me!”

There was no time to figure out what kind of situation this was. Enoch immediately jumped into the pond. Then he grabbed the struggling Luciella and pulled her out.

“Kek, kek, cough……”

“Are you alright?”

“I’m, I’m fine, kek, I’m fine. Th-thank you so much.”

“Why did you go into the pond in the middle of the night?”

“I didn’t go in, I fell in.”

She was wearing light slip clothing. What had she been doing to fall into the pond in such a state? Enoch tilted his head like he couldn’t understand. Then Luciella opened her mouth with a bright smile.

“I was feeding the fish and accidentally……”

“……Pardon?”

Enoch let out a dumbfounded sound at the absurd answer. What on earth had he just heard? He couldn’t hide his expression of disbelief.

“Ah, the palace people give the fish too little food…… It’s pitiful, you know.”

Luciella said that while laughing innocently.

“They only give ornamental fish enough food not to die because they say it looks ugly if they get fat.”

“No, even so……”

“Achoo!”

Faced with a series of incredibly innocent answers, Enoch lost his words and only blinked.

“Oh, this is terrible…… If my nanny finds out, there’ll be chaos……”

Luciella made a gloomy face looking at her soaking wet clothes. Her body was shivering, probably from the cold.

The thoroughly wet slip clung tightly, subtly showing her skin underneath. It seemed like even her n*pples might be visible if one looked closely. Enoch, who had been staring at her dangerous appearance like he was entranced for a moment, cleared his throat and quickly took off his clothes to give to her.

“You’ll catch a cold.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Luciella draped the uniform coat she received over her shoulders and smiled gently. Seeing that smile, Enoch was momentarily under the illusion that his surroundings had brightened.

“But Sir Knight.”

“Yes.”

“I’m really sorry…… could I ask you for one more favor?”

Looking at Luciella’s bright face asking, Enoch had an intuition. He felt like he could even jump off a cliff if it was her request.

* * *

Enoch had to pace around the bathroom in his room to calm his pounding heart. That was because beyond this door was Luciella.

And Luciella wearing his shirt at that.

‘Damn, damn, damn.’

Enoch had to sing military songs for a long time to calm his bulging front. Even so, it wouldn’t settle down at all.

‘Get a grip!’

Do you want to be arrested for insulting royalty?

Enoch grabbed his hair roughly and struggled desperately to hold onto his reason.

‘More than that, does the princess have no sense of danger……’

Was it okay to follow a man into his room so carelessly like this?

He was even worried about her innocence, seeming to know no fear of the world from growing up only in the royal palace.

‘Stop it, stop. Who am I to worry about whom, given my station.’

Then he quickly grasped his place and came to his senses.

After confirming that things below had calmed down somewhat, Enoch opened the door with an indifferent expression.

Then Luciella warming herself by the fireplace first caught his eye. Next to her, the slip she had been wearing was drooping and dripping water.

“Sir Knight, thank you so much.”

“Ah, not at all……”

“Could I perhaps know your name, Sir Knight?”

When Luciella asked for his name, Enoch hesitated for a moment. He had never been dissatisfied with his name in his entire life…… but right now, his name without a surname felt modest and shabby.

Enoch bowed his head deeply in shame and answered in a small voice.

“……Enoch. It’s Enoch.”

“Enoch…… That’s a wonderful name.”

Luciella even rolled his name around in her mouth several times. Just his name being spoken from between her plump, red lips made Enoch feel like his mind was becoming hazy.

“I’m Luciella. Luciella Bert.”

“Ah, I know. I saw you at the banquet……”

He wasn’t usually such a stuttering fool…… Enoch only resented his tongue that kept getting twisted.

He was turning his head slightly to the side to hide his reddened face. Fortunately, it seemed to be somewhat hidden by the heat emanating from the fireplace.

“Sir Knight, if it’s alright with you, could you help me tomorrow too?”

“Yes? With what……”

“Ah, feeding the fish! I’m scared I might fall in again if I do it alone……”

Luciella had a face like God had carved it, and she had a strangely quirky side. He couldn’t understand her wanting to go this far just for fish food.

Even so, Enoch was already bewitched and found himself nodding without knowing it.

“Of course. I’ll help you as much as you need.”

“Wow, what a kind person! Thank you!”

“Not at all, for something like this……”

“I thought all knights were rough and scary, but it doesn’t seem that way.”

Luciella said that while showing a shy smile.

“I didn’t know there were gentle people like you, Sir Enoch.”

Enoch’s face turned bright red at those words. Not knowing what to answer, he only bowed his head and let out an awkward laugh.

Excited Luciella continued chattering on about something. But it didn’t properly register in Enoch’s ears.

Only the image of Luciella smiling brightly and calling him gentle kept replaying in his head.

“I hope my future husband will be as caring as you, Sir Enoch.”

“……You’ll surely meet a good person.”

But even these moments, Enoch thought were merely a noble’s one-night escapade. Since she was a high-ranking person who would have no further involvement with him anyway.

A connection that once they left Bert, they would never even brush sleeves once.

Yes, it should have stayed that way.

If Luciella’s name hadn’t been spat from the mouth of someone gloomy and vile. Enoch would never have dared to think of seeking her out first.

—Continued in Volume 2 of 〈The Fallen Princess is Sold Off〉…….