Chapter 4.
Yeah, that’s true.
I immediately agreed. The prison carriage was structured to be fully exposed to the outside air, making it quite cold and hard.
“Don’t worry. I won’t make you do anything weird. As long as we stay inside, there’s no way for anyone to know what the two of us are up to.”
“…….”
At those words, Friedrich’s cheeks flushed slightly red.
I realized a bit late that it might sound a little strange.
……Explaining it would be even weirder and more suspicious, so let’s just leave it be, okay.
“It’s a long journey, so make yourself comfortable. I can’t unlock the handcuffs since I don’t have the key.”
“……Yes.”
Friedrich replied softly. With that, silence fell, and only the rattling of the carriage could be heard.
I started knitting, which was Rene’s hobby. Friedrich just glanced at me from time to time.
‘He must be bored.’
His gaze bothered me, so I finally parted my lips.
“Want me to share some yarn with you?”
“……Pardon?”
“You’re staring at me. Isn’t it because you want to try?”
“Ah, no.”
Friedrich hurriedly shook his head.
His long hair swayed like fluttering silk, so beautiful that it stole my gaze for a moment.
For a captive prisoner to have such lustrous hair. Must be the male lead buff.
“I was just…… curious to see Your Highness knitting.”
“What’s so curious about it?”
“It’s a bit more…….”
Friedrich paused for a moment, as if searching for the right words.
“I thought you’d have more active hobbies.”
“Yeah. I like horseback riding, and I like swimming too.”
I replied casually.
“But I also like knitting. Stitch by stitch, it calms my mind.”
“…….”
“Want me to teach you? I happen to have an extra needle.”
It was a spare I carried around. The tip was blunt, so it wasn’t suitable for self-harm.
When I met Friedrich’s eyes and asked, he averted his gaze slightly and nodded.
See, you were watching because you wanted to try.
I got up and moved to sit beside Friedrich. He flinched and shifted his body away from me.
I handed him the needle and yarn, then demonstrated.
“Alright, if we’re making a scarf, you start like this. Wrap the yarn around the needle, and then like this…….”
“…….”
“No, like this.”
He must have never held a knitting needle before, because his form was completely awkward.
I demonstrated once more, but the result was the same.
Ugh, this is frustrating.
Thinking it wasn’t going to work, I grabbed Friedrich’s hand abruptly.
He looked at me with startled eyes.
“Excuse me. You’re just too bad at it.”
I asked for belated, meaningless permission, then manipulated Friedrich’s hand.
His stiff hand moved clumsily under my touch as we knitted.
“This is how you cast on the stitches.”
“……Yes.”
“Now, try it again.”
As soon as I completed the starting stitches, I unraveled them.
Friedrich’s dazed eyes filled with bewilderment.
“……Me?”
“Who else?”
When I retorted in an incredulous tone, Friedrich wore a troubled expression and couldn’t say a word. I chuckled softly.
“Your hands are as delicate as jade, but you have no knack for this. Alright, watch closely.”
I grabbed Friedrich’s hand again. He shrank back slightly this time too, but he seemed more accustomed than before.
Holding his hand, I executed a perfect cast-on once more. Of course, this was really Rene’s skill.
“Phew, got it? Try again.”
“…….”
Friedrich stared at the yarn and needle with a cautious expression this time, then began to follow what I’d shown him.
He replicated it quite perfectly, and I let out a whistle.
“Wow, you’re good? Mastering it after just two demonstrations is impressive.”
“……Thank you.”
“Now, let’s move on to the next step. Watch closely.”
I repeated the same process after that. I’d demonstrate first, and if Friedrich couldn’t quite follow, I’d grab his hand and guide it myself.
But he just couldn’t get the hang of it from watching my demonstrations alone; he only completed each step when I held his hand and moved it for him.
‘That’s odd. In the original story, he could imitate someone’s swordsmanship after seeing it just once.’
Well, that was swordsmanship. Maybe comparing it to knitting is a stretch.
Time slipped by as I taught him knitting like that. Around the time hunger started to set in, the carriage came to a stop.
“We’ll take a break.”
Elsa opened the carriage door and quickly scanned the surroundings. Her meticulous gaze, like she was inspecting something, made me narrow my eyes.
“What’s with that insolent look?”
“It’s cleaner in here than I expected.”
“We were knitting, wholesomely.”
To prove it, I grabbed Friedrich’s hand, which was still holding the needle, and lifted it up. Elsa stared at the sight for a moment before speaking.
“Will you have lunch outside?”
“Sure, why not. The weather’s nice.”
I casually tried to step out of the carriage.
But at that very moment, something huge lunged forward from beside me.
When I came to my senses, Friedrich was sprawled out below the carriage.
Oh no.
“……On second thought, let’s eat inside. It feels a bit chilly.”
“I think it would be better to eat outside.”
Elsa met my eyes steadily as she spoke.
She must mean that showing me humiliating Friedrich would benefit us both.
With no choice, I stepped on Friedrich’s back and descended from the carriage.
In the open clearing, a simple table and parasol had been set up. The maids were busily bringing out the food.
I sat at the table, and Friedrich sat beside me. It was when I absentmindedly reached for a spoon.
“Prince, why aren’t you attending to Her Highness?”
Elsa’s sharp voice cut between us.
I tried to stop her with a flustered expression, but then I noticed the gazes around us.
Every one of them held anticipation, wondering how this arrogant princess would subjugate the prince of a fallen kingdom she’d claimed as her trophy.
‘Right, treating him well on my own won’t solve anything right now.’
My goal was to somehow relinquish the succession to the throne and retire to the countryside.
To do that, I needed to avoid suspicions of treason while showing I lacked the qualities of an empress.
Since there were no flaws in my abilities, I’d have to attack from another angle.
‘If rumors spread that the princess might be swayed by the prince of a defeated nation, even as a great mage, they’d worry about me becoming empress.’
Then, I could just say I’m leaving the palace to love without worries, and it’d be done.
Having revised my plan, I turned to Friedrich with a sly smile.
“That’s what she says, Fritz.”
With a teasing glint in my eye and throwing in the nickname, Friedrich’s gaze wavered dramatically. Of course, I ignored it and cupped his cheek firmly.
“I’m hungry. Feed me quickly.”
Is he thinking this princess is insane? I whispered softly into the ear of the frozen Friedrich.
“Cooperate, future husband. Acting like I adore you won’t hurt you, right?”
Only then did Friedrich slowly move his handcuffed hands.
He picked up the spoon, carefully scooped up some soup, blew on it to cool it, and brought it to my lips.
Oh, I didn’t expect the cooling service.
I grinned and opened my mouth, and after a slight hesitation, Friedrich fed it to me.
“It tastes even better because you’re feeding me.”
As I flashed a coy smile and delivered the cheesy line, Friedrich’s expression hardened.
Of course, I didn’t care and shamelessly went so far as to stroke his hair.
I pretended not to notice his expression hardening even more.
* * *
In the end, during that day’s lunch, I didn’t use my hands once.
From a single piece of pickle to a sip of water, Friedrich fed me everything.
“It’s quite a sight, isn’t it? They’re such a handsome couple.”
“Yes, now I understand why Her Highness demanded only Prince Friedrich as her trophy. I’m so envious…….”
“It makes me understand the legend of the king who gave up wealth and glory for beauty.”
Thanks to the male lead fortunately(?) being the most beautiful in the world, people seemed to accept my marriage, even if it meant giving up the throne.
Great, let’s keep pushing the concept of the princess who abandons the throne for love!
This time too, I stepped on Friedrich’s back to board the carriage.
But even after climbing in after me, Friedrich didn’t brush the dirt off his back.
“Are you worried I’ll be offended? It’s fine. You can dust it off.”
“It’s oka…….”
“Oh, right, you can’t reach it with your hands.”
Realizing something I hadn’t thought of, I went over to him and briskly dusted off his back myself.
It wasn’t that forceful, but I could feel Friedrich’s back stiffen. Concerned, I was just easing the pressure from my hands when.
“What benefit does Your Highness gain from showing favoritism toward me?”
