As everyone knows, Winnie is a cultured and easygoing person, generally refraining from using curse words—unless he encounters someone truly unreasonable.
"Damn it," he thought to himself. In the original story, Winnie was the crazy troublemaker, and this guy in front of him was like the ultimate troublemaker. A real battle-hardened version of a pain in the ass. In the end, he would end up with nothing.
Normally, in a game following standard tropes, this young knight would have received some kind of recognition or reward, but sadly, this was an orange-themed game, and being born the wrong gender meant he got nothing.
Who would’ve thought that, in the end, the princess he’d pursued for years would be swept away by another woman?
And still, he had the nerve to say, "Your gaze doesn’t need to rest on me, I would be honored to always be your knight." Just on the clowning front, buddy, you’re even better than original Winnie, aren’t you?
Naturally, this guy was undoubtedly Winnie’s enemy in the original story. Winnie could never do anything about him; he couldn’t win in a fight, nor could he insult him. Most of the time, he could only make a harsh remark and storm off.
In the end, this guy was also one of the main forces that beat up the corrupted Winnie.
It seemed that the incident at last night’s banquet was still causing waves, and this guy’s memory recovery seemed quite ill-timed.
"Do you have something to say?" Winnie asked with a tone that conveyed disinterest.
"This is the royal palace. No unauthorized individuals are allowed. Go back from where you came from, or I’ll have to personally escort you out," Karon said, looking down at Winnie with a tone full of command.
Oh, really? Playing the part of not knowing me?
Winnie was a bit confused. In the original, everyone was a clown, and no one was better than the other, just at different levels of it. So why was this guy acting so important?
"No unauthorized individuals? Then you shouldn’t be here either," Winnie replied, crossing his arms, a playful smile on his face as he looked at Karon.
"Don’t joke around, Winnie. I’m a member of the Angry Dragon Knights. I’m here for training and patrol. What about you? What reason or qualification do you have to be in the royal palace?" Karon frowned slightly.
Ah, now Winnie understood. This guy was probably annoyed by him always wandering into the royal city to see Mirecia. He probably thought Winnie was here to see the princess he was so obsessed with.
Ah, the foolishness of young love.
"Oh, so you do know me? What a surprise. We’re old friends, yet you’re pretending not to know me. I thought you had amnesia," Winnie teased.
"Don’t try to get close to me. Who’s an ‘old friend’ to you?" Karon responded.
"Not trying to get close? Alright then, I won’t waste your time. You can go talk to the King about it. I’m busy, I don’t have time to deal with a lonely boy who’s afraid to confess his love. Goodbye!" Winnie waved his hand dismissively and started to walk away. He didn’t know if it was the last sentence that angered Karon, but once again, Karon blocked his path.
"...Not gonna let me go, huh? What, are you hoping for some free pie by stopping me?"
If he could, Winnie would’ve liked to toss his handkerchief and challenge this guy to a knight duel, but that was just a fantasy. Karon was a magical genius with four stars of magical aptitude, and he had broken the rules to join the Angry Dragon Knights—if they fought, Winnie would end up being nothing more than a background character.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net, it has been stolen.
"Ha, some dog who’s been rejected by the princess doesn’t even know his own worth. He dares to confess publicly, but ends up looking pathetic. A real washed-up dog," Karon sneered.
"At least I’m not like some cowardly turtle who only dares to secretly love someone but never says anything. At least I have the courage to speak up," Winnie retorted dismissively.
"You!" Karon’s anger flared. "Winnie, say that again. Who’s the turtle?"
Ah, young and naïve. He gets angry too easily.
"Huh?" Winnie acted surprised, looking around. "I didn’t say who. What, is someone in the royal palace like that? Or do you know who I mean? Oh, don’t get defensive."
"Win—nie!" Karon’s face twisted in frustration, as if he had swallowed a fly and couldn’t spit it out.
"Looks like you want me to handle this personally," Karon said, his fists cracking with tension.
"Don’t! You should go through the proper channels. Just call other Angry Dragon Knights over and tell them I’m an intruder. Lock me up in the dungeon. It’s really that simple," Winnie grinned.
"You said it," Karon said coldly.
"Sigh," Winnie shook his head.
"What’s that sigh about?"
"I sigh because young love really does make a person lose their intelligence. But I understand—it’s better this way. If you were this dumb all the time, well, that’s your life," Winnie shrugged.
"Use your little brain for once. The two Angry Dragon Knights guarding the royal palace gates, do they just sit there and eat? Do you think they let me in for no reason?" Winnie continued, unbothered.
Just as Karon was about to lose his temper again, a clear, elegant voice, like a lily in a valley, rang out behind him.
"Karon, who are you arguing with?"
Hearing that beautiful voice, Karon, who had just been heated and flustered, suddenly felt like cold water had been poured over his head, and he immediately calmed down. He transformed from a stubborn, annoying boy to a polite and courteous knight.
He immediately kneeled, bowing his head respectfully to the golden-haired princess who had appeared behind him.
"Ah..." Winnie thought to himself, clicking his tongue.
This guy really did have two faces.
Winnie had noticed Mirecia approaching from a distance earlier, but Karon had been so riled up that he didn’t even hear the sound of high heels clicking closer.
"Sorry, it was my mistake. I didn’t notice you had arrived, Princess," Karon knelt down, one hand over his chest, looking up at Mirecia with a gaze full of reverence and a hint of deep admiration and nervousness.
Just now... Did the Princess hear those words?
Karon was slightly nervous inside.
Winnie watched the radiant girl in the distance, her golden twin tails cascading down like flowing water, her golden lashes casting shadows, and her eyes shining like deep blue agate—she was a perfect blend of youth and nobility, as if an unreachable flower on a high mountain.
Winnie momentarily lost focus, but quickly snapped out of it.
No wonder the old Winnie was so obsessed with her—seeing her in person was completely different from recalling the memories.
Noticing Mirecia, Winnie knew that with her presence holding Karon back, there was no need for him to speak any further.
He simply gave a respectful nod, acknowledging her, before turning and leaving. There were no extra words or gestures.
Mirecia gazed after his retreating back, her clear blue eyes filled with confusion and surprise.
She didn’t know what this notorious young scoundrel was up to today. First, he went to the Church, something he had never done before, to pray for a long time. Now, he was here at the royal palace, not to annoy her as usual.
In the past, whenever Winnie saw her, he would always come up, disregarding the situation, and greet her in a familiar way, asking about her health, which always made her uncomfortable. He’d often do strange things and say awkward things that were difficult to understand.
She thought today would be the same, but instead, he simply gave her a brief greeting and left, as if the greeting was merely out of courtesy.
It was as if he was keeping his distance from her.
Winnie’s behavior was so out of character it felt like the sun had risen from the west. Such a huge shift felt surreal, almost more absurd than an old drunk suddenly turning over a new leaf.
However, she wasn’t overly surprised, still thinking that Winnie was probably just trying to attract her attention in some new way.
It was hard to change the impression built over so many years.
Beside her, Karon looked equally surprised. He had expected Winnie, that troublesome fool, to be here to annoy Princess Mirecia again, and was about to give him a piece of his mind, but today... it didn’t seem like that at all?