His head was held low , his knees folded underneath him ... "And i am begging you here, Princess ― i can't keep being your Knight when this is how i truly feel."

He loves you, he'd said ― whispered and almost uncertain. He knew of his feelings long before coming to terms with what it meant to him ― you weren't exactly a person he could just have.

Even so, his duty was to protect the princess ― not fall in love with her! And in a way, he even felt a sense of shame.

"Please just...," he tightened his fingers into fists, unable to even look at you "i'm sure your father ― the King... ― i'm sure he'll understand when i degrade."