The Prince's Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 103

Chapter 103: Guest of the Prince’s Palace (6)

“It’s the quarters of the Gloria Knights.”

“Ah.”

Kayden let out a low sound, almost like a sigh.

“So that’s the knight order led by the Sword of the Empire.”

He stared at the building of the Gloria Knights for a while before letting out a quiet chuckle.

He’d been wearing a serious expression, so the sudden laughter was unexpected.

I couldn’t help but forget my resolve not to engage him in personal conversation and asked, “Why are you laughing?”

“Because I wondered if buildings take after their owners.”

The Empire’s Sword, Jerome, was a duke before he was a knight. It was only natural that the quarters of the knight order led by the head of the most powerful ducal family would be extravagant.

And indeed, the atmosphere of the place somehow resembled Jerome himself—skilled, but fond of showing off.

“Oh, I didn’t expect to run into you here.”

Just then, familiar figures appeared from the quarters.

It was Duke Jerome Crowner, commander of the Gloria Knights, along with Sir Philip, the vice commander.

‘Speak of the devil.’

Jerome spotted Kayden and approached with a friendly expression, only to freeze for a moment. His brow furrowed slightly when his gaze fell on me standing beside Kayden.

“Did he just frown at me?”

Kayden, noticing Jerome’s reaction, looked genuinely baffled.

“I was just standing here, though.”

“It’s not because of Your Majesty,” I said calmly.

“Then what is it?”

It was obvious it was because of me.

Not only had I refused his offer to take Edwin as a disciple, but I’d also hit him with some rather sharp words. No wonder he wasn’t looking at me kindly.

“Your Majesty, an honor to see you.”

Jerome quickly composed himself and greeted us politely.

“Did you rest well last night?”

“Thanks to you.”

Kayden’s eyes curved slightly as he nodded.

Even though his lips weren’t smiling, his gaze alone made it look as if he were. I couldn’t tell what emotion, if any, was behind that smile.

“But why is Your Majesty walking around without any guards? You’re in a foreign imperial palace, after all.”

Kayden’s combat skills had long been proven across countless battlefields. Even so, a king wandering a foreign palace without a single escort was unheard of.

“It’s fine,” Kayden replied easily, almost mocking the very idea. “There’s no one in this palace capable of harming me.”

At those words, a faint crack appeared in Jerome’s expression.

There were many ways to interpret that statement.

One, in particular, stood out: that even the Empire’s Sword wasn’t worthy to be called his opponent.

It was a remark one couldn’t make without looking down on the duke.

“And if it ever comes to that,” Kayden added casually, unfazed by Jerome’s discomfort, “This person will protect me.”

Then, as if to prove his point, he stepped behind me and mimed hiding behind my back.

“I can’t tell you how reassured I felt having her guard my chamber last night.”

That night had been a mutual agreement and strictly confidential. Was he really saying that out loud in public?

“Haha, is that so?”

Jerome’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked at me. His expression said it all: he hadn’t thought I was the type to do something like that for social climbing.

Philip, too, looked at me with clear astonishment.

“So, where were you all heading in such a hurry?” Kayden asked casually.

“To the Imperial Palace,” Jerome answered after regaining his composure.

“There was another monster attack last night.”

“…Which direction this time?”

“The northwest.”

At that, Kayden’s brows twitched faintly. He seemed to think for a moment, then spoke again.

“In that case, may I join you? I have an urgent matter to discuss with His Majesty the Emperor.”

“If you wish to see His Majesty, it would be best to request a formal audience first—”

“There’s no need. Since the commander of the Imperial Army himself will be present, it’s only right that you hear this too.”

Kayden looked between Jerome and Philip, his tone calm but firm.

“It’s about the source of the monsters.”

‘The source of the monsters?’

I frowned slightly at his words.

No one had ever discovered how monsters came to exist.

The only theory that held any weight was that monsters tended to appear in areas with concentrated magical energy, similar to mana stones.

‘Even the monsters I saw in Luxen were said to have appeared near the mines where mana stones were found.’

Had new information about their origins surfaced during the year I’d been dead?

While I was lost in thought, Jerome nodded to Kayden. “That works perfectly. His Majesty also mentioned that he wished to discuss the monster subjugation with you. Let’s go together, then.”

At the duke’s answer, Kayden lightly shrugged his shoulders. Then he turned to me.

“Thank you for guiding me, Lady Brown.”

When he saw my expressionless face, he grinned.

“Then I’ll see you later.”

Instead of replying, I bent my knees and gave a curt bow.

Soon after, Kayden left with Jerome and his entourage.

As he did, I felt Philip glance at me before he walked away. He was probably wondering why I had been walking so casually beside the King of Adamant.

“Hmph.”

I frowned slightly and lifted my gaze. Dark clouds were gathering above, ill-fitting for such a bright spring day.

An ominous feeling prickled at the back of my neck.

***

“Rachel, how was it?”

“What do you mean?”

Edwin asked with an eager expression as I examined the bedding.

“I mean His Majesty, the King of Adamant. What kind of person is he, after spending time with him?”

What kind of person Kayden was?

‘An unpleasant, shameless man.’

I immediately recalled the sight of him hiding behind my back when we’d run into Jerome and his men in the garden and frowned reflexively.

But that was only my personal opinion.

‘That’s probably not what Edwin wants to know.’

I paused in the middle of fluffing the feathers inside the pillow and looked up.

Edwin met my eyes, then gripped the bedpost and looked away, fidgeting.

“It’s just that, you talked with him quite a bit, right? I was curious what kind of things you two discussed while touring the palace.”

I didn’t recall any meaningful conversations. I’d said only what was necessary, and Kayden had disappeared midway with Jerome’s group.

“…If you’re asking what kind of person he is, I’m not sure,” I said after a moment of thought.

That was the truth. He was a man whose inner thoughts I couldn’t read.

His expression and attitude shifted as easily as changing masks.

Though he carried himself with a playful air, there was an unmistakable pressure beneath it that kept him from being underestimated.

He was awkward and unsettling, like mismatched fragments forced together.

‘Which means he’s hiding a lot.’

People who hid too much could never be trusted.

I had already marked Kayden as my top watch target.

‘A man whose feats have spread across the entire continent wouldn’t lower himself and act frivolously without a hidden motive.’

People with ulterior motives should be kept at a distance.

Of course, since he was the guest of the Third Prince’s Palace, avoiding him completely was impossible.

I kept my tone calm as I continued, “That’s all I can tell you, Your Highness.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Edwin looked openly disappointed. He sighed and flopped onto the bed.

“This is bad.”

“What is?”

“Well, Teacher gave me an assignment, and it has to do with Adamant.”

An assignment from Sage? What kind of homework could make him look that troubled?

I stared silently at Edwin. He must’ve understood the question in my eyes, because he quickly explained on his own.

“He told me to come up with a strategy, how to conquer Adamant.”

Did Sage know the King of Adamant was staying in the Third Prince’s Palace when he gave that assignment?

Really, that eccentric old man had quite the twisted sense of humor.

“So I thought it’d help if I knew what kind of person the King of Adamant was. But since you don’t really know either….”

“Your Highness has spoken with him as well, hasn’t he? What do you think of him?” I asked back.

“Me? Well….”

Edwin fell silent for a long time, then rubbed his temples with a troubled look.

“I don’t know either. Honestly, I can’t even tell if he likes me or hates me.”

If you could at least tell what someone thought of you, it was easier to approach them. But Kayden never gave Edwin the chance to make such a judgment; his attitude was deliberately vague.

“Ugh.”

Edwin groaned and buried his face in the blanket.

“So you think, Your Highness, that if you know how to take on the King of Adamant, you can conquer his kingdom too?”

“Well, that was my plan….”

True enough. When a country was ruled by an absolute monarch, the ruler’s weakness became the nation’s weakness.

After a short pause, I said slowly, “Then you should look for his weakness.”

“Weakness?”

Edwin lifted his head at my words, sitting upright. He stared at me with bright, curious eyes.

“To destroy a person, one must strike at their weakness. And a person’s weakness is usually….”

I fixed my gaze on Edwin and finished quietly, “…the thing they love most.”