The Prince's Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 107

Chapter 107: Protagonist of the Founding Festival (2)

The princes of the Empire?

The envoys stared at the Emperor in surprise.

Some of them glanced toward the seats where the princes sat, their faces filled with half curiosity and half disbelief.

“Then let’s begin.”

The Emperor smiled and gestured lightly.

A bright light poured down from the ceiling, illuminating the stage at the center of the banquet hall.

The first to appear on stage was none other than the First Prince, Adrian.

“It’s an honor to perform a hymn I composed myself before all the distinguished guests gathered here today. Please enjoy it.”

With a short greeting, Adrian snapped his fingers.

Immediately, the chorus that had been waiting stepped onto the stage. As the musicians below began to play, the choir started to sing.

“I didn’t know His Highness the First Prince had such talent in music.”

“What a beautiful melody. To compose something like this at such a young age….”

The hymn Adrian had composed added a lively charm to the banquet’s atmosphere.

The lyrics, blending myths and legends from across the continent, drew laughter from all corners of the hall.

Although the event commemorated the founding of the Ventrume Empire, he had intentionally omitted any verses glorifying past emperors or their achievements, subtly earning the favor of the foreign envoys.

By the time the First Prince’s performance came to an end, the hall was filled with thunderous applause.

“Very satisfying.”

The Emperor, clearly pleased with his eldest son’s performance, clapped enthusiastically. Even Empress Melanie, who rarely smiled, had a faint curve at the corner of her lips.

“Now then….”

Once the applause subsided, the Emperor spoke again, “Wasn’t the next performance prepared by the Second and Third Princes?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

At his question, the Second Consort, Helena, immediately stepped forward.

“Isn’t it an old Imperial tradition for the princes to perform the sword dance during the founding festival?”

Her clear, confident voice rang through the hall.

“During the last festival, the frequent monster attacks made it impossible to prepare such a performance, but this year, I’m delighted that we can uphold tradition once again.”

“Indeed.”

The Emperor nodded at her words.

Thump, thump.

Suddenly, the lights brightening the banquet hall dimmed completely.

Only a single, intense beam of light from the ceiling shone down on the circular stage at the center.

A solemn, almost sacred tension filled the air.

Everyone, from the envoys to the nobles, turned their gaze toward the stage.

Thump, thump, thump.

With the steady beat of drums echoing from somewhere unseen, two figures stepped onto the stage.

They were the Second Prince, Lloyd, and the Third Prince, Edwin. Each held an ornate ceremonial sword in one hand, facing each other.

Between them hung a sharp, taut tension that seemed ready to snap at any moment.

***

Clang.

The sound of their swords clashing rang sharply through the air.

Though the swords were ceremonial, they were still forged of real steel, and a single mistake could cause injury. Yet the two charged at each other with all their strength, as if fighting a real duel.

‘Not bad.’

Leaning casually against the wall with a clear view of the stage, I watched the princes’ sword dance.

Edwin and Lloyd were working together surprisingly well.

‘Even though Lloyd refused to rehearse with him, they’re in sync.’

They had only practiced together for an hour before the performance, barely a few times.

‘Lloyd must’ve been practicing hard on his own too.’

Their sword dance was far more impressive than I’d expected.

Because of that, the atmosphere of the banquet grew even more intense. The envoys couldn’t take their eyes off the stage.

‘This is interesting.’

I glanced at Edwin, whose face was painted in a frightening design.

‘So he’s playing the evil dragon.’

The sword dance handed down through the Imperial family had its own story.

It followed part of the founding legend where the Empire’s first Emperor slayed the evil dragon and built his kingdom.

‘Judging by personality alone, the Second Prince suits the role of the dragon better.’

Unlike Edwin, whose face was completely obscured by dark paint, Lloyd wore shining armor that made him look like a true hero. The polish on his face made it seem as if a radiant halo surrounded him.

Thump, thump.

The drumbeat quickened briefly, then returned to its original rhythm.

At that moment, the two princes suddenly widened the distance between them and began circling each other.

It was a movement like two predators gauging their prey, testing their opponent’s strength.

Thump, thump-thump-thump, thump.

As if signaling the true start, the drumbeats began to quicken again.

Then the two clashed again.

‘Hm?’

Something felt off.

Edwin’s expression wasn’t good. He looked flustered, even sweating nervously, as if something had gone wrong.

‘Wait a second.’

I stared for a while before noticing something strange.

‘Was there a movement like that in the sword dance?’

Unlike before, Lloyd’s sword strikes were fast and fierce, one after another. It looked far too aggressive to be called a ceremonial dance.

I frowned.

‘…That bastard.’

It was clear.

Lloyd had no intention of performing the sword dance properly. All he wanted was to defeat the younger brother standing before him.

‘Has he lost his mind? No, maybe he’s being cunning.’

Attacking under the guise of a sword dance in such a public setting meant that even if he was caught, he could still make excuses.

‘Obvious.’

He’d say things like, ‘I never meant to harm him,’ or, ‘It was just a mistake during the performance.’ He’d have plenty of excuses ready.

‘This is troublesome.’

I couldn’t just jump onto the stage and stop the dance, but I also couldn’t throw a dagger at Lloyd with Edwin still up there.

“Ugh.”

Meanwhile, Edwin groaned under the increasingly intense attacks from Lloyd.

Then, at last, he managed to parry his half-brother’s strike and retreat.

Waaah—

However, the audience in the banquet hall erupted into cheers.

To them, the two young princes looked as though they were reenacting the fierce battle between the First Emperor and the evil dragon.

Thanks to that, no one realized the princes were actually fighting for real.

***

“Haa.”

Edwin, dripping with sweat, glanced around nervously.

Countless eyes filled with expectation surrounded him from all sides.

For some reason, the weight of their gazes made it hard to breathe.

‘Why is Lloyd acting like this all of a sudden?’

They hadn’t practiced much together, sure, but they had at least rehearsed before going on stage. It hadn’t been perfect, but he thought it would go smoothly enough.

‘Did he forget the moves?’

No, that wasn’t it. Lloyd didn’t look confused at all. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying himself. It was the kind of smile you wore when you were thrilled to toy with someone weaker.

‘…Ah, I see now.’

Edwin finally realized that Lloyd had no intention of completing the sword dance with him.

‘He just wants to humiliate me.’

Why had it taken him this long to see it? Lloyd had always despised him.

‘He wants to disgrace me here, in front of everyone.’

He must have planned to overwhelm him with unexpected attacks and make him collapse in front of the crowd.

After all, the sword dance always ended with the scene where the First Emperor defeated the dragon. Even if Edwin fell for real, no one would think twice about it.

‘So… am I supposed to just let him do this?’

If he wanted, Edwin could easily counter Lloyd’s strikes.

But he hesitated.

If he responded to Lloyd’s provocations, he might ruin the mood of the festival.

He was afraid of disappointing everyone.

‘What should I do?’

He wiped the sweat trailing down his chin with the back of his hand.

At that moment, his eyes met the Emperor’s.

‘Father?’

The Emperor seemed to have noticed what was happening on stage.

But he made no move to stop it. He simply watched, his gaze filled with curiosity rather than concern.

Clang!

There was no time to rest.

Edwin looked helplessly at Lloyd rushing toward him.

“Don’t struggle, Edwin.”

Their faces were so close they could almost touch.

Lloyd whispered in a low voice, “You’re the evil dragon, remember?”

“Brother, why are you—”

“You’re supposed to lose. Face down on the ground and humiliated. That’s your role.”

A crack appeared on Edwin’s painted face.

Lloyd bared his teeth in amusement, clearly enjoying his half-brother’s expression.

“Just like that.”

“Kh!”

Edwin’s hands trembled as he gripped his sword. He barely managed to deflect Lloyd’s next attack, but the situation was only growing worse for him.

‘What do I do?’

The dragon’s part in the sword dance was meant to be grand and showy, but it lacked real defense.

Of course, the role of the Emperor had to stand out more. So it was natural that Edwin was struggling.

‘If I change my movements now, it’ll look strange.’

The flashier the choreography, the more obvious any deviation would be.

Many in the audience, especially among the nobles, knew the details of the Imperial sword dance. And the Emperor would notice immediately if anything seemed off.

‘What should I do?’

Edwin bit his lip. Sweat trickled down the young prince’s forehead as panic clouded his mind.