The Prince's Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 116

Chapter 116: The King’s Promise (1)

Something he wanted to know.

At Edwin’s words, I arched an eyebrow.

“Do you remember the homework we talked about last time? I said I needed to find a way to take Adamant Castle.”

Edwin’s eyes shone with intelligence.

“You told me to look for his weakness. And you said a weakness is usually the thing that person loves most.”

I did say that.

I listened quietly as Edwin continued.

“So I asked His Majesty the King what he treasures most. What he values so much he wouldn’t regret trading even his kingdom or his own life for it. And then….”

Edwin widened his eyes and kept tilting his head, baffled.

“When His Majesty heard that, he just started laughing. Then he said there’s a woman he keeps in his heart, and if I bring her to him, he could hand over something like the Adamant Kingdom without a second thought.”

Something like the Adamant Kingdom?

To call the country he built by starting a rebellion and fighting with his life on the line “something like that.”

Does that mean the woman he keeps in his heart is that precious?

‘Is the precious person he said he lost because of Breath of the Angel the same woman?’

If so, that makes sense.

There’s no way to bring back the dead anyway, so he wouldn’t hesitate to stake his country on it.

If, by some miracle, someone could revive the dead, then the one who brought that woman back might be able to hold Kayden by the throat. But well, that’s not going to happen.

“Did he say anything about what kind of woman she is?”

Edwin shook his head with a gloomy look.

Then, as if something suddenly came to him, he opened his mouth.

“Ah, but he did say he’d definitely recognize her if he met her again. He said there’s a mark on her body.”

If he talked about meeting her again, then maybe she isn’t the same person.

‘More importantly, a mark on her body.’

If it’s somewhere that’s hard to see, it won’t be easy to confirm.

‘Now I’m curious too.’

Just what kind of woman is she, for the great King of Adamant to say he wouldn’t regret giving up his country?

‘But if he has a woman in his heart, why does he bring any woman into his bedroom?’

Sure, it’s not like he was looking for a bed partner, but for someone to keep watch while he slept. Still, the fact that a man who claims to have a woman in his heart can so casually bring another woman into his bedroom doesn’t look good.

“So what do you think?”

Just then, Edwin asked, lying facedown on the bed with his chin propped on his hand.

“Do you have any idea what kind of woman His Majesty King Kayden likes?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Right? It’s not easy.”

He let out a small sigh, then flopped onto his back.

Then he flailed his arms and legs wildly, like an overturned bug.

‘What’s gotten into him all of a sudden?’

I was used to Edwin occasionally doing things that made no sense.

Like mulling over something that wasn’t even funny and laughing nonstop, or climbing to someplace that wasn’t even that high and repeatedly jumping down.

At first, I couldn’t understand it at all, but Catherine said kids were all like that.

‘I never did that when I was a kid.’

I never did anything that didn’t benefit me. That was the only wisdom I learned in the back alleys as a child.

‘But now I can more or less tell.’

After observing him obsessively, I realized there was information to read even in Edwin’s movements that seemed meaningless.

‘He seems to be in a good mood.’

Most of the time, when Edwin couldn’t keep his limbs still and flailed around like that, it meant he was in a good mood.

Sure enough, after thrashing his arms and legs for a while, he stared blankly at the ceiling and spoke.

“You know, Rachel.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“I think His Majesty King Kayden is a pretty good person.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah!”

Edwin turned his head toward me.

His eyes, like lapis lazuli set into place, sparkled.

“At first I thought he hated me, but I don’t think that’s it. You wouldn’t ask someone you hate to spar, right?”

Instead of answering, I nodded and pulled the blanket over him.

“It seems you enjoyed the sparring.”

“Yeah, it was hard, but it felt worth it! I think I kind of get what I’m lacking.”

Edwin pulled the blanket up to his chin and looked at me with wide, bright eyes.

“Once the founding festival ends, I’m going to practice swordsmanship even harder.”

He’s thinking about finding his own shortcomings and fixing them.

‘That’s pretty admirable.’

I hid a smile and brushed his bangs back neatly.

Because he liked having his hair touched, it became our usual bedtime greeting at some point.

“Don’t get too excited and go to sleep. Tomorrow’s the last day of the founding festival, isn’t it? If you’re going to see the delegations off, you’ll need to get up early.”

“Right. I should sleep.”

Edwin grinned, then slowly closed his eyes.

He’d been chatting just fine a moment ago, but once he lay down under the blanket, he seemed very sleepy.

Well, he sparred with the strongest knight on the continent. Of course he’d be exhausted.

“Then you sleep well too, Rachel.”

Edwin soon fell asleep, breathing softly and lightly.

He didn’t forget to say good night to me, either.

***

It was just before the dark sky finally began to lighten at dawn.

“Y-Your Majesty?”

Catherine wore a stunned expression as she looked at the Adamant delegation hurrying to prepare for departure from early morning.

That was understandable, since it was so early the other delegations hadn’t even woken up yet.

“You’re leaving already?”

“Yes. I’ve got a lot of things piled up that I left behind.”

Kayden smiled as he slipped into the armor a subordinate handed him.

“My country still hasn’t been on its feet for long, so there’s a lot the king has to handle personally.”

“I, I see.”

Catherine worried he might be leaving early because he wasn’t satisfied with how he’d been treated as a guest.

“But if you want to greet His Majesty the Emperor as well, it seems like you should stay a bit longer. It’s not yet time for His Majesty to be receiving reports….”

“Ah, you don’t have to worry about that.”

Kayden smiled with ease.

“I greeted His Majesty yesterday in advance and asked for his understanding.”

Thanks to that, the Emperor also knew Kayden would be leaving early this morning.

Leaving first might look discourteous, but the Adamant delegation’s early departure was, in a way, also for the Emperor’s sake.

“If it weren’t for those monsters running wild day after day, I could’ve stayed with more leisure.”

Kayden shrugged as if it were a shame.

“Honestly, I liked it here enough that I wanted to stay even after the founding festival ended.”

It sounded as if he could see right through the head maid’s thoughts.

Sure enough, at the king’s praise that was praise but not quite, Catherine’s face brightened.

“R-really?”

“Mm. I liked the grand bathhouse, and I liked the service too. Thanks to you, I’m leaving well-rested.”

“Ah, no! We’re the ones who regret we couldn’t serve you longer.”

After a few rounds of polite pleasantries, Kayden tightened the straps on his gauntlets and said, “By the way, I heard it’s still too early for Prince Edwin to be awake. There’s no need to wake him on purpose, so….”

“Your Majesty King Kayden!”

Just then, the door flew open and Edwin rushed in, looking like he was only half awake.

Maybe he’d dressed in a hurry, because one of his buttons was still undone.

The young prince stood with a hand on the doorknob, panting.

“Mmng, Lia’s sleepy.”

Behind Edwin, Emilia came toddling out too, also not fully awake.

“Oh no. I guess I spoke too late.”

Kayden looked flustered.

His eyes said he hadn’t expected to wake the young princess as well.

“Mmm? Majesty King!”

Emilia rubbed her eyes, then beamed and walked up to Kayden.

“Majesty King, you’re up already? You woke up before Liaaa.”

Kayden dropped to one knee in front of Emilia and smiled back.

“I’m sorry for waking you.”

“Mmm, nooo. Lia’s not sleepy anymoreee, haaahh.”

Emilia yawned repeatedly, then tilted her head when she saw Kayden in armor.

“But Majesty King, where are you going?”

“Yes. I have to return to my home country now, no, to my home.”

“Mmm?”

At that, Emilia’s eyes went round.

“You’re going hoooome? Why?”

“Well, that’s….”

“Majesty King is Lia’s friend. Weren’t we going to live together?”

Friends don’t usually live together, do they?

Kayden gave an awkward smile at the princess’s words.

“I’m sorry, Princess. I have family I need to take care of at home as well.”

“Lia’s not family?”

At the question of whether Lia wasn’t one of them, Kayden flinched.

“Lia, Lia’s your friend! Friends are family too!”

It seemed she thought they meant something similar because they both ended with the same word. [t/n: family is 식구 (siggu) and friend is 친구 (chingu)]

Emilia’s lips stuck out, and she started to sniffle.

“Majesty King is Lia’s only friend in the whole world! Don’t goooo!”

In the end, the young princess burst into tears.

Kayden froze in place, not even able to touch her as she sobbed and clung to his neck.